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Xbe Hon . J . S . WORTI _ Y then came forward , and ttm received with cheers by the Blue party . He Bud the Whig € rover __ s _ had n » w teen In office for eleven years , and dozing the -whole time they hare never Ten- tared to make any proposal on the subject on -which i they now choose to agitate tbe country . It is only at the i l ^ st moment , when they find themselves ( inking in the j eftimstion of the country , to the lowest step in the j ^ ale . ( A shout of " Will yon do it then ? " ) It is ; only when they find their own House of Commons !
injects them , and tells them they are bound in principle ' to resign their situations ; h is only then they throw j got _ is question as a bait for popularity , and in order ' to keep their situations . What kind of question is ] this on which they think agitation justifiable to raise '; the passions of the people—far I can call the attempt ; nothing else , though it has failed ? What is the ques- ' tion ? A question on which the first and most Intel- Bgent authorities differ almost as often as they write j or speak on it Let us look to the authorities on ' _ is Tery subject—the Corn Laws . At the pre- '
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sent moment , we have a nobleman whose son now j appears before you as a candidate , whose private cha- j ncter -we must respect—my Lord FitzwiUiam , who ' fen taken a . prominent and leading part in the &u&ek : „ these laws . ( Cheers . ) What does he tell us ? ! That if these laws were repealed , yon wonld not have corn cheaper than at present ; that the farmer need rot be afraid , because the price of corn would regain the same as at present A pamphlet has been ' written by Mr . M'Culloch , another of these great ' ' authorities , and what does he say ? He says the same ! thing . ( Shoots of " What do yon say ? " ) He attempts ! to prove that there would be no reduction in the \ price of corn . Then we hare Mr . Yilliers , an advo- j eate for the repeal of the Corn Laws , and certainly jk , p __ an of oars—what does he say ? He savs that
the sole object is to reduce wages . ( IHsapprobation . ) j He says that wages must be reduced in order to enable ; onr maBufscturers to compete with our rivals . In- j other authority , no less esteemed , Colonel Torrens , j who has given his life to the consideration of these j subjects , says on the contrary , you would get nothing , from it , because it would raise wages , and raise rents , i Is this , then , a question on which any Government is justified in attempting to impose on the great mass of j the people ? ( Heai . ) I contend that the attempt is ; nothing else than an electioneering clap-trap . And ' for this reason . When we look back to the history of i the Government , we find that for eleven years they ! proposed nothing on this subject , but not only that , for we find the first Minister of the country , the prin- i cipil organ o t the Government , has more than once declared in the most positive terms against the change . In March , 1839 , he used these words : — " When you i find , " ( ssid he ) "my noble friend Earl Fitzwilliam
proposing to leave the whole agricultural interest j without protection , I declar e before God , I think j it the wildest and the maddest scheme that ever j ent ered into the imagination of mas to conceive , and ' it is my opinion that it is not wise to depend on i foreign countries for a supply of food . " This , gentlemen , I is the assertion of Lord Melbourne not Eiore than ! two years since , but he comes a little nearer than that , j for it was only last year that he said , when it was | urged you will be able to get an increase of trade , in ' consequence of the repeal of the Corn Laws , what did i he say to it ? He said , " you will never get into the ! markets of the continent whether you repeal the Orn Laws or not" These are the sentiments expressed by j jord Melbourne , and I say when a government , hav- i sg treated this question in this style , for eleven years , j ad now when it is known to be at tbe last gasp of \ b existence , throwing overboard tile principles it had ! epresed before , on the eve of its dissolution putting ' frward these measures . In reference to the
retire-_ at of Sir Geo . Strickland , the Hon Speaker asked , ~ trj has he been withdrawn ? Was it because he j 'Anted to retire from Parliament ? No such thing . \ Is does not want to retire from Parliament At this : mment he , your old and Radical representative , Sir Gorge Strickland , is engaged in a popular contest fr Preston , in Lancashire . Why did he not fight i the battle here in « fr »» ri of at Preston ? i Cries of ¦ question , question . " ) It is because my Noble Friend fere , to whom I hare tbe greatest possible respect , is k bring the great influence of his noble honse into be contest He is to serve the purpose of a budget n Yorkshire . He , Gentlemen , is our Yori £ _ re juc tf et , and . be is brought here to produce the _ me _ eot u the Government sought to produce by their fcudget He is to cany it by the influence of bis noble
house . It is in order that the deficiency of influence of Sir George Strickland may be supplied , and in order to obtain enough assistance for the electors to win the election . Gentlemen , allow me then to state my views of the torn Laws . My firm belief is , and I proclaim it withat hesitation , that a material reduction or repeal of tkae duties would have the effect of distressing and runicg the agricultural community of these countries disapprobation . ) It is not , thea , for the interests of tie country at large . I axt speaking to the manufacture I deny that even the manufacturers would gan by such a consequence , and I will tell you how 1 pr > Te it I do not thrnfc it is the interest of any man to irive , if he should thrive by ruining his neighbour . Bit , Gentlemen , I deny that he would even thrive . ( Ciesef " Its the aristocracy that thrives . ") We must
reollect that larga portions of land in this countrythe brother of Lord John Russell said no less than two milions of acres—are not susceptible of profitable cultzTXion , except vriAt-r a protection . If those lands wen thrown out of cultivation , what must necessarily follcw : WSy , the cultivators must be rained , theii labourers would be thrown out of employment , and what is U become of this mass of labourers ? I do not speak jh \* on my own authority . I will take an authority certa ' nly not aristocratic—the Radical Member for Bir-Tninj >« Tn Mr . _ un _ . Did he cot tell you , and surely he hasno bias to the aristocratic landowners , that the repeal « f the Com Laws was a mere delusion , and that the infilible effect must be to rednce the rate of wages ? ( Great iisapprobation . ) And I will tell you another authority , and that is , a member of the Chartist body ,
who has lately printed a letter to his associates . Those gentlemea standing near me , I doubt not know both thi name and the individual . Mr . Hick has lively published a letter , and in that letter you will fnd tbe most explicit assertions of the same T rind , and that the repeal of the Corn Laws would not be for the benefit of the working classes . The fact is not even soocealed by the advocates of repeal What do you hear from the Manchester Chamber of Commerce ? What does Mr . Yilliers tell us ? That the object of the repe ? l of the Corn Laws is to ehespen manufactured goods . I will ask any man here of common sense how the repeal of the Corn Laws is to cheapen manufactured goods , except by redncing wages ? The consequence is inevitable . It would take place in this way . There ia a superabundance of labour , as you
all well know , in the manufacturing districts of this country . You know that there are more labourers thao there is employment for . So long as there are superfluous labourers , wages will fall accordingly . If you fgm prove to me—if you can shew to rue , that there is a sufficient supply of labour here at present , and that persons cannot obtain operatives and artisans enough for their manufactories , I will be silent and drop the argument But I am perfectly aware if the supply and demand are in such proportion as to render tte supply rnCT-ffirior . t for the demand , you will get better wages together with your cheap loaf . So long ss one labourer is superabundant , the reduction in the price of labour must take place , according to the rats of sustenance . Let us not forget another effect that mnsi aggravate this consequence . It is infallibly true , that
if large portions of land are thrown out of cultivation , the population of those districts must s = ek employmen : here . If they do not go back to the Union workhouses , they must , as they have done before , come here to find employment I am not even here talking without authority . I am able to tell you where the thing actually occurred a short time since . There was a great superabundance of labour , or supposed to b # so , in the South o' England . Certain masters , Messrs . Ash worth , in one of the manufacturing towns in Lancashire , who thought that they could get labour cheaper by sending to these agricultural counties , did send for tLem , and these labourers were aetnally brought into Lancashire . What was the result ? It had an effect on the rate ef wages , and if the opposition on the part of the operatives of the country had not been to
determined , as it turned out to be , these persons would haTe occupied the places of the mancfictunng labourers , and wages would have been reduced . Ooce more . If 1 do not support thU assertion by argument , 1 am content that you should think it a mere elsp-trap . I hare one word more on this subjsct Look to examples elsewhere , and why , I want to know , are you to suppose this favoured cuuntry is to be exempt fn .-m the / ate oi those where labour is superabundant , and iood cheap , and where the universal consequence is a reduction in the rate of wagts , and the fetandard of living of tte labourer . I speak again on authority—an authority which will not be suspected—that of Mr . Gregg , ot Manchester . In his evidence beisre an inquiry in the House of Commons , be stated that from irqniries he had made as to the rate of wages of different countries
where corn was cheap , the wages were G ^ d a-day . tCries of "America . " ) We know that those labourers Jive on different scale or standard of sustenance ; they fe ^ d not on wheaten bread , but on black rye bread , and inferior vegetables . Every body who has been in those countries knows that that is the coamon food of tbe labourer . { Another cry of "America . ") I will touch upon that in a moment In a comparatively prosperous country—France , where you would imagine , that though they have Corn Laws they wonld be better off In a report presented to Government a short time past , it was deliberately stated , that scarcely a third of tbe population of that oountry eat wbeaten bread . I will tell you how it is in America . In America , we must recollect , in the feat i *« timf «» that there are immense traett of fine
uncultivated , unoccupied soil . The America ** have oormous tract * of Kil , sot only — tocenpied , but extremely fertile , and therefore , of eonne , the supply of © orn is abundant Whenever any man can show me n this country , large extensive tracts of tbe same kind , fertile and unoccupied , then I will say you may repeal the Corn Laws , aad yon will get an abundant supply here . 1 will tell you sometbiBg more on this subject of America . In spite of the abundant supply , in spite of ' -he great resources they possess , perhaps yen are not aware that at this very moment the people of the United States haTe a duty on the import of foreign corn nigher <> "ui that now proposed by the Government of this country . It was only a few months since the President of the United States—the chief magistrate of
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that mab republic , told his / ellow-coontrj-men , In a ¦ written aidress , prepared with grtat care , that h « thouglt It _ e duty of every coantry te see that it did not dipeni on foreign countries for the supply of food . E . B . DENISON , Esq ., then presented himself , and was received with uproarious cheering from his supporters , and with some rrimfo g from the Liberal party . He said that during the eleven years which the Whigs have been in office , the Noble Lord ( Morpeth has been a Member of the Queen ' s GoTernmsnt for a considerable time . He appeals to you in bis own defence and that of his fellow statesmen , and he asks you to send him , again to Parliament one of the vaunting champions of the cause which he advocates . ( " We
wont hare him , " followed by cries of "WewilL" ) Permit me just to call your attention to a common sense question . Try tbe Government fcy what they have promised and by what they have done , and if , on a calm and dispassionate review of this proposition you find them worthy of your support , then , in God ' sname , return my opponents to Parliament , and send us about our business . ( Shouts of " We will . ") Bnt I will not believe that Yorkshiremen will be so gulled . I know per fectly weU that the great majority of you are in the habit of looking into your ledgers , of casting up your accounts , and of taking stock at the end of the year , in order to see whether your affairs are in a satisfactory state or not , and I also know perfectly well that you are in tbe habit of call Lag your managers and chief
clerks to account , if you find they have been mismanaging your busin- as . ( Hear , hear . ) What did those who compose the Government commence their public career by promising you ? First of all , they said that peace was to reign throughout the world under their beneficent rule . ( Laughter . ) Well , have they kept their word ? ( No . ) Why , they themselves fomented a rebellion in Canada . ( Cheers . ) They have been Tery nearly at war with every European power , and they are now prosecuting a war in China , which nobody in the world knows how it will end . ( Hear , hear . ) The standing army is larger than they found it The naval establishment is more expensive than it was , and all these expenses have been created by their own absurd acts and deeds . ( Cheers . ) And still ,
notwithstanding this , the electors of the West Riding are appealed to . by a Government which , a few years ago , was so popular that it could command almost any majority in the House of Commons , which could every night raise the . laugh against its opponents , and turn them into ridicule . ( Hear , hear . ) But how has the tide changed ! ( Hear , hear . ) We have seen these majorities gradually dwindle down to nothing , and at last they are in a minority en the m » st vital question that can ever be discussed in the House of Commons—1 mean the question of confidence . ( Loud cheers . ) Yet , notwithstanding this , instead of retiring like gentlemen—t cheers)—when they found they could not longer carry on the government , they « ay— " No , we . will appeal to the electors of Great Britain , and we
will appeal to their passions and not to their eammon sense . " ( Cheers and cries of " No , no ") They throw out the bait of cheap corn , cheap sugar , and cheap timber , and they are attemping to gull tie people by what I will call their humbug of free trade . ( Cheers and hissing . ) Why , Gentlemen , they arrogate to themselves all the credit of free trade . Why , will they tell me of one article in which we hav « free trade . Is a fixed * uty of eight shillings per quarter on corn free trade . < " Ho , na " j I > o they tel ] me that it is free trade when they propose a reduction on sugar of 27 s . or 29 s . a cwt ? ( " No , no . " ) Is tuatfree trade ? ( " No , no . ") They propose to alter the duties on timber . Is that free trade ? t" No , no . " ) Then away with their humbng , for it is nothing else . ( Cheers . ) Who was
the anginal author of an alteration and modification of the protective duties ? Why , the man whom they so often quote , Mr . Huskisson . ( Hear , hear . ) He was a Tory . He led the van with respect to the modification of the restrictive system . He was supported by Sir Robert Peel , followed by Lord Stanley—( Hisses )—and backed by Mr . Goulburn . ( Hear , hear . ) The Whigs promised you retrenchment and ecoaomy . Have they fulfilled the promise ? ( Cries of " No , no , " and " Yes , yes . **) Their predecessors left them in office with a surplus of two millions , besides having paid off a portion of the national debt ( Hear , hear . ) In what situation are they now ? Why , notwithstand . ing that they have been bolstered np by the editors of the Ltstdi Mercury , those celebrated financial doctors—I cheers and laughter )—we find that at the end of ten or
eleven years , during which the sinews ef every man whom I dow see before me have been exerted to tbe utmost , they find themselves in a woful deficiency , which is almost an annual one , for it has existed for three or four years , besides not having paid off a single fraction of the public debt , but , on the contrary , rather added to it i Cheers ) I say , try them by what they have done , asd if you think that the mode in which they have conducted the affairs of the country is such as you would wish to have your own affairs conducted , then send bur opponents back to Parliament ( Shoots of " Never . ") But what else did the Whigs promise ? They promised to govern without patronage . ( Laughter . ) Why , of all the men that ever existed , they have exercised the most patronage . They have created offices out of count , and they have endeavoured to thrust every one of their dependents into them .
Mr . BRIGGS , a Chartist , next in trod need to the meeting Mr . George Julian Harney , not as an esquirenot as one of the aristocracy—but as a man whose conduct h&d aJw-ays met the approbation of his feiiuwmen . Mr . HEAPS for some time caused an interruption , by his desire to put some questions to the previous speaker , and Mr .-Harney made one or two unsuccessfulattempts to proceed . Between Mr . Heaps and Mr . Gardner , and the Chartist chairman also , some warm expressions * ere exchanged—Mr . Gardner applying to Mr . Heaps the terra biackguard . The confusion continued for some minutes , and Mr . Hatton Stansfeld made the matter worse by bis interference .
Mr . HARNEY at length proceeded . He said be appeared before them as a working man , young « than any others of either party . He was unblessed with that liberal education , which they had had the good fortune to receive , and he hoped they would bear with him for any imperfections of manner his address might possess—he aaked no favour tor the matter . The gentlemen who had preceded him , had addressed them as the freeholders and electors of the West Riding , whilst they appeared to have forgotten that there was such a body as the non-electors in existence . ( Cheers . ) He appeared before them at the request of thousands ef non-electors . He would rather have seen an oider man , one of more experience , in his sitn&tion ; but be had consented to be brought forward at the reqest of his friends , and for
? hem he would go through the work which they had j put into his iands . He was attached to neither of the i parties which had already addressed them , though per- j haps he could tell something to both of them , while he ' would flatter neither . ( Cheers . ) The Noble Lord j { Morpethi had taidtbat there was an era approaching ing in the politics of this country , and be ( Mr . Harney ! i Cuuld assure him that there was an era close at hand ! whtn the werkinj ; classes would be represented—when I thry would be no lou » er content without the Suffrage I being conferred upon them . He had taken notes of . what the Noble Lord had said , and he owed it to the ! meeting that he should make s jme comments on his : speech . Tiie Noble Lord occupied a large portion of j their time in praising himself and the other membtrs of ;
tbe Government , for their patriotism and philanthropy , j words which he thought sounded very s rangely when j nsed by a Whig . [ A shower o ' rain here began to descend , j which rendered the task of following of Mr . H . impossible . ] I A gentleman on the platform handed to Mr . H . an j umbrella , and he proceeded with his address , castigat- j ing the Whigs , laying bare their sophistries , and ex- j posing them to the public ga 29 in all their hideous de- J fortuity . He said they had come out as advocates of i free trade only at the eleventh hour , when they could | find no other subterfuge likely to keep them in office , ; advocating to-day what they repudiated yesterday , and j conceding to expediency wiiat they had almost in tbe j same breath denied on principle . If they were sincere j in their desire to repeal or alter the sugar duties now ,
wfcy did * they bring their official ih&uence to bear , in order to defeat Mr . Ewart on the same question la « t year ? ( Cheering . ) He then alluded to the increase of population which had taken place , not only in Great Britain , but in Germany , and coutended that the Germans having established manufactures , would not break them up now to take cur surplus products ; if , therefore , thfl Government were sincere in their desire to establish free trade , they should have come out with It a little sooner— ( cheers )—should have shown a little more zeal and greater alacrity in the cause of that people whom they now professed so much willingness to serre , and ¦ wboss interests were with them , now it served their purpose , above every other consideration He should like to know where were the WhigB in 1819 ,
when the people w « re sabred st Manchester for meeting to petition Parliament for a reform in the representation of tbe people , i Cries of " Tkat was the Tories ; and great cheering . ) Yes , he knew the Tories were in power ; be was not so ignorant of tfce history ot his country as not to know that—he was almost old enough to remember it ; bnt he knew also that it waa the Hon . Mr . Lamb , the present Lord Melbourne , the head of her Majesty ' s Government , who moved tbe thanks » f the House of Commons to the Cheshire Yeomanry on that occasion . ( Hear , bear . ) He regretted as much as any ™* v the loss of onr foreign trade , and compared tbe exports and imports in 1689 , when there were no barracks , no bastiles , no rural police , and no indosure acts to rob the poor of their right to the soil , with those of the present period . Tbe speaker was assailed with exclamations that be ma a Tory tool ; and to this he replied that if be was , he was afraid tbe Tories
woald find him a very poor tool ; and not worth their purchase ; at any rate he eoald assure them that he was sharp enough to cut beth ways , and was very glad to know that he was not a Whig tool . ( Lvighter and cheers . ) He continued ; he was speaking of the trade oT tie country . England now traded with fifty er sixty foreign states—her merchants were traders to all parts of the world , while the working classes were worse off than at any former period . And what was tbe cause of this ? It was because tbeyt had now a national jdebt of eight hundred millions , they bad now a most e&oimous civil list , they had now a long pannie of useless pensions and sinecures , they had the rural police , the pojr law bastiles , and other Whig blessings unknown in former periods of onr history , which impoverished the millions , and beuefitted only tbe few who traded in human spoil . ( Hear , hear , and great cheering . ) Those men would sell the working classes
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themselves—they would not cart if at this moment they were sacrificed to their unholy gain . ( Cheers . The speaker then went on to contend that a repeal of the Com Laws would not benefit the working classes ; he showed that before there was any Corn Law imposed there was more wages paid in tbe manufacturing districts , but that , notwithstanding the increase of trade which had taken place , there had not been a corresponding increase of manaal toil , its place having been supplied by an increased quantity of improved machinery . Some person had said that he was a Tory tool : he cared not for that cry ; for be could assure them , which ever party spoke the truth , whether Whig or Tory , should have his support ( Cheers . ) He agreed with all that had fallen from Mr . Wortlt-y on the
subject of the Com LawB— ( cheers)—he fully agreed that a repeal of the Corn Laws only meant a reduction of wages ; nevertheless the repealers were determined they should have a big loaf whether they would or not ; tbe big loaf was to be crammed down their throat whether they would or not , as it had been at Manchester , with the truncheons of the Whig police . ( Cheers , and some interruption . ) He had the authority of a paper printed &t Leeds for this—a paper which on some occasions professed to be a Whig and something more , on others , a Radical and something more , and when a purpose was to be served , was a Republican and something morethat paper asserted that the repealers were preparing staves to use against the Chartists in HudderBfield on that day . All he could say was , let them try it on .
( Cheers , and continued confusion , during whicb , Mr . Harney said he would take his time , and assured them , the more interruption he experienced , tha longer he should be . ) Lord Morpeth had been asked a question about the Poor Laws , but be had not given an answer ; in fact , the Noble Lord contrived to be as brief as possible on the subject He said that Ministers were desirous to give such alterations as would enable them to dispense with the Poor Laws altogether ; he bad no doubt they wished to do this ; he had no doubt that the present Poor Law was intended as a preparatory step to abolishing Poor Laws altogether . The speaker then entered into a review of the measures proposed by Government , to show that they were not calculated to answer the ends for which
they were proposed—that they would not at all benefit the working clarses . The alteration in the timber duties would make a reduction of about six shillings in the cost of the erection of a cottage , even if a poor man could afford to build one , and what a saving toe interest of six shillings a year would be to him ! ( Hear , hear . ) With regard to sugar , it was stated that the saving would probably be to the extent of one penny a pound . But he sheuld like to know how much even of that sum would go into tbe pockets of the poor , after it had passed through two or three wholesale dealers'hands . ( Hear , hear . ) The repeal of the Corn Laws was got up te delude the people with the fallacious cry of cheap bread , while Mr . M'Culloch , the Whig authority , proved that under no circumstances
could we have wheat lower than 56 s . per quarter—a boon which he did not think they would feel it necessary te spend their energies in obtaining . But whether these things were productive of benefit to the working class or not , they must be adopted in order to raise the revenue ; not to increase the comforts of the poor , not because he had any interest in the matter , but because the revenue was sinking , and they must consequently have it speedily replenished , which resolved itself to just this , that more labour must be wrung from the toiling millions . ( Hear , hear . ) He hoped they would inquire into these things before they gave their support to the Whigs . The speaker then went on to iuquire how the deficiency in the revenue had been caused , and contrasted the difference between
the income and expenditure by the Whig and Tory Administration , the latter of whom left up wards of two millions in the Exchequer , which the former had wasted besides increasing the the national debt by several millions more . This he contended they had done by engaging in unnecessary and dishonourable wars , by excessive expenditure on Poor Law commissions and bastiles , and the rural police . Two millions had been spent in Spain , one million in Canada , a large sum had been spent in Egypt , another in Syria , and more still in China , in a war of which no one could see the end , but which must terminate in disgrace and ruin . ( Cheers . ) In 1832 , they were told the Reform Bill was to work wonders ; the Whigs promised that it should be a stepping stone to other measures until universal justice
prevailed throughout the land . Every promise had been broken , and the fruits of reforji had been tbe accursed new Poor Law and the Rural Police . But when the people took their affairs into their own hands , &s the Whip had advised them to do , they had turned round upon them and spent thousands of pounds in prosecuting Chartist leaders . This had helped them to make their deficiency ; but they bad done something else . They bad sent tbeir constabulary police to Birmingham , Manchester , and all the manufacturing districts to put down the legal assemblages of the people ; they had sent well paid spies and hired traitors amongst the people to entrap them into acts of violence , and then to betray them to their oppressor ? , emulating the wont features of Toryism , and exceeding
in atrocity the acts of Sidmouth and Cistlereagh . He ould go on further still , but it was enough ; there was a deficiency in the revenue , and the Noble Lord bad told them that it must be supplied either in tbe manner which the Whigs had now proposed , or by laying on more taxes . But he could tell the Noble Lord of another mode of supplying- the deficiency . His mode would not add to the burthens of the people . { Hear . ) Let the Noble Lord reduce his own salary to £ 1 , 000 a year . ( Great cheering , and an " unutterable" look from Lord Morpeth , who did not seem at all to relish the allusion to his own salary . ) Then let all his colleagues reduce theirs to the same standard . ( Great cheering . ) The hand-loom weavers had had their wages reduced 20 , 30 , and 40 per cent .
over and over again ; and if the Ministers would reduce their ' s in proportion , they might have both rednced wages and reduced taxation , and no deficiency would exist in the revenue . ( Great cheering . ) They might reduce also pensions and sinecures ; knock off 4 ( 0 or 500 generals ; and when they had carried retrenchment as far as they could , and carried out Reform to its full extent , they might fully carry out the principles of the New Poor Law , and throw the aristocracy , as they bad thrown the peop ; e , on their own resources . ( Hear , and cheers . ) Mr . Harney went on at great length , castigating the Whigs must unmercifully , for the snail-like pace at which they advanced their measures , and exposing further their shallow subterfuge of cheap bread . He then
commented on tbe speeches which had been delivered by the Hon . John S . Wortley and Mr . Beckett Dinison , and complained that neither of these gentlemen , whilst stating the evils under which the country laboured , had propounded a remedy . He freely gave his opinion of the Tories , and said the worst measure they had been guilty of was in supporting the Whigs in all their worst measures . He had no faith ox confidence in either party—he stood aloof from them both . He advised the people to depend on themselves , and to stand by their own order , as the only way in which they could be delivered from the tyranny under which they had so long groaned . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . ) The Whigs had violated their past promises , and he wouid not trust them again . The Tones made
no promises at all ; but judging from tbeir past conduct , if they were to come into power to-morrow they would only aet as they had done previously , and hb would therefore serve both parties alike , and throw them both overboard . His remedy for all was Universal Suffrage , to place all upon a footing of political equality , and to give every man a voice in making the laws which he had to obey . There could tLen be no came of complaint On these principles be came forward to offer himself as a candidate for their suffrages ; he solicited their confidence , promising that he would exercise the trust for the well-being ef tbe whole country . He thanked them far the comparative attention with which he had been heard , and retired amidst loud and long-continued cheering .
THE BOROUGH CANDIDATES . J . G . MARSHALL , Esq ., introduced Mr . HUME , who was loudiy cheered by his party , the Whigs making a sort of constrained effort to evince the cordiality of their joy . He began by saying that , having beea called forward as a candidate , be now appeared to state his opinions , and to say that , if elected , he would devote his services to the cause . He complained that three of the speeches he had heard were evidently intended to call away the attention of the meeting from the real questions to ba discussed
therenamely , the remedies for the prevalent distress That remedy was to lighten taxation . He made tfforta to induce Government to raise the deficiency in ttie revenue by placing tbe descent of landed property on the same footing as personal property ; and he went into an extended statement to show tile hardships of the legacy duties ; and called the Tories robbers and plunderers on the ground of what Billy Pitt had done . The industry of the country , he said , paid seventy-four per cent of the whole taxation . He was in favour of the plan proposed by Government for making np the
revenue . Lord JUCELYN , having been introduced by John Howard , Esq ., replied to the speeches ot Morpeth and Hume , on the free trade question , in s > speech of about an average Tory merit . He itsi ^ ted that do case of reciprocity , justifying the application of their principles , had beea made out by the free traders ; that the preference of foreign to colonial sugar would be an encouragement to slave labour , and consequently stultifying all the noble exertions of the British people against slavery . He denonnced the New Poor Law , and supported the Church Establishment . Mr . BROOK said be had the honour to name to them b gentlemaa who , though a comparative stranger , had
made himself known to many who were then present by his excellent speech on the preceding evening . He then introduced Mr . JAMES WILLIAMS , who stood forward , a » d was received in a manner which at once showed that , though a stranger to a large portion of the assembly , the principles which he was there to advocate were reciprocated by the thousands of the " hard bands , fustian jackets , and unshorn chins , " by whom he was surrounded . Tbe enthusiastic cheering having subsided , tie commenced his address by saying , that in appearing before them he had not the qualifications to offer to which the other gentlemen who had addressed them ; ould lay claim . He did not , like my Lords Morpetb and Milton , claim their suffrages on the ground
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that he was of ancient-femity ; lie could not trace bis ancestry centuriesback ; nor could he , like J . S . Wortley , offer himself as the owner of a thousand acres , nor like Mr . Beckett Dennison as one of the aristocracy of wealth ;—nor could be , like Lord Jocelyn , offer himself to their notice as one who had travelled over most parts of the habitable globe ; he had not the qualifications of a Captain Cook , which by-the-bye were not the necessary qualifications of a legislator ; he could not , like the Noble Lord , boast bis acquaintance with the form of a Chinese hat , or the shape of a Chinese lady's foot , yet he was willing to subject himself to a scrutiny as that which the Noble Lord had received from the lady he had seen behind the lattice work in tbe city of Chuson . ( Laughter . ) He had not foujht
side by side In China , with Captain Elliott , the man who was troubled with a palpitation at the heart ( Laughter ) He could net boast of all these ; bat although personally unknown he had claims to offer which he trusted would be recognised as superior to any whicb his competitors had put forward . ( Hear , hear and cheers . ) He stood there as the advocate of the unlimited freedom of trade , the abolition of all monopolies—( hear )—and moat of all , the abolition of that monstrous monopoly , tbe source pf all other monopolies , the monopoly of law making . ( Hear , and loud cheers . ) He called attention to the admissions made by his opponents generally , of the existence of great and crying evils , though they had forgotten to point out the remedy . He would select the mottoes of Lord
Morpeth , on which he would found the few observations he should make . Sis Lordship said that " true selflove and social was the same . " In this he entirely agreed ; what was good for a part is , or ought to be , good for all classes . His Lordship had next observed , that such was the selfishness of human nature , that each individual was disposed when practicable to promete his own interests without reference to others , and to suppose that which filled his purse ought to be sanctioned by those principles . Now , on those propositions of the Noble Lord , he founded those views on which he rested bis claims to their support . These principles were that each member of the state ought to be invested with that political power which was needful to protect him against the selfishness of
others . ( Hear , and cheers . ) This , if conceded , being an act of justice to all , was consistent with the truest honour and highest ' - happiness to all . ( Cheers . ) He then alluded to statements made by Mr . Hearne , Catholic priest of Manchester , and also by Mr . Hume , as to the existence of distress throughout the country ; and passed from that to the state and prospects of trade , advocating , as he went on , the views held by the Chartists , and contended that until their principles were the law of the land , it was useless to attempt either different measures or fresh taxes to benefit the revenue . The alteration in the corn , sugar , and timber duties could not possibly and materially benefit the country , even if attainable , which , without representative changes , they were not ; and whether or not ,
they were utterly insufficient to rescue the country from the perilous position' in which It was placed . ( Cheers . ) He ridiculed tbi Whigs for having brought forward these measures on the spur of the moment , measures on which , twelve months ago , they held quite contrary opinions , but then perhaps their judgments were not sufficiently matured to enable them to judge . Misery and starvation were staring them in tbe face at every turn , and yet they did not attempt to reduce the immense expenditure of the country , which Lord Morpeth had said must bo maintained in its integrity , and yet he acknowledged it waa impossible to increase the income by any additional taxes . ( Hear , hear . ) There was another course which appeared to have escaped the attention of the Noble Lord , which
was tbe only practical and rational course by which they could extricate themselves from their present difficulties . Let them discharge the supernumerary officers in the army and navy —( hear , hear );—let them reduce the salaries of those realty necessary—( hear , hear )—to an amount corresponding to the value of tbeir services , setting the example by reducing their own salaries first—( hear , and cheers ) ;—let sinecures and pensions be abolished , and a tax on property substituted for all other taxes . ( Cheers . ) That was the way to get out of their financial difficulties ( Great cheering . ) He had heard national education alluded to , and was told , when a poor man asked for the suffrage , that he was not sufficiently intelligent He put it to them whether they could understand the addresses
which had been delivered by tbe college-bred gentlemen who had preceded him ; if they could , then he would say they could understand perfectly how to manage their own , and would know how to manage the franchise if it were conferred upon them . ( Cheers . ) How inconsistently the legislature dealt with the people ; they allowed them the right of sending for a physician or a surgeon when ill , when life , the most valuable of all possessions , was in peril , but did not require as a qualification for that right , that they should be profoundly versed in the science of medicine or surgery . ( Hear , bear . ) They were not required to have a profound acquaintance with theology to entitle them to choose tbeir own religious instructors ; and yet he would ask the gentlemen , if they did not regard religion and religious instruction as the most important of all concerns . ( Hear , hear , and loud cheering . ) Why , then , deny tbe people the tight to choose their own law makers ? ( Hear , hear . ) The want of this right was a
great evil ; and he would do all be ceuld to secure to all who live under the institutions of the country a voice in the making of the laws by which tbey were to be governed . Mr . Hume was for expediency ; for giving them an instalment , and for step by step reform , while be would resist all greater reforms . It was the policy of the aristocracy to resist the introduction of tbe wedge as long as they could ; bow absurd then to suppose that they would permit the people to obtain instalments , whicb it was avowed were intended to be used to extort more extensive changes , destructive to the existence of the aristocracy ; but the people were determined to raise the banner of equal rights , that justice might be done to all . He was , therefore , for tbe Charter , the most comprehensive and tbe most practical measure ever propounded , and for this he hoped they would assist him , and to support this he hoped they would return him . The speaker was repeatedly cheered during bis address , end retired amidst much applause .
Mr . ALDAM , who was introduced by William Smith , Esq ., amused the meeting for some time with an enumeratiou of his claims to their electoral sapport ; the chief of which were , that his father had been a tradesman 30 year ' s ; that he , Mr . A ., had travelled ; that he had been at York and Darlington ; that he had been at College , and that he was three years older than Lord Jocelyn . WILLIAM BECKETT , Esq ., was received with great cheering and some expressions of dissent . When the applause bad subsided , be said , Gentlemen , I delight in the expressions of your approbation . ( Cheers . ) I respect those marks of your dissent—( a laugh )—because , Gentlemen , it proves to me that in the discharge of your important duties as electors of this Borougb , you are aware of the responsibility of those duties—( hear , bear )—it shows to me you know what depends upon yourselves—( cheers )—and that you are
determined , without fear of favour , to exercise those duties in an independent manner . ( Loud cheers . ) Gentlemen , it is my misfortune to have come last in this long list of speakers we have had , so that I really am at a loss to say any thing new that would either captivate your senses or instruct your minds . ( Hear ) You have beard much already ; the previous speakers have travelled to [ almost every part of the globe . ( A laugh and cheers !) But there is one thing which I think has rather been overlooked by them . We aro met here to consnlfc for Leeds people—( hear , hear)—and to consult for Leeds interests—( hear );—that I tbiak has been in some degree forgotten . ( Cheers . ) Gentlemen , I can only appear here before you in the humble character of a Leeds tradesman like yourselves . ( He . ir . ) I have no extensive knowledge to boost—I Lave no claims on your attention from parliamentary experience—I have only to offer you the remarks of that common sense which I have used hitherto in
private life , and to promise the application of it to public subjects . ( Applause . ) But it will be with me a consideration of importance , that in the exercise of that judgment I shall follow an independent course . ( Cheers . ) I will look neither to one side nor another—( cheers )—but pursue that line of conduct which I consider to be right and proper . ( Loud cheers . ) My duty , then , in standing here before you , is to shew that it is my intention to consult the interests of the whole body « f the people . ( Loud cheering . ) I maintain that neither the interests of the landlord , nor those of the fundholder , ner the moneyholder can ever be successful —they can never be kept in prosperity unless we also consider the contentment and good condition ef the working classes . iCLeers . ) Now , I think it is my
duty to say , in coming before you now , that no man is more deeply sensible of tbe distress that prevails—( hear )—and no man more deeply laments it or feels it more than I do . ( Cheers ) But whatever may be said about the Corn Laws , or the repeal of tbe Corn Laws , nothing shall prevent m < s from telling you what my opinions are with respect to our present deplorable condition . ( Cheers . ) I do not attribute our present distress to the operation ot the Corn Law . ( Hear , and disapprobation . ) The cause of tbe present distress is not a new one ; it has prevailed here , I am sorry to say , for years , and I appeal to every gentleman on these hustings whether we have not been gradually getting worse and worse . ( Cheers . ) Don't imagine that I am casting blame upon individuals or Governments in speaking thus . ( Hear . ) It is my duty to state that I have long seen that we are getting into a worse condition . New to account for the cause of that distress .
In the first place , let me ( ell you that our trade has been , from a variety of circumstances , unduly excited . ( Cheers . ) We have made more goods than we can sell . The power of production has overtaken the power of consumption . ( Cheers . ) And , Gentlemen , until we recover tbe just balance between the two , you and we mast suffer . ( Cheers . ) Now , Gentlemen , if that be the cause , 111 tell you why it is . There has been an undue application of capital , which has given an undue impulse to trade ; the monetary system baa been employed too far . Gentlemen , there has been too much capital—( cheers )—the bankers have been too free ; we have opened the money-drawers too much—there has been too much machinery built . ( Cheers . ) Gentlemen , the beam of the steam-engine lias made too many strokes—( cheers )—the fly-wheel has made too many revolutions , and it is only this shock which we are now undergoing , under which we now suffer , that can bring us to anything like a healthy
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state . ( Hear and cheers . ) Whatever the consequences of these opinions may be , they are my honest opinions —and I am ready and determined to state them and support them everywhere . ( Cheera . ) Now , I do tell yon that the trade of this country baa been unduly excited . How has it been met by any of the markets which have been spoken of . Would any gentleman on the hustings say that the lamentable state of the American market was not the cause of the present distress ? ( No , no , "the Com Laws . ") I appeal to the gentlemen who differ with me in opinion , to consider the present condition of the American markets ; and I desire them to consider what those markets have been , and what they are at present ( Cheers . ) That is one source of the present depressed condition of our trade , and
deeply do I lament that it is so . I appeal to gentlemen who are acquainted with the circumstances , whether , if the trade , which has for a tew years back gone on with that country , had continued , we should have been in the condition in which we are at present ( Applause . ) The home trade , too , has not been so good as usual , in consequence of our not having bad good harvests for two or three years . When I deplore the consequences of them bad harvests , I behold with pleasure the gleam of prosperity which is now beginning to spread over the cloudy horizon of our commercial affairs—( cheers ) —and I look at the consequences of a good harvest as of more benefit to the people of this country than any change of Administration . —( Loud , applause . ) We are told that the repeal or alteration of the Corn
Law will-be a panacea for all our present evils , and that will bring us trade . ( Cheers . ) Now , Gentlemen , I dispute that , and I'll give you my reasons . ( Cheers . ) In reference to an alteration of the Corn Law , it is contended that we shall introduce foreign corn , and if foreign corn is eaten in this country in place of home grain . ( A voice , "Eat them both . " ) Bat we have enough . ( Tremendous cheering . ) A gentleman on my left reminds me that we have both—we have had both , and I wish to continue both . But , Gentlemen , stick first to English agriculture , and then go to foreign agriculture . I say to you , stick fast to English agriculture . ( Cheering . ) I am 3 orry to say that words were used this day by a gentleman on these hustings which are not creditable to the gentleman who made use of them .
( Cheers . ) He called the landlords of this country monopolists . ( Laughter . ) It is strange to me that it should be left to a commercial man like myself to defend the character of the agriculturists of this country . ( Hear . ) But I will not shrink from that duty . ( Cheers . ) Why do I ask you to stick to English agriculture ? I'll prove that it is your interest I'll prove that it is to the interest of the working man to do it . New , I am not going to make assertions without giving you proof . Upon what terms are we treated by those misnamed monopolists the landowners of this country ? What do the landowners get from agriculture in this country ? I tell you that upon an average the wheat land of this country does not pay more than 24 s . an acre to the landlords who possess it ( Oh !) No man who laja oat his money
in land can get mere than three per cent for his money . ( Applause . ) The consequence is this , that we have the use of the whole capital of the agriculturists of this kingdom—the landlords , the owners of the soil—we have it at the low rate of return of three per cent . Not , I ask you if there is a manufacturer among us that has ever received so low a rate of interest on bis capital as three per cent ? ( Hear , hear . ) But again , look at the condition of the tenant . The tenant , it is calculated , has about five pounds an acre for capital laid out , in what I call the moveable machinery of agriculture ; after his toil and labour , and the expences of seed and other things , he gets—what do you think ? He gets not more than five per cent Then comes the labourer ; and he gets no mote than twelve shillings
a week . Do you grudge him that ? Do you say that that is too much ? No , you are Englishmen , and you do not grudge that small remuneration . ( Cheers and cries of " lower the rents . " ) How can the rent be made lower ? I want to disabuse your minds ; and it was the duty of those who addressed you upon the subject of the Corn Laws to have told you how the matter stood in all its bearings . ( Hear , bear , hear . ) Many able arguments have been used—many books have been written—many discourses have been delivered on this subject ; but I do say this , that from the beginning to the end , it has been a one-sided argument—( hear , hear , and cheers )—and you have not been told the expences which attend the agriculture of this country , in comparison with , that which is expended by foreigners .
( What will you do to relieve ns ?) Let me tell you what is the matter first ( Hear . ) If I am your doctor I must understand your disease . ( Loud cheering . ) In addition to these three classes , namely , the landlord , the tenant , and the labourer , and they are the only three connected with agriculture—there is this horrid Cera Law , which robs the people of their rights , and prevents them from enjoying comforts . ( Loud cries of hear , hear . ) Now what has been the actual effect of the Corn Law ? I have endeavoured to read two books , which may be considered as acknowledged authorities on this—the one was the work of Mr . M'Calloch , and the other that of Mr . James Wilson \ for which I am indebted to a friend on the hustings ) . Now from them I learn , that for forty years before the year 1815 , when
there was no Corn Law in operation , the average price of wheat was 65 s . ( Hear , hear , and cheers ) Again , the same authority informs me , that far the last seven years the average price of Wheat has been 54 s . lid ., being exactly one penny less , since the protective duty was pat on , than what itwos previously . ( Cheers ., ) Now , 1 am only endeavouring to explain to you my opinions—I have considered it my duty , as standing here a candidate for your suffrages , to state to you the grounds for the opinions which I hold . ( Loud cries of " Hear . " ) With regard to the Corn Law , I am decidedly favourable to protection , —but , Gentlemen , I am not an advocate for protection for the sake of the landlords—not for the sake of the farmer—not for the sake of the agricultural labourer—but for the
sake of the commercial community . ( Loud cheers . ) The agriculturists of this country demand our serious attention in every point ( Hear , hear . ) The authorities to which 1 have already referred tell me this : —the climate of England is the most propitious—the soil of England is the most productive , and the English soil is highly approved for the growth of Wheat , for there is no climate or country of the same area that can produce the same amount of grain , of the same value , and of the same price as England . ( Loud cheers , and hisses . ) I want you all to live ia comfort , and net to desert that which I think tends materially to increase your comfort ( Hear , hear . ) So far for the agriculture of the oountry . I maintain that under the circumstances in which it comes to us—under which it in
offered to the commercial community of this countrywe should be blind to our own interests if we introduced Foreign Corn beyond the supply which was requisite should be bad to make up any deficiency which might arise . ( Cheers . ) We ate told that if we have free trade we shall immediately have large quantities of corn . ( Hear and cheers . ) Now , I ask you , where is this corn to come from ? ( Saveral voices " from North America . > Yea , we are to get it from America , from Poland , from Prussia , and from the Black Sea . Now I would say this to you , don't desert the wheaten loaves of England —if you do , you'll make a mistake . ( Cheers and disapprobation . ) But mark this , and I again recur to the same respectable authority which I have already quoted . The foreign corn of doubtful quality , and
which yeu cannot meet with in any quantity of the same quality as native grown—this com , if imported , cannot reach these shores except vX very nearly the same price at which you eat your own English wheat ( Cheers , and a cry of " Why oppose tbe alteration of the Corn Laws , then ?") Why , far your protection ; do you want to eat bad bread ? ( Cheers . ) Look where you spend your money , if we have tofgive tbe same price for foreign corn which we pay for that of England . If you want to increase the sale of your manufactured goods , dont forget the home trade—don't be led away by the idea of enriching your pocketsdon't lose the substance for the sake of the shadow . ( Hear , and cheers . ) Then the next proposition is for an alteration of the Timber and Sugar Duties . ( Hear . )
This subject I don't understand so well as I ought to do ; but I do think that we ore bound , as the mother oountry , to look to our colonies . The colonies acknowledge the laws of England , —acknowledge the decisions of tbe Parliament of England , to which you are bound to send proper representatives . ( Hear , ami " we will . ") If the colonies acknowledge our laws , let them enjoy the blessings of our Constitution—don't deprive them of the most precious jewel of an Englishman , his independence , and hatred of slavery . ( Cheers . ) Don't let us destroy markets which we have now in our colonies , and which are increasing at so tremendous and rapid a rate . ( Hear , hear ) Look to the West Indies , and to the East Indies , and we shall be abla to procure sugar not made by slave labour , to the exclusion of those who
produce sugar by the labour of slaves . Such is the abundance of the sugar there that we have no occasion whatever to go for that article beyond the precincts of our own colonies . ( Hear , hear . ) Now , with regard to the removal of tbe Timber Duties , the same principle will apply . Stick to your own colonies—sti k to your own British ships—stick to yonr own people—and if you then cannot get timber at a reasonable rate , rednce the duty . iHear . ) I will not address you any further upon these topics . I am not going to excite your passions on the Poor Law , bnt I do lament that any law should have been passed which presses heavily upon the aged , the decrepid , and the unfortunate ; and I should be sorry to see any class of persons who could not provide themselves with work in that condition , and that they should not receive assistance to put them
into employment . ( Hear . ) I have taken the trouble to look at the first poor law which waa passed , namely , the 43 rd of Queen Elisabeth ; that law has been always recognised in vrerj statute that lias been passed upon the subject since that time . ( A voice in the crowd— " What about the Charter » " ) Why , the Poor Law is your Charter . ( Lo « d applaase . ) I eould amuse your fancy , but I want to speak to yoar good sense . What says the preamble of this law of England ? ( Hear . ) Overseers are there told to be careful to provide for the aged , for the infirm , and for those persons under misfortune , and to provide implements of husbandry , and materials for work , to set these people to work who cannot provide it for themselves . ( Cheers . ) Now , this is the foundation of the English Poor Law . Subsequently to this , different enactments have been
passed for the regulation of the poor ; and whether it is from the negligence of the Parliament , or from the improper conduct of the Poor Law Commissioners , that the rights of the Poor have been sneroached upon , i am ready to stand up , my friends , in the protection of your rights . ( Cheers . ) I glory in that law . I glory
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in the generosity of my countrymen thai carried that law into effect It shows what they thought of the people ; it shows that they thought the property of th « rich man might be applied t * the support of the poor man . I hold my estate on that condition , and , gentle * men , I will never swerve from that condition . ( Loud cheers . ) We must bow pass en to another subject , and that is to the conduct —( Cry of " Pious Use . ) I am not a trustee of the pious use fund , but 1 am con * nectod with those who are , and I am proud of that connexion . ( Applause . ) I now come to a subject on which we shall differ in opinion , and that is us to what claim her Majesty ' s Ministers have to continue in office . ( Hear , hear , and hisses . ) An indictment Las been made by the House of Commons against the
Ministers , the public servants of this country , that tbey are unfit to govern the country—that they are unworthy of the confidence of the country . That question has been submitted to the Queen , and through that prerogative of the Queen which I hope will be always supported by Englishmen—ihear , hearjthat question has been referred to yon , the constituencies of this' coantry . ( Hear . ) You know what the acts of this Administration have been . Examine into what they have done , and if you think that they have served you , stick to them . ( "We will , " aud cheers . ) But if you think they are unworthy of yo-ir confidence , throw them from you , and employ , other people . ( Cheers . ) Let me only say this to youjudee for yourselves . The ministers are accused of
not doing their duty , of not being able to do thoir duty to their country . I will say this , if they arc unable to do their duty , they must be dismissed . ( No , no . ) If they cannot render the services required of them by the crown , they cannot be paid as Eervauts of the crown . ( Great confusion . ) All that I shall say to you in conclusion is this , recollect ; ihu . t we are all Englishmen . Stick fast to the interests of England—stick fast to English agriculturestick fast to English commerce—stick fast to English Bhips—stick fast to English colonie?—stick fast to the English Constitution , and we shall still , with a long pull , and a strong pull , and a , pull altogether , get out of the horrible misery in which we are at present involved . ( Loud oheering for some time . )
Mr . WBITEHEAD , lea-dealer , &c ., came forward to question the Conservative candidates , but was tcM that he must wait till all . the candidates bad been heaid . Mr . JOSHUA HOBSON , in a few remarks , then introduced Mr . JAMES LEECH , of Manchester , the other Chartist candidate . Mr . . Leech spoke at considerable length , avowing himself in favour of a more equal distribution of labour , so as to prevent one-half of the country fr ^ m living in iiuxhaustless wealth , while tbe other were starving in their competition with improved machinery . Mr . Humo bad asserted that increasod labour was attended by increased wages , whilst it was a fact that for the last fifty years , although trade had gone on increasing to an almost indefinite extent , wages had been
rapidly decreasing . ( Hear , hear , and great cheering . ) Mr . Baines , in his history of Lancashire , stated that in the early period of the cotton trade there were in Lancashire 50 , 000 spindles employing 50 , 000 spinners , whilst at the present time he ( Mr . L . jcould go to one mill in Manchester in which fourteen spinners were now doing as much work as used to employ the whole 50 , 000 , and even these were not getting remuneration for their labour . ( Hear , hear . ) The reason was to be found in the fact that wl > . ile protection had been extended in every other direction , the interests of the poor had never yet been protected at all , an anomaly which proved the little interest taken in thequaliflcation of perrons who had to legislate for tha people —( hear , hear)—when parties had come ther *
that day to fall out about their ages , and to squabbl * about which of them was the oldest . He thought both parties were old enough in iniquity . ( Laughter and cheers . ) It was the boast of the British constitution that it consisted of three branches , King , Lords , and Commons ; but now the Commons were superseded , and the constitution was composed of King , Lords , and Aristocracy . All the speakers had agreed on one point , that great distress was existing throughout the country , that the middle classes were fast sinking to a level with themselves ; but they agreed not as to the remedy . Some of thuse who hod preceded him said we wanted foreign markets ; Mr . Aldam told them one tale ; Mr . Hume another . He ( Mr . L . ) contended that the parties who had ruined
England were the middle classes ; and now that they had began to feel the screw pinch them as it had long done tbe working classes , they came forward and expressed an anxiety to take off a little of what themselves felt , but said not a word about offering to the poor asbare of what tbey themselves enjoyed . ( Hear , hear . ) Both Whig and Tory had laid claim to having reduced tax ttion , forgetting that while taxation bad been reduced by fragments , wages had been reduced by wholesale , and the poor ground down to the lowest point at which it was possible te arrive . ( Hear , ht-nr . ) He ridiculed the idea that the reduction in the timber duties proposed would be of any benefit to tbe working community . The difference it would make ia tbe cost of the erection of a cottage , even suppose that he could
build one , would be about six shiltfngs ; and wbat a tremendous sum was the interest of this to save to the working man . Increased trade would not arise front it , while wages would be continually getting less . ( Hear , hear . ) Their warehouses , it was said , were crammed with goods , for which they bad no markets , and well they might be so long , as there was such an entire absence of home demand . Gentlemen talk el of export markets , let them encourage and extend their own , and then if they had any goods to spare , they might find the best markets they cuuld for them abroad ; but it was sheer nonsense to send our manufactures abroad , ' while the people were going naked for wont of them at home . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . ) He then went into the question of wacrea on the
Continent , in America , and in England , and contended that the high scale in America was not owing to the land being so very prolific , bnt to the fact that they were not robbed by being taxed to the amount of twenty-nine millions a year for the interest of a national debt , and from sixteen to twenty millions to cany on the government The poor w « re often taunted by being told that tbey paid no taxes ; he had no objection that gentlemeu should pay taxes , but he should like to know who first put the money into their pockets to pay them with . Look at the enormous amount paid for the new police ; at the nine millions puid to support a state church , whoso priests preach passive obedience and nou-xesistance . ( Marks of disapprobation on the hustings . ) Gentlemen , he said , did not seem to like his allusion to their doctrines , but they were not the less true on that account ( Hear , hear . ) After some other observations , the speaker proceeded to remark in reply to the argument for free trade .
which would increase the markets for our manufacturers , that trade hid extended rapidly enough , but wages had not iujpr » v « d in the same proportion ; on the contrary , increased demand had led to reduction . Tbey were now , it was admitted , arrived at the very verge of a crisis ; the present was a parliamentary crisis ; and if something was not done for the people speedily , there might arrive a bloody revolution . He would say , then , to the upper classes , confer power on the working classes , to enable them to assist you in carrying out those measures which can alone give strength and security to the throne and the country . Let the people Uavo their Charter that they may have a voice in the affWira of the nation , and in making those laws which they were called upon to obey . By this would t . lie intelligence of the working classes be brought out , and by i % alone would be secured the happiness of all . The speaker concluded amidst loud cheers , after thanking them for the manner in whicb he bad been beard .
Mr , WH 1 TEHEAD again stood forward to propound his questions to Mr . Beckett When he first announced his intention to put questions , Mr . Beckett asked to have them handed to him , but Mr . Whitehead said they were not written ; and yet , when he came forward this time , though he bad not in the interval left the hustings , he produced two or three sheets of paper , from which he was about to read them . Mr . JOSHUA HOBSON , however , suggested that no question should be put to one that was not asked of another ; and that the questions should be put to the candidates in the order of precedence . Mr . Whitehead assented , but on turning round to read his questions to Mr . Hume , he found that he and Mr . Aldam had left tbe hustings without hearing the speech of Mr . Leech . After waiting a short time to Bee if they returned , as they did not make their appearance Mr . Beckett and Lord Jocelyn made their bow and retired amidst the cordial greetings of their friends , Messrs . Leech and Williams , and , their friends followed their example .
Thus ended the largest out-door meeting ever held la Leeds , a meeting also which must be attended with the most important , results . The truths spoken by the people ' s canditiates made a deep impression , and though they have been as usual burked in the " Extraordinary Liar , " we have reason to know that their influence has been felt , and that deep execration has beea poured out on all sides on the editor of the base and tricky publication .
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LONDON . —City of London . —At the usual weekly meeting at No . 55 , Old Bailey , 15 s . vrere voted for the executive .- — -The Metropolitan General Election Committee had a meeting on the same evening ; June the 22 d , in the above place . Mr . Watkins produced a very able address to the electors and non-electors , especiall y of this city , condemnatory of the policy of tbe dastardly Whigs , especially " Finality Jack , " who baa the effrontery to attempt to disgrace this city by bis extraordinary thug and China joggling principles . Sub-Committees were appointed to assist in the elections of i / ix . Thompson and Mr . W . V . Saakey . The Committee Bit every night bat Sunday . Let the Metropolitan Chartists see that they be not crippled for funds .
Thb Bloohsburi- Election Commutes held tbeir usual weekly meeting at the Magnet Coffee House , Davy-lane , on Monday evening last , when Messrs . Baldwin and Hepper were appointed to co-operate with the committee of Mr . W . V . Sankey , the ChartiBt candidate for Marylebone ; . collecting books were issued for subscriptions to defray the expences of the Chartist candidates . A' number of persons enrolled their names on the committee . The committee adjourned to Monday evening next , when all Chartists i& this district are particularly requested to attend .
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^^ THE NORTHERN STAR . £ __
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), June 26, 1841, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct712/page/5/
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