Page:History of the Anti corn law league - Volume 2.pdf/43

 scene of their labours. Amongst these were a few whom Mr. John Brooks designated the "stokers," as resembling class of railway labourers, unnoticed and unknown, but froin whose work a race horse speed is obtained—Mr. S. P. Robinson, Mr. Wm. Macartney, Mr. Win. Me. Call, Mr. E. J. Royle, and others—ready at all times to put their hands to any thing that would forward the movement, most of the great manufacturing and commercial towns, each with popular dependencies, there was a similar division and sub-division of labour, voluntarily and eagerly tendered, and continuously bestowed. Great, therefore, as was the business done which money could do, it was comparatively insignificant when compared with what was done by volunteered and gratuitous agency.

It is not to be supposed that a committee, or board, or council, directing the expenditure of £50,000 a year, was without the torment of incessant application for employment and pay. There were plenty of persons who thought that they could at once serve their country and themselves. Abundant offers there were from men who believed that respectively as orators, or writers, or canvassers, or tract distributors, they could greatly advance the cause of free trade, and thus legitimately put some small portion of the thousand pounds a week into their own proper pockets. Nor were there wanting members of the general body, subscribing pretty liberally, and giving their own labour freely, who thought that their recommendations of serviceable men ought to meet with favourable consideration. There were some annoyances of that sort certainly, vexatious enough occasionally, but there was the ready Answer to all, that so abundant was the gratuitous service, that there was no necessity for an extensive paid staff. From & few obscure places there came hints that a little assistance to a struggling newspaper, advocating, under unfavourable circumstances, free-trade doctrines, would be beneficial; but they were modestly made, and in no instance