The Statesman. — London, England, 1815-02-24 00:00:00

:: . • • - rtlik sTAgrkANiAfq. -- esppbrt and PrOleited: by abides : iUmtnet lamenting to a pro: • lift. IfUSKISSON said , the queitifla ivy k • ..---...raosragagair air. PIIOTHEROE said, that when this measure consideration on earth should induce him to of UM community, end ov ., alerted originally, he was in to entertain it. He thought, however, that it was more likely to Mbition. g sh e o ne oi r d al n in o t t er b e e st d t e o c. a d i e lllayses o great a jealousy that Government was i nu it„ e d t o t h row I p ro d uce an e ff ec t directly the contrary. lie had Mr. nottivr.it commenced a speech of great eta their preponderating weight into the scale of the listened taith great attention to all the arguments• (pence and ability •by paying a very 1 d i mere l y by reference to first l an d e d interest ; but the Right Ron. Gentleman who ' that *had been urged on the other side, and he had Aliment to the. !tight tan some cons. principles. It was cOmplicoted with lion. Mover of the Resolnof eve ry subject brought forward the measure had done kin so fair i pot foetid a single argument that appeared to him (ions—who, he observed, had treatedthe . potttical economy. With such a variety of in.. than question in terests, apparently conflicting, yet oil the same, it a manner, that he was inclined to countenance it so, warranted by the principle which ought to govern a much more statesmanlike f ar as the lower prices might be thought fit to be : Mix case . We were told at one time, that by raising Gentlemen wh o h a d . maun d er, b t . an any of the , was impossible not to approach the subject with great supported is propositions. : ditfideuce. He comptimented tha speech of a dopted by the House. the price of bread corn, we were oppressing the le. lie then adverted to s ome M r. of the fanciful th eor ies A Member, whose name we could not learn, spoke hearers. At another time we were told that we by which the Report L o rds' t• ! 1 Panannby en the preceding night, and entered into a of the ...emmittee way ; long detail, for the purpose of vindicatin g sherd? , on the question s but in so low a tone of would he increasing the price of labour. He could dis fi gured the tic -and proceeded to argue that the ' voice, that we could not venture to decide whether not see how it could produce both effects at the same soiling of the last speaker , which e'' rea- I curacy of the Report of the Committee. He denied _ he was in favour of or against it. time, or how raising the price of labour was oppress- necessity of restricting : .went . to prove the ;the principle that bread would be rendered cheap by Sir JOHN STEWART said, ire had given the ing the labourers. It was also said that c h eap bread cause different branches of the importation of corn, be- t importation, and answered it by the of the average manufactures were thus j last 20 years, when the importation was greater than r aaret the most serious consideration, and was de- ,was necessary in order to lower the price of labour protected, though it mi • h g t be a very good argument , . ~,t ra l y i n f avour of the measure. He disclaim e d, !of manufacturers. All those arguments appeared to ad hondnem was not fit to be ever. The average of the first ten years was 81s.aild bosever, all idea of any preference being given to i him to be completely unfounded. He hoped that he House, ris a ' reason for • . addressed to that of the last ten it was 9fts. lie considered that ha. belaud. All he wished was that the two countries I would he able to show, that those who wished for and, least of all, in a increasi ng those i utnctr.east of this. restraints , b tual independence ought to be an object with the should go hand in hand in such measu r e s as we re con. 1 restriction on importation, were as anxious as any (ant description. Takiens question most impor- country, and that some present sacrifices ought to be Taking the quest ion on the made to attain this desirable ead. With these n e t ted intimately, as this was, with their most vital other Gentlemen, that capital should be left free to grounds on which • 1 it was put by the Right Hon . feelings , and from ' • ofthe • l of a conviction i n terests. HP begged the House to look to the pre- t itself to the most profitable channels. The Gentleman ( Mr. Robinson), viz. that a ne cessit y measure which had been introduced by his Bight Hon. sen t state of Europe, and seriously.to consider how opinion of many who were the most competent to should be made out f or a d • opting the measure, he de- Friend, he should give his vote in favour of the re" El y prone the present rniperors and Crowned , form a right judgment on this question, agreed with : dared, that, in his view of the case , no necessity strictive price of /30s. , Beads on the_ Continent were to obtain the m os t his own, th a t it was necessary to i mpose some re- 1 w h atever had been proved to exist. It was one H of M r . ROSE an d Mr. USKISSON . enormous extension of their several dominions.— striction on the importation of corn. He considered i the consequences of the high price of corn during the plaited. mutually ex- England geoid not do so, and therefore her great that the giving the corn growers of our own country ! war, that a spirit of speculation was excited *1 the i i Mr. BARING then stated, that it was not his ant should be to extend her population, which what was most improperly called the m o nop o ly o f landholder, which could not be supported now. But intentions to divide the Committee oti his amendment . avoid only be done by the most assiduous protection the home market,would, in fact, be a means of keeping 'he would ask, was that any reason to justify a per- Ile wished to . vindicate himself, however, f o r agriculture , by which means they might in a few down the price of grain. What was generally and ! torment measure ? lie would allow, that it - from some i made not misrepresentations [Here the clamour, of Questiorl pars add at least 10,000 tc• the populatiou of the properly called a monopoly, was when one or more a Leese which called for temporary relief, and the part interrupted the Ton. Member.] gantry. individuals had the power of raising the price of of the United Kingdom most to be pitied, 'was Ire- . Mr. , Bearing' s amendment " f or s t t im e to b e li- Mr. MORRIS said, it was impossible to discus s their commodities at thei r pl easure; b u t no b o dy : land, f or it was t h ere the inconvenience was most se- suited" was thew put, And negatived without a dint. C l ic question fairly, without referring to general could suppose it possible for all the corn growers of verely felt. The termination of the war had with- : sion. principles. Perhaps the immediate effect of the mea. England ever to meet together, and agree what was the drawn the main spring that afforded an artificial sti. ' i The original question being then put, sure being carried would tend to raise the price of price that they should fix on corn. He should now ; mules to her industry. It. was , in his opinion, a i Sir M. W. RIDLEY rose and Moved as an k amend_ provviintis, and that would of course Increase the price give a short statement of the history of our corn certain proof of the a d v a ncem e n t o f I re l an d that so I ment, the inse r ti on o f th e words 4 . '.• ' Ttl sh i l l ings" in etkOeur, which every one declared was highly in. system. In the reign of King James I. the imports. : great improvement had taken place in her trade and stead of "80 shillings." r j u rioas to the country. In the mean time it must be (ion was unrestricted, and the following were the . agriculture, as to enable her to participate in the ado I Mr. F. LEWIS thought it was desirable to know admitted, that while be assumed this, he was obliged prices, on the average of 1 vantages of a general peace. The disadvantage felt by what was to be done i n the future cal cu l a ti on o f I to confess that the above was not a certain eff ec t. It 10 Years, eliding 1625 . . , el 14 0 a r ich co un t r y, o n th e s u dd en t erm i na ti on o f hostili- averages ? should also be recollected, that there were many Intro, ming 1645 . . 119 o ties, was always greater than that of a poor one. Th 0 I A long conversation then ensued on the sub act of Ditto, eadiug 1665 . . 2 4 4 c ou ntries where the price Of provisions were by no more numerous the channels in which capital was em. I the averages, in whitat it was allowed by the jCharl mans equal to that of labour, and yet it wa s well It appeared, then, that with an unlimited importation, PloYed , the greater the inconvenience of forcing that ' cellor of the Exchequer, M r . Hoioisso„, and m i .. k no wn, and had been clearly aaceroained, that the r e the prices kept regularly rising. In the year 1670, capital into different channels, when the artificial ones ' Robinson that the greatest difficulties ex i s t e d , an d were no labourers more miserable than in those during the reign of Charles 11. Acts were passed for were removed; and this peace of 1814 was the one in 1 that it was almost impossible to find their way out eountrios where provisions were most cheap. The the protection of the agriculture of this country. which Ireland, for the first time, felt that inconve- lof them. manufleturers in this country were, in his opinion, From the time of passing those acts, the price of corn, nience. That a quantity of the lands lately taken 1 M r , FRANK LAND LEWIS thought the business much mi.takeit in the supposition, that the imports- which had been regularly rising for sixty years began into cultivation, and applied to the production of Ought to be settled before th e R eso l u ti ons passe d tion of foreign corn was of that consequence that they regularly to decline, and the average of twenty years corn, could on ly b e cont i nue d i n th a t way by keep. in which he was supported by Mr. Baring, Mr. ao:iched to it. The question now before the House ending 1764 (nearly 100 years after passing those lug up the high prices, he would admit ; that a ; Whitb rea d, M r . R ose , M r. W m. Smith, and several ass, whether they should abandon the measure pro- Acts) had fallen to 11. I Is. Bd. the quarter,which was loss of the capital expended for that purpose would! o th ers . - ' • • le-.•d in acquiescence to the clamours raised against some% hat lower than the price had been at the begin- be the consequence of the reduction of those prices, i Mr. BARING meted, that the Chairman retort in, or persevere in a line of conduct which they could ning of the reign of James I. From the year 1764, he would grant to the advocates of the measure : progress, and ask' leave to sit again; on which the fatly say, at least, had not impoverished the country; when this system of protection to our own corn but still, he contended, that the measure was no re. gallery was cleared, but no division took place. but, on the contrary, has prevented us from depe,d- growers was overturned, the country, instead of an medy even for this, especially if, as en Honourable Strangers were not again admitted, b a t we understood, ing o n f or eign nations for the supply of ou r most exporting became en importing country. We became , Friend of his had contended, the operation of the after being exclud e d near an h our , t h at the "a m necessary wants. ; not only dependent on foreign supply, but from the measure would be t o r educe the price of corn. One of adjournment was disposed of without a division * Sir W. CURTIS thought that any one would be time we so became dependent on foreign nations, thethe :of leading arguments in favour of it, was the and the debate continued on a new question, moved led to suppose from theargnments of many Gentlemen, price of corn in our own markets regularly and rapid- ; necessity of making this country independent of by Sir M. W. Rtritzst, that instead of 80s. the price th a t the Coro Trade had never b e fo r e been under any ly encreased. lie could not conceive how two ' foreign countries for subsistence. That, he would or 765. should be inserted; i n th e course of w hi c h restrictions. There was no greater proof that it was systems could have been more fairly tried by the test . allow, wou ld b e a very goo d reason , if it was well Mr. BAKING moved another amendment, that it ale aysthe intention of the law to protect the farmers, of experience. For • a petiod of sixty years before founded. But what was the fact ?—The Member should be fixed at no. than that the existing law protects them up to 635. the protecting Acts were Pused in the reign of King for Essex had stated, that the importation from A division then took place— par quarter. As that Act was now in operation, and Charles 11., corn was regularly encreasing in price. I foreign countries could not be very great ; and be For the price of 80, . . 109 the ports were shut against importation, lie should Pei 100 years that elapsed after that period up to I t was justified in concluding, that, though a small For that ofles. • • Alai. rty . 65 . ..--Is4 wish to try the effect of the rocistitig law before any the accession of his present Majesty, corn had regu. quantity might greatly a ff ect the market on parti . The mein , . w.. tw then weed wow the if at rot) I alterations were made on it. He thought it appeared lady decaeased in price; and when the protecting cubit days, it would have but an inconsiderable in. The udjeareert. on be pretty generally agreed that some price or other system was overtured in 1764, then corn immediately fluence On the average of the whole year. But be mist be fixed as a remunerating price to the farmer. began to rise to a price that was never before known the importation ever so groat, the consequence would That which was fixed in 1804, lie was convinced was in this country. It appeared to hint hard for any not be to render us dependent. If it was, he approved not sufficient now. He conceived, however, that non that considered those circumstances, not to allow lof any course that could prevent it, not upon any sOs. was too high a price to Sit, and that 729* would that the protecting system was not only the most be. ! narrow principle of commercial jealousy, but upon be sufficient. neficial for the country, hut the best means of keeping ; one of fair political jealousy, and with a view to our Sir EGERTON BRYDGES thought that many , corn at a price pertnatiently low. Much had been own defence. But was it the fact that France was a Gentlemen who had spoken had dwelt entirely upon said of the mischiefs of f orci n g ca p ital into channels I large export country in this respect ? If so, he would what was only mie branch of the question. They which were comparatively unproductive. Nobody i consider it a decisive proof of her impoverishment. . argued that if corn became cheap, every thing else could, however, say that capital being employed in a —Paradoxical as the position might appear, it was would become cheap also, and that thiageueral cheap.: way that yielded little profit, rendered the articles on rich countries t that took the grain, and poor ones 'which it was employed dearer than they would other- that gave it. T he Importation from' France lately ness would re-act upon the expellee of growing corn. It was certain that, in many instances, prices had 1 wise have been. Th. only consequence of it would i was merely the casual result of the extraordinary fallen. It appeared to him, however, that much of : be, to diminish t he wea lth that mig ht have been produce of the last year. We could bare a regular this diminution of prices proceeded from the depres- ! acquired from it, if applied to more profitable objects. supply at all times from' the Baltic, from the•Neth . _ero 'inn of agriculture; which by diminishing the funds 'lt was a questi on, then, whet her it was not worth the I lands, from Holland, a n d from America, and,, . sacrifice of a little wealth in order to produce a therefore , mired not be afraid. The onaa_aw_ to, , . imagine . ohich produced a demand, necessarily reduced the If we were to consider any material inconvenience was by supposing If agriculture, however, should recover its greater quantity of grain. . !,ices. he effect of restricted importation out other things, what could not be denied to be a possible case, after 1 rusperity from any causes, the prices would again , t instance iron. We had now a greater what had already taken place, a combination of the ..se. He considered that agriculture was of higher he should first it portance to any country than manufactures. quantity of iron of our own production, than there whole world against us. Even in that cise, what did 1.1....._ . Mr. LOCKHART observed, that many Gentle- . was in the country when we entirely depended on experience say? Why, that from 1810 to 1812 the —ad to 11 did nut know that attempt was made; and yet during that very period -- aaa - ear.. men seemed to conceive, that the only consequence foreign supply. ..e ~ however, it would be an loss to the county , if we had less we had the largest importation that erer was know°, ---:".t.:oitte..- of not granting any protection to the corn grower, . 1 . Ile was sup. not only from other countries, but from France it- -"" tlrrlaaiii; - .....rer lands would be thrown ' manufactured goods, and mo:e gram. _ CO.II,VON HALL. Yesterday there was a Meeting of tfie trial soft Citizens of London, held at Guildhall, to take int, consideration the propriety of petitioning both Houses of Parliament, upon the proposed alteration. in the Corn Laws, now under consideration in the House of Commons.—The Hall was crowded to. excess. At one o'clock the LORD MAYOR took the Chair, amidst the loudest acclamations. His Lordship proceeded to siddress the assembly. He said he had conceived it to be his bounden duty to call to.. gether the Liverr and Corporation of London, for the purpose of submitting to their consideration, what was now' passing in Parliament, relative to the Corn Laws of the Kingdom, lie viewed. with I,felt uneasiness, the intended orohibitiee,.,a, Till be adt . tilfre Mould ;n wheat, unless corn sl rd - not ro ailterit would be that the poorer lan_ out of cultivation. They d:d not, however, appear to be aware, that it was impossible to withdraw ca pital once. embarked in land. The capital was ern- Ithe land, and in leer' . _ ~ ~ ported in this opinion by the authority of a writer, whom many gentlemen in that house looked up to as a sort of oracle ; he meant Doctor Adam Smith. — That writer had expressly laid down, " there were self. Another ground of argument was, that it would make the price of grain more steady. The best, indeed the only effectual way of doing this, was by pursuing a direct contrary coarse, by giving ployed iu the amelioration of an, ping it up in that state. A merchant or tradesman who kad embarked in what he found to be a losing trade, might, at a moderate loss, %ell out his stock in trade, and recover at least part of his capital. That, how. ever, was not the caw with men who sunk their ca pital in the amelioration of land. If the land upon Mhich they had so expended their money were to be two cases in which it was for the general advantage to lay some burthens on foreign trade for the pro tection of the domestic commerce of the country. — The first was, when, as in the Navigation Act, the protection went directly to the defence of (he coun try." He should add to this first case, that when the subsistence of the people was concerned, then it order t , have the corh-fictor to know, that wheneerlyve de: mantled it we could have it from abroad. An attempt was made to show how greatly the price had fluctu ated during the last seven years; but the fact was, that it had fluctuated less than' in any other seven years before or since the Revolution. So far it ap peared, that none of th.e objects proposed by the likely to be )lished bn the thrown out of cultivation, their whole capital was was right to sacrifice a little wealth in order to . bread. He conceived that in this opinion he was last. He would, however, wish to know what it was that was meant by low land, that should he quite fortified by the aotholity of Adam Smith, who thrown out of cultivation ? If all the light sandy allowed that for the defence of a country, such a soils were to be ranked ender that description, he measure as the Navigation Act would be perfectly believed that it would include a great part of the soil Proper. And yet the Navigation Act might be con of England. If they were all to be taken away from sidered as, in some degree, a sacrifice of national agriculture, lie wished to know what was to re- wealth; for the Hon. Gentteman (Mr. Baring) could Elaiii ? It corn was only to be raised upon the rich tell the House that freights might be somewhat cheaper if we would employ foreign vessels. He lauds, the price of it would increase to an enormo us amount. You would then see as the poet had de- agreed with an Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Whitbread) is scribed it— . I not thinking that there was any great danger of be . " A peniontry. lib! onstage! pride, • rag inundated with foreign corn ;h e rather f e ar ed Wilco on( e de,lenyed, esa never ie supplied." I that if we were absolutely to depend on foreign sup. Lord COMPTON aropoited the Restolations. ' ply, we should at some time or another experience Mr. .1. I'. GRANT laid", that before the question the most distressing scarcity. The second cause was put, he felt very anxious to state his reasons for which appeared to Adam Smith to justify the laying supporting the Resolutions. lie could not help con- on a tax on foreign manufacture, was when any gratulating the Committee on two circumstances.— branch of our domestic industry required protection. lit the first place, be had to congratulate them on the In order to show to what a degree our manufactures support given to the measure by his Maty's Minis- were protected from foreign competition, he could ten; a support for which he thought that the cows• prove that, on an average, the ad valorem duty on try was much indebted to them. In the next place, the productions of foreign industry was not less than belied to congratulate them on the change of opinion 591 per rent. lie should now enumerate the duties whirl' had taken place among many men whose opi- that were laid on the principal branches of foreign nions were entitled to the highest consideration.— manufactures:—Woollen good, percent. ad valorem, Among those m e n , he could not avoid alluding, with 10014 cotton ditto, 851. 101.; glass, 11.41.; brass tilo greatest satisfactiou, to the Representative of the and copper, 591. 7s. ; earthenware. 791.; dressed 1 r-: -4 and most opulent manufacturing city in Scot. leather, 14`11.; silver plate, 801. ;*gilt ditto, 1001.— (to f. conceive that ho Iwo alluded so Mr. Fin. lie would not enumerate many lesser articles, but %' If he considered the effect of this meant* this was sufficient to show that almost every leading " raise permanently the price a f ain, no branch of our rusaufaottuat was abundantly Gnarled vanc4l — o un~orC. Stour Ithistegievit lamitoal_p!ice o . and 18d.--[llear, bear!]--, ing soili an attempt made, and that by the House of Commons, to 61 each t maximum or minimum, as the exorbi- tent one proposed, he felt it would be a feeling un• worthy of his high situation, and a complete dere. fiction of his duty, if he had not called them thus together.—[Bear ! and applause.]—ln fact, he eon. . sidered he woold have acted unconstitutionally, had he overlooked the threatened evil—an evil which was directed not only against his fellow.citi. *no, but the community at large.--Cliear, hear!] une, were b. iy . _ scc o mp►, other hand, they were to consider the disadvantages did not wish to attribute - improper or unjust likely to result frotn Interfering with this great ,Motives to any set of men, or to oppose the interests branch of what be might calf our domestic trade.— of• agriculture against those of commerce ; but it It would injure the manufacturing interests, by was highly necessary, on his part, to point out the raising the price of the necessaries of life, and the mischievous proposition in question, from whatever price of labour to keep pace with them. It would ,quarter it came, and. to **rn fellow.ci►isens embarrass us in our foreign competitions; for against the certain effects of t 5, Measure. if carried though we had two great advantages, capital and late a law.—[Luuti applente.]—The country, for a skill, they were not necessarily domicile, they might period of L 4 years, had patiently borne the burdens ay to oilier countries. With this prospect Of serious of sin expensive war, and these' hardens •had fallen, competition acknowledged by all was At ntit Jerome Ink great degree, upoe the middling and laborious to hear the Legislature talk in the same breathe of classes of the community.. Was the country, then, increasing the taxes and raising the articles of life, upon the return of peace, dole to suffer new, pri. and the price of labour? lie deprecated in very strong rations and distress ?--[He r, beer 11: — Was the, terms the practice of paying the labourer partly out . return of peace to be unaccompanied .with Its of the poor rate , a practice which had its rise in the consequences, and the bounty or Providence to be high price of corn, which they were now about to converted into calamity lilt! starvation ?--[Hear render perpetual. When they knew not what . prices —No; he trusted that Ouch pernicious evils %you were, they were about to legislate for prices. ' With be arrested and prevented. The population of the their debt increased, with their money in ditorder, cowry was about twelve millions of souls : of this and their labourers paid by au abuse of the poor population the landed interest, who are the great rates, they were about to make a permanent advance supporters of the measure, formed a Iseirtieth part! in grain. Any man who could look at such a And was it to bewi►dered, that they should force complicated picture without apprehensions must this obnoxious measure upon the whole coon have stronger nerves Ulan . he had. It was impos- tryl—Uleer 1) .Were they to dif a, maximuns qr Bible that they could Out their eyes to those Con- 'Minimum of corn fttr such a population, to the sidemtions, and difficult not to see that the best 'eertain Har court*, ender all the circumstances, was to do no- as certain mar thing. pa when they came to the standard of 80s. tempt must it could not be supported by the report, and even people ; and on dititi Own view mast be reduced, if attempted at all. bets of Parliamew . . aed ruin of the litter, for tlieir own, de antage end profit ?--11•Heitrti The at. be resided by the great body of the I thoegh it was a qualification for Mem. aliment to swear they were landed pro. , , I. e 9 id ate tia A•• of .~