The National Register.
London, England, 1815-02-05 00:00:00

PRICE OF S7OCKS YESTERDAY.

8 Per Cent. Cons.
4 per Cent. ' 8,1 Ex. Bills. 3 6 pm.
5 Per Cents.

Consols for Febtuary 65}

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

SUND4Y, FEBRUARY 5, 1915.

THE MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.

In the absence of importaut infotmatio'n from abroad,
it will not be uninteresting-to call the attention of our
readers to the important subjects that will command the
attention of their Representatives in Parliament.
In the first place, the alteration projected in the corn.
laws will be debated, and, we trust, sincerely tritst, that
the advocates for b, change will either be induced to
• abandon their ground, or be compelled to it by the Re-
presentatives of the people. For those gentlemen who are
so much interested in the continuance of the high price of
• bread, are perfectly aware how Much they would actually
sacrifice to their apparently individual interest. We say.
apparently, because the interest of the landholder is that
of the community, and he would eventually suffer with the
community. But these gentlemen aver, that such is the
pie Sent plessure of taxation, that corn cannot be raised
'under 80s.. per quarter ;• or, in other words, that the
Atvirterp loaf must be I:ept Up tot Id. or 12d.
the-knowledge of the principles of politica! eco-
noin)qtas been so generally disseminated, all men have-
agreed, that legislative interference is not only injudicious,
IPA injurious to tl,• object in- view. This was amply it.
-Ity,"trated -tatile:hitter yars of the late Chief Justice of
the King's Bench. Then the landholder had not to com-
plain bf the low price dr land;- or the farmer of the de-
pi-essed state of the cern .market. 9n the other hand,
wheat was sold as high as 160s."per ',quarter, and one or
two millions sterling paid out of the iitiona,l purse as a
• bounty on its importation.


FEB.

But the cry now is, 46 the landed interest will be
ruined." We would reply, that in a country where there
is •a full freedom allowed in the investment of capital,
whether its object be land or cotton, funded stock or
sugar, the holder of each commodity is-bound to abide by
those revolutions in its value, be it what it may, that ate
ever to be expected. The funds have been as low as 47;
sugar, some years *since, was sold at a tremendous loss ;
and, indeed, at such a loss, as even to prevent the West
India estates being relieved by the present high prices, in
any thing like the degree they require. And what would
the landholder say, were the West India planters to come
to Parliament, and ask for a " Legislative Protection,"
that shOuld keep up sugar at its present price ?
But are not high prices of provisions most destructive to
society ? 'WM it be denied that they advance labour to a
most extravagant rate ; that the spirit of speculation gives
rise to a spirit of immorality in its practice, of a nature the
most injurious to the community ? Of the injury arising
from th:s spirit of speculation in land, we have daily had
the most self-evident proofs. No dealer in land (for deal-
ers in land have become as common as dealers in tea,
coffee, and sugar) but has been enabled to reap a most
unexpected profit on his adventure. It has, or rather had,
become a perfect matter of jobbing. Persons have been
known to reside in London, and ensure to themselve s
considerable profits on investments, which went no far-
ther than 'a deposit, in part of the original sum *to be
finally paid. Was it to be, expected that this state of
things could last ? Not-by any reasonable man.
But the state of parties on this occasion will be found
curious. The landed interest appears to have united on
the occasion : 'Whig and Tory, no matter what the deno-
mination of the party, appear to be unanimous in their de-
termination to obtain, if possible, legislative protection.
ft is true the question was not tried last session, in either
Lords or Commons, hut it evidently appeared there was a
determination to make up a majority, which the indivi-
duals in question imagined themselves to possess.
The constitution of party thus affords as much ground
for reflection as reason for regret. Men who are feelingly
alive to the slightest (supposed) breaches of the consti-
tution ; whose whole lives have been spent in an expres-
sion of their apprehension lest the privileges of tl:e
people should be taken away, or their rights invaded—
these men are said to.be the first to advise a step that is
to terminate in a law that shall keep up the quartern loaf
to one Shilling—these flaming patriots are either to sto
their fellow citizens, for whose political interests they
are (on. the Hustings) so anxious, Weer in a state of star-
vation, or else driven to the nei&ibouring kingdom, to seek
bread at one-third the price.
But for the remit of the question on the. Corn Laws
we have no fears.

It will, however, lead, to a diseuK.lon of the principles
of taxation and paper, credit. These subjects will he
wamly discussed, and, we have no doubt, receive much
elucidation.

I In the mean time; it is probable that a shock will Tie
felt that must shake every, even the -meanest esiablish-
ment, to its very centre.
The thheis fast approaching for a tremendous fall in the
prices of every article in trade, whether of luxury or ne-
cessity. The taxation must be redaced.in all its branches,
in proportion to the extent of the compeLition to be expe-
;kneed from renovated Trappe. Ucuce,. we repeat, the

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