226
MR. W. J. FOX.
late period of the evening, which was principally a recital of the effects everywhere produced, from successive ministries down to the poorest classes of the community, by the free-trade agitation. He said:—
"Rick-burning was only Richmondism in theory. (Immense cheering.) There never was a parallel more complete than that between the Richmondites and rick-burning; for if one wantonly destroyed property so did the other; if one endangered human life, so did the other endanger it wholesale; if in the rick-burner's case the innocent suffered, who suffered in the other case? The innocent and the helpless, who suffered more the more helpless they were. If one destroyed the good gifts of heaven to man, so did the other; and probably a larger quantity of corn was destroyed in the course of the year by rotting in bond than had ever been destroyed by rick-burners, and at last was shovelled out into a river or harbour, as at Hull, when it was no longer useful. Where was the difference, unless in the elements of destruction? Why was that villainous which destroyed corn by fire, and that virtuous which destroyed it by water? (Cheers.) But if the rick-burner was transported, the others would not escape punishment, for it would go hard if the honest historian did not gibbet their memories in his page to all posterity. There was another advantage which the Leugue conferred. They had elicited the virtues and stimulated the philanthropy of the monopolists, and now they saw every day some question brought forward by those advocates of monopoly, with a view to serve the poor. They had even established societies for their advantage, and amongst them there was a society for the protection of the poor needlewomen; and those who attended the meetings of that society expressed their astonishment that persons should increase the sufferings of the needlewomen by purchasing cheap shirts. But they did not consider that with those who purchased those cheap shirts, it was their only chance of having a shirt at all. (A laugh.) They even had compassion on the poor for working too long, and they were desirous that the machinery in mills should not work too much, so that the workmen had time to go home and meditate on what they would do with more wages if they got it. (Laughter.) They even took care that the poor should be enabled to recreate themselves by travelling on the railways, and they proposed to have third-class trains for the purpose; and here the philanthropy of the bishops was brought into practice, for they could pot think of the poor travelling on railways, unless their enjoyment was complete, and they proposed that they should be compelled to go in a comfortable first or second class carriage when they travelled by the railway. They looked everywhere for a means of indicating their philanthropy, but to the poor man's cupboard,
