The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1841-12-31 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE ANTI-CORN-LAW LEAGUERS  We have received from Mr. Oastler an impression of the number of the Fleet Papers which will be published to-morrow. In this publication Mr. Oastler proves, from the most incontrovertible evidence, that in 1834, when there was distress enough to melt hearts of stone, the leaguers showed no sympathy with the starving victims of manufacturing oppression, but because this distress had not reached themselves, they chose to represent the manufacturing operatives as prosperous and happy. At that period Mr. Oastler showed, before a committee of the House of Commons, the real state of things ; and in the paper before us he republishes his evidence. His testimony gave rise to a controversy, and was proved to be true. Mr. Oastler then proceeds as follows : " Do you ask me why I re-publish these sayings of mine ? I answer, it is useful, now, to remind you, as well as the leaguers, that when misery thus abounded in our neighbourhood, because it had not reached their " order," they were not only silent, but, on the contrary, informed the government, (and thus deceived you, and made you think that I was mistaken), " that the manufacturing districts were in a state of great prosperity." The leaguers now, forsooth, lay claim to humanity—where was their pity then ? It was shown by friend Ashworth sending to Chadwick, for your " surplus" population, to reduce still further the wages of these poor hand-loom weavers ! representing that the manufacturers were short of hands (whilst thousands were walking the streets and lanes, " because no man had hired them"), and that the manufacturing districts were a modern Goshen ! In consequence of those lies, (they were nothing less,) hundreds of the queen's honest and industrious subjects have since been murdered ! Those murders were perpetrated by law, under the system of migration, which was suggested by those two eminent leaguers, Ashworth and Greg. " There was the corn-law then, as now—corn was not very high priced ; wheat was I believe, 465. to 50s. per quarter— still, there was all that misery ! Bat, when I published that true account of the destitute condition of the manufacturing operatives in my own neignbourhood, who are the parties that then found fault with me for publishing those facts ?  Shame to tell it, but it is true—they were those very persons who now pretend to feel so keenly for the poor, and are raving mad about ' distress'—the anti-corn-law Leaguers ! They yelled at me like mad men. No name was too bad for them to give me—and why ? Because they then thought that they were making large profits by that misery, and they wished to hush its moan ! They could not afford to be ' honest,' then, though ' out of office.' When I told them, as I often did, THAT THEIR TURN WOULD COME NEXT!' they gnashed their teeth at me, and ' wished a bullet through my heart !' Those were their very words.—How many of them are now fallen from their high estate, and sunk into nothingness, having become the victims of their own pet system, free trade, whilst its jaws are wide open to receive the rest. I remember well, in 1834-5, when that most excellent man, John Fielden, Esq., M.P., himself a large mill-owner and a most extensive manufacturer, told the parliament of the great distress among the manufacturing operatives, and proved that thousands were living upon 2id. per day !' Oh, yes, I cannot forget how these very leaguers then abused and attempted to ridicule that good man, and how they set their press to insult me."  We are surprised that there can be complaints in any quarter of a scarcity of money, when it is announced, that Ten Thousand a Year may now be had at all the booksellers.