The Statesman. — London, England, 1821-06-27 00:00:00

. , ' ~• y fir 40 - . eitip.44l-' IM Tbs B Inlet read a third duo, gsvestion was put s' that the Bill should pass." Lasi MILTON said, he thought that at all events The Comasiatiosers ought to be persons already holdiag .tees, sod whine time was nut sulkiently *tripled by their edictal ditties. Three years ago the House appointed tkonstissinners for inquiriug into the abases wf Charities. and drelered that so toe sof them should receive emoluments for their services. He believed there were seventy priori is tie. Hoare holdiag plant under the Crown, and sorely some of those might b. •feend with leisure time sulkiest to enable them to pirferm the labour of the Commissioa. For their present salaries. he was assured, they did little or no. this'. Besides, be thought a salary in prospect was much mere dangerous in principle than a salary in advanec. The Noble Lord then rescinded by moving .a clause similar in effect to that which had bees moved by Mr. Dermas, incapacitating the Members of the Commission from receiving salaries for their labour. The House immediately divided, niter, there ap- .~ - • ,pearcil— • For the Chose, 35—Against it. 81—Majority, 46. NEW LANARK. Ur. MAXWELL rose, pursuant to notice, to move :for the appointment of a Commission to examine into • the in sibility of Mr. Omen's plan. The Hon. Member spike as' follows is painful to contemplate the tinkesluess sad famine in the midst of plenty—to bear that the shower of May and the sunshine of Jnly are curse ; so know that those who clothe our fields with :Inttni•innee, and animate the landscape with their • • • •flOcks l / 2 . must withdraw their eyes from the smiling face of itatitee to the bitter perspective of a bankruptcy and a dungeon. When we behold the ignorant Stoicism of those who have induced such disorder in practise, and such impiety in theory, like Nero looking with unpitying eye on the sorrows they have caused, ire are tempted to exclaim in the words of an amiable French woman, on tracing the ravages of the modern Brennus in Switzerland, " bra monlagnes forent rercluyantes engine autrefois lee prairies florissuntes commie pais, ie ester d'hoane seal puerquoi ti'etoi, if qn'un de.vri." The calamities which have sprung from corn laws, inequitable to the consumer, and . useless to the agri culturist—from a sacrifice of the present generation • by a Vansittart, to atone for the folly of a past one under the auspices of a Pitt, have travelled through the labouring classes, and the productive capitalists, and are now settled on the land-owner, and those who could not appreciate the effects upon others, doomed labour to die down to level of wages, or visited t heir convulsive movements with the stern Com ression of military power. are subjected by the perfect justice of Providence to a more con vincing evidence, by its action upon themselves.- 1 hope they have nearly expiated their offence against 11-e-Iven by their neglect of the manufacturing districts, and that the time is fast approaching when the monied icterest will find it right to yield the inequitable increase which the Legislature with good intentions, and great fully, have ignorantly bestowed upon it, and to lower their rent upon the community from five to four per rent.; to obviate the tardy but certain application of the sponge of necessity. 1 lament the sufferings of the Landlord, of the Merchant, and of the Manufacturer; but their interests will be protected who hold Buroughg, or thrust themselves on the House through the tralick i:og privileges of the Citizens of Cornwall. My object is to call the attention of the House to the unrepresented labourer of the British Empire. who has drained his best veins for the House of Hanover, and now with Ur pared force, but unshaken fortitude, is working Ike, weasel of the state out of that maelstrom into which a rash and ignorant pilot bad steered it. I shall endea vour to prove, not that the poor man has been ill-treated hv the Legislature, or that he has been neglected by the llovernment, bat that his interests have been misotnoler s'oud, and his condition overlooked, both by one and the other; and that the indignation whirls he feels against his wealthy neighbour, and his want of loyalty to the institntions of the country, is misdirected, and in Some degree misnpplieol. The inclosure of commons s••.ee the year IND, has been stated by a judicious and intelligent inquirer into the principles of labour, and of Poor Laws, to amount to 3,500, and that the increase of th? Poor Rate appears to have kept pace with the less of their common rights—the green meadows, which our benevolent and wise forefathers had destined as the life rect property of successive generations of villagers, the solace of their earning homes, and the arena of their in fantine gambols has become the haunt of the petty fogging Attorney, or the unsightly viila of some sordid money lender. The poor man• dependant on his ern ployer, became the menial of the farmer and tradesman, instead of his independent and unshackled domestic. But Mr. Pitt, by arestri (lion on the issue of a metallic currency, and along and expensive war, soon rendered the nominal ;hitting of tlreat Britain, the real 'sixpence of barter, and the employer found it better to give money than subsistence to his work *pie. . Unable to maintain his fan ily in the decency of a happier era of his life. the uncomfortable and mortified man sought refuge in the crowded assemblies of. manufacture, where, if his mean appearance was loss noticed, and his Ismaili*. tien unknown,- a less cleanly' cottage, and equal wises, were gladly exchanged 'for those altered scenes, that humble positipn which degraded his mind and wounded his.spirit. But here, alas he was dooqsed t;raiteet with new miatortunes, anti no sooner had, the eafiavagaids'ystemisf Mr. Pitt *carried transmit° a gisin point, thadartilicial labour evading hit burdens, wallauncheolin faildaxea eliaticity, to tear the ahum iatit• supply of bread, which loans at home, and ex desire- einunsiree abroad, ;vas beginning to bring Kist the wor:.min's reach , , as it ii alteudv done . to be othvr Oasis° el iniert. Ag-aiti,l!',utaglit back to •• • . • which he was before with his fellow employer ; but Isis t was lawful to the manufacturer scalding leaven audacious bead. Dis . with Isis employer, machinery, and, caught or transported to _ coldinement or ha banero sent back to or ma pivot and Tasty steam engine, the 'degradation of human nature. This I believe to be a faithful pic ture of the unrepresented labourer, who will, whilst I have a seat in this House, never want a feeble, but I hope, a sincere advocate; and I ask the man who bas the common courage of his species, if these wrongs might not have tempted him to take up " arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them," as my misguided and suffering countrymen did at Bonny- Nair. If any one can doubt that this is the situation it the labourers of this country, let then, inspect the hulks, the jails, the bridewells, the penitentiarks— let them read the press which writes for the poor—let him visit the manufacturing distriets—let him examine the most religious and loyal part of the artisans and mechanics of the island, and his scepti cism will disappear. Crime and disaffection could n..t grow as they do, in spite of the exertions of the reli gions philanthropy of the public, if ##### e great injus tice did not exist in the distribution of the profits of labour, or in the imposition of the public burdens : the violent language of the press.conlil not be relished if the people ofthisenlightened land *la not feel them selves deeply injured by the privileged and infhtential classes of society. The orations of a demagogue, anti the inflammatory style of an editor, are the effects and not the cause of public dissatisfaction; both are the barometers of the sentiments of their readers, and their interests makes them, as much as their specula tive opinions, a faithful index of political feeling.— Having made there remarks to shew the motive and impressions which have led me to take the petition of the County of Lanark, I shall proceed to point out what appears to me to be the nature of Mr. Owen's schemes. Although my practical efforts have been and will be directed to another change!, and devoted to reduce taxes, not only to relieve the lahour of the country from the fetters of a forty per rent. property tax, but to save it from the undue influence of the Crown, and from misgovernment. Mr. Owen con ceives, that the sabstitiition of the spade to the plough, and are-union of rural labour to the task of the arti san and mechanic—with a judicious combination of the general stock of industry, and with the savings o f fuel, of the profits of retail and of time in the manage ment of a family, added to A system of education, eti forcing the practice of honesty, sobriety, industry, and benevolence, smith % permit the working' classes of so ciety to derive most of the necessaties and a greater . share of the happiness of life; and retette theta from the degrailadon and its consequences—vice and dist lofalty, which now has become their lot. How far his conception is just, how far his theories might be re ducible to practice, it is iinpgssible to say ; but he undoubtedly has rendered that establishment over which he presides unusually and peculiarly exempt from bad feelings and from profligate lives, without in any way wasting the property over which lie is su perintendent and joint proprietor, aid gh restricted in his plan by want of laud, and inroevenienced by a too numerous population and an imperfect habitation. The tentlen..y of his piaii would unquestionably be to increase the consumption of the poor, and consequently to augment the value of all articles of home production —of course, to render taxation less oppressive, and to diminish the expenses of tiovernment, by reducing the dumber of starving and dissaifected persons. The Hon. Member condusieJ by moving that an Addresss be presented to his Majesty, praying that he will be graciously pleased to appoint a Commission to be sent to New Lanark, to examine into the condition of the working classes, and to inquire into any further arrangement proposed by Mr. Owen for the benefit of the labouring classes ; and to assure his Majesty that this House will pay the expense of the same. Mr. DAWSON seconded the motion. He regretted this motion had not been lironght forward at an earlier period of the Session, as an opportunity would then have been afforded by the result of the investi gation. of removing the o bjection of many Honour able Members on this subject. The time however was so far apropos, that the adoption of this motion was sure to los grateful to the suffering nation. They had got through the principal liminess of the year t they had voted the Supplies ; examined the estimates with patience and attention ; and discussed the causes of the distresses of the country. The Supplies were retained nearly at their maximum; the nation bad sunk deeper in its difficulties, and therefore be came less s- to support their burdens ; hot no re medy had been attempted to he practised. They had an agricultural Report, and lie wished he could Pay that none such had been made; for, with all doe respect for those who had produced it, he could not help regarding it as most inefficient to its purpose. After answering all the theories of every specula tive political economist, it summed up by declaring, that the merchant must be content to rartail the ex tent of his commercial undertakings, the landlord to receive less rents,, and the shopkeeper less custom. — ['his Report had completely disappointed the expec tation of the nation.. It was when the country was in this lathentable siate—when there Was no hope for the labourer and des,mir fir the landlord, that an Honourable and Learned Gentleman opposite (Mr. Seirlett) brouglit in . a Bill to regulate the adminis tration of relief to the poor, which was not only of a most inefficient nature, but dial calculated hs stultify the humane spirit of British legislation.--= Flom . the state in which the country was in he thought the House was bound to inquire into every plan presented to it•tviach held out a promise of re lief. The Honourable Member eulogised in forcible laoguage the •system- prise:lied at New Lanark. With regard -to those, . who opposed Mr. Owen's Plat, he woidil say to the sceptic, that no state of thinito cools' bit wors e , nod the prejudiced he. would hid look at the prog ressive advancement into the ire neral use of steam engines and .gal. Mr. Owen's Plan was - at least aaprovekts, 7 Sisti , trotts, who had Petitiiioed to that elfect.• • •• . V ~ -.... 41.ppklremasuaaumosaNP''''an'a•Inam""e""""'"""e"I.."PIP"r irite - ,,i ii ;__ ' Nw... -' any ifisakev of the Haase from receiving payment as niti ad Pelnailana with whlei Cillembrimsee undo, the Bill. let Mitered iota combinations 'Oho CHANCIII4OR of the EXCHIQUER said iaetkosen, id imitation of his rich cop a dhe s l ams world & s e rer the 0 itssiektmedotabowed him that what the eipittrist i the Noose bad airessig: agreed to, sod riabna - nnia Matti " poverty, and th sh woill reader the Bill nugatory. showered Ms his bernogh throat the Mr. DENMAN shoo wielder, hie &newt Ate' a tim CombinallimLaws on his ended meat, sad mid hi swam toe the mom of the H ai m nested with his rulers, enraged with ,"sent, en 16610041 w Of the BLit sad abash& awry the ad. hie istligsait feelings attacks machine itaiiiiisror DM (Mats anifill t sinidey. la the act, he is immured in a cell, or . *tisitirnti Welt then . ordered to silfisiraw, and tae New forth Wales. Tile term of cos House divides, igoodlii. D etua ies' sal AlAsdiDeat, nlslunest arrives, and his grey hairs , " Whin iheioAppe6ett - - r • . • • whiten on therpittatsee of poor rates, a for ibe Amendment, 31—Against it. 7S--Majo. automaton of some smoaked and gross - eitt).l4.- • - -- - • of human nature. This I believe to I, 4 L ~-- . ' - The Mimeos of IJONDOSDERRY said, a propo dikes similar to the present hatkormerly been rejected by the House, and he Mill had great doubt of the pro priety of deciding that Parliament thould cheer Well with the responsibility of deciding w the prospect held oat to the commenity by Mr. Oven's plan. The mode in which his Hon. F riend (Mr. Name) bad referred to the Reports which had bin aide to Par- Realest this Sessims imeremed their doubts. For, •if the Report of the Agricultural Committee, on which Committee he (Lord L.) had spent veiny a weary morning..—(A langh,)—was so unsatisfactory, what would the feelings of the country be, if, after being told that a Plan existed for bringing back the golden days of Paradise, and that Parliament had given into the trick, all the bright colours melted into air? In this free anti happy country, any plan of this kind would be sufficiently investigated without the inter vention of PATH meet. The Hon. Member had told us that the spade was preferable to the plough, and that we should never be happy till we were all digging --(A laugh,)—that a cotton manufactory could never, be carried on well till there was a Mr. Owen to take. care of the morals of the people when they came ont of the mill, so that society would lose its dispersed and independent character, and would be reduced to a' system of machinery which the lion. Member would drive out of the world except no applied to human beings. Ile protested agiinst the Ilotise of Commons being the proper body to take upon itself the investi gation of abstract principles, or of all new inventions, the success of which so of`su depended on the seal of the inven.ors. Ile hoped they would not undertake an inquiry which would add one to the fruitless results which were supposed to lower their character in public estimation. There were. large and intelligent bodies strhieli had a direct and lively interest in any plan for the improvement of the administration of the poor, and it was not necessary to a trial of Mr. Owen's plan (if lie held out any prospects) that the country should be carved out into parallelograms, in order to put the poor tinder the man 'gement of the Exchegiter. The state of discipline recommended by Mr. Owen might be applicable enough to poor houses, lint it was by no means applicable to the feelings of a free nation.— Ile did not stand there to any benevolent schesi.e, but lie felt it necessary to protest against Par liament being made the trihunai for investigating every abstruse p.iticiple and ever• nets scheme for moticiling the established order of s icie.y. He could not consent to the graminz of a Commission, which Ire was apprehensive would ultimately lead to mbar rassment in that House, without producing any useful result. •-- Sir W. DE CRES.P:GNY thought that the plan .'e screed at least a fair bearing. lie thought also Vie the Mime of Conmtjns was precisly the place for con sidering of ant• plan that might kid to the improve men► an i bettelit of the people. The system of educ•-a tinn adopted by Mr. Owen forced children to become gntol me►nbers of Society. llow much snl►rrior was that mode t. , the conduct of many 1C11.31014 in the me tropolis, which were sinks of iniqUity—which led ehil •:rrn into t:.e ways of vice and corruption, and which otizht to be suppressed by the police of the country ? Air. MUM:: said, that he subscribed to every prin ciple laid down in the speech of the Noble Marquess. The nature of the plan of Society recommended would take array from the British character that which was its boast and is I:rot-Mon, its native independence.— (Hest, hear.)—lt was tali! that Mr. t/o•en's establish ment was conducted with the utmost regularity s he admitted the fact, but one of his objections to it was, that it was much ton reetilar,—(.llaugh.)—There was too much regularity to leave room fur energy or iude peudence if man he not called upon by the pres sure of circumstances to think for himself, he will never thin!: at all. flowerer admirable the society of Mr. Owen might be under his own immediate eye, its principles could never be extended to a free and enter prising people. lie could not, however, sit down without expressing the respect and altteiration he felt f•or the virtues and the extensive benevolence of Mr. Owen. Mr. F. BUXTON said, that there was hardly one opinion uttered by the Noble M..rquess in which he did not concar.—(Hear,)—and there was hardle an ex pression made use of by his Hon. Fr;ionol (Mr. Max well) from which he did not slissept.—(A lanais.) Still there was one reason for his supportin; the present motion. Circumstances leol him to tile knowledge of the state of the workhouses, which were institutions for the direct production of misery and rice; it was impossible for any one to visit theist without bring struck with the miserable, squint!, and degraded ap pearance of the children ; but n ith respect to Mr. Owen's establishments, there were not to be found in any place so large a collection of children possessed of so much health, vivacity, spirit and thorilitr.—(Hear, hear.) Ile would agree to the motion, I;eeause the examination might lead to one important inquiry. namely. that of considering the best means of manag ing large institutions. He hoped that the state of the workhouses, containing a population of many hundred thousand persona. wonid be taken up by s Gentle ann, and shortly be brought under the cot.sideration of that House. • Mr. SCARLETT thought that the Towle proposed was not the most expedient mode of inquiry: if any Gentleman thought the principle good, perhaps the heat way, of proceeding would be to bring in a distinct' Bill on the Pult . ,ert. Referring to an olorserratien made by an llotoostrable Gentleman that evening, he (Mr. Srarlett) would only say that he never would hare brought its the Bill now before Parliament if he did nut think that it would tend to nine. Borate the condition of the pour. Ile thought that Honourable Onstlemen would ouly act fairly to ' hear arguments in favour of public theasures instead of anticipating - and aspersing them. Mr. H. GURNEY thought that the Plan of Mr. Owen was highly deserting of inquiry. 1 Mr. WILBERFORCE regretted that the motion had been bronglst forward at all. lie had the Itithest opi nion of the purity and disinterested benevolence of Mr. Owen's news ; but he thought a Connuiseion quite an. necessary for the proposed end. Any four or fire. Mem bers who would take upon them to emunine Alr. Owen's establishment, and put the. result of that examinitiOn on piper. would receive full credit from the public. fl'hus all useful intormation would be obtained without the danger of having it nmlerstodd out of that MUM that they took up the principle of Mr. Owen as a sort of panacea for the distress which at the present 'lament L wa* se generally felt And so mach to be deprofed. - ... • .• ►. - - Omar. the Dr inotimi . n'ta'ndmrimagaiNnsrtersarelenveldefl4lll.l°Ule vierrsollifTr.snotirta Of Mr. lathen's benevolence itill geed loteadone h e h od so &sit: His views, as far as W they wor f e p ee w ee ) and Wealth. would. through the medium o the prem. b e " it triee k"" n a o a the 'd pa be r a t i n a lAwee th. e. g . : 1'7 (04w . H ttesk, th." aid itsits asses* the dignity of that Mote to haulms ear inquiry oa the subject. Mr. CANNINIii said, that entertelaing Ia • nem he m = u fo n r w t i li ll e in u g i t7e ts ay an sa d y ge tr e ing tia li tm ew ig s btdis i of T.— wt. parage the object that he had la view. Mr. Owen had premed the matter epos him, and he (Mr. Canning) decl are d that he would vote, after hearing the argnmear e ea both sides, according to his conviction. He new tell say that b h le e wo mim uld be v r o . te a A ga gree ins i t e thi g to prz i g eees itior7o7tl: a p t la g rof alltlsr.o'aisenN:oubleldFleartatdoi thehetheinosn"mtarria"upgnnell'seketcatteinnhteddilit7iestatiota,:betrat;tii posed t a i l e l n t of o t the e gen principlesindividuality, iensdee rfdtsi a tA il refe i h r r le r je a n : rapesli amalgamation er. and who twhheireehwansasa w ide u of an individual by whom it was fostered, was naturally principlea turallyan which it was conducted anginas fur itssoceeesa a n cli and the to societystetio of the at large. Individuals congregate together on souse knuan and intelligible principle. Master and sir. yenta, landlord and tenants, workmen and a insnelw. Curers, were bound together by the closest relations, Teh r s vro o erfr : s rwt . ehaao sdine,kninonfitotrwil brat sad iner,:ailicit ot her,natural by private Interests and public ohligalons. Bat how w ,c riec tir e s i ngs ted g " tl : l 7 ohg a m Pe ie n i wo irs, to ols. o to r by any thin , , he bad heard that night. Whet was the . in.incesurnt to those persons? Were they to start as volunteers % If they di.l, he was convinced that a scheme rotumenr• ing in delusion mould end is disappoilitsarist. lie (Mr. Canning) confessed that he did not see any thing in the principles of Mr. Orren which ought to induce that House to diStne% the established relations of sa eiety in this country. He hoped that it was sot necessary for him to defend himself in that Hints. from any charge of religious bigotry.—(Cheers ). -Ile could not help saying, that as far as he knew, the cows• munity formed by Mr. Owen's was the first community in this country which professed no particular principles of religion. Religion, as far as regarded an was a consideration between bins and his Clod. Bat in a country where there was a national religion upheld and protected by the State, he would not impose penalties on those who might differ from that religion,—(Hear, ben) —but he thought that the peculiarities avowed by Mr. Owen, were not those which should be stamped by Var. liamentary approbation. lie thought that in %suit* eretion, Mr. Owen ought to Lave kept those petalia• rities to himself. Ile (Mr. Canning) dill not break isle the privacy of that Gentleman to learn his opinions, or leis peculiarities on patters of religion, Mr. 1/...ee openly declared them to the world. It was nut there. fore for Parliament to interfere with them. As this was one reason why he would rote against the present motion, he thought it necessary to state it. Nothinf that lie had said would discourage private individu ,: a from trying the experiment. After repeated and •,ne cessfnl experiments, the plan wonld come with plater chance of success before Parliament. Rut it was too much to ask for an implied plea t s. of the support and approbation of Parliament to a principle. after a lone course of trial and multiplied instances af success. The motion before the House. was a motion fur infornsati , in, but there was also a proposition to address the Crown to appoint a Commission to inquire into , the state of Mr. Owen's Institution at New Lanark, an.' that the Commissioners should report the result of their labonrs to that House. It was impossible for the house to scree to that proposition, for if the Commission were issued. the Commissioners, instead of reporting to the Hullo, should report to the Crown. By that cniirAii of . procre.i. ing it would throw a burden on the Executive 6arern. ment. It would become the ditty of Got ernment to re• commend to Parliament some measures founded on the Report. Then as to the other point, it was said that the House wanted information, and it was well ohserveil tint they lied the elements of a Commission before them If the Hon. Mover and Seconder, and the Worthy Baronet opposite, were convinced of the great benefits that were likely to result to the country from the general adoption of Mr. Owen's Plan, what prevented them from employing their time. their talents, soil their money, in making the inquiry whir!' they 40 anxiously pressed upon the House. They might do so without creating any expense to the country ; after making a journey down to Lanark, they 'mild have the pleasing task of bringing forward a distant proposition on the subject.—(A laugh.)—He objectr 4 to the mode proposed—it was inconvenient in itself. and inconvenient in its example. lie would soli against the motion with the less reluctance, brod' e the rejection of that motion would nut roar tie which was contemplated as likely to flow frog the principles of Mr. Owen. Time would link, the rill eiples better understood, and they might, at a.flittire period, be brought under the consideration of the Le gislature. in a more improved and tortured state. • Mr. W. SMITH said, that if the present qoe‘ti.)n was for the adoption of Mr. Oweit's plan, Ite-tr0 , 1 1 . 1 say no. But at the same time he felt it necessary to vote for an inquiry into the nature of that which was found to produce so moth local advantallt in the only part of the country in tvlsich it was tried. He should, therefore, support the 'notion. Sir I. C,OFFIN opposed the motion. I4rd A. 11A1111:1 ON contended, that the pit , adopted Icy Sir. Owen included the most strict observ ance of religion, and there were many Members of that House. who, if present, could testify the th krt . .- - He was anxious to support t he motion for intlei7.e. without at all pledging himself to th e details of plan. Mr. MAXWELL, in re;,ly, observed. that it not his intention to divide the Ho use u p on the lion. Mr. BROCUHAM said, that if the Honourabl e Member bad pressed the question to a diri*ie" , would have voted for the Inquiry. He r Wished t" "'ea" a mistake into which some Honoorable tlemrn had fallen with respect to Mr. tW He did not know what Mr. One n ' s ioni~(vi no " were, but he could assure the House, tkott if fault was to be found with the symest para dl4 Lanark, it was on the 'cote of too much "l i r . ' He (Mr. Brougham) was aware that there :ou great an observance of scowl religious Fri°. I . • r ~i V ifr lh ri I i