Page:History of the Anti corn law league - Volume 2.pdf/77

 "Send them abroad to find it," was the reply. Had farm-labourers insufficient wages? "Let to them half an acre of land for fifty shillings that now yields us nothing!" Were parents compelled by sheer want to send their children tothe coal pit or the factory? "Do not let them be received." Did poverty drive families into cellars? "They shall not live there—they must find better dwellings." Did the man who could not purchase a donkey, yoke a dog to his hand cart? "We cannot allow cruelty to dogs." Did children grow up ignorant of their social and religious duties?

"Teach them the Church Catechism." Had we crime, the usual concomitant of poverty? Build new churches. Sharman Crawford, Joseph Sturge, what chance had you to persuade such men of the reasonableness of having a vote in the choice of representatives? Richard Cobden, John Bright, what chance had you to persuade such men to allow the Padiham weaver to exchange his piece of calico for a bushel of good American wheat? The confident answer was: "Let the oppressed many make the ruling few uneasy."

And the ruling few did begin to become uneasy at those magnificent weekly demonstrations of the League in Drury Lane Theatre. The John Bull called the landowners to the rescue; warned them of the consequences of permitting it thus to form a strong public opinion; and told them plainly that if they did not instantly counteract the mischievous doings of the free-traders, they would richly deserve the ruin that was sure to befal them.

The meeting on Wednesday, April 5th, was quite as numerous and enthusiastic as any which preceded it, and there was abundant evidence that were every theatre in London to be opened on the same evening, for expositions of the injustice of monopoly, every one of them would be filled. George Wilson discharged his duties, as chairman, with more than his usual ability. Hitherto he had been too careful and too fastidious in utterance. That night, seemingly more at ease with his great audience, he