Page:History of the Anti corn law league - Volume 2.pdf/133

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WHAT THE LEAGUE HAD DONE.
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nomination, and the League pledges itself to give such candidate every possible support, by deputations, lectures, and the distribution of publications.

7. In the event of any borough being unable to procure a suitable candidate, the League pledges itself to bring forward candidates, so as to afford every elector an opportunity of recording his vote in favour of free trade, until the question be decided."

In the report prepared it was stated, that during a very considerable portion of the year there were employed in the printing and making up of the Electoral Packets of Tracts, upwards of 800 persons, while more than 500 other persons were employed in distributing them from house to house, among the constituencies. To the parliamentary electors alone of England and Scotland there had been distributed, in this manner, of tracts and stamped publications, 5,000,000, That, besides these, there had been a large general distribution among the working classes and others, who are not electors, to the number of 3,600,000. In addition, 426,000 tracts had been stitched up with the monthly magazines and other periodicals, thus making altogether, the whole number of tracts and stamped publications, issued by the Council during the year, to amount to 9,026,000, or in weight upwards of one hundred tons. That the distribution had been made in twenty-four counties, containing about 237,000 electors, and in 187 boroughs, containing 259,226 electors, making boroughs and counties together, the whole number of electors supplied, 196,226. That the number of lecturers employed during the year had been 14, and that their labours had been spread over fifty-nine counties in England, Wales, and Scotland, and they had delivered about 650 lectures during the year. That a large number of meetings had been held during the year in the cities and boroughs, which had been attended by deputations of members of the Council. Exclusive of the metropolis, 140 towns had been thus visited, many of them twice and three times; and that such had been the fooling existing in all parts of the kingdom,