Page:History of the Anti corn law league.pdf/216

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CHAPTER XIV.

CHANGE OF ADMINISTRATION.

On Thursday, April 15th, a meeting was held in Manchester of delegates from the principal towns of the kingdom, for the purpose of considering the course of proceeding to be recommended to the meeting to be held in London, on the occasion of Mr. Villiers's motion being brought before the House of Commons. The resolutions passed were brought forward for confirmation at a public meeting, held in the evening in the Corn Exchange, attended by nearly two thousand members of the association

The chair was occupied by Mr. J. B. Smith, and on his right sat C. P. Villiers, M.P., H. Ashworth, E. Ashworth, G. W. Wood, M.P., Sir Thomas Potter, T. Milner Gibson, Richard Cobden, C. J. S. Walker, E. Armitage, Robert Gardner, Holland Hoole, W. Rawson, Thomas Harbottle, Joseph Brotherton, M.P., and R. H. Greg, M.P. Among the deputies were Sir Joshua Walmesley, H. P. Atkinson, and W. Duffy, from Liverpool; J. Higginbottom, Ashton; Peter Rylands, Warrington; John Bright, Rochdale; G. Barlow, N. Mellor, and T. Hall, Oldham; A. W. Paulton, Bolton; T. Cheetham, W. H. Sefton, Mr. Dudley, and Alderman Hollins, Stockport; M. Clayton and R. Milligan, Bradford and James Wilson, London.

Mr. James Wilson (afterwards of the Economist) moved: "That this meeting recommends to the Council of the