William Lovett was the most acknowledged advocate of moral force, who argued that Chartism should "inform the mind" rather than "captivate the senses", and should succeed "without commotion or violence". He was backed by members of the House of Commons who sympathised with the cause, such as Thomas Attwood, Thomas Duncombe and Joseph Hume, who also emphasized the need to use moral rather than physical force.
Despite Lovetts dedication to the cause, his weaknesses of character and the limited support for the LWMA in other areas hindered his moral force argument. He lacked the ability to command affection and devotion to the Charter at mass meetings, a skill which naturally graced Feargus O`Connor, his rival in the movement. The LWMA`s tours in the north were relatively unsuccessful, due to the profound difference in background between the Londoners and northerners, whose situation was worsened by the Poor Law Amendment Act. They were also affected by cyclical periods of unemployment. Economic instability was more often found in the north, where oppressed workers such as the handloom weavers were prepared to use physical force and therefore agreed with the potentially more radical ideas of O`Connor.
In February 1939 a National Chartist Convention met in London to organise a petition to present to parliament. It was here that the first serious differences of opinion occurred, as the leaders argued about how best to proceed. Some of the extremists wanted to proclaim a general strike immediately, which caused Attwood and the delegates from Birmingham to walk out. However, the moderates just about kept control. In May the convention moved to Birmingham where Chartism had more support, and the petition was completed after some vast meetings in the Bull Ring, at which physical force advocates Bronterre O`Brien and John Harney appeared alongside Lovett. .
The rejection of the petition suggested that nothing could be achieved by moral force, and so the physical force supporters seized the opportunity to present their argument for the use of violence.
