we shall be near the attainment of our object.' They (the people of London) were the centre of a great empire, the fate of which was trembling in the balance, and which had long been struggling even to faintness with this great iniquity. (Load cheers.) The provinces, without which they could not exist, and from which they drew all their wealth—all their sustenance—had done that which was the duty of the people of London. He spoke in the name of the numerous meetings which he had attended throughout the country, and he called on them to raise their voices to the legislature, and to co-operate with those meetings until that blessed and happy day should arrive, when this monopoly should be overthrown, and the blessings which God had provided for the whole of his people, should be enjoyed by all. (immense cheering.)"
The enthusiasm of that crowded meeting must have been very galling to those, who, while professing to be free traders, held aloof from the movement, on the excuse that some of its leading men were imprudent and indiscreet. At a great meeting held at Stroud in that week, Earl Ducie showed that he was not to be held back by any such unhealthy or assumed fastidiousness. He said: "I am prepared to give my humble support to the exertions of the Anti-Corn-Law League. Although I do not agree with all that is said, and all that is done, by some of the individual members, I do agree with the conduct of the League itself, and I do come here to identify myself with the League as a body. I come here ready to identify myself with every act of that body as a body; and as long as they so act, I will defend their cause. It may be asked why I as a farmer, am for the repeal of the Corn Laws, and what good the repeal would do to the farming interest? I will meet this question by asking another. What good has the farmers received from the existence of the Corn Laws? If their existence for twenty-seven years had done the farmer good—of course the farmer is now doing well, of course he is now very rich, his affairs are very prosperous! But, gentlemen, I know the farmer will say he is not doing well; he has been toiling early and late, enjoying all the advantages of protection, and yet he is neither rich nor prosperous.
