Star. — London, England, 1822-01-31 00:00:00

tines, said he perfectly speed in the sentiments of his friend, Sir IL Bunbury. • Lord HWITHIGIVIELD next addressed the Meeting., He said, upon the censer of the - distress he believed there was but hide difference of opinion, but the re medies by which it was to be cared wertnot so easily ascertained. One great means of curing it was re trenchment in all the expenses of the &ate—a sub ject width be was sorry to -see lightly touched upon in the Resolutions. By retrenchment he did not mean the mere lopping off of. subordinate clerks, with in ferior salaries, but retrenchment in the many mil lions which were expended in building ships Of enor mous calibre with foreign timber, and in erecting Breakwaters at Chatham and at. Plymouth, not for the safety of British vessels, but for the accommoda tion of foreign traders. The expenditurt of such enor mous sums upon such objects convinced him of the regardlessness of Ministers to the distress of the country; and incited him* to urge the Meeting to insist upon some measures of strong retrenchment.— He next animadverted to a plan which he had formed, which had for its object to give the Government a power of going into the market when corn was under SOs. and there would be thus created a spirit of spe culation which at present was much wanted—(Die approbation ).—He would shut the ports entirely, or otherwise we should be in the-state that Ireland now is. The Noble Lord concluded by hoping that the Resolutions had met their approbation—(Cheers). Lord DUNWICH (eldest son of the Earl of Strad broke) supported the Resolutions, and said, he thought the best plan for alleviating the present agricultural distress was to get rid of the present Corn Laws, and restrict the importation of foreign grain. 'Mr. Mitassr considered the cause of the distress to be in a great measure owing to the operation of the Bank Restriction Act, which had enabled Ministers to carry on an unnecessary war, and contract a debt, the very interest of which created an overwhelming taxation. Ile animadverted strongly on Mr. Peel's Bill, and the visionary plans of Mr. Webb Hall, and said, a reduction of the public expenditure and a Re form in the House of Commons, could alone relieve the distress of the country. It was the system, and not so much the men, that cried aloud for Reform—. (Cheers), Ministers had shewn no willingness to meet the question of agricultural distress, as they ought to have met it. The Marquis of Londonderry had said that the agricultural interest was in a state of repose. He would tell that great Leviathan, if he might be allowed to use that term, that within a short period a great change of opinion had taken place throughout the country; and he trusted that he should live to see the day on which they would meet with just con de,nnation from the people of England for all the mi series which they had entailed upon them—(Cheers). Lord CALTITORPIC said, that from the tone and temper of the Resolutions, he felt himself called upon to express his regret that he hai withheld his name from the Revistoon, which.he openly owned he had done, lest he should be held personally responsible for the Resolutions which might afterwards be pro posed to the Meeting. It was, however, a needless alarm, for they were drawn up in such a tone of mo deration, and were so well calculated to further the objects of the Meeting, namely, the relief of the agri culturist, that be should not have hesitated to render himself responsible. lie expressed his satisfaction at the opportunity thus afforded him (though he wished some points of the Resolutions had been others' ise stated) of joining in an earnest and ardent prayer to Parliament for an increased retrenchment in the pub lic expenditure. Ile was the more glad that such a state of the expenditure, or f bring down its expendi ture to"tbe low, state of it; tmeatip. Upon the rapt" dies they weie sure t 8 e split into a variety of Opt nioac, On one handoeit was held that the agriciatu ?zist's 641ksalwation. was . in . the price of corn being mica by artificial means, namely, by Acts of Par liament which imposed high duties upon corn im ported into England; and by that means preventing the foreign produce from competing with us, except on terms that afforded a fair remuneration to the Bri tish grower. By remuneration, he did not mean that ''.rare of pro fi t which enabled the farmer to support his family, but also to pay high rents, rates, taxes, and labour. Without stopping to combat these opi nions, he would only say, that however effectual simi lar plans might hare been at a time that the country, was under the influence of a paper currency, it seemed to be botany unadapted to the present state of things, and could not restore the farmers ; for could duties avail when there was no foreign corn in this country; and when our own was not selling at any price? But even admitting the efficacy of that plan, there were still considerabledoubts as to the policy of applying it just now. He addressed himself to the advocates of the measure, and asked, did they think (assuming both duties to be a protection), Parliament would legislate 'for them alone—did they expect, in opposi tion to the interests of the manufactuting and com mercial classes—against the feelings of the country, and in the teeth of all the writers on political economy —to carry such a measure into effect ? But suppose Ministers should take them at their words, and say, " We agree it is better to have the ports open, but we will fix the duty at' 20s: quarter of wheat," would not the result be, that the landlords and tenants would be crying out louder thin. before ? and Lord Londonderry would answer them as the Irish drum mer did the soldier he was Hogging, " Och, the Devil burn you, hit you where I will I cannot please you." !Lis opinion was, that high duties upon necessaries of life, are in all respects impracticable, or if they were practicable, they were most pernicious . . I He would always oppose them, if for no other reason than be cause they afforded a pretext tor bolstering up errors in Nli.,isterial management, because - they perpetuated taxe., and because they were a great means of check ing the progress of Reform. Then came the change in the currency, which was an important question, and closely connected with the cause of our distress. Upon this subject he should say, that however neces sary it was, from the pressure of distress in 1811, to reform the currency, the effect of the change, coming as it did whilst we were labouring under great ex pense in government, and an im ense debt con traced iii a depreciated currency, was to increase the value of fixed incomes, and to reduce generally the plaits arising from every species of agricultural pro duce. It was needless to dwell upon the state that the country wa, now in, when the labourers were totally without employment, when they were living upon the funds 431 parishes, and when the jails were over fl ;wing, and every species of crime upon the increase. All these sad ell..cts were to be traced to the poverty of the people, and the recklessness which it induced. The condition of the labourer was seldom improved, but these was :also a corresponding improvement in his min al habits; aad what was true with regard to an individual, was also true as to the whole. Bat the farmers weir evea worse than the labourers ; they were spe:iding not their profits, but their capit.d ; and the day would come when they would be able to pay neither the rent, the tithes, tale-, nor rates. The Honourable Baronet then read a letter from a Gen- tleman who had been present on Thursday last at a Tithe Audit in the palish of Downliam, in the I-le of Ely, and nine-tenths of the people were defaulters. In some other parishes the pour-rates could not be collected at all. This state of things required no comment. Taxation, carried to excess, was the main cause of our difficulties. It was alike the interest of the landlord, tenant, and farmer, that economy should be introduced into the public expenses, and a more equitable distribution made of the public burdens.— These were the only substantial means of relief for the country—(Cheers). The Hon. Baronet concluded by moving the following itesolutions: 1. That the owners and occupiers of land in the county of Suffolk are now labouring under unexampled distress, which is the more alarming because it does nut appear to result from temporary or accidental causes. that distresses public expression of opinion in favour of retrenching the burdens by which agriculture was depressed should proceed from the county of Suffolk, because such an expression would come from no other body w kir sn much weight and importance attached to it. lie was persuaded that such a public appeal, coming from such a body, was necessary to overcome those obstacles to retrenchment which were almost wound up with the official habits of every Administration.— It was vain to expect that the Ministers, whoever they were, would adopt measures of parsimony without such a public expression as they were now making. The Noble Lord concluded his speech by declaring his conviction, that great retrenchment would be necessary before this country could be restored to that state of prosperity which it had formerly enjoyed. Mr. Gooch came forward, but from the clamour 2. That we cannot concur in the assertion . our are owing to an excess in the production of corn; we cannot consider plenty as a curse; but we fear that a decrease in the demand has resulted from the lamentable poverty of the people; and we desire to see the condition of all classes so much un proved, as to insure steady prices to the farmer, and employ ment to the labourer. 3. That excessive taxation is the main cause of that distress which is crushing the landlord, the tenant, and the labourer, the gross amount of the taxes rising far above that proportion whit* the income of the maws is able to sustain, and their effect having been aggravated by injurious effects upon the currency of the realm. which prevailed, he could with difficulty obtain a hearing. He said he had attended the Meeting with great pleasure, and as an individual and a Member of Parliament wished to give his opinion. He knew his duty in Parliament, would execute it, and would, without dereliction of principle, advocate economy and retrenchment. During the time he was in Par. liament he had always opposed one tax, and that was the Malt Tax. That tax he always considered ob nosions, because it kept down corn, and made beer 4. That the return from a paper currency to that of gold has dear. He liked to seethe poor buy their beer cheaply. increased the profits of all persons enjoying fixed pay, or salaries, He was not an advocate for high p:ices, hut he wished or places, as well as of the freeholder', at the expense of the agricultural and wading interest. to see the farmers remunerated. He entirely agreed 5. That if further and more effectual measures be not adopted in what had been said before, that the change in the for the relief of the Agriculturists, the proprietors and occupiers currency was the cause of the distress in the country, el land, together with those traders and artisans who are chiefly and doubted whether protecting duties would serve dependent upon the fanners for their support, must sink into irreparable ruin. the farmers much. 6. That the decay of agriculture already disables the farmer Lord HENRY FITZROYSaid, he supported the Re from employing the labouring pour, and thus tends to degrade solutions on this ground, that they expressed nothing the condition, to demoralise the habits, and to destroy the lode- t hat went beyond the plain matter of fact, and he pendence of the labourer, as well as to aggravate the overwhelm trig pressure of the Poore Rates. cause they applied, generally, for speedy and effec 7. That the landed property of England is burthened exclo- tual relief from the grievous burden of overwhelm sively with the support of the unemployed poor, with the main- ing taxation--(Applause).—He disclaimed all artificial, tenant of our (lurch, and with various charges to which ether he rejected all exclusive remedies—(Applause).—He property is exempt ; whilst on the contrary, must of the branches a our national industry enjoy immunities and protection, from disclaimed all applications for relief, if that relief was which the agriculturists are excluded. Under this double inequa. to be obtained at the expense of others—(Cheers).--He lity they find it impossible to bear that a m o u nt of taxation which returned his sincere thanks to the High Sheriff for is demanded front them, on account of the Civil and Military the latitude he had allowed to the preceding speakers, Establishments of Government, and of the interest of the Na tional 1);:ht. some of whom had offered their sentiments on sub s. That the expenses of the. Government ought to be reduced jests of great political importance; but how was it immediately, and to the lowest scale possible; not merely by the pos s ible to a rgu e t hi s question without a recurrence dismissal of inferior clerks, but by the abolition of all unneces- Ito politics? 'f he question was intimately connected say places, and by large reductions in the charges upon the , • • perLiCe • • the present distress had grown out of a i , Civil List, as well as in all official salaries, and in the expenses i with o f t h e Army, Ordnance, Colonies, Collection of Taxes, and other I part i cular system of policy ; and, to meet it, the re branches; and, if possible, so to regulate th e finances of the ' medy must necessarily be of a political nature — kingdom, that the gross amount of taxation may be lowered in ' (Cheering).—The causes of that distress were obvious as large a proportion as the difference in value between our pre- • and numerous. The late war,—the extended taxation se nt currency and that of the depreciated jives in which the i gr e ater part of our debt has been contracted. which was introduced to support it—the stoppage of 9. That these Resolutions be embodied in a Petition to the cash-payments by the Bank of England—the conse commoustiouse of Parliament, conveying our strong but respect- quent influx of paper-motley, which overwhelmed the tut solicitations that its attention may be given, without delay, countyy, without which the war could not have been to this most important subject, and that effectual measures m a y b e a dopted for the relief and protection of the owners, occupiers, continued, and without which the Ministers could not sod labourers of the land, as well as of the other profitable claws have entailed on posterity the present enormous mass o f ybe British People. of taxation—and, lastly, Mr. Peel's Bill, were the ac- Sir ROSIRT HARLAND, iu seconding the Resolu- ' cessoryl if not the principal causes of that political devastation Which had bowed down the covntry, and of those various privations under whieh they were . all et this . time suffering—(Load chserptir).--le He advised the Gentlemen precept, andlitore partl-, cularly the yeomen and farmers, to platen reliance on a system of economy and retrenchment, and on do other—(Cheers). He would tall on them W beware of the wolf in sheep's clothing—(C/were). He "did entreat of them to accept of no boon; of no bonus, in• the shgs. of a tax,-although it might appear to bar infinitely less on themselves than on other classes of the community—(Cheers). Let the voice 'of the people be proclaimed from one end of the kingdom to the other. Let them, on the one hand, demand a reduc .tion of expenditure; and, on the other, a reduction of taxation—(Applause). The Ministers must yield to such a course. They would be compelled to repeal those injurious taxes, without substituting others in their room ; they would find it necessary to do away with-that increase of expenditure, the specific Around for which was the rise in the price of provisions— (Applause). Let the same principle be also intro duced in private life—let it be extensively acted on by individuals ; and if prevention was better than remedy, then he would advise every man who wished to interpose between his posterity and great national digress, from John-o'-Grot's house to the Land's-end, to call aloud for Parliamentary Reform—((:ontinued cheering). These, and such like remedies, were the only ones that he would recommend in an enlight ened age to an enlightened country—(Cheering). As the Resolutions that had been proposed accorded in -every respect with his sentiments, they should receive his hearty support—(Cheering). Mr. GRICRY attributed the distress to excessive taxation, to support wars that had not been called for, and a profligate expenditure : lie would, there fore, propose an additional Resolution, as follows: " That to the want of controul over the public purse, which a Parliament freely elected would exercise, we attribute the origin of our present distresses. And therefore it is necessary that the attention of the Commons House of Parliament be directed to effect an immediate Reform in the Representation u the only meant of saving what remains of our property, of preservia.g the tranquillity, and insuring the liberties of the country." Sir lICNRT BUNBURY, in 54 eondi:ig the Resolution, said, the reason he had declined noticing the subject with which it was connected was, because his own opinion, with reference to that subject, was well known; and the county had recently and very strongly ma nifested its anxiety for a Reform in Parliament. The*Duke of GRAFTON next presented himself to the Meeting. and, was received with marks of the most cordial esteem. His Grace began by assuring his 4 , friends and fellow•countrymen, that no indivi dual then present had come from a greater distance, or encountered greater personal inconvenience, than he had done, for the purpose of attending that Meet ing. He concurred completely and entirely in the spirit of the Resolutions proposed by his friend, the Hon. Baronet—( Applause ).—But though he did not come with the intention of speaking, he begged leave to make a single observation relative to the resump tion of cash payments. He was sure it might fairly he supposed that that event was one of the causes which contributed to the present calamitous distress of the country—(Applause).—But he was perfectly convinced though it was one of the causes, and ne cessarily one of the causes which had produced the distress complained of, that, by wisdom and foresight, that distress might have been, in a great degree, averted by the Ministers, who should have foreseen the situation in which the country was likely to be placed. He agreed in the principle that taxation should be diffused as generally and as equally as possible; but lie did not, and never could, concur in the opinion of those who wished to shift the burthen from the shoulders of one class of society to the shoulders of another—(.4 pplanse).—Let not the People forget to whom it was they looked for redress ; for it was ridiculous to sign Petitions, unless they carried that point in their minds—( Applause).— Who was it, then, to whom the care of carrying these Resolutions into effect was to be entrusted ? fo the Administration of the country ; and, unless they spoke their minds freely—unless they expressed, in strong terms, those opinions which he believed most of tha People felt, they would remain in their present' condition for monthsand years to come--(Applause). The remedy was, however, within their own reach. They bad it in their power, when they were called on to elect Gentlemen to represent them in Parlia ment, to send such individuals to the House of Com mons as would speak the sentiments of the people— (Applause). With regard to the additional Resolu tion which had been moved by an Honourable Friend of his, he did not know, if his advice had been asked, whether he would have recommended it as a part of the proposed Address. Probably he would not have done so : but he was so convinced, in his conscience and in his heart, that no permanent, no lasting good could be effected for this country, except through as alteration in the Representation of the People, that he would support the Resolution—(Applause). He rejoiced in Meetings of this description ; and the more frequently the people turned the subject of Re.' ' form in their minds—the more they diicuss it amongst themselves, publicly and privately—the more would they see the necessity of adopting a con stitutional mode of effecting that important object— (Cheers). He had nothing more to say on this occa-I sion, except to state, that, if he were the last speaker, he would move the thanks of the Meeting to those Gentlemen whci had, with so much energy, and with so much anxiety for the prosperity of the country, signed the Requisition that had been presented to the 1 High Sheriff—(Applause). He hoped that the people! would turn the subject of Constitutional Reform over and over again in their minds. The means of effect ing such a Reform were in their own hands ; and, if they considered the subject well, they would ill the end do that constitutionally which never could be done except constitutionally—(G4eering). Colonel RUSHBROOKR opposed the Resolution pro posed by Mr. Grigby, as having nothing to do with the real business of the Meeting. The original Re solutions stated, in the strongest terms, that the relief ' of the Agricultural Interest, to be of any avail, must be immediate. But before Parliamentary Reform could be obtained, the Agriculturists might sink into irretrievable and hopeless ruin. He could not per ceive the connexion between Parliamentary Reform and Agricultural Distresi. They appeared to him to have nothing to do with each other. Lord CALTHORM regretted the necessity which impelled him again to address the Meeting ; but he must say, that the Resolution relative to Parliamen- 'tatty Reform took him by surprise. In saying i he begged it to be understood t 'thatte was not 7.4 [ enemy to Parliamentary Reform ; on the c. , ltrary, he WAS rather a friend to it than citherwi,e ; b u t h e objected to the introduction of the subject on the pie. sent occasion, for these reasons: first, because, a s f ar as regarded himself, he gave his pledge to support the Resolutions originally proposed, as they thea stiuod. Thry seemed to him to be well calculated t l produce unanimity in that Meeting; and they e „ n . twined a distinct recommendation of retrenclutmt. Now, as he was persuaded that perseverance in su f . porting the Resolution in favour of Reform w oo f,' disturb that unanimity which was so desirable on thi s occasion, and on which the whole effect, imp ee „; on. and respectability of the Meeting depended, he f ro , rt express his regret that it was brought forward ; at.; he, for one, would decidedly object to it—(Grro c? , :- ntour).—There was also another reason why h e t o t , himself called upon to object to its introdu( tio.. at tizs • time—that reason was, because he understo , ),l the object of.the Meeting was to consider of, An d to represent to Parliament, the best meiins of an immediate alleviation of those burdens preised most heavily on the agricultural itnete,t— -( Load cries of" Reform is the only remedy !" ;,_l;, thought there was no man, however friendly he r n ; z , t be to Parliamentary livform, who could mill 1 , 7 . .suade himself that the insisting on a Ilesolu this nature, on the present occasion, could conduce :a the relief of the agricultural classes. lie cou!‘t think that the new Resolution could operate other wise than injuriously to the main object which they all had in view. Sir W. Rowuts , begged leave to return his thanki to the High Sheriff for the promptitude with which he had called the Meeting, and for the impartiality which had marked his conduct during the dab. He was extremely unwell, and therefore could nut make those exertions which were necessary in addressin; ! a Public Meeting—(Here the Honourable Baronet be came quite inaudible). Sir H. lltmunv—My Honourable Friend is unwell that he cannot speak. Sir W. RowLEY—Although he could not address the Meeting, they would next week find him at ::is post, exerting every nerve in support of their Pe:i. don—(Applause ).—He hoped he never was found wanting to his duty, when any tax was pointed out to him as affecting their interests. Sir W. MIDDLETON also thanked the high Serif —(A voice in the crowd-44 We cannot believe any of you, until you drop your rents. «e want deeds, nut words.") —He should be glad to know whe.'ier . sv.ti a tenant of his who had just spoken in the cross..? If he were, let him come forward and chew himself._ (The interrupter exclaimed, 44 l'il meet you half way," which occasioned much laughter.) The llnn. Baronet proceeded to say, that he would n act addressed the Meeting, if some oi l nis:tion been manifested towards Parlialientary Refoi m— (Applause). If there had been a Parliamentary Re. form before the last expensi se and destructive wa r , they never would have been iu such a situation as that in which they were now placed—((;rent Ap plause). He was very confident that the necessity of Reform must be manifest to the good sense of every one who heard him, with the exception cf a few Gentlemen who were near him in that wa:44,0:1 (Cries of" Ihey are interested parties"). But he sitcu:d be glad to know whether tile people objected to Le.- form ?—( Cries If.. No, no.") Ile would ask whe:Ler the people were ti uly represented ?—(44 arr. - ) I: was a notorious fact, that seven Members were sent to Parliament from that County by fourteen indivi duals—(" Shame"). Was this a fair representrtica of the people in Parliament ?—(" No.") The mass cf the population amounted to 8,000,000, and about 8000 persons returned all the Members of Parlia ment. He strongly recommended Parliamentty Reform as the only remedy for the evils which over whelmed the State. The HIGH SHARIFF then put all the Resoltitons. seriatim, except that relative to Parliamentary Kt form. They were carried by acclamation. Lord CALTHORPE.—I move that the ItesolaS.r: which the High Sheriff has now read be signe,: ,)y him on the part .f this Meeting. (A great uproar i:olf took place. The persons assembled, with scarcely an exception, called for the Resolution respecting Re form, and vociferously declared that that subject: should not be passed over unnoticed.) With much difficulty a cessation cf noise was ob tained, and the High Sheriff proceeded to put the last of the original Resolutions, which recommended the embodying of those which preceded it into a Petition to the Commons House of Parliament, but he was as sailed with a loud cry from every part of the Meet ing to put Mr. Grigby s Resolution in favour of Ec• form. On his refusing to accede to this call the 3lect in4 expressed their disapprobation of his conduct. The Duke of NORFOLK then came forward, and silence was partially restored. He expressed a hire that the High Sheriff, after the impartiality %% i.h which he had that day conducted himself, would ct refuse to allow the opinion of the Meeting to be taken upon the propriety or impropriety of a Refor:n Parliament. He believed in his conscience that a Re form was the only means left to the country of avert ing still greater dangers than those by which it NAi present surrounded—(Great cheering). The HIOH SHERIFF, when the confusion had a little subsided, came forward, and said— ,, I conceive it would be so perfectly irrelevant to the purposes for which we are met together, to discuss this other subject, that I shall take the responsibility upon myself of not proposing the Resolution—(Great confiisiou'. Sir HENRY BUNRORY..--4t was allowed to be brought forward, to be seconded, and to be CallYASsed; was it just now to oppose it? If it was intended to offer any opposition to the Resolution, the proper time would have been when the proposition was first made- Having gone through so many stages, it was now al most actually passed—(Ckeers and cries of Shone The HIGH SHERIFF.,---" Lord Caltborpe oppod it when it was brought forward." Colonel RUSHBROOKE." We stated distinctly that We were taken by surprise." The thou SHERIFF said he was petrified at these proceedings. He had himself a clear opinion upon the subject, and that opinion was fortified by those of others in whom he placed confidence. DY ail these opinions he felt himself fully justified in with holding his consent from the Resolution in questio 3 --(Cries of Shame, Shaw.) The Mutt Simms then again came forward aua ,• I .s • C• :7 a e- - er It it ci a- y If ro ly !)- Lit is- it. c. pe ct rn in a re es er )c .1; to lI- cJ I