The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-09-18

way which he had described TO be the effect of
its residence upon the surrounding neghbOr-
hood: and he was asked 10 join at public fes-
Invites in toasting The Army forsooth, as if it
were something superior 10 the rest Of the com
munity He would treat the army and the
men in the military service as he would treat
all others, precisely according to the individual
merits of each Hear, hear. But before he
fell down or bent his knee in homage to them
as a body, they should show him some better
proofs of their moral influence and worth than
were to be found in the quarters that sur.
rounded their barracks
so much for the morality of the system
and with regard to the expense many thought
it WAS no use DINING into the peoples ears the
fact that these standing armaments tended to
nations in an economical point of
view. This however was not generally known
or admitted in society. Men had 10 little
thought upon the subject that their minds
were not impressed with the loss inflicted ON the
community maintaining in idleness an enor-
nous body Of men, whose lahors might other
wise be productive. The maintenance Of this
body was the occasion of d double loss--first
those who did labor had to keep those who did
not; and, next we we've dsfriyed Of the labor
of those thus maintained which might other
wise have contributed to the wealth of the
country. This was not generally known or
thought of Let them take some Of the most
distinguished of foreign ptatessnen--for instance
NJ. Theirs NJ Theirs, who sneered at political
economy, had no sort of notion of the ecOnOmi-
cal effect of keeping up these enormous armies
| Hear hear He (Mr Cobdenl believed that
he thought by increasing the army you Just
found so much employment for so many more
men, and that he had never looked 40 far. that
he was not capable Of looking - far. as to con-
slider whether these mems living in idleness-
draining from the country, from the farmers
and peasantry of the country, the means with
which they would otherwise manure their land
and increase its produehyeDess--did not dimin-
-. 'sssss Tss5dgss : - - >opntyE
by abstracting from productive labor those
men whom he put into blue coats and lodged
in barracks Hear hear He Mr. Cobden)
recolleoted hearing n noble Duke, a leader of
the Protectonist party who made it q grave
objection to him that he was agitating reduc-
ton Of the army, and said What good will
that do you, farmers 1t will bring home
some 10000 or 10000 men, whom you will
have to keep on the poor rates! Hear, hear,
But the Duke of Richmond like M Theirs, was
a leading Protectionist and, depend upon il,
they ought to be both put to school ICheers.
He wished his excellent friend. Miss Martneau,
would take them in hand CHEERS and laugh
ter. They were puzzled how men could be
kept, if not maintained in that state of idleness
yet in this country they had seen 10000 men
from the railway works within a
year or two, and in the Parliamentary returns
of the very same period it was shown there
had been simultaneously considerable dimi-
mutton in the number Of able-bodied paupers
the laborers discharged having found their
way into society, and got employment else
where They need not therefore, be alarmed
on this head If they had fewer soldiers and
these men put ON smockGocks or fustian jack
cts, they might depend upon it such able-bodied
men could keep themselves; and moreover, by
the very process of discharging them from
tanned which permitted of q reduction of those
burdens and taxes which impeded the opera
tons of commerce, and prevented the employ
ment of the people Hear, heart Now, these
were the prt,. ;,a- aud truths which they. had
to propagate to the world. THAT was their
task, and it was not an easy one. They had
only Just begun it; but if all society were IA
imbued as he was with the conviction
of the loss to the people in material comforts,
arising from this system of waste and extrava-
gance it could not last twelyemonth. Apart
from the higher motives and sanctions-which
he said were always in harmony with the de-
auctions of true scence--if men did but under
stand the impossbility of getting relief from
their burdens while that system lasted, that
system out of which their sufferings sprung
would itself soon follow the change in their
opinions. When he visited such place as
or Plymouth, his feelings were
probably as opposite as possible to those which
many of his countrymen when they
saw those great arsenals When he beheld
gigantic constructions on the stocks and heard
the hammers resounding as they were adding
10 their number, his feeling was one Of pain,
md sorrow and humiliation, at the immense
amount OF waste of the gifts Of nature in
cured in constructing what he hoped might
never be called into use. He saw in all this
but weakness and decay, whilst others said
Here is the queen" of one hundred and six
zen guns | should like 10 zee the Frenchman
hat would dare to come aud touch her. And
ne was answered that they wanted England
% disarm in order that she might be at the
mercy of other countries for their movement
was not natural or universal Cheers
"What they wanted England to do they
wanted all the world TO do, and he was not sure
hat other countries would not have to set us an
example. But their first work was 10 persuade
he world that something was practicable in the
natter and he, for one, saw no impracticabili-
y in doing anything consonant TO our interest,
md not contrary TO the law Of God. He
wished, then, that we would be content TO med
lie less with wars that happened to go ON
abroad though he knew that the Peace Society
vas tainted with indifference TO the progress of
freedom. He wanted historical evidence that
standing armies were ever favorable TO the pro-
notion Of liberty that they had ever achieved
liberty for any country He charged his hear
srs TO 90 ON as they had begun if they wished
% see progress made in the House Of Commons,
Or in any other Chamber in the world These
we're times when they enjoyed better chance
Of success than heretofore. Nations were be-
ginning TO look great evils in the face, and to
cease TO bow down TO hoary abuses. They
could now look upon intemperance--a vice
which they knew 10 be M old IA the food-and
determine to put an end. to it. Cheers. I'll
they therefore, did in this question as in others,
they would only be acting in harmony with the
spirit OF the age. IL they showed the evils
neral and material, which were caused by war,
Il they proved how il acted upon families, how
It demoralized and impoverished the community,
there were those among them who would live
10 see total change in the opinions of men,
and when that change came down would go
the system which the previously mistaken opn-
ION had upheld Mr. Golden resumed his seat
amidst loud and long-continued cheers
The SoIREE,--The Peace Congress Commit
lee. having vivid remembrance Of the hospi- |
tahia L;ndnaaa NTH which the English delegates