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 CHAPTER XV.

THE REGISTRATION AND FREEHOLD MOVEMENT.

On the 20th of November, Mr. George Wilson, Mr. Cobden, and Mr. Bright, visited Rochdale, where, at a very numerous meeting, they inculcated the duty of attending closely to the registration and obtaining freehold qualifications. Mr. Wm. Brown, afterwards member for South Lancashire, and Mr. Sharman Crawford, member of the borough, enforced the recommendations. On the 22nd, a meeting was held at Halifax, where Mr. Bright and Mr. G. Wilson showed how the West Riding might be won. At Hebden Bridge, and at a great meeting at Leeds, Mr. Cobden and Mr. Bright convinced thousands of the certainty of winning that most important of the three Ridings. The same gentlemen visited Huddersfield, with a similar result. In the metropolis, also, effective meetings were held to secure the independence of the county of Middlesex. In that gloomy month of November, 1844, it became evident that there was to be energetic action in 1845, and Sir Robert Peel, no doubt, felt deep apprehensions, in reference to his recommendation of doing battle in the registration courts, that his tactics would be turned against himself and the monopolists who supported him because they believed that he would continue to support their exactions.

The course adopted by the League was fully explained at an excessively crowded meeting, held in Covent Garden