Current:

Northern Star (1837-1852), 26th June 1841, Edition 1 of 5, Page 5

Page 5
Page 5
5 of 8

On this page

  • Text (2)

      Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    • Untitled Article

      Untitled Article

    • Untitled Article

      Untitled Article

  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      Untitled Article

      n + am- J- S- WORTLEY then ana forward , and Py ^ vfth cheers by the Bine party . He aid ** tfhii ( Jovemnient had new been in office fur eleven *!> iwliBrtof the whole ttm » they haro nerer -m-If ? to naie any proposal on the subject on whieh ^ n ^ etexae to agitate " the eountey . It is only " * t the 2 f ooert , » h « * W flnd tbenwelTes sinking in the ** J ! ij « rof tbe country , to the lowest step in the 2 ^ T gfaont of " Will you do it then ? " ) It is 5 ir when they find their own Bouse of Common Si them , and tells them they are bound in principle ^ L ^ m their situations ; it is only then they throw Z a ^ question as a bait for popularity , and in order w « their situations . What kind of question is £ j £ f which they think agitation justifiable to raiae ! l curious of the people—for I can call the attempt r ^ WdsB , though it hat failed ? What is the ques-2 r » A anestion on which the first and moat

      intel-** % & on it Let us look to the authorities on £ 1 . very subject—the Corn laws . At the prelfi BozxaV , " *« hare a nobleman whose son now JL before yon as a candidate , whose prhrate eba-?? Mr we must respect—my Lord FitxwilKam , who LV ^ ken s prominent and leading part in the attack IT these laws . ( Cheers . ) What does he tell as ? ILj if these laws were repealed , yon would not hare Zgt ebe » pe * than at present ; that the farmer need J ^ be afraid , because the price of eon would re-!^ b the same as at present A pamphlet has been ^ ea by Mr . M'CuUoch , another of these gnat K &xities , and what does he say ? He says the same $ & £ f Sbont * of " "What do yon say ? " ) He attempts { Throve that there would be no reduction in the

      - £ & of com . Then we hare Mr . Yilliers , an advoate to the repeal of the Corn Laws , and certainly v tartinB of ours—what does he say ? He says that Ike sole object is to reduce wages . ( Disapprobation . ge gayi that wages must be reduced in order to enable _ j . HJiB nfactarers to compete with our rivals . An-^ ar ' authority , no less esteemed , Colonel Torrens , rbo hu given his life to the consideration of these isMeets , says on the contrary , you would get nothing from i t , because it -would raise wages , and raise rents . Ii tlu * , then , a question on which any Government is ffl tffiftfi in attempting to impose on the great mass of ^ peop le ? ( Hear . ) I contend that-the attempt is BcQiiag el ? e than an electioneering clap-trap . And fg this reason . When we look back to the history of

      0 * Government , we find that for eleven years they popoeed nothing ob this subject , but sot only that , j br we find the first Minister of the country , the principal organ o f the G * vernment , ha more than once 4 e £ ired in the most positive terms against the change la March , 1839 , be used these words : — " When yon { ad , - ( said he ) " my noble friend Earl Pitxwilliam proposing to leave the whole agricultural interest without protection , I declare before God , I think It the wildest and the maddest scheme that ever ctered into the imagination of man to conceive , and it is my opinion that it is not wise to depend on foreign countries for a supply of food . " This , gentlemen , b the assertion of Lord Melbourne not Ktore than fco years since , but he comes a little nearer than that ,

      { or it -was only last year that he said , when it was eyed you will be able to get an increase of trade , in consequence of the repeal of the Cam Laws , what did J * say to it ? He said , " you will never get into the strkets of the continent whether you repeal the Com Laws or not" These are the sentiments expressed by har d Melbourne , and I say when a government , having treated this question in this style , for eleven years , sad now when it is known to be at the last gasp of is PTiffe "' * J throwing oTerboard the principles it had txpreaed before , on the ere of its dissolution putting forward these measures . In reference to the retireme&t of Sir Gee . Strickland , the Eon Speaker asked , Taj has be been withdrawn ? Was it because he wanted to retire from Parliament ? Ko sadx thine .

      Se does not wont to retire from Parliament- At this moment he , your old and Radical repreeentatiTe , Sir George Strickland , is engaged in a popular contest for Preston , in Lancashire . Why did he not fight in the battle here instead of at Preston ? ( Cries of " question , question . " ) It is because my Noble Friend hers , to whom I have the greatest possible respect , is to bring the great influence of his noble house into the contest He is to serre tie purpose of a budget in Yorkshire . He , Gentlemen , is our Yorkshire budget , and he is brought here to produce the same tSact as the Government sought to produce by their Vudget He is to carry it by the influence of his noble bouse . It is in order that the deficiency of influence of Sir 6 « orge 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 Cam Lava . My firm belief is , and I proclaim it without hesitation , th&t a material reduction or repeal of those duties would have the effect of distressing and ruining the agricultural community of these countries ( Disapprobation . ) It is not , thaa , for the interests ef the country at large . I axi speaking to the Tnanufactcrera . I deny that even tiie manufacturers -would gain by sueh a eoastqainee , and I will tell you how I prove it 1 do nut think it is the interest of any man to thrive , if be should thriTe by raining his neighbour . Bat , Gentlemen , 1 deny that he wonld even thrive . ( Cries « f " Its the aristocracy that thriTes . - ] We must recollect that larga portions of land in this

      countrythe brother of Lord John Rusaeil said no less th&u two ipminn * of acres—are not suseeptible of profitable cultimion , except under a protection . If those lands were thrown out of cultiTstion , what must necessarily biiow ? Why , the cultivators must be mined , their fcbourers would be thrown out of employment , and what it to becozse of this mass of labourers ? I do not speak tMi an my own authority . I will take an authority certainly not aristocratic—the Radical Member for Bir-BJrngfcini . Mr . iluntz . Did he not tell you , and eurely he has no bias to the aristocratic landowners , that the repeal of the Com Laws was a mere delusion , and that the infallible effect must be to reduce the rate of wages ? ( Great cisai-probadtn . ) And I will tell you another snthojity , = nii that is , a member of the Chartist body ,

      who has i&tel ? printed a letter to his associates . Those gentlemen Blinding near me , I doubt not know bolh the r .-. m g sod the individual Mr . Hick has lately published a letter , and in that letter you will find the most explicit assertions of the same kmd , and tiiat the repeal of tke Cora Laws would not bs for tie beseSt of tie working classes . The fact ii not eTen concealed by the adTocates cf repeal What do yon bear from the Manchester Chamber of Commerce ? Wnat does Mr . Viilieru tell us ? That the object of the repe * 1 of the Corn La-sra is to cheapen manufactu' -ed govds . I will ask any man here of common sense how the repsal of the Com laws is to cheapen manufactured goods , except by reducing wages ? Ike consequence is ineTitable . It would take place in

      fcis -way . There is a superabundance of labour , as you all well kiuw , in the manufacturing districts of this cesatry . Yon know that there are more labourers than there is employment for . 3 o long as there are superflaoas labourers , wages will fall accordingly . If you can proTe to roe—if you can shew to me , that there is * stiSuent snpply of labour here at present , and that perssas cannot obtain operatives and artisans enough for thfcir manufactories , I will b- - silent and drop the * rgument Bat I am perfectly avr » re if the supply and demand are in such proportion as to render the supply insufficient for the demand , you -will get better ¦ "ages together with your cheap loaf . So long as one labourer U superabundant , the redaction in the price of libosr mest take place , according to the rate of

      xesteaacce . Lst us not forget another effect that must ¦ igrriTate tills consequence . It is infallibly true , that if large p-rtions cf land are thrown out ot cultivation , the population of those districts must seek employment here . If thry do not go back to the "Union workhouses , iiey must , as they hare done before , come here to find employment I am not even here talking without ¦ au thority . I am able to ttll you where the thing Actually occurred a short time since . There was a great -superabundance of labour , or supposed to be so , in the South of England . Certain masters , Messrs . Ashworth , in one of the manufacturing towns in Lancashire , who thought thit they could get labour cheaper by sending io these agricultural counties , did send for theza , and these labourers were actually brought into LancishiTB . "PTcat -iras the Tesnlt ? It had an effect on

      the rate ef -srages , and if the opposition on the part of the ojerstiTes of the country had not been so determined , as it tamed out to be , these persons -would have occupied ths places of the manufacturing labourers , and wages would hive been reduced . Once more . If I do not support this assertion by argument , I am centent thit you should think it a mere dap-tiap . I have one word more oa this Euty ' ect Look to examples else-¦ frhera , and -why , I want to know , are you to suppose this favoured country is to be exempt from the fate of those where labour is superabundant , and food cheap , and -where tie universal consequence is a reduction in the raie of wagts , and the standard of living of the labourer . I speak again on authority—an authority ¦ fthich . will not be suspected—that of Mr . Gregg , of

      ifanciieittr . In his evidence before an inquiry in the Ectse of ConimonE , he stated that from inquiries he bid made as ro the rate of wages of different countries where com was cb . ea . p , the wages were 6 ^ d a-day . ( Cries of "America . "; We know that those labourers live on different scale or standard of sustenance ; they feed not on -wieaten bread , but on black rye bread , and inferior vegetables . Every body who has been in those countries knows that that is the common food of the labourer . ( Another cry of "America . " ) I will touch -upon that in * moment In a comparatively prosperous country—France , where you would irnmjn-n * that though they lave Com Laws they wonld be better off In a report Ptesected to Government a short time put , it was delitaately eUted , that scarcely a third of the population of that country eat wheatea bread . I will tell you how

      it is in America . In America , we start recollect , is the irst instance , ?><»» there are immense tracts of fine uac&Uivated , unoec&pied soiL The Azaerinas have ncniLous tracts of soil , not only unoccupied , but extremely fertile , and therefore , of course , the npplj of orn is abundant Whenev « r any man can « hbw me n this country , laree extensive tracts of the same kind , fertile and UEoccopied , thea I wffl say you may repeal the Corn Laws , and you will get an abundant supply here . I -will tell yon something more on this subject of America , in spite of the abundant supply , in spite of As great resources they possess , perhaps you are not »^ are that at this Tery moment the people of the Cnfted 8 ta ' = es have a duty on the import of foreign corn ^ gbtr than thai now proposed by the GoTernment of « us country . It wa&only a few months since thePre-BdfiBt of the XFnh « d States—the chief magistrate of

      Untitled Article

      that great republic , told his fellow-countrymen , in a written address , prepared with great care , that he thought it the duty of every country te see that it did not depend oa foreign countries for the supply of food . E . B . DENISON , Esq ., then presented himself , and was received with uproarious cheering from his supporters , ani with some hissing from the Liberal party . He said that during the eleven yean which the Whigs have been in office , the Noble Lord ( Morpeth ) hu been a Member of the Queen ' s Croreroment for a considerable time .. He appeals to yon in his own defence and that of his fellow statesmen , and he »» W you to sead him again to Parliament one of the vaunting champions of the cause which he advocates . < " We

      wont hare him , " followed by cries of " We will . " ) Permit me just to call your attention to a common sense question . Try the Government » y 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 ' s name , return my opponents to Parliament , and send ns about our business . ( 8 bouts of " We wilL ") But I will not believe that Torkshiremen will be so gulled . I know perfectly well thaJThe 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 the habit of calling your managers and chief

      clerks to account , if you find they have been Tni » my . n * g . ing your burin S 8 . ( Hear , hear . ) What did those who compose the 0 ov * rniDent commence their public career by promising you ? First of all , they said tVm-t-- peace was to reign throughout the world under their beneficent rule . ( Laughter . ) Well , have they kept their word ? iNo . ) Wliy , they themselves fomented a rebellion in Canada . iCheera . ^ They have been Tery nearly at war with eTery European power , and they are now prosecuting a war in China , which nobody in the world knows how it will end . { Hear , hear . Toe standing army is larger than they found it The naval establishment is more expensive thnn it was , and all then expense * hare been created by their- own absurd acts and deeds . ( Cheers . ) And still ,

      notwithstanding this , the electors of the West Biding are appealed to by a Government which , a few years ago , was 50 popular " that it could command almost any majority in the House of Commons , which could every night raise the l&ugh 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 mast vital question that can ever be discussed in the House of Commons—I mean the question of confidence . ( Loud cheers . ) Yet , notwithstanding this , instead of retiring like gentleman" —( cheers )— -when they found they could not longer carry on the government , they say— " No , we will appeal to the electors of Great Britain , and we

      will appeal to their passions and not to their oemmon 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 the people by what I will call xbeir 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 hava free trade . Is a fixed < iuty of eight shillings per quarter on corn free trade . < " No , no . ") Do they tell me th&t it is free trade when they propose a reduction on sugar of 27 s . cr 29 s . a cwt ? < " No , no . ") Is that free trade ? ( " No , no . ") ' They propose to alter the duties on timber . 1 b that free trade ? ( "No , no . " ) Then away with their humbug , for it is nothing else . ( Cheers . ) Who was

      the erigmal author of as alteration and modification of the protective duties ? Wby , the man whom they so often quote , Mr . Huskitson . ( Hear , hear . ) He was a Tory . He led the tjoi 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 , bear . ) The Whigs promised you retrenchment and ecosociy . 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 , bear . ) In -what situation are they now ? Wby , not withstanding that they have been bolstered up by the editors of the Leeds . Mer $ ury , those celebrated financial doctors—I cheers and laughter )—we find that at the end of ten or

      eleven yean , during which the sinews ef every man whom I now see before me have been exerted to the utmost , they find themselves in a woful deficiency , which is almost an annual one , for it has existed for three or four yean , besides not having paid off a single fraction of the public debt , but , on the contrary , rather added to it . ( Cheers ) I say , try them by what they have done , and if you think that the mode in which they have conducted the affairs of the country is such as you would Irish to have your own affairs conducted , then send our opponents back to Parliament ( Shouts of •¦ rfever- ") But what eise did the Whigs promise ? They promised to govern-withoutpatronage . ( Laughter . ) Wby , of all the men that ever existed , they have exeTcUed the most patronage . They have created officei out of count , and they have endeavoured to thrust-every one of their dependents into them .

      Mr . BB 1 GGS , a Chartist , next introduced to the meeting Mr . George Julian Harney , not as an esquirenot as one of the aristocracy—but as a man whose conduct had always met the approbation ef his fellowmen . 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 unsuccessful attempts to proceed . Between Mr . Heaps and Mr . Gardner , and the Chartist chairman also , some warm expressions were exchanged—Mr . Gardner applying to Mr . Heaps the term blackguard . The confusion continued for so id a minutes , and Mr . Hatton Stanafeld made the matter worse by his interference .

      Mr . HARNEY at length proceeded . He said he appeared before them as a working man , younger than any others of either party . He was unblessed with that liberal education , which they had had the good fortune to receive , and . fee hoped they would bear with him for any imperfections of manner bis address might possess—be asked no favour for the matter . The gentlemen who had preceded him , hid addressed them as the freeholders and electors of the West Riding , whilst they appeared to have forgotten th&t there was such a body as the non-electors in existence . ( Cheers . ) He appeared before them at the request of thousands ef non-eiectors . He would raQier have seen an oider man , one of more experience , in his situation ; but he had consented to be brought forward at ihe reqest of his friends , and for

      • -hem he would go through the work -which , they had put into his bands . He was attached to neither of the parties -which bad already addressed them , though perhaps be could tell something to both of them , while he would flatter - neither . ( Cheers . ) The Noble Lord ( Morpethi bsd said that there was an era approaching ing in the politics of this , country , and he ( Mr . Harnty ) could assure him that there was an era . close at hand when the working classes would be represented—when they would be no longer content vithout the Suffrage 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 same comments on his speech . The Noble Lord occupied a large portion of their time in praising himself and the other members of

      the Government for their patriotism and pbil&nthrupy , words which be thought sounded very s-range ) y when used bya Whig . [ A shower of rain here begin to descend , which / rendered the task of following of Mr . H-impossiblc j A gentleman on the platform handed to Mr . H . an umbrella , and he proceeded with his address , castigating the Whigs , laying bare their sophistries , and exposing them to the public gaze is all their hideous deformity . He said they had come out as advocates ot 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 conceding to expediency what they had almost in the same breath denied on principle . If they were sincere in their desire to repeal or alter the sugar duties now ,

      why did they bring their official influence to bear , in order to defeat Jir . Ewart on the same question last year ? ( Cheering . ) He then alluded to the increase of population which had taken place , not only in Great Britain , but in Germany , and contended that the Germans having established manufactures , would not break them up now to take our surplus products ; if , therefore , thfl Government were sincere in their desire to establish free trade , they should have come out ¦ with it a litt&e sooner—( cheers )—should have shown a little more seal and greater alacrity in the cause of that people whom they now professed to much willingness to serve , and whose interests were with them , now it served their purpose , above every other consideration He should like to know where were the Whigs in ISIS ,

      -when the peopl * ware sabred at Manchester for meeting to petition Parliament for a reform in the representation of the people . ( Cries of " Tkat was the Tories ; and great cheering . ) Yes , he knew the Tories were in power ; he was sot bo ignorant of the history of his country as not to know th&t—he was almost old enough to remember it- ; but be knew also that it was the Hon . Mr . Lamb , the present Lord Melbourne , the htad of her Majesty ' s Government , who moved the thanks ef the House of . Commons to the Cheshire Yeomanry on that occasion . { Hear , bear . ) He regretted aa much as any man the loss of our foreign trade , and compared the exports and imports In 1680 , 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 thoM cf the present period . The speaker was assailed with exclamation * that he was a Tory tool ; and to this he replied that if he was , he was afraid the Tories

      would fiad hia a very poor tool ; and not worth their ponhase ; at any rate he could assure them that be was sharp eaottgh to eat b « th ways , and was very glad to know that he was sot a Whig tool . ( Lasghterand cheers . ) He continued ; be was tpeaking of the trade of the eomntry . Baglaad now traded with fifty or 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 the cause of this ? It was because tbeyib&d now a national debt of eight hundred millions , they had now a most enormous civil list , they had now a long parade of useless pensions and sinecures , they bad the rural police , the poor law bastiles , and other Whig blessings unknown in former periods of our history , which impoverished th » millions , and benefit ted only the few who traded ja human spoiL ( Hear , hear , and great ' frm i « g-1 Those men vquW . sell the , working dawes

      Untitled Article

      themselves—they would not can if at this moment they were sacrificed to their unholy gain . ( Cheers . ) The speaker then went on to contend diat * repjsfi « f the Corn Laws wonld not benefit the working classes '; be showed that before there was any Corn Law Imposed there was more wages paid in the manufacturing : districts , but that , notwithstanding the increase of trade which had taken place , there had not been a corresponding increase ot manual toil , Its place having been supplied » y an increased quantity of improved machinery . Some person had said that be was a Tory tool : he cared not for that cry ; for he could assure them , which ever party spoke the truth , whether Whig or Tory , should have his rapport ( Cheers . ) He agreed with all that had fallen from Mr . Wortley on the subject of the Corn Laws —( cheers)—he fully agreed that

      a repeal of the Corn Laws only meant a redaction of wages ; nevertheless the repealers were determined they should have a big loaf whether they wonld or not ; the 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 polios . ( Cheers , and some Interruption . ) He had the authority of a paper printed at 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 Huddersfield on that day . All he could say was , let them try it on . ( Cheers , and continued confusion , during which , Mr .

      Harney said he would take bis time , and assured them , the more interruption he experienced , the longer be should be . ) Lord Morpeth bad been asked a question about the Poor Laws , but he 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 ( bis ; he had no doubt thai 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 weie proposed—that they would not at ail benefit

      the working daises . The alteration in the timbar duties won . 'd 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 the 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 should like to know how much even of that sum-would go into the pockets of the poor , after it hod passed through tiro or three wholesale dealers' hands . ( Hear , hear . ) The repeal of the Cora Laws was got up t « delude the people with the fallacious cry of cheap bread , while Mr . M'Culloeh , the Whig authority , proved that under no circumstances could we have wheat lower than 5 < 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 prodnctive of benefit to the working class or not , they must be adopted in order to raise the revenue ; not to increase the comforta 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 upwards of two niminn g in the Exchequer , which the former had wasted besides increasing the the national debt by several millions more . This be contended they had done by engaging in unnecessary and dishonourable wars , by excessive expenditure on Poor Law commissions and bastiles , and the rural police . T wo 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 nntil universal justice prevailed throughout the land . Every promise had been broken , and the fruits of reforji had been the accorded new Poor Law and the Rural Police . But when the people took their affairs into their own

      hands , as the Whigs bad 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 had done something else . They had sent their constabulary police to Birmingham , Manchester , and all the manufacturing districts to put down the legal assemblages of the people ; they bad Bent well paid spies and hired traitors amongst the people to entrap thtni into acU of violence , and then to betray them to their oppressor * , emulating the worst features of Toryism , and exceeding in atrocity the acts of S ' . dmouth and Cwtlereagh . He tould go on farther still , but it was enough ; there -was a deficiency in the revenue , and the Noble Lord had told them that it must be supplied either in the 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 Morpetb , who did not seem at all to relish the allusion to his own salary . ) Then let all bis colleagues reduce theirs to the Bame standard . ( Great cheering . ) The hand-loom weavers had bad their wages reduced SO , SO , and 10 per cent over and . over again ; and if the Ministers would reduce taeir ' s in proportion , they might have both reduced wages and reduced taxation , and no deficiency ¦ would exist in the revenue . ( Great cheering . ) Thfcj might reduce also pensions and sinecures ; knock off 410 or 500 generals ; wid when tbey had carried retrenchment as far as they could , and carried out Reform , to iu full extent , they might fully carry

      out the principles of the New Poor Law , and throw the aristocracy , as they had thrown the . people , on their own resources . ( Hear , and cheers . ; Mr . Harney went on at great length , castigating the Whigs most unmercifully , for the snail-like pace at which they advanced their manures , and exposing further their shallow subterfuge of cheap bread . He then commented on the speeches -which had been delivered by the Hon . John 8 . Wortley and Mr . Beckett Denison , 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 thtir worst measures . He bad no faith ot 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 cheera . ) The Whigs had violated their past promises , and he would not trust them again . The Tories made no promises at all ; but judging from their past conduct , if they were to come into power to-morrow they would only act as thoy had done previously , and ht would therefore serve both parties alike , and throw them both overboard . His remedy for all was Universal Suffrage , to place nil upon a footing of political equality , and to give every Kan a voice in making the laws which he had to obey . Thera could tLea be no caus « of complaint On these principles he came forward to offer himself as a candidate for their suffrages ; he solicited their confidence , promising that be would exercise the trust for the well-being ef the whole country . He thanked them fer the comparative attention with which he Lad been heard , and retired amidst loud and long-continued cheering .

      THE BOROUGH CANDIDATES . J . G . MARSHALL , Esq ., introduced Mr . HUME , who was loudly cbeered by his party , the Whigs making a sort of constrained effort to evince the cordiality of their joy . He began by saying that , having been called forward as a candidate , be now appeared to state his opinions , and to say that , if elected , be wonld devote his services to the cause . He complained that three of the speeches he bad heard were evidently in-tended to call away the attention of the meeting from the real questions to be discussed

      therenamely , the remedies for the prevalent distress . That remedy was to lighten taxation . He made efforts to induce Government to raise the deficiency in the revenue by placing the descent of landed property on the same footing as personal property ; and he went into an extended statement to show the hardships of tbe 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 up the

      revenue-Lord JOCELYN , b * Tlng been introduced by John Howard , Esq ., replied to the speeches of Morpeth and Hume , on the free trade question , in » speech of about an average Tory merit . He insisted that no ease of reciprocity , jaBtifying the application of their principles , had been made ent 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 denounced the New Poor Law , sad supported the Church Establishment . Mr . BROOK said be had th « honour to name to them a gantlemaB who , though a comparative stranger , had made himself known to many who were them present by his excellent speech on the preceding evening . He then introduced

      Mr . JAMES WILLIAMS , who stood forward , aad was received in a manner which at once showed that , though a stranger to a large portion of the assembly , the principles whieh he was there to advocate wera reciprocated by the thousands cf the " hard hands , fustian jackets , and unshorn chins , " by whom he was surrounded . The enthusiastic cheering having subside ^ he commenced his address by saying , that in appe ^ ng before them he had not the qualifications to offer to which the other gentlemen who had addr ^ od them could lay claim . He did not , like my Lords Morpeth and MUtoo . cJaiot their suffrages , on the ground

      Untitled Article

      that he was of ancient family ; he could not trace his ancestry centuries back ; nor could he , like J . 8 . Wortley , oferHimself Ta ^ lhe ^ owne * of rt ^ ousand acres , nor Hie Mr . Beckett bennisoira * one of the aristocracy of wealth;—nor could he , like Lord Jocelyn , offer himself to their notice as one who had travelled over most part * of the habitable globe j he had not tbe 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 his accqmalntanoe with the form « f a Chlnew 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 h » had seen behind the lattice work in the city of Chason , ( Laughter . ) He had not foaiat

      side by aide la . -C&taa , with Captain EUiotl , the man who was troubled with a palpitation at the heart ( Laughter . ) He eould net boast of all these ; bat although personally unknown he had dalma to offer whish he trusted would be recognised as superior to any which his competitors had . pat forward . *( Hear , hear and cheers . ; He stood there aa the advocate of , the unlimited freedom of trade , the abolition of all monopolies —( hear )—and most of all , the abolition of that monstrous monopoly , the source of all other monopolies , the monopoly of law making . ( Hear , and load cheers . ) He called attention to the admissions roade bjr 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 . His Lordship said that " true selflove and social was the same . " In this he entirely agreed ; what was . good tor a part ii , or ought to be , good for all glasses . 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 supposo that which filled his parse ought to be sanctioned by those principles . Now , on those propositions of the Noble Lord , he founded those views on which be rested his 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 cheera ) 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 , the * were not ; and whether or not ,

      they were utterly Insufficient to rescue the country from the perilous position iu which It was placed . ( Cheers . ) He ridiculed the Whiga far having brought forward these measures on the spur of tbe 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 the face at every turn , and yet they did not attempt to reduce the immense expenditure of the country , which Lord Mcrpeth had said must be maintained in its integrity , and yet he acknowledged it was impossible to increase the income by auy additional taxes . ( Hear , hear . ) There wax another course which appeared to have escaped the attention of the Noble Lord , which

      was the only practical and rational course by which tbey could extricate themselves from their present difficulties . Let them discharge tbe supernumerary officers in tbe army and navy—( hear , hear );—let them reduce the salaries of those really necessary—( hear , hoar)—to an amount corresponding to the value of their 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 taxo . ( 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 waa not sufficiently intelligent He put it to them whether they could understand the addresses

      which had been delivered by the college-bred gentlemen -who had preceded him ; if tbey could , then he would say they could underataud 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 their own religious instructors ; and yet he would ask the gentlemen , if they did not regard religion and religious instruction as the most important of alt concerns . ( Hear , hear , and loud cheering . ) Why , then , deny the people the right to choos ' e their own law makers ? ( Hear , hear . ) The want of this right waa a

      great evil ; and he would do all he could to secure to all who live under the institutions of the country a voice in the making of the laws by which they were to be governed . Mr . Hume was for expediency ; for giving them an instalment , and for step by step reform , while he would resist all greater reforms . It was the policy of the aristocracy to resist the introduction of the wedge as long as they could ; how absurd then to suppose that they -would permit the people to obtain instalments , which 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 the Charter , the most comprehensive axd 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 his 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 hie claims to their electoral support ; the chief of which were , that his father had been a tradesman SO years ; 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 ., waa received with great ckeering and some expressions of dissent . When tbe applause had subsided , he 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 discbarge of your important duties as electors of this

      Borough , 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 exorcise 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 , bo 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 heard 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 are met here to consult for Leeds people—( bear , hear)—and to consult for Leeds interests —( hear );—that I

      think 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 . ( Hear . ) ' I have no extensive knowledge to boast—1 have 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 cheera ) My duty , then , in standing here before you , is to shew that it

      is my intention to consult . the interests of the whole body ef the people . ( Loud cheering . ) I maintain that neither the interests of the landlord , nor those of the fundnolder , n # r the moneyholder can ever be successful —they can nerer be kept , in prosperity unless we also consider the contentment and good condition of the working classes . ( Cheers . ) Now , I think it is my duty to say , in coming before you now , that no man is more deeply sensible of the distress that prevails—( hear )—and no mau 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 the Corn Laws , nothing shall prevent me 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 of the Corn Law . ( Hear , and disapprobation . ) The cause of the present distress ie 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 . ( Cheera ) Dont imagine that lam casting blame upon individuals or Government * 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 ot that distress la the first place , let me tell yon that our trade has been , froa 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 the just balance between the two , you and we mast suffer . ( Cheera . ) Now , Gentlemen , if that be the cause , 111 tell you why His . There has been an undue application of capital , which has given an undue impulse to trade ; the monetary system has 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 machineiy built . ( Cheers . Gentlemen , the beam of the steam-engine baa made too many strokeB —( cheers)—the fly- ^ beel baa made too many revolutions , and it is only ibis shock which we are sow undergoing , under -which we now suffer , tbafc cau bring ua to anythUtf tike , % healthy

      Untitled Article

      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 . ( Cheers . ) Now , I do tell you that the trade of this country has been unduly excited . How has it been met by any ot the markets which have been spoken ot Would any gentleman on the hustings say that the lamentable state of the American market was not the cause ef the present distressf ( No , no , " the Com Laws . " ) I appeal to tbe gentlemen who differ with me in opinion , to consider the present condition of the Americas markets ; and I desire them to consider what those markets hare been , and what they are at present ( Cheera ) That is one source of the present depressed condition of oar 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 few years back gone oa with that conntry , bad continued , we should have been in the condition in whieh we are at present . ' ( Applause . ) The home trade , too , has not been so good as usual , in consetjaenos of oar not having had good harvests for two or three years . When 1 deplore the consequences of these bad harvests , I behold with pleasure the gleam of prosperity which is now beginning to spread over the cloudy horison of oar commercial affair *—( cheers —and T look at the consequences of a good harvest as of more benefit to the people of this country than any change of Administration . —( Loudtapplause . ) We are told that the repeal or alteration ot the Corn

      Law will be a panacea for all our present evils , and that will bring ns 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 eontended that we shall introduce foreign corn , and if foreign corn is eaten in this country in place ef home grain . ( A voice , " Eat them both . " ) Bnt 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 fowign agriculture . I say to you , stick fast to English agriculture . ( Cheering . ) I am aorry 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 terras 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 tbe wheat land of this country does not pay more thaa 24 s . an acre to the landlords who possess it . ( Oh !) No man who lays out his money

      in land can get mere than three per cent , for his money . ( Applause . ) The consequence is this , that we hare 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 . Now , I ask yon if there is a manufacturer among us that has ever . jreceived so low a rate of interest on his capital as three per cent ? ( Hear , hear . ) Bat 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 tbe 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 more than twelve shillings

      a week . Do you grudge hint that ? Do yon say that that is too much ? No , you are Englishmen , and you do not grudge that small remuneration . ( Cheera 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 Buhject of the Corn Lawa to have told you how the matter stood in all its bearings . ( Hear , hear , hear . ) Many able arguments have been used—many books have been written—many discourses hare 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 atteud the agriculture of this country , in comparison with that which is expended by foreigners .

      ( What will you do to relieve us ?) 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 th « labourer , and they are the only three connected with agriculture—there is this horrid Corn Lzw , which robs tbe peeple cf their rights , and prevents them from enjoying comforts . ( Loud cries of hear , hear . ) Now what has been the actual effect of the Cora Law ? I have endeavoured to read two books , which may be considered aa acknowledged authorities on this—the one " was the work of Mr . M'Culloeh , and the other that of Mr . James Wilson \ for which I am indebted to a friend on tbe 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 55 s . ( Hear , hear , and cheqra ) Again , the same authority informs me , that f # r the last seven years the average price of Wheat has been 54 s . lid ., buingexactly one penny less , since the protective duty was put on , than what itwas previously . ( Cheers . ) Now , I 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 bold . ( Loud cries of " Hear . ") With regard to the Corn Law , I am decidedly favourable to protection , —but , Gentlemen , 1 am not an advocate for protection for the sake of the landlords—not fof : the sake of the farmer—not for the sake of the agricultural labourer—but for the

      sake of the commercial community . ( Loud ch « ers . ) The agriculturists of ' ' this country demand our serioua attention in every . ^ oint ( Hear , ' hear . ) The authorities to which I have already referred tell me this : —the climate of England is the most propitious—the soil cf England is the most productive , and the English soil is highly approved for the growth of Wheat , tor 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 wjintjou all to live in comfort , and net to desert that -which 1 think tends materially to increase your comfort ( Hear , hear . ) So far for the agriculture of the country . I maintain that under the circumstances in which it comes to us—under which it is

      offored 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 had to make up any deficiency which might arise . ( Cheers . ) We aie told that if we have free trade we shall immediately have large ' quantities of corn . ( Hear and cheers . ) Now , I askyou , where is this corn to come from ? ( Several voices " from North America . " ) Yes , we are to get it from America , from Poland , from Prussia , aad from the Black Sea . Now I Would say this to you , don ' t desert the wbeaten loaves of England —if you do , you H make a mistake . ( Cheera and disapprobation . ) But inatk this , and I again recur to the same respectable authority which I have already quoted . The foreign coin of doubtful quality , and

      which yeu cannot meet with in any quantity of the Bame quality aa native grown—this corn , if imported , cannot reach these shores except At very nearly the same price at which you eat your own English wheat ( Cheers , and a cry of " Wby oppose the alteration of the Corn Laws , then ?") Why , fer your protection ; do you want to eat bad bread ? ( Cheera ) Look where you spend your money , if we have to fgive the 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 . )

      Tola subject I don't understand so well as I ought to do ; but i do think that we are bound , as the mother , etmntry , to look to our colonies . The colonies acknowledge the laws of England , —acknowledge the decisions of the Parliament of England , to which you ore bound to send proper representatives . ( Hear , and " 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 alaviry . ( Cheers . ) Don't let us destroy tnafk « ts which we have now in ourcolonies , 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 able to procure sugar not made by alave labour , to the exclusion of those who

      produce augur by the labour Of slaves . Sueh is the abundacco of the sugar there that we have bo occasion whatever to go fur that article beyond the precincts of our own colonies . ( Hear , hear ) Now , with regard to the removal of the Timber Duties , the same principle will apply . Stick to yeur own colonies—stick to your own British ships—stick to your own people—and if you then cannot get timber at a reasonable rate , reduce the duty . \ Hear . ) I will not address you any further upon these topics . I am not going to excite yonr passions on the Poor Law , but I do lamest that any law should have been passed which presses heavily upon the aged , the decrepid , and tbe ufortonate ; and I should bt ) sorry to see any class of persons who could not provide themselves with work in that condition , and that they should not receive asaistaHce to put them into employment . ( Hear . ) I have taken the trouble to look at the first poor law whieh was passed , namely , the 4 . 3 rd of Queen Elisabeth : that lav bur been

      always recognised in every Btatmte that has been passed upon the subject since thai ttae . ( A voice in the crowd—" What about the Charter ? " ) Wby , the Poor Law is your Charter . ( Load applaase . ) 1 could amuse you * fanoy , but I want to speak to year good sense . What rays the preamble of this law ' or England ? ( Hear . ) Overseers are there told to bft careful to protide for the aged , for the infirm , aidjTor those persons , under misfortune , and to proylde / '&tt * lements of husbandry , and materials for work ; tg'm&iese people to work ' who cannot provide it for . theMHves . ( Cheers . ) Now , this is tbe foundaUon ' of the , 'Kn ^ il | ih Poof Law . Subsequently to this , different ena « ttn > nts have bee * passed for the regulation of the J > ooa EjWd whether it is from the negligence ; ot the ParUamHKpr from the improper conduct of the Poor Xaw Cj ^^ BdpnerB , that the tights of the Poor have been encv ^^ R ppon ., I am ready to stand op , my friends , in 9 | Hb > tecUan of you * rights . ( Cheers . ) I glory in tnjMfc . J glory ¦ A ^ y ^^?' . * - ¦ ¦ - - ' -W £ . ¦ ¦

      Untitled Article

      In the generosity of my countrymen that carried that law into effect . It shows what they thought of tit * peopl «; it shows-that they thought the property of tbo rich man might be applied U the .-Mnwt of the poof man . I bold my estate on that eosdttiov and , gentle- ' men , I will never swerve ftxmi that eondffiffl ^^ Eeod cheers . ) We mast now pass < w , ^ o mwrther «« rt > jaet and that is to the condort-HCnr ef V ^ Pfous TJs 4 . ) I am not a trustee of the pious nse fond , but 1 am connected with those who are , and I am proud of $ at connexion . ( Applause . ) I now come to a sasjeet on which we shall differ In opinion , and that is if to what claim her Majesty ' * Ministers have to continue ia office . ( Hear , hear , and hisses . ) An indictment oai been made by the House of Commons against the

      Ministers , the public servants of this country , that they are unfit to gotern the country—that they are unworthy of the confidence of the country . That question has been subletted to the Queen , and through that prerogative of the Queen which I hope will be always supported by Englishmen —( hear , hear )—that question has been referred to yon , the constituencies of thia country . ( Hear . ) You know what the acts of this Administration have been . Examine into what the ; have done , and if you think that they have served you , stick to them . ( " We will , " and cheers . ) But if yon think they are unworthy of your confidence , throw them from you , and employ other people . ( Cheers . ) Let me only say this to youjudge for yourselves . The ministers are accmed of

      not doing their duty , of not being able to do their dnty to their country . 1 will say this , if they are unable to do their duty , they must be dismissed . ( No , no . ) If they cannot reader the aerricea required of them by the crown , they cannot be paid as servants of the crown . ( Great confusion . ) All that I shall say to you in conclusion is this , recollect that we are all Englishmen . Stick fast to the interests of England—stick fast to English agriculturestick fast to English commerce—stiek fast to English ships—stick fast to English coloniesstick fast to the English Constitution , and we shall still , with a long pull , and a strong pall , and a pull altogether , get out of the hprriblo misery in which we are at present involved . ( Loud cheering ; for some time . )

      Mr . WHITEHEAD , tea-dealer , ic ., came forward to question the Conservative candidates , bat was told that he must wait till all the candidates had been heard . Mr . JOSHUA HOBSON , In a few remarks , ' thea 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 from living in intxhaostless wealth , while the other were starving in their competition with improved machinery Mr . Hume bad asserted that increased labou * waa attended by increased wages , whilst it was a fact thai for the last fifty years , although trade had gone on increasing to an almost indefinite extent , wages bad bees

      rapidly decreasing . ( Hear , hear , and great cheering ; Mr . Baines , in bis history of Lancashire , stated that ia the early period of the cotton trade there were in Lancashire 50 , 000 spindles employing 50 , 0 * 0 spinners , whilst at the present time he ( Mr . L . ) could go to one mill in Manchester in which feurteen 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 , bear . ) The reason was to be found in the fact that wMle 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 the qualification of persons who bad to legislate for tbe people—( hear , hear )—when parties had come therr

      that day to fall out about their ages , and to eqnabble . about which of them was the oldest . He tbougfet both parties were old enough , in iniquity . ( Laughter and cheera . ) It was the boast of the British constitution that it consisted of three branches , King , Lords , and Commons ; bnt 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 throughoat the country , that the middle classes were fast sinking to a level with themselves ; but they agreed not as to the remedy . Some of those who had preceded kirn said we wanted foreign markets ; Mr . Aidant told them one tale ; Mr . Home another . He ( Mr . l / contended that the parties who had ruined

      EnglantUwere the middle classes ; and now that they had began to feel the screw pinch them as it had long done the working classes , they came forward and expressed an anxiety to take off a little of what themselves Telti but said riot a word about offering to the ptforashare ' of what they themselves enjoyed . ( Hear , near . ) Both Whig and Tory had laid claim to having reduced taxation , forgetting that . while taxation had been reduced by fragments , wages had been reduced by wholesale , and the poor ground down tothe lowest point at which it was possible to arrive , ( Hear , hear . ) He ridiculed the idea that the reduction in the timber duties proposed would be of any benefit to the working community . The difference it would make in the cost of the erection of a cottage , even suppose that he could

      build one , would be about six shillings ; and what a tremendeus 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 had no markets , and well tbey might be so long , as there was such aa entire absence of home demand . Gentlemen talked ot 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 could for them , abroad ; but it waa sheer nonsense to send our manufactures abroad , while the people were going naked for want of them at home . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . ) He then went into the question of wages 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 , but 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 carry oa the government . The poor were often taunted by being told that tbey paid no taxes ; he had no objection that gentlemen 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 tho nine millions paid to support a state church , whoso priests preach passive obedience and non-reaistance . ( Marks of disapproba tion on the hustings . ) : Gentleman , he * aid , did not seem to like hia 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 rmrMifapturera , that trade had extended rapidly enough , but wages had not improved in the same proportion ; an 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 tbe people speedily , there might arrive a bloody revolution . — He would say , then , to the upper classes , eonfer power on the wetking classes , to enable them to assist you in carrying out those measures which ean alone give strength and security to the throne and the country . Let the people have their Charter that they may have a voice in the affairs of the nation , and ia making those lawa which they were called upon te- obey . By this would the intelligence of the woiking classes be brought out , and by it alone would be secured the happiness of alL The speaker coucluded amidst loud cheera , after thanking them for the manner in which he had been heard . ' .. ¦ ¦ ¦ . .

      Mr . WHITEHEAD again stood forward to propound his questions to Mr . Beckett . When-he first announced his intention to put questions , Mb . 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 had not in tbe interval left the hustings , he produced two or three sheets of paper , from which he was about to read them . Mr , JOSHUA HOBSON , howwer , suggested that n » question should be put to ona that was not asked of another ; and that the questions should be put to th » candidates in the order of precedence . Mr . Whitehead assented , but on turning round , to read hia questions to Mr . Hume , he found that he and Mr . Aldam had left the hustings without hearing the speech of Me . Leech . After waiting a short time tot see if tbey returned , as they did not make their appearance . Mr . Beckett and Lord Jocelyn made their bow and ntired amidst tke cordial greetings of their ' Mends , Messrs . Leech and Williams , and their , friends followed their example .

      Thus ended the largest out-door nseeting ever held ia Leeds , a meeting also , which muaiee attended with , the moat important results . The tnths spoken by the people ' s candidates made a deepiapresaion , and theugh they have been as usual bti * t * 4 in the " Extraor dinary Liar , " we have reason t * know that their influence has been felt , and ; that deep ; execration has been poured out on all aides on tha editor of the base and tricky publication .

      Untitled Article

      : IiONDON . —Citt Of Londoh . —At tbe usual weekly meeting at No . 56 , Old Bailey , l& . were voted for the exeoative . ——The Metropolitan General Election Coaasaittee had a meeting on the same evening , Jubo the 22 d , in the above place . Mr . Watkina- produced a very able AddreBS to the electors and noB-eleetors , especially of this city , condemnatory ., of . the policy of the dastajrdly Whigs , especially Finality Jack , " who has the effrontery to aitesna * to disgrace this city by bis extraordinary Ta * g and China juggling principles Sub-Coanittea * ware appointed te assist is . the elections of Mx . Tb * npsen and Mr . W . Y . Sankey . lammniM

      me s « every mgat out ssauaay * JUot tbo Metropolitan Chartists see that they be not crippled lor&nds .: : _ ¦ :: : : ¦ -: ¦¦"•¦• ,- / . - - ¦ T «» Bmjomsbort Elkciiok Committed ield their usual weekly meeting at ihe Magnet Coffee Honse , Davy-lane , oa Monday erasing last , when Messrs . Baldwin . awL vUepper werev appointed to coop ^ atei ?* SB ^ steAimfiiiUee of Air . W , V , Sankey , t £ iSBpSftiatQ f « Marylebone ; colIeetinc ^ jSKsMHb&awd forienbsoriptions to defray t £ e > •^ Bj BM&fclteuCaailist candidates . A number olifraiMH&dleii tbbir names on the committee . TraflpafK&idjouiiied to Monday eveniag next , when jjffiHBji jr tff % thJB district are pattMteriy reqne&ft 4 wi ^ BBfl ^

      Untitled Article

      f ____ ========= _________ THE NORTHERN STAR : -... r ' ¦ -. : V " y- " : ¦ '¦ ' , . ^ ¦ * ; : "Mm

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), June 26, 1841, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1115/page/5/