The Statesman.
London, England, 1819-08-16 00:00:00

REFORM MEETING ~IT LEIGII.

There hat been a Pahlie Meetln; at 1•Ish, near
Alauchester. consisting of upwards of 14,t1)0 persons.
A corisrlitaneity of feeling anti sentiment appears to
pervade the whole rank of distressed artisans. None
of the tyrants from Manchester attended, nor did
Vie, sesta any addresses of art ; their hearts dictated
their words.

About two o'rlerk the opeekers ascended a plat.
form, made by Iwo carts lashed together.
Mr. 11. 'hatenser the 'unions by slating,
that they hail come there that day for one of the most
important purposes ender theater. ; it was that of cowl-
dering Ilse means of emancipating from misery and went.
'
most of the inhabinnts of that once 'hunching and
happy township; he desired the crowd to conduct li
themselves in a peaceable manner, fur the purls's', of
frestratiste the plane of their enemies, whose grertest
wish was to see them commit sumo act which would
•Ifssad a rirrell for intercepting the proceedings. lie
proposed that Mr. flambee should take the Chair,
wit'ch was tamed unanimously.
'1
he CHAIRMAN briefly returned thanks for the
honour the appintmeot had conterred op3n him
: lle was about to make some ob lions respecting
a cap of liberty, with which he onderstood the Fe-
ate!. Reformers of Leigh intended to roesent the
Meeting; when a deputation from item Inked with
a handsome worked cap of green, blur, and white
silk, enshlematies! of the three kin.t.l urns, and A re.'
' Ilse. with the ii;.nti•tion ANNUAL PAR LI A•
Mb:"; I.S. Li:WV 111•!A I. SC FFIt and ELEC-
TION BY lIALLOr. They were received with a
roend of sprints twee, epplause.
Mr. CLEwott ill moved that a Vote of Thanks be
given to she Ladies fur their noble conduct.
Mr. 11armest:1-, after the hailing were handed on
the bovines, in seconding the motion, ohs d that
the motive of his assent was the disiaterevrilly pa-
triolic behaviour of the ladies. They hail followed
the sublime 'sample of the Ladies of ancient U
and lt,,me. who had ever been fs.remost in the S.W
pot lof their mike l'011110ries.—( owl appluase.)—
Whatever were the distress, whatever ihn danger which
threatened their corin'tics, those intrepid an l -.sgni-
Inimous r m sl, s had All ay I evinced the lamest courage
in throne, and 1,0 ps ive, ion was imp oteliCy,llJl rather
wills 111. utmost clic stfutoe.s. bort., in the other.—
Such • spirit was now esincr.l by thin, squally et)•
premed and suffering •istere.—(flisplerese.)—The
cap whii.h they had Own boldly borne ft rnegis she
streets of I: i.:11 was, is. fief, nntwithstarstlisse she
trausaetions of nor enemies, the glorinses emblem
of real and rational liberty.—(Grced apploote.)—
it was the IfrittMPlS pf that liberty, for the Otis of
wit eh a me of the heat and great :sat men hid
their hlcod.—(Applinue) Our sisters than deserve
our heartiest tiswolts, and I hope that we, who tom-
pose this Meeting, shall ever return the liveliest re.
mentbrence of their noble and glen:ins esample.—
(Immente oppluuse.)—The vote rf Thanks was then
carried by acclamation, sad a salute of hums was
given by the whole Meeting.
Mr. CLIWOUTII then proceeded to read the Re.
solutions, ten in number, which ernbrsced the usual
trpica, sit.—That the People were not represented;
that the Brireughmongering system ruined the land ;
that they pledged themselves never to give op advo-
cating Refurim until they had accomplished their ob-
ject, &c.
Th. Resnlotions having been seconded, they were
put to the vote and passed. Toe Address of the
Female Reformers was nest read, amid general ac-
t lamation : it was very spirited and sensible: it ap-
pealed to the hearers as to the extent of the dis-
tress in their respective neighbourhoods ; it stated
that they could not stay contentedly at home and
hear their children crying in vain fur bread; they
'Owed the Reformers to p !e in their
struggle, and they were sore to gain their poiut
&c.

So ;non as the Address bad been read,
Mr. SMLTIIAM, of Bedford, presented himself.
—lle began by stating the distress of the poor, and,
in the ct.orse of his harangue, endeavour►d to
Brace the origin of such distress. SAlrle
he said, hail stated thst it arose 111 a puni►hment for
the sins of the lower orders; but this, said he, is de-
nied by the prospect of a bountiful supply of grain—
others shill, the present dioress arose from the tronfi.
lion fr ors a state of oar to a state of peace, but this
be also dented; it could only arise from the patent
of Taxation, ttitnuch the want of a der Represen-
tative System. Ile eahorted the populace to be
prsceshle ; but, at the same lime, to be firm. They
had already pissed one winter of traitress wretch.
Miles', and what might they eapert from another,
unless something (unusable occurred at lent to keep
thrir hopesaltre: bat a Reitman, he caid, must ol,iroste-
ly take place, fo► that thelleformers Ve•reterengthenisig
every where by increase of numbers in Eitglanil, nod
from Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, en that nothing
could resist them, and madness and wickedness
only could try In pot them down.
Mr. RsurnsaT spin addiessed the Meeting.
Formerly, every worktnon cosh, obtain his live-
lihood by honest labour. Industry was the means
by which Providence permitted us to live. Toot
permission is now taken from no ; the substance, the
profits of oar labour co to the support of idleness
sad worthlessness. Some lime ego we might have
purchased with two shillings, forty pounds of oat-
meal bust!. lie mentioned this, because 100 miles
off it might not be known that such of es as are
enabled to procure it, lire upon oatmeal breed alone.
nut now that sum will not purchase Bibs. The rea.
sots has already been stated, and breasts* we have
disci:erred the source of our erievences, and because
we exercise the right of matikitid in complaining of
them, and endeavouring to obtain redre.s, we are de.
nominated seditious; bet give as only 39.1h5. for our
money, and we shall then become very loyal sobjecla.l
(Immcnse applause..) All our evils arose fres the shies