The Express.
London, England, 1847-12-13 00:00:00

HE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 13, 1847.

there Se a age ( Applaime.) Now I must say that
slam say fetingM Reedemd have been delighted to fled so
little reasden on the subject of free trade. (Hear.) I may
my that I lad no retakes; that the man who was a free trader
five, six, egthrt•yeeavesulaci, is • free-trader now. If men are
found weak awl in principle, it is only because they
had no mg slam printrp •at all to begin with. (Applause.)
What are the grounds on which we are now told to abandon
the principle of free trade? We are told that we have not
been prosperous for the last year or two in England. It is
true we have not; but the question is whether the aikesesldg
has sprung out of free trade, or whether it has spew. Oa
of monopoly. Our opponents tell us that we have had free
trade, and it has not answered ; but I say we have had 30
years of monopoly, and have not got free trade yet. Fur-
ther, it is said that tree trade in corn has caused those dia-
meters to the trade of this distriet which we have at the pre-
sent time to lament. Why, we have not had free trade fa
corn yet; we have only been passing through a trunnions
state ; we have only got half-way through the three years
we were to have of the fag-end of monopoly, and hare not
yet had trial of our principles at all. (Hear, limo) But
those 'mailmen who find fault with free trade in corn for
having produced the distrese of the last twelve months
neglect to show us bow the restriction on trade in corn
would have produced a better state of affairs. If I under-
stand our position for the last eighteen maths, we have beta
suffering from the want of the potato, from the failure of
the means of subsistence. We have had to lay out ten
millions in food to keep the Irish alive. I want to know
whether it would have benefited us under these circum-
stances to have had a high tariff. People soy that it had
produced a drain of gold to pay for the corn. Why, if we
had not bad the eon, if we had the gold many people that
are now olive would have been starved. I understand, for
I have not been in the habit of reading everything published
in the borough, but I understand that it has been charged
against me that I made predictions of prosperity that was to
arise front free trade in corn, which predictions have not
been verified. Gentlemen, I never did deal much is pro-
phecies, but I possibly might have told the working men,
that with free trade in corn we should have American flour at
three-halfpence a pound. I stick to that opinion still. (A
Voice "When ?") When we get free trade. (" Hear,
hear," and applause.) I believe I am charged, too, with
having stated that you would have more mills and
more employment, more houses, carriages, churches ond
chapels, with free trade. Yee, and I say no still. (Applause.)
Bat, gentlemen, I did not say that if you had a failure in
the cotton crop in the year 1848 that you would here your
spindles running when you had no raw materiel to work
upon. (Applause.) You leave been suffering in the cotton
districts quite as much from famine in cotton as from famine
in corn during the teat twelve months; and if you had had
corn ever so cheap, and the demand for cotton gooda had
been ever so great, you could not have employed ell the mills
and machinery ; and for this simple reason, because you had
not cotton in existence to keep the machinery in employment.
To bring this charge of having made a false promise against
me and the free traders generally, to make me responsible for
the failure of the cotton crop is just as absurd as it would be
Sr I had promised a man that if he was moderate and tempe-
rate in all things he would have good health, and in come-
quence of that man falling down and breaking his leg you
chars' d me with not having fulfilled my promise. (Laughter
and cheers.) Give us ordinary—give us natural circum-
stances, and then when we have free trade I maintain the
same doctrines as I always did. Before we have prosperity
in Stockport, we must have free trade in corn and other
things. I have said that we have been suffering in the co:-
ton districts from a diminution of the raw material, and
when I think of the combination of evils that have passed
upon the cotton district., on the trade of Lancashire during
the last twelve months, I am only astonished that you have
not suffered more than you have. In the first place, you
have had wheat at one time as high as 100 shillings • quar-
ter, a price hardly known since the war. It has been up
as high as 120 shillings in Uxbridge market. At the
game time, cotton was fifty per cent. higher than it was
the year before, and along with there two evils you have
had a high rate of money, such as has never been
known since the war, arising out of inoreinate en-
gagements and speculations in railroads ; with the
combination of these three evils—dear cotton, dear
corn, and dear money—l repeat it is only • matter
of astonishment to me that the cotton districts have
escaped so well as they have. You must bear in mind that it
is not merely in England that we have had this distressing
state of tillage but throughout Europe. With the exception
of Russia, there is no country in Europe that bee rot antlered
from scarcity, and in many parts there has been famine.
Now a large portion of our trade is carried on with the owl-
tinent ; end if the people are suffering from scarcity of food—
from high-prioed corn, it stands to mama that they will
be unable to purchase the same amount of manufactured
goods as they could under ordinary circumstances. You
have, then, bad • limited demand from the continent for
your produce, and a limited demand at home at the same
time; and this combination of evils, I again repeat, has
never been known before since the time of the war. We
may, at all events, draw this consolation from the facts men-
tioned to you, that free trade has been subjected to an or-
deal at its commencement, which it is not likely to undergo
again ; and if we pass through this ordeal without forgetting
our principle, we may fairly expect in ordinary times to reap
the advantage we looked to from them. Now, gentlemen, we
have some protectionists still in the House of Commons—
there are not many of them there—there are not many of
them in Stockport ; still we have those curiosities, those ec-
centricities still in the House of Commons. (Laughter.) To
return to what I was talking about, they tell us we have been
out of our predictions. They say we promised good employ-
ment, and you are wanting work in the manufacturing du-
tricta. They say we promised there should be no drain of
gold to pay for corn, and now they say there is • drain
of gold. They remind se of our promises, and say we
hare fulfilled none ; but they seem to have quite forgot
their own predictions. They said that if we had
the repeal of the corn laws the (armors would be
ruined ; why the farmers have never been doing better than
they have done the last year. (Loud cheers.) They told
us that the land would be thrown out of cultivation, whams
agriculturists have never been more busy in cultivating
the land than they are at this moment; and inning a
their predictions being fulfilled, that our landlords would
run away to Australia, they are at the present time getting
higher rents for the land. Cheers.) Now if they have been
out in their predictions, and we have been out in ours, it is
quite certain that the time must come when one or other
must be right; and I only ask for the time which is necessary
to test our principle in order that we may see which party is
right. It is certain that we cannot both be right, and therefore
the time will come when events, when experience, will show
who is wrong. I *eh the protectioniets to wait till the arrival
of that time ; let us have free trade before they taunt us with
not having kept our promises, and if by the result we find we
are wrong, if we find monopoly better than free trade,
we will then return to monopoly. (Hear, and laughter.)
Now, since I came into the borough, I have read a speech
made by a gentleman here,largely engaged in the export trade,
in which he complains of the operation of free trade abroad,
particularly in the article of yarn sent to Russia. (Hear.)
I ant glad to hear that there is some gentleman here who
seems to have had some faith in the statement. If I under-
stand it Mr. Marshall has cent 12,0001. worth of cotton twist to
Russia, consigned it to St. Petersburg, and he finds before he
can liberate it be must pay 8,0001. of duty. Now, I believe
that is not an exaggerated statement. (Hear, hear.) But
he is under this mistake, Mr. Marshall is wrong when he
says he 'hall have to pay that amount of duty. Gentlemen,
it is the Russian consumer that pays it. (Cheers.) Well,
then, this is made the ground of complaint against the tariff
of Russia: let us look at this, and do justice to the Russians
because we like justice here. (Hear, and laughter.) You
will probably have read that in the time of Napoleon, be
established a system of continental blockade to prevent the
introduction of English manufacture : and among the rest
with Russia be tried it on, but they consented to go to war ,
rather than shut out our twist. Well, a peace was made in
1815,when we had put down " Boney," as we were in the habit
of calling him. Then our landlords pat a prohibition upon
foreign corn ; that is, they allowed none to come in till the
prios at home reached 80e., which was a virtual prohibition.
Well, when the duty en corn was 80s. the quarter, what did
the Russians do ? They waited several years before they put
high duties upon our cottons. (Hear.) At last seeing that we
had done this with regard to tern, they imitated no and pot a
high duty upon o'er manufactures—but not a prohibitive duty,
according to Mr. Marshall, for he finds it profitable to consign
12,0001. worth of twist there. (Cheers and laughter.) But,
gentlemen, at that time when we did not allow the con of
Russia to come in one year out of five, still the trade of this
country with them in twist was one of the very largest we
had. Now I put it to Mr. Marshall and his admirers, have
not our exports to Russia been the largest we have enjoyed
for many yew, except those of Germany ? (Hear.) Why,
far more of our milk have been employed in Stockport an
making twist for Russia than for any other country. The
duty has not been prohibitory, and it would not have been as
bad as it is but for our bad example. And now what is the
argument they would draw from this fact ? They say put on
your duty upon corn again until the Russians take off their
duty upon twist. Why, gentlemen, I tell you the duty Is
not paid by us : it is paid by the Russian consumers, and, if
they choose to put on a 'high duty to have clothing made dear,
is it any reason why we should put one upon their corn, in
order that we may make provisions dear ? (Loud cheers.)
I venture to say, though I ant not fond of making predic-
tions, that, if we maintain the sound principles of trade npoa
which we are now entering—if we continue to adhere to free
trade in corn and provisions, that the government of Russia
will follow our good example sooner than they followed our
bad example, when we excluded their corn. It seems to me
that the protectionists are most inconsistent people, even
to their own principles ; for they condemn us in getting
the establishment of free trade, and predict all sorts of
disaster, LB a consequence of it, and yet they taunt us
that foreigners do not follow our example. (Great laughter.)
Now one reason why foreigners do not follow us in our free-
trade experiment is, that they read English newspapers, that
they see noble lords, that they see gentlemen who are mem-
bers of the House of Commons, that they see men who are
among yourselne—raillowners of Stockport—calling out for
protection since-{cheers and laughter)—and they any, " We
cannot pet be convinced that free trade is to be the permanent
policy of your country," (" Hear," and cheers.) They
say, " We see so many men of high rank, we see a* many
men in high places who are still calling out fora return to
the corn law and for protection, that we are not satisfied that
it will last" (Hear, hear.) Why, it is a question I have been
asked over and over again whilst travelling on the continent
" Do you think free trade can be maintained in your country ,"
My answer hasbeen, " Certainly. We are not a people given
to change, when • question has been discussed, and when a
decision has been arrived at by public opinion." " But," they
said, " we see a great many lords and other men arguing for
a restoration of on, and regretting that fro trade
has been adop ; and we must wait :we No yen as. not
agreed among yourselves." And so it is : Shale INK who
taunt us that we do not see any progress mating
other nations in free toade are themseives taffyware IS
it. (Cheers.) They are the cause of and are the non
who are throwing °Whole; in the way of our pogrom, by