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HOUSE OF COMMONS . —Tuesday , May 3 . UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE . Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from the ProTisional Council of the National Complete Suffrage Union , dated the lath of April , praying for Universal Suffrage , Annual Parliaments , Vote by Ballot , and No Propertj Qualification . The body from which the present petition emanated was composed of between ninety and one hundred delegates from different parts of England , Wales , and Scotland . They met at Birmingham , were they held seTeral deliberate assemblies for the space of several , days , and they came to certain resolutions . The y afterwards convened a public meeting , which w . as
attended by many thousands of their fellow citiz ^ s ; that meeting consisted of persons of all descriptions , amongst whom the greatest unanimity prevailed . The middle classes showed the greatest anxiety that their fellow citizens should be brought within the pale of the constitution . As the petition spoke not only the sentiments of the individual that had signed it on behalf of the meeting , but aiso those of 3 , 300 , 000 , and a 3 its object wa 3 Universal Suffrage , Annual Parliameats , Yote by Ballot , aad No Property Qua lincation , he trusted their Lordships would not think he was asking too mocfc when he requested that the petition should be read st length . The petition was tken read at length at the table .
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HOUSE OF COMMONS , Tuesday , May 3 . . Mr . WAKLEY presented a petition from " 480 letterpress printers in London , setting forth the sufferings to which that clas 3 of persons was now exposed in consequence of the application of steam power instead of manual labour to the process of printing . The petitioners respectfully called the attention , of the House , and especially of the Speaker , to the fact that the Parliamentary papers were primed by steam , by which they believed little was
gained to the public , whilst great loss was certainly imposed upon them . They alleged that their sufferings were enornaou 3 in consequence of the deprivation of work which the introduction of steam power entailed upon them , and begged that the House would take the subject into its serious consideration with the view of affording them the relief for which they prayed . Mr . HUiLE gave notice that in Committee oh the Railway Regulation Bill , he should move the insertion of a clause to prevent Sunday travelling !!!
THE UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE PETITION " . Mr . T . DTXCOMBB said , that in rising for the purpose of submitting ta the House the motion of which he had given notice , he should not do justice to his own feelings , or discharge the duty he owed to the House , or to the causa of those 'whom he had been commissioned to advocate , if he did not . at that stage of the proceedings , express on their behalf their Bense of the kind and respectful manner in -which the House had received the petition -which he yesterday had the honour of presenting to it . He must now call upon the House to increase that obligation by giving a patient hearing to one -who was now selected to advocate , to the best of his ability / the interests of a large portion of
the industrious classes of the country . The petition to i ¦ which it was his -wish to direct the particular atten- j tion of Hon . Members was signed by nearly 3 , 500 , 000 ' of the industrious classes of the country . Two millions I of the signatures were thosa of male adults alone . In i addition to this , tbe petition was signed by a large ] number of the wives of the industrious classes ; a large j portion of the youth—the industrious youth of this j country , had also subscribed their names to the petition . ] Ha was prepared to prove that 1 , 500 , 000 of the fami-1 lies of the industrious classes of the community had j given their sanction to the doctrines advocated in the j petition by attaching their names to it . They had seen ] many petitions emanating from the working classes i
presented to the House on former occasions . Two had j been lately laid upon the table ef the House by Hon . i Gentlemen on the other ( the Ministerial ) side in favour ] cf the financial measures of her Majesty's Govern- j ment One petition had come from Manchester , and j ¦ was presented by the Noble Lord the Secretary fer the \ Colonies ; tha . petition was signed by 24 , 000 persons connected with the operative and mercantile classes of that town . The other petition w&s presented by the ' High ! Hon . Baronet the Secretary for the Home De- j partment , and was laid npjn the table with great so- i lemnity ; that petition came from Carlisle , and was signed by 3 , 000 operatives , and was in fivour of the \ financial measure of the Government . It was not his i
wish to say anything -with the view of detracting from : tbe impoitance or character of these petitions , but , if ; they were entitled to any notice , surely the petition , j signed by more fhan 3 , 000 , 000 of the industrious ; clacEss ,-which was yesterday brought down to the House ; by so l ^ rge a mass of persons , conducting themselves in a respectful , peaceable , and orderly manner , was ; deserving of their attentive consideration— ( . hear ) . It \ was Ms sincere and fervent hops that the House would ; give a patient hearing to the case of these petitioners , ' and those whom they represented . He asked this not ] on his own account , but on behalf of those whose in- \ terests he had been commissioned to advocate . He thought thit it was possible to arrive at some know- ' ledge of the arguments which were likely to be urged j
sgairst the petition by means of private conversations j with members of that House . He found , by conversing j with several Hon . Members , that one great objection j to the proposal which he was about to submit for the j approval of the House was , that there existed no pre- cedent for hearing the petitioners at the bar in sup- j port cf the allegations contained in the petition , j He tSrmed that there did exist precedents i for hearing parties complaining of grievances at the bar of the House of Commons . He j wished that was the only objection to his m&tion , and i that he only had to establish that there were precedents j f jr the course which he intended to propose for the j adoption of the House . He would call the attention of Hon . Members to what occurred in 1785 . In that year
a petition was presented by the clergy , landowners , and , manufacturers against the duty on cotton stuffs , : which it -was said -would diminish the public revenue j and increise the tax -upon labour . The persons who signed that petition prayed to be heard at the bar of the House . It should be remembered that this -wa 3 a tax , i not under consideration , but actually in being , The \ prayer of that petition was complied with , and the House ordered that the petitioners should be heard at the bar . The House resolved itself into a committee of the whole House , and the claims of the petitioners were urged at the bar . Again , he would direct the ] attention cf Hon . Members to what had occurred in ; I 7 S 9 . In that year Mr . Wilbeif : r ? e presented a petition from a . numerous class on the subject of the slaye trade .
Agreeably to the prayer of the petitioners , they -were heard at the bar . In 3 S 12 a petition -was presented from Lancashire agsinst the orders in Council , Lord StanTey icovtd that this petition be heard at tha bar of the "House . He would refer to the opinions cf several Hon . Members who took a part in the discussion -which took place on that occasion . Sir G . Rose said , that it was due to ths wish of ihe petitioners that their prayer shoul-i be taken into consideration . Mr . Baring Stated that he vras gratified that the Government hid consented to the iEqu-ry asked for by the petitioners . Lord CiSlierea ^ i Eaid , that although against his otra private opinion , he should vote in obedience to tha "wishta of the country . In support of the petition fntnesses were summoned from "Birmingham ,
Shtffield , and Manchester , and ~ ere ordered to att-nd with a view of giving evidence " before the House of Comiaons . He maintained that he had proved that there vrtrs precedents fu hearing the cL . im of petitioners at the bar . Tee petition -sriiich he had presented had proceeded from every port of xh-j country , ana was entitled to the attentive consideration of the House . He did not ask the H-. iuse to decide upon the merits of the petition ; he asked them to listen to what the petitioners hid to stste at the ca .-. The petitioners would bs a > le satisfactorily to establish the existence of great distress in tie country ; thit aVnres prevailed in the state of represei . u . t : on . Taey would also suggest what they considered -a ^ re the prup ^ r remedies for those abases and ois ' . re ^ s . Tiit Mfr-Wt , however ,
wou'd not legitimate ' v ome unaer th-j notice cf the House that evening . He though ; that it would be curious , but at tL = same time secess . jy , t : > trace the progress of the difLr-. i . i measures of r ^ rsi which had been brought forward in thi 3 country —ithin the last £ f : y years ; and although the doctrines promulgated and supported by tbe Chiirrists might be designated as wiid , Utopian , and visicoiry , still he was prepared to provi that a number of persons in both Houses of Parliament had stood forward " ia the Support of principles similar to those now advan c ' . d by the Chartiitf . In the year 1777 the question of radical rcf jnn tis for the first time Seriously taken up ; Major Cariwigtt ~ -zs at tha : period the champicn of those Erincip ' es ; radical principles were
then repudiated , and those who entertained them were exposed to all kinds of odium and contumely . So the Question rerEained until the Whigs embraced the principles of Iladicilism , and called themselves Reformers , and this name they retained until tbe Reform Bill was introduced into Parliament . Tbe men who were called Radicals in thosa days entertained views similar to those now entertained by the Chartists , although they were not so termed . It was in 1777 that Major Cartwright made the first move in favour of those principle ? . In 17 S 0 the Westminster Reform Cumraittde held a meeting in London in favour of radical reform . What -where the principles of tbe Westminster
Asso-« stion ? What did they resolve upon ? They agreed to support the six paints of the Charter . The next society which was established was called the Constitutional Information Society , at the head of which was the Duke of Richmond , and connected with which ¦ were Lords Effingham , Derby , and Kinnaird , and other noblemen , and 11 members of this House , and ICG highly respectable individuals besides . This Association , like the one which preceded it , advocated the iix point 3 cf the Charter . In the year 1755 great enthusiasm was manifested in favour of the principles of rsdieal reform , but what happened during that year ? A coalition unhappily -was formed tetireen Xord Jsortb and Mr . Fox . In
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consequence of that coalition all confidence in the honesty and character of public men wa 3 lost . A serious blo r / t -was given to the progress of Radical principles , an <^ all active proceedings in their behalf were suspende d from that time until the year 1793 . The question -was then taken up by a society which called itself t'ie Corresponding Society , at the head of which "was L , ord Grey . This society was , however , found inconvenif jat and troublesome , and the Government had recou ' . se to measures with a view of putting it down . In 17 fi 3 this society sent two delegates into Scotland . By ti * order of the Government these delegates were arr ested , tried , and transported for a period of fourteen tears . The Government having been successful in its ¦ procee'iings against the Scotch delegates , directed its
attention to the Corresponding Society in England . The result of this was that eleven members of the society were arrested : four were brought to trial , but fortunately a Loudon jury was not found so disposed as the Scotch jury to play into the hands of the ' Government , and the prisoners were acquitted . A number of prosecutions were then abandoned . This circumstance conduced greatly to give an additional zeal to the cause of Radical principles . These principles kept steadily advancing until they became so formidable to the corrupt and boroughmongering House of Commons that Government was compelled to suspend the Habeas Corpus Act . Lord Grey , in his place in the House of Commons , stated that if some Reform was not conceded , he was prepared to vote for Universal
Suffrage . 'In 1 S 17 the JHabeas Corpus Act was again suspended . In 1819 the Manchester massacre took place . In 1829 the Right Hon . Baronet conceded to the Roman Catholics their long-advocated and just claims . This ' was done , to be sure , at the expense of the 40 s . freeholders . This concession on tbe part ef the Right Hon . Baronet was the first step towards a change in the censtitution of the House of Commons . In 1830 the Tories abandoned the Government of the country in consequence of the declaration « f the Duke of Wellington against all reform . Such was the state of the public mind at that time , that the King was recommended not to visit the city , in order to dins with the chief magistrate , as it was apprehended that serious results would ensue if he did so . The Whigs then
came into power , and in the following year they introduced the Reform Bill . It was his belief that the Whig Government was perfectly honest and sincere in bringing forward that measure . He believed they fully -intended to improve the system ol the representation of the people . But in the Reform Bill the people had been . grossly disappointed , he would not say deceived , but they h 3 d been disappointed to the greatest extent All who heard him would remember the enthusiasm which then existed amongst the entire population ; they would recollect the occurrences of that period ; none would fail to remember the black flast at Glasgow , the riots at Nottingham , and the fires at Bristol , and other , things of the same nature . They obtained the bill , But in it they had been greatly disappointed .
At the first election afterwards , In the year 1834 , the people , found great difficulties thrown in their way in the exercise of their franchise . They were intimidated and browbeaten . Everything was dene towards preventing them from registering themselves , and that system was carried on down even to the present hour . The Conservative party had faithfully followed the advice given them by the Right Hon . Baronet They sedulously attended the registration courts , where they did all in their power to obstruct the enfranchisement of the people ; and what were the consequences ? Why , a general dissatisfaction amongst
the people with the Reform Bill—no thanks were felt to be due for it : on the contrary , the people now believed that House to be more corrupt , mere dishonest , more given to class legislation than even the unrefomed House of Commons—( Cheers . ) When they saw the evidence given before their election cemmittees , they could not help coming to the conclusion , that corruption , intimidation , and bribery were more rife at the last -general election than even in the worst times—( hear , hear )—whether they were right or not was best known to Hon . Members themselves . However , they were now in 1842 , and be did not believe that either the House or the Government were
fully aware of the Etate of the country , of the state cf the public mind at the present moment , and it would be his duty , and a painful duty it was , to inform the House and the Right Hon . Baronet what was really the state of the public mind on the question of further reform , and what were the distresses which the people were now suffering . It would be said that some of the statements made to him had been exaggerated , but the House was ignorant of the strong feeling which existed in the public mind of the state of thr political bondage which the people thought they were suffering under—it was his duty then to enlighten them . The House was perhaps not aware that the petition which he had had the honour of presenting to the House yesterday had been , to use a common term ,
in the course of signature during the last four or five months , and that the persons interesting themselves in it had formed themselves into national associations for the purpose of giving to the working classes those rigbt 3 which undoubtedly belonged to them . There wtre . above 600 of those associations throughout all parts of the country , and nearly 100 , 000 adults of the working portion of the community had determined to lay aside one penny per week frem their miserable wages" for the purpose of carrying out the agitation in -which they had engaged . Out of that number between 50 , 000 and 60 , 000 had taken what was called a card , by which they pledged themselves , that so long as they received Is . as wages , they would set apart one pecny of it for that purpose , and would not desist
until their voice was beard within thosa walls through a representative in the choice of whom they were allowed to take part If Hon . Members thought that the signatures to the petition were fictitious in any great ' degree—if they thought the working classes were not determined , by every constitutional means in their power , to possess the franchise , they were much in error , and at that moment he ( Mr . Duncombe ) fully believed that they would not long be able to prevent them from freely lifting up their voices within those walis The distress which unfortunately so prevailed through-Dutihe country augmented the cry at this moment , and it was ' moit natural that it should , for when their cry reached the Legislature they obtained nothing but a few
words recommendatory of the " exemplary patience " with which they bore their sufferings . When they were met in such a way , what was to be expected but that they would atkmpt to do something for themselves ? He had documents showing the progress of the question in Ihe manufacturing districts . When the Convention of therworking classes vras sitting in London , he had asked some of them for information , and statements had beea made to htm that appeared almost incredible , but they were well authenticated . He had received upwards of 500 communications from all parts of the country , from which he had selected a few , which he trusted the House would allow him to read . The first was from Sheffield , and was in the following terms : —
" Sheffield , May 1 , 1842 . " The total number of signatures sent from Sheffield will number 27 .. 290 . Sheffield is in a deplorable state Tbe . number of inmates in Sheffield poorhonse alone up to the 23 rd or April , numbered 574 . The relief to tbe regular ticket poor in money and bread for the week ending April 23 d , amounted to £ 92 10 s . For the last five weeks the number of new applicants for relief have averaged 200 weekly . The weekly payments to tbe casn-il poor in the five weeks ending yesterday week were as follows : March 24 , £ 201 ; April 1 , £ 229 ; April 8 , £ 245 ; April 15 , £ 274 ; and April 22 , £ 298 .
One month increased £ b 7 , although the season is improving . The foregoing will give you some idea of the stat ; of this once prosperous iotd : it is said that the trades societies are about to break up , unable longer to keep up their funds ; if this should be the case , hundreds , perhaps thousands , will be added to the ranks of the pauperised and destitute . Shiffi ^ ld is tranquil at present ; that it will remain so for any length of time , with starvation and misery increasing daily ^ Is very doubtful . " The next piece of evidence was from Wolverhampton , and it was thi 3 : —
- . . " Wolverhampton , April 29 , 1842 . " The colliers , nailors , mechanics , and labourers , are in a Btate of poverty . The supply cf all kinds ef labour being greater than the demand , the operatives have no power to prevent their wages being continually reduced . The miners and nailers are now out of werk , in consequence cf their masters having attempted to make a great reduction in their already too scanty wages . The general impression of the working men in these parts is , that their causa of complaint can never be effectually removed unless they posses 3 the power of choosing their own representatives . The whole of this district is in au alarming state of agitation . Chartism is rapidly progressing . Towns and villages , where even the name of Chaitism a short time ago was unknown , now have their Chartist Association ; and , unless some effective measures are speedijy adopted for the removal of the present alarming distresses of the toiling sons of industry , the consequences are likely to be mott serious . "
The following was from another part of the country : — - , , " Burnley , April 18 , 1842 . M ? dear Sill , —In answer to yours of the 15 th instant , I can only say that it would be useless to attempt to send you a statement of wages , &c , as you desire , for if I did so , before it reached your hands it is likely that there would be a material reduction . I , therefore , deem it sufficient to state to you , in a general way , the state of the town and neighbourhood ; and after you have read the statement , you may , if you haw * an opportunity , read it to Sir Robert Peel and the Government .
_ " The working classes are in an awful state of destitution ; there are hundreds ont of employment , and those that are employed , or partially so , cannot by their earnings procure a sufficiency of food . " I can assure you , Sir , that all are in a feverish state of excitement . I never , in the course of my life , saw this part of Lancashire in such a state ; and I am one of those who have watched -well the motions of the people .
• Coming events cast their shadows before . ' Meetings—large meetings—consisting of thousands , are being held almost daily , to take into consideration -what shall be done to prevent the multitude from starving todeath ; and , after mature and deliberate consideration , they come to the conclusion that they have but ore aiUrnative ^—namely , to take it rather than starve .
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" Sunday weak there was a numerous meeting on Whitemoor , on tb « confines of Yorkshire &&d Lancashire . Thousands assembled from places within twelve or fourteen miles distant . Yesterday , on Marsdenheight , there was another , of at least 7 , 000 . To-day 10 , 000 have met in Colne , and at each of these meetings there is but one opinion , and that is , that the Charter must become the law of this land before any permanent good can be effected for the working classes . " A portion of the mills in Burnley are shut up , and the remainder are running short . There will be meetings held every Sunday during the sitting of the Convention ; next Sunday on Enfleld , the Sunday following on Dsrply , and so on throughout the district " I can assure you , Sir , that when news arrives in Burnley of a bad market in Manchester , it is received with joy , sad a good market the contrary . The cry is , it is hastening the crisis .
"Thisis a fearful state of things . A people most be bordering on despair when what was formerly considered as disasters are hailed with general joy . It would be well for the Government to look to these things , ere it is too late . The people cannot suffer starvation much longer—hope is fled ; and God only knows where thiB Btate of things will end . "The hand-loom weavers—poor fellows—they are compelled , against their very nature , to turn out into the streets and beg . On Saturday last they were begging from door to door , driven to it by sheer want . The police made an attempt to take them into custody , but the brave but starved fellows resisted , and the police made a virtue of necessity and left them alone .
" To-day a case has been brought before the magistrates of a young man from Padiham who , driven to desperation by starvation , broke two paneB of glass , in a shopkeeper's window , in order to get sent to prison , so that he could get something to eat His mother is a widow , with six children , and all of them out of work . They had four shillings weekly allowed by the board of guardians to maintain six children and the mother ( who was sick ); the young man took the children before the guardianB , and solicited further allowance . It was refused ; and he stated before the magistrates to-day , that when he asked the overseer what he was to do , he told him he must go . and steal -, but the young man preferred breaking windows to stealing , and the humane magistrate committed him to Preston House of Correction for one month , tbe young man thanking him kindly for the boon . That heart , indeed , must be steeled against the feelings of humanity that can contemplate such a state of things as this without endeavouring to remedy it
The above , Sir , I will vouch to be correct I have not in the least exaggerated ,- indeed , Sir , I fear it is far short of the real picture . " Tours , &c . " He had similar accounts from some of the midland districts , from Leicester , Loughborough , Mountsorrell , Sheepshead , and Hinkley , respecting the stocking and other trades carried on in that part of the kingdom ; but with these perhaps it was unnecessary for him to trouble the House . Distress of the severest kind also prevailed in tbe metropolitan counties ; all trades were
in a most depressed condition , and let him tell the Right Hon . Baronet , that his tariff would only make that condition worse . But he would go to Scotland , and read to the House most heart-breaking accouuts from the Vale of Leven . It appeared that wages there vary from 7 | d . to 0 } d . per day , and scores of families never tasted animal food for varitms periods—some , not for twenty-eight weeks ; oatmeal boiled in water and sweetened with a little sugar being the principal diet of the unfortunate operatives . The following is one of the communications he had received from thence : —
" At your request I present you with an account of the situation of the people I represent in the Convention . The spot from which I was sent is known by the name of * The Vale of Leven , * one of the most beautiful spots in Scotland ; on the banks of the silvery stream that runs through it are a great many printworks . Its population , in 1841 , was as follows , comprising three villages : " Bonhill , 2 , 115 persons ; Alexandria , 3 , 060 ; Kenton , 2 , 326 ; making a totol of 7 , 501 . The following estimate , the result of a careful investigation , will give you some idea of the extent
ef destitution ; it includes only Bonhill and Alexandria , and takes up a period of twenty-eight weeks : —r There were , on an average during that time , 4 persons at 7 ^ d . per day ; 2 at 7 d . ; 6 at 6 £ d . ; 11 at 6 ^ d . ; 5 at 6 d . ; 21 at 5 ^ d . ; 11 at b \ & . ; 13 at 5 d . ; 14 at 4 $ d . ; 10 at 4 . Jd . 11 at 4 ^ d . ; 31 at 4 d . ; 28 at 3 ? d ., 96 at 3-3 d . ; 10 at 3 ^ d . ; 89 at 3 d . ; 31 at 23 d . ; 151 at 2 j < L ; 65 at at 2 } d . ; 135 at 2 d . ; 126 at \\ & , i 128 at l | d . ; 15 at l * d . 55 at Id ., 31 at 3 d . ; 28 at Ad . ; 9 at at id . per day ; and 65 in that period with nothing at all . This statement numbers in all 1 , 211 persons . I know scores of families who had never tasted animal
food in that time ; oatmeal boiled in water , swetened with a little sugar , is their principal diet Notices of ejectment are being served by landlords to their tenants , and proprietors of houses are refusing to let their houses unless the applicant can find a surety for the payment of rent—a task , being unemployed , they find it difficult to accomplish . Dumbarton is suffering a vast amount of destitution ; the carpenters are nearly out cf work . Kirkintillocb contains many weavers , and , after toiling twelve or fourteen hours daily , can go home with about five shillings weekly . Campsie in Stirlingshire , with a population of 5 , 000 , is suffering much from destitution ; many of the men aie out of work , and plenty more are only on half time . The great body of the people look to universal suffrage as the only hope left them , believing that no House of
Commons , but one representing the whole people , will permanently remedy the abuses ol which the working classes complain . These are a few facts connected with my district ; you are at liberty to use them as yon think proper in tbe House when presenting the petition Hoping that ' you may long live to enjoy the confl . dence and esteem of that people of whose liberties you have stood the uncompromising advocate , " I remain , dear Bir , " " Fours in the eanse of public justice , " William ThomasON , ' ¦ ' Member of Convention . " I do not know whether I am balloted for to speak at the bar of the House if yeur motion is acceded to ; I should be most happy , if called upon , to answer any questions it is in my power to reply to , calculated to show the condition of the people . "
The Hon . Member next read a document from Edinburgh , showing that in a \ l quarters there exists the strongest determination , by constitutional means , to change the composition of the House : — " STATEMENT OF THE DEELGATE FROM EDINBURGH
DISTRICT . " In every part of tbe east of Fifeshire the population are suffering from extreme poverty , more especially East Wemyss , Markinch , Kettle , and their surrounding neighbourhoods . The people are chiefly employed in linen weaving of various kindB ; many of them cannot earn above Gs . per week by long hours of labour ¦ while at the piece , and for the last four months large numbers of them have had to wait one , two , three , and some four weeks before they got another piece of web out Were it not that , being in an agricultural district , they are enabled to plant and procure potatoes cheap , they could not live—their dwellings are generally ill-furnished , and were it not that they struggle on in their sufferings , being buoyed up with the hope
that legislative changes will come to their relief , they would sink into recklessness and despondency , for how they contrive to subsist they scarcely know themselves , except from the fact that not having died they must have managed to keep life in . Trade of all kinds is very dull , and of eourEe the labouring classes feel the pressure very much . In and around Edinburgh there are very large numbers of men out of employment , so much so that it is only working men , or such such as I am in communication with , that can know it . In Dilkeith there is also great distress from want of employment . In the currying trade there is a complete ttand ; alse some others that are afraid they will be affected by the tariff : where they formerly had large numbers of men employed , they now have only one or two . "
In a paper recently established , called the British Statesman , it was lately reported that in a certain part of the country a cow which had died of disease had been buried , but so great was the destitution of the people that it had been disinterred for the purpese of being made human food . Tha case was so revolting that a gentleman known to some members of the House , a banker named Livesey—M . COBDEN" . —I know him , and am acquainted with all the circumstances . Mr . DUX CO 31 BE . —That gentleman wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper after he had ascertained tbe fact , and it was in these terms : —
" I received a letter from Master Brown , of Burnley , March 1 st , containing a statement that such was the distress of the poor in Pendle Forest , neaT Burnley , that a dead cow had been disinterred and eaten for food . The statement was so revolting to my feelings , though requested to publish it , I could not help suspecting that it was either a fabrication , or much exaggerated . I therefore wrote to Mr . Brown to get a certificate of the fact signed by six respectable persons , and I received the answer inclosing the certificate of the horrible fact given below . " Jos . Liveset , 28 , Church-street , Preston . " ' Higham , March 3 , 1842 . "' This is to certify , that Thomas Home , of this place , bad a cow died on Wednesday , the 23 rd . day of February last , which he buried , and that it wa 3 afterwards taken up to use fer food . —As witness our hands .
" ' Thomas Lord , " Joseph Wood , gro" ' Thos . Horne , owner of cer . cow . '" J . Aspden , farmer . *'' Thomas Auty , weaver , j "' John Lord , weaver . ' , In the sani& paper it also appeared that the Rev . Mr . Her ^ rt , the Dean of Manchester , had read from the pulpi , t only a week ago a statement of the extreme distress j .-revailing in that town , calculated to excite the charitable feelings of tbesa who had anything to spare . He cited two from many cases , wherein the families had no bw *' . no chair , no fire , little clothing , and scarcely any food . Tkat was stated from the pulpit to be the condition of the labouring population of Manchester so late as the V 6 th of April , not one week ago . In the petition whicb he ( Mr . Duncombe ) had presented to the House there wiS a strong statement of these factsof the desperate condition of the people , which con-
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dition they attributed to the misrepresentation of the people in that House . They said that without bad Government it was impossible that any civilised country could possibly have fallen into such a state as they were ready to prove we were now In . He had alluded to a proclamation made by the Dean of Manchester ; he would now shortly allude to one issued by the magistrates of Burnley .: It was dated the 25 th of April , and was not more than a week old . It was aa follows : —
"PUBLIC NOTICE . "Whereas a practice has recently prevailed in Burnley and the neighbourhood , of large numbers of persons going together to private houses , and also of parading the streets , highways , and other public places , to beg and gather alniB , which , conduct is illegal , and subjects such parties to the punishment provided by the Vagrant Act ; and whereas such practice is also calculated to create terror and alarm to the peaceful inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood ; notice is therefore hereby given , that with a view to check such illegal practices , and to preserve the peace and tranquility of the neighbourhood , it is thought advisable to issue this public notice and proclamation , that the law will be put in force against any parties so assembling in the manner and for the purposes aforesaid . " By order of the magistrates . " Bumley , April 25 . "
The House would see that it was not private begging which was spoken of , but begging by the people collected in large masBes . The answer which the people of Burnley made to the proclamation was as follows : — ¦ ' ¦ . _ ' ¦ ¦¦ . ¦ ¦; ' . - " ¦ . . ' ' ' ' ¦ "V . R . —TO THE'MAGISTRATES OF THIS TOWN . " The unemployed andj starving operatives of this town feel disposed to put a plain question or two to the above authorities , as they find themselves placed in rather a curious position . Now , we wish : to know how long it is possible that a town like Burnley , under the present circumstances , can be rendered peaceful and tranquil , while hundreds , yea thousands , are , by oppression and misrule , thrown upon the once lovely and pleasant , but now , alas ! miserable , degraded streets and lanes of this town and neighbourhood ? Under these circumstances they feel themselves bound , by the nearest and dearest ties of nature , to make the inquiry : —
" What , as human beings , are we to do , after haying been deprived of every comfort , and almost every necsssary of life , after having applied to our several parishes , without anything like reasonable success , and when now by starvation we are compelled to expose ourselves and families to public inspection , in order to crave a portion of bread for our miserable starving wives and children , we are even denied this right by those ' " persons from whom we ought to have expected better things ? And we say that to close the scene of
misery the law is consulted , and about to be introduced , and simply for the purpose of smothering the cries of the widow and the fatherless ; but even those who have the law to back their proceedings , must at the present crisis be very cautious how and to what purpose they apply its restrictions , because we , though out of work , cannot live without ( at least ) some of the necessaries of life , and we must have them from somewhere . We wish not to do injury neither to persons nor property , but at the same time we cannot lay ourselves down and die .
"What saith the scriptures in support of these allegations ? Doth it not say that , He that " . will not provide for hla family is worse than an infidel ?' " And also , ' They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger ? ' —Lamentations , iv . 9 . 41 By order cf the Starving and Unemployed Operatives of Burnley . J " Burnley , April 25 th , 1842 . " He would ask was that a state of tbiDgs which could be allowed to exist in England ? All he wished was , that the House would hear the parties at the bar , because they said they could not detail one-tenth of their grievances in the petition , long as it was . That was
the state of the people , and he would like to ask the Kight Honourable Baronet what he meant to propose in order to render ^ it more comfortable ? Surely the Right Hon . Baronet did not suppose his income tax and his tariff would cure the evils of which the petitioners complained ! Why , the tendency of the Income tax bill would be to reduce the middle classes to a level with the lower orders ; and the effect of the tariff would be to drive into the wokrhouses many of those who now had employment Surely the Right Hon . Baronet did not intend to have recourse for the suppression of Chartism to the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act ? Did the Right Hon . Baronet mean to put down Chartism by force ? He hoped the Right Hon . Baronet would not have recourse to such means
for effecting that object , but that he would endeavour to accomplish it by reason and conciliation . He was convinced there was no disposition en the part of the House to treat the petition with disrespect , though a majority of Hon . Members might strongly disapprove of many paragraphs which it contained . He ( Mr . Duncombe ) would not say that he subscribed to all the requests of the petitioners . He regretted that a portion of the public press—the organs of that political party to which Hon . Gentlemen opposite were attached , had attempted to ridicule the mode in which signatures had been obtained to this petition . He was glad , however , tbat one of the Ministerial organs of to-day had treated the petition at least with some degree of respect . The Morning Herald stated , "The
petition was signed by 3 , 316 , 752 persons described as belonging to various sections of the industrious classes of tbe country . Allow a vast deduction for signatures not genuine , signatures repeated even in duplicate and triplicate , and perhaps we ought still to assume that this is the petition of a vast body of the people who are urging on their growing demand for the fatal—the destroying boon , of universal suffrage—in terms ; in its effect , universal anarchy ! Are there in the teng catalogue of political grievances and evils to which these hosts of petitioners ascribe ao much of the positive suffering of enorinoua communities of their countrymen—are there any the destructive tendencies of which are at once undoubted and susceptible of remedy ? Are there any to which the Legislature and the Government ,
without compromise of their constitutional functions and state responsibility , can apply a healing and a saving hand ? If there be , we trust tbat nothing in the well known characters and schemes of a few artful demagogues , who prey on the unsuspecting credulity of their deluded followers—that nothing , even in the notorious trickery and cheating which are resorted to in order to swell the volume and multiply the subscriptions ot these huge petitions—may be permitted to interfere with duties of an importance so paramount . " He denied , on the part of the petitioners , that any trickery had been resorted te , in order to swell the volume and multiply the subscriptions of these huge petitions . He hoped the House would not refuse at least to give a hearing to the petitioners , and , if possible , to
provide some remedy for the grievances of which they complained . He would appeal to those Hon . Members who witnessed the assemblage of persons by whom this petition had been brought to the House , whether their demeanour was not characterised by the utmost order and propriety ; indeed , their proceedings had throughout been marked by peace , order , and respect There was no allusion to anything like physical force in the petition he ( Mr . Duncorabe ) presented yesterday . Some objections urged against the petition were grounded on its requiring a repeal of the union between this country and Ireland . He was authorised to say , that it was not the intention of the petitioners to prefer Euch a request They merely desired to express the sentiments avowed by the present Earl Spencer , who stated , when the question of the repeal of the union was brought
before that House , that if the vast majority of the people of Ireland required such a measure , they were entitled to have it conced-d , but that he would oppose such steps to the utmost The petitioners did not themselves pray for a repeal of the union , but they stated their opinion that if a majority of the people of Ireland were in favour of Each a measure it ought to' be granted . He ( Mr . Duncombe ) thought the people of Ireland were mistaken in asking for repeal ; but he considered that tbe circumstance of the petitioners having expressed an opinion on this question afforded no reason for refusing their request to-be permitted to state their grievances at the bar . The National Convention had , previously to the presentation of the petition , issued an address to tbe industrious classes of the country , which he begged permission to read to the House . [ The Hon . Member then read the following address : —
"The National Convention of the Industrious Classes , to the Suffering and Starving . " Fellow-countrymen , —We have received many important communications from various districts , describing the excitement and dissatitfaction which prevail in the minds of those who haye been driven ; inte poverty and starvation by political causes , which they have no power to destroy , and scarcely any liberty to describe in Parliamentary petitions . We have decided on petitioning Parliament on Monday , the 2 nd of May , to ha heard at the Bar of the House of Commons , to lay before the world a full and honest ' -statement of the causes of your grievances , the extent of your suffdriugs , and the grand remedies to be proposed for the immediate and permanent removal of all national suffering
and social wrong . We wait with patience and subdued feeling the result of our mutual prayer . We are fully sensible that it is almost a mockery of justice to ask the starving to be submissive , and the injured to bow their famished bodies to the footstool of oppression ; still the- sacrednesa of our caase , and the hope * lessness of all attempts at violence , are sufficient to guide us in now calling upon you to abstain from any act likely to bring our principles into disrepute , and dye deeper the red banners of despotism with the blood of our brethren . We deeply sympathise with you . We have expressed our hostility to the system which has
stripped you , misled you , repressed your murmurs by farce , subduedyour complaints by a demonstration of steel , and threatened butchery . You ask us for advice . We counsel you to wateh the decisive answer of the Government Tbe month of May will bring the intelligence to you . You ask us how yon are to act Await the decision of the National Convention . Your delegates will carry with them tke results of our deliberations ; and , rest assured that we are . too much alive to the danger of collision with an armed Government ever to advise it , and we possess too much experience ever to recommend violence as the course to be adopted in eur struggle for justice . Fellow-countrymen , we have
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heartily , yet decidedly , adopted this course , out of regard for you as well as out of respect for those principles which have progressed by the aid of reason alone , and need no other argument , greater than present necessity , to enforce them on the Legislature . We have placed it in the power of the Government to appease the rising indignation of millions by granting their advocates a hearing . We now await the result , and all we desire from you is , to sacrifice feeling for a time , and imitate us in the practice of rational patience , at the same time that we prepare to advise you on the future course to be pursued the moment the Legislature have given their negative or affirmative to a nation ' s demand . "Abram Duncan , Chairman . "John Campbell , Secretary . "
What he ( Mr . Duncombe ) asked , on the part of the petitioners , was that they might be allowed a hearing at the bar of the House . That hearing would not occupy much of the time of the House . The number of persons whom it was proposed to bring before the House , in order to state facts bearing on the subject , did not exceed six . The statements of these persons could not occupy more than two days ; but if they occupied ten days , the time would be well spent . It might be well said the petition was absurd , and that many of the propositions of the petitioners were wild and visionary . Suppose it were so , that afforded no justification to the House for passing over the petition without hearing the statements of persons in its support It was , he thought , unnecessary for him to occupy the time of the House further , for though he might mention other facts illustrative of the distress prevalent in the country , they would be in effect a mere
repetition of his previous statements . He considered he had proved that the cause of Parliamentary Reform , Radical Reform , or Chartism , was progressing at a most rapid rate throughout the country . If the House doubted any of his statements as to the determination of the people to obtain redress , and to require an alteration in the constitution of that assembly , he called upon the House to hear the petitioners at the bar . If the petitioners failed to convince the House of the justice of their demands , that woiffel be their fault ; but , at all events , by agreeing to such a course , that House would prove that it had once more identified itself , as it ought to do , with the people , and would secure their confidence , their affection , and their gratitude—( hear , hear . ) He begged to move that the National Petition be now taken into consideration , and the petitioners heard at the bar of this House , by themselves , their counsel , or agents , in support of the allegations of that petition . :
Mr . LEADER said , he had great pleasure in seconding the motion . The whole question might be brought into a very narrow compass . It was acknowledged that the people were in a state of deep suffering , and that they had borne their grievances with exemplary patience . A vast number of the working—the Buffering classes now came before the House , stating their grievances , and suggesting certain remedies ; and the question was , would the House hear the statements of these parties , er would it refuse to listen to them ? He entertained no doubt of the sincerity of the petitioners . He had seen , in one of the most extensively circulated newspapers in this country , some sneering observations on the proceedings of yesterday , in which it was stated that the procession consisted of not more
than 15 , 000 or 20 , 000 persons , and that the affair was considered rather as a May-day show than as a serious manifestation of the political sentiments of the people . It was also intimated , in the same publication , that the signatures to the petition were not real and genuine —that it was impossible the petition could have been signed by 3 , 500 , 000 of adult males in England—and that the proceeding was merely intended to afford an impression of the power of the committee of the Convention . Now , he might state , in reply to this insinuation , that it was not protended that all the signatures to the petition were those of adult males . He would , however , ask those who doubted the sincerity of the petitioners , or the numbers of persons interested in this question , whether it was not notorious that at every
public meeting which had been held in this country during the last two or three years , and especially during the last year , on any subject , the topic which had most powerfully attracted the attention and elicited the enthusiasm of the people was any allusion to what was called " the Charter ? " ( Hear . ) It was mere folly to pretend that the working classes were not sincere in petitioning the House on this subject ; or to a Itempt to deny that the number of persons interested in this question was daily increasing . He thought it was most desireable that the House should hear the petitioners or their representatives at the bar , that they might be convinced of the intelligence , the ability , the evident integrity of the men who ; were now excluded by our laws from exercising the franchise .
( Hear , hear . ) His Hon . Friend had alluded to several precedents in support of the proposition for hearing the petitioners at the bar . Numerous precedents might be cited in support of the practice ; and he might mention that of the celebrated orders in Council , when Lord Brougham was heard at the bar . Many Hon . Members present would also remember that his Hon . Friend the Member for Bath ( Mr . Roebuck ) was heard at the bar of the House as the representative of the Canadians . That was a case in point , for the Canadians were not represented in that House . The petioners in this instance were , however , in a still worse position ; they were Englishmen , living in the country , contributing to the taxes , rendering obedience to the laws , and yet having no voice in the election of the
persons by whom those laws were framed . He remembered that the late Attorney-General , now Lord Campbell , after having been engaged in the prosecution of Borne Chartists for their conduct at public , meetings , told him with great exultation that Chartism was entirely put down . ( Hear , hear ) His ( Mr . Leader's ) reply was , that it was true the violence of Chartism had passed away ; but he told the learned Attorney-General that the real principle of Chartism never could be put down till the grievances of the people were redressed , and till those were admitted within the pale of the constitution who were now excluded from a voice in the representation ; He ( Mr . Leader ) had seen last night some of the leaders of that patty from whom the petition now before , the House
had emanated , and those individuals had totally disclaimed any idea of resorting to physical force for the accomplishment of their objects , and had expressed their determination , to confine themselves to the exerT tion of moral force . With regard to the petition itself , there were doubtless many unwise expressions contained in it ; but "he hoped the House would not refuse a hearing to the petitioners , or th « ir delegates , in order that it might be known what their demands really were . He believed those demands might be embodied in very few words ; they asked substantially for the adoption of the principles comprised in what was termed " the People ' s Char ter , "—Universal Suffrage , Vote by Ballot , the abolition of the Property Qualification for Members of Parliament , the Payment of Members , and the division of the country into electoral districts . These points had . on several
occiisionB been brought under the consideration of that House . The question of the ballot had been brought forward by Mr . Grote , the subject of the abolition of tbe property qualification for members of Parliament had been moeted by Mr . Warburton , the adoption of the electoral districts bad been proposed by Sir W . MoUsworth , and the extension of the suffrage bad been advocated by other hon ; members . The question for the house now to decide was , however , whether they would hear the petitioners at the bar , or whether they would refuse their request If it was the wish of the house to obtain the affection and confidence of the great body of the people , they would not refuse so reasonable a demand . He appealed to the sympathy and to the sense of justice of the house to grant the prayer of the petitioners , and to permit them in person , or by their delegates , to be heard at the bar .
Dr . BOWRING supported the motion of the Hon . Member for FinBbury . He called on the House to consider that this was the prayer of 3 , 000 , 000 of men , who were oppressed and humbled by the legislation which denied them a voice in the representation . Those persons were called upon to contribute to the expenses of the state and the support of the Government , ; md yet they saw the power of the state centred in the hands of a privileged few , who exercised their authority for the promotion of their own interests . The language of the petition was respectful , though he did not profess that all its allegations could be borne out by evidence at the bar . He asked how that House , whose special duty it was to protect the rights and to redress the grievances of the people , could refuse to grant this
inquiry ? If their ancestors deemed it a duty , to straggle for the acquirement of the rights and liberties they now enjoyed , surely they ought to support those who were now striving to acquire similar privileges and immunities . At one time few persons in this country enjoyed the privileges of citizens , but the bounds of citizenship were gradually extended . They were impelled by a patriotic wish to obtain the rights they saw possessed by their neighbours ; and why were these rights so desired ? Because that Rouse had not redressed the evils of which the many had to complain . There was no one point put forward by the petitioners which was not advocated by wise , prudent , and conscientious men . He thought it wise to listen to the petitioners and hear what they had to say , as it would tend to
conciliation . The safest Government must be that which had the greatest mass of public opinion to support it The petitioners had a right to complain of the length of Parliament ; they might remain unrepresented for years , and they asked that members might be more frequently elected . And was it proper that some of our smallest towns should possess an equal amount of representation with our largest cities ? Ought 100 men in one place to be as much represented as 1 , 000 men elsewhere ? It was said that property only ought to be represented ; . cculd property feel ? Was there any man , however mean ,
who had not his pains and pleasures , for which that House and the Legislature was bound to interest itself ? Was he to deny to a man / because he was poor , the rights possessed by the individual who was mighty ? Was such a man , because of his poverty , to be excluded from those rights ? When Providence denied to him the enjoyments possessed by those who were supposed to be his superiors / did it take away from him the sympathies' of human nature ? The petitioners complained , and they had a right to do so , of the im ^ pediments thrown in their way by the property qualification , which implied that a certain amount of wealth was necessary to enable a . man to eit in that House and
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make lawa for his fellow-cttizens . This property qualification was merely a security for the predominance of the landed interest in that House . Scotland had been wise enough to do away with this require * ment , and'did any man mean to ^ contend that the repro sentatives of Scotland were less intelligent , less active , or less trustworthy than the other representatives « f this country ? The petition demanded that the petitioners should be heard at the Bar of the House ; it was signed by millions of the people , and if the House should consent to listen to them it would be the first step towards popular satisfaction and content . At all
events the petitioners would be bound to say that : that House was willing to listen to them . If their reasons were absurd they would be the more easily answered ; if their reasons were judicious , then their claim to ba heard was the greater . He joined with his friends who had preceded him in thinking that it would bo most uawise in the present state of the public mind , agitated as it was from one end to the other , and in which . soclal misery was mingled with so much political discontent , to say to 3 , 000 , 909 petitioners , " Return . to your homes unheard . ' * ¦ .. - . ; ,
Mt J . FIELDEN next rose . He was for some time quite inaudible in the gallery . We understood him to say that he had heard a letter read stating » that in Burnley , in Lancashire ,: the sum paid weekly for the relief of the poor amounted to £ 500 , and that the poor were prowling about in large numbers , begging alms from door to door . The state of destitution was such that unless something were done he could not tell what would be the consequence . He had heard similar statements made from other places , and , in fact , the whole of the manufacturing counties were in such a state of poverty ; that unless something were done to alleviate the distress which prevailed , it would very soon lead to disasters which they would all lament to hear-- ( hear > hear ) . Last October he had suggested to the House
that some person should be appointed in each parish to assist the relieving officer in assisting the poor . If that proposal had been adopted , he was confident that so many real and substantial cbmplainta would not have been made . But something more now required to be done .. By their neglect of legislation , that House had turned this starving population into politicians- ^ hearj ; hear ) and they had got this impression into their minds—and it was extending to their employers , who were becoming as poor as themselves—that nothing but a . radical alteration in the constitution of that House would ever give the reforms which they desired . He hadbeen doing all he could for the last two years , at a tremendous sacrifice , to give employment to the ' poor ; but this could not laat long . There was an old saying in Lancashire , " That continually taking-out of the meal-tub , and not putting any in , most soon come to the bottom . " The poor were in a most destitute situation , and they said , "What are we to
do ? " He implored the Right Hon . Baronet , if he had any regard for his fellow-countrymen , and for the peace of the country , that he would allow the petitioners to be heard at the bar ; it would give them some encouragement . He did not see that mischief could arise from it ; but tie did say , that if they were so far to hold out the " olive branch" to this suffering people , they would make statements to them which would shew that something was absolutely necessary to be done te alleviate their condition , and at any rate they would suggest things to the House which might be worthy of its attention . He therefore trusted that the Government would not refuse to hear the petitioners ; foir if they di d > it might lead to disappointment and reflections amongst those millions whom these delegates represented which might be productive of injurious consequences . He thought that they had much better consume two or three days in hearing what they had to Bay , than run this risk —{ hear , hear . ) . , v \
Sir . J " . EASTHOPE said , that on a recent occasion , When a similar petition had been presented to that house , he had felt that he should be compromising himself by expressing any approbation of its principles , and had no hesitation in resisting it by his vote ; and if he were to convey by his vote in favour of . the motion of his Hon . Friend , the slightest opinion in favour of those principles to which he had then objected , or the slightest approbation of much of the reasoning by which those principles were propounded in the petition the day before presented to the House , he should not hesitate " for one moment to adhere to the same course . But he conceived that , the proposition of his Hon . Friend in the present case was widely different from the proposition of the Hon . Member for Rochdale , to
whieh he bad been opposed . In the present case the petitieners came forward in numbers beyond comparison , under distress which could not be described , and which he himself knew to an extent that it was impossible he eould be indifferent to . He did not believe that house to be indifferent to it ; he did not believe any of the members of that House to feel indifferent towards . it ; and who that was anxious about it was not anxiouato find out a remedy ?( Hear . ) These petitioners came forward under feelings of distress and discontent—the very natural companion of their distress ; and they complained of principles of government wherein he thought they were injudicious , with reasoning which he thought was inapplicable , and asked for remedies which he believed would aggravate the distress which
now existed . They proposed to themselves plans and laid down schemes than which he thought no greater evils could be inflicted upon them than by applying them as remedies to their case . His sincere conviction was , ; that if ; he were to devise any thing to aggravate and augment the distress which he lamented , he could not do so more successfully than by granting all the prayer of the petitioners who had come before them ( Hear , hear . ) But whilst he felt this most strongly , and stated it without the slightest hesitation , he durst not say to three and a half millions of people that he would refuse to hear their petition . He was bound to believe that a very large majority of the pe » titioners were most honest and sincere ; a very large number improperly engaged in misrepresenting the
causes : of distress , and in trying to produce mischiefs , rather than to find put remedies . But he had nothing to do with all this ; the distress existed—( hear , hear )—it existed to an extent to which it had never existed before , not only in the opinion of Members of that side of the House , but it had been described in terms , by Members on the other side of the House , which must have harrowed up the feelings of the coldest breast-Tn this d . istressj could they say to three and a half millions of people suffering , under all these privations , "We will not hear you ? " He believed that when they had represented what they conceived to be the ca » ae of that distress , and when they had stated what they supposed to be its remedy , that they would themselves discover that they had not made but their case . He believed that a very large number of the petitioners would feel that if the House entered on a
conciliatory , and kind , and patient hearing of their tale , and investigation of the causes of their distress , that they had pity for them . He was convinced that if this-were done , the good would countervail the disadvantage of the other course . It cosld not be said that be yras convinced by any of tfee reasons of the petition , or . of the reasonings on which they were founded . He declared that to many of its principles he was moat distinctly opposed , for the reasons be had stated . ' But acknowledging the distress which prevailed , and anxiously desirous as they all were to convince those who petitioned that they felt for them , he did think tUat the xpnciliatory and the wise and the politic course was rather to err on the side of hearing the . ' petitioners than on the other . He should most cordially vote for the motion of the Hon . Member for Finsbury .
Sir 3 V GRAHAM said , if this were a mere matter of considering in what manner the feelings of the House would be best consulted , perhaps he might have agreed with the arguments of the Hon . Gentleman who had just sat down ; but he could not regard it in any such light Tbe Hon . Member for Westminster had appeared to anticipate what would probably be the course pursued by some Hon . Members on that occasion —> -naniely , to criticise the various paragraphs of the " petitiutt now before them , aud to comment on them with severity . Notbing eould be further from their intention —( loud cries of bear , hear ) . ITnfortunately , the facts in this case wore but top generally admitted . The distress was great ; the number of the petitioners was very large ; their statements in many
particulars were founded in fact . It was not a question , therefore , of fact to be investigated—it was a great question of policy . It was not a question of fact to be ascertainecl- ^ -it was a questien of political remedy to be decided on by the House . He could conceive no course more disastrous , in the midst of excited feeling and aggregate suffering , than for that House to adopt any coiuratf which might excite hopes ' which were certain to be disappointed , and hold out expectations which they who held them out were aware must be fallacious . The Hon . Member for Liicaster , who had just sat down ,-had on a former evening strenuously resisted the main points of the prayer oh which this petitioa was founded . He said he still retained his opinion . The Hon . Member would allow him ( Sir J . Graham ) to
aak what circumstances had occurred in the interval which should have so induced him to change ? ( Hear . ) There was no addition to the number of petitionersi the suffering of the people had not been aggravated within the last eight days , everything remained unchanged , so far as he ( Sir J . Graham ) was aware , within the short interval since the Hon ., Member had on a former occasion joined with him ia resistance to the motion of the Hon . Member for Rochdale . That night the Hon . Member was prepared to vote for the motion of the Hon . Member for Finsbory , yet he ( Sir J . Graham ) could not devise what was the altered circumstances which had produced this change . As the Hon . Member put it , it was a mere question of inquiry ¦—inquiry , as he said , that might produce somewhat of a healing effect on the wounded feelings of the
petitioners . I j they we ' re to arrive at a foregone conclusion with respect to the remedies to be applied ~ if they were bound : on questipDS of high state policy to refuse what these people required > what possible effect could the inquiry produce of a . healing nature ? On the contrary ,-he was decidedly of opinion that no course could be more aggravating than to call on the petitioners to prove a case of distress by evidence at the bar of the House , with their minds made up beforehand that a remedy was utterly inadmissible , and having heard their statement and evidence , to be resolved to resist their demand—( hear . ) He could not agree in the motion . , He agreed with the Hon . Member for Leicester that it was highly inexpedient that the demands of these petitioners should be granted on many grounds , as affecting the forms of Government under which we lived / our . institutions , and the happiness of Ihe com-
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4 THE NORTHERN STAR . ¦ ' . ; : \ --- ¦ ¦ v > \' : . ' .. ; . ^ w ^
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Northern Star (1837-1852), May 7, 1842, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1160/page/4/
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