The Sun.
London, England, 1852-07-15 00:00:00

ELtCT,Ip N INTELLIGENCE

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.

MR. DISRAELI AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.
NEWPORT PAGNELL, JULY It —Mr. Dupre and Mr.
lidi
toigt afternoon with a numerous body of
constituent, comprising the leading farmers and
.ny of the gentry and clergy in the neighbourhood.
•vcrs were laid at the Anchor Hotel for nearly 200,
and they were all occupied. A sumptuous dinner was
disposed of, awl afterwards the Chairmain, Mr. GILEAVES,
a tenant farmer, gave the usual loyal toasts. He then
gave " Her Majesty's Ministers."—(Cheers.)
Mr. DISRAELI was received with great applause on
rising to respond. He said—As lam the only one of
her Majesty's Ministers who is present on this occasion,
you will permit me to return yon thanks, on their part,
for the manner is which you have received the toast
of the chairman. Her Majesty's Ministers, gentlemen,
at the present moment are before the country; yet I
can say, on their part, with the utmost sincerity, that
they are not afraid of the verdict that will be given by
the country.—(Load cheers.) Fortified by that which
they believe will be the verdict of the nation, it will be
their duty, to the utmost of their pewit, to propose
measures to Parliament which they believe aro neces-
sary to promote the good of all claoees of the conamnity.
--(Cheers.) And in doing so, gentlemen, you may
confidently rely that they will not forget the pledges
they have given nor the promises they have made to the
agricultural interest of the country.—(Loud
The CHAIRMAN followed with the toast, cheers.)" Our (,on-
serv.itive c,indid4tes."

Mr. DUPRE made a speech in reply.
DISRAELI again rose, and was interrupted for a
few minutes by a disorderly man outside,ot wintho was
the
making a speech to those who could not go
room. He proceeded—lt becosaes me, Mr. Chairman
and gentlemen—.
Titie CHAIRMAN (t 0 the disorderly man)—Hold your
tongae, Sir, or you'll be put into the treadmill.
Mr. DISRAELI—I hope that (the treadmill) is not the
fate of the candidates who oppose us.—(Loud laughter.)
I appear before you to-day, as also my Hon. Friend, as
a candidate for your suffrages, and I feel sensibly the
difference in my present position at the present moment,
at this conjuncture, from what it was when I had the
honour, in this room, of addressing you on the last oc-
casion, because on that occasion I was sustained by
what I feel to be the greatest honour a gentleman can
attain, that of being your representative.—(Applause.)
Gentlemen, I should be perfectly willing to leave our
cause to the plea just put forward by my late colleague
and able friend, Mr.. Daptii, put forth with a power and
elocioeoce which on more than one occasion he has shown
in thig. county—an eloquence which is only faulty in,this re-
spect, namely, that it is not so extended as I could wish, for
often I have advised my Hon. Friend that in the House
of Commons I think he would be a distinguished orna-
mente—(Hear, hoar.) Gentlemen, my Hon. Friend has
spoken of the candidates we may have to encounter—of
one gentleman, at least, who, if there be anything of that
shivering we hear so much of in the present day, would
be afraid to meet us' in a free and open field, and that is
Dr. Le.e.—(Laughter.) But Ido not feel the harmless-
ness of that individual which my Hon. Friend has ex-
pressed; for pray remember that Dr. Lee has put out a
'programme of principles possessing many popular
feature's, and he has enlisted on his side the whole of the
fair sex.—(Londlanghter)—and as far as that point is
concerned, if there is to be any alteration in the suffrage,
I shall adopt the plan of - Dr. Lee, and I trust all his
friends on that head will give me their second votes.—
(L'aughtei.) Gentlemen, when I addressed you last, as
your Member, in this room, you will remember what
was, then tine position of the Opposition of that day. It
Was one of very great difficulty. The change of 1846
was a change of the most remarkable description. I was,
among others opposed to that change. I thought the
risk of that change was too great under the circum-
stances—too greatthought
the this country to incur. I
the disturbing circumstance; so far as the agricultural
interest was concerned, which that change, would pro-
duce, were not a matter of theory; that they were inevit-
able, and that no one had a right to incur the responsi-
bility of voting fot a change, unpremeditated, BO in-
- smug,- aid so inconsistent Hear, hear, and cheers)—
and- I must say, gentlemen,
of Parliament hasthat every subsequent ses-
sion perfectly fortified the opinion I
then formed.—(Cheers.) I
knew—all knew the effect of
that change upon our position. We all knew that wp
should have very great difficulty to regain the position
we had lost. At all times it is difficult to regain a posi-
tion which is forfeited, and t stated years ago my indi-
vidual conviction of that sound policy which it was your
duty to follow. But, gentlemen, your opponents were
ever anxious that you should pursue a false policy. They
have always said, " Ask only for that which it is impos-
sible to get, and then you will occupy a sensible posi-
tion."—(Langhter.) But, gentlemen, we occupy safe
ground by demanding that which is truly practicable,
instead of following the tactics of an Opposition, which
would in the precipitancy of their strong convictions
knock their brains against the first opposing wall they
meet.—(Leughter.) Gentlemen, I told yon to form your
views a little more deep than foolish. I said, " There
is great agricultural distress in consequence of a change
in the law; your opponents taunt you when you seek to
go hack to that law, and they are all-sufficient in their
opposition. I want you to acertain what is the cause of
your suffering, and, if possible, to accept the new policy,
and to consider what recompense you can find in other
measures."—(Hear.) Gentlemen, that was the advice
_n
presumed to give, and it is a question most interesting
. .

..
to the nnniernus and most influential body assembled
here to-day. I say—what is the reason the English pro-
ducer, the English occupier of land, cannot comoeto
with the foreign proeueot or occupier of lend?—(Loud
cries of " Hear, hear.') I have always said, and I
don't-know that I have over head any argument of an
,iutelii,gent opponent which I really could recur to as in
any way conclusive az-lin:it it—l have always said, the.
reason is, " that tee English producer is under a system
of taxation—(Load cheers)-3 system which is in ge-
trerel applirel to himself—which is in particular applied
to the class to which he belongs—entailing upon him
bardens which do not allow him to run the race on
equal terms with the others."—(Loud cheers.) That is
what I said. And gentlemen, I have also said that the
protectionist system was not to be justified unless you
can show these circumstances exist.—(Elear, hear.)
And I still believe these circumstances do exist in
this country, however much they may be modified.
and that the principle of protection is sound—that in a
society which is artificial; in which there exists a finan-
cial system so complicated as oar own, it was much
better to adhere to•compeusecha„e arrangements for the
protection of the cultivators of the soil than that you
should madly' leave him an unequal competitor with the
foreigner.e--(Cheers:) And this principle, I say, is at all
tircier, to be modified according to existing circumstances.
Tint, gentlemen, the protective principle' ;.'"l4 not only a
sound one, but it was a principle to the advantage
of
the country, and the only principle upon which our
present system' of finance could be vindicated. . You
could not vindicate a system that rested individually and
mainly upon the cultivators of the soil, unless in its
operation it gave compensatery relief to . those whom it
placed under particular restrictions. Well, I say, gen-
tlemen, if the country has chosen to abrogate that sys-
tern, and if the majority of the people of this country
are of opinion it would be unwise to recur to it, I say
we must seek by other means—(Cheers)—and in ano-
ther direction--(Repeated cheers)—to place the cultiva-
tors of the soil in a fair and just position.—(Loud
cheers.) Now, gentleman, that is all I have ever said.
It 14 what lam perfectly ready to maintain. I said
it in opposition, as your Member; and I say now, as
a Minister of the Crown, I am perfectly pre-
pared to advise her Majesty to carry it out.—(Great
cheering.) Now, gentlemen, it has sometimes been said
that the policy I wish to pursue has been of bat limited
compass—that it referred only to tho bardens entailed
upon land by our system of unfair taxation. Well, gen.
tletnen, in the first place, if there are any particular bur-
lens on one class which the rest of society do not bear,
_3l. say, as a matter of principle, that there ought to be re-
mress---(tlear, hear.) But I utterly deny that at any time
I have told you that proper measures of redress were
solely or wholly to be got by any
.advantage which might
arise from the adjustment of particular burdens entailed
by local taxation. Three years ago, in this room, I ad-
vised you to take that particular grievance into your con-
sideration, and to work it out, because your claim for re-
dress was founded upon justice.—(Yes, yes.) And be-
cause justice would be sanctioned by te great body of
the country.(Cheers.) And what has happened since
I thus advised you proves that my advice was a good
one, for many gentlemen in the House of Commons who
didnot represent agricultural constituencies voted for
!e motions I brouht forward on the subject, because
• waacould not
.1.• withhold their approval of what had the
sanction et - national justice for its support.—
(Cheers')
ten
onno Bat, gentlemen
(e4eers-)
, I have not told you—l do
or that Lis.,o7l,tn,a' this would give you a sufficient,
*--(Eleae, hear., "Tg've You the chief means of redress.
this whole system of national . "is
adjiteting—thei "aY O. It is in reviewing—it is in
Stu placing
ine that justice taxation ; it
ducer will e :Ysteta 123 n
everu
fair which the consumer—
.basis that the pro-
whicha just b .
upright
bim t, J and
) aentletnen, the old
.4il BeaUre.-..-(1,0,4 eh raa4:--could wish
question was simply thia;--7ors.
paired a sys-
tem. of legislation whailewhawouldasescaulareitto re
taught to believe that in
price. Yon were you an artificial
Raising prices poi! ' wonlyds
opinion, it would have been findv redress; and,; in my
bare destroyed the olds ystetne:y wisea not materially to
another view of the case anothe(r• em:r.) But there is
view of your posit
Lion—another means by which you ay obtain redress
.—and a means more practical than rine
..—which is beset with infinite diffiCulTilersr..ingltt?i the past
fncrease prices in order that you
may
haie
asfairot
oto
1111111Crati011 for your toil; bat it is, gentlemen, to reduce
the cost of production.—(lmmense cheering,) Now
that is the sound advice which the agricultural interest
must act upon.—(Hear, hear.) Yon are told that it is
one of the necessities for the prosperous condition of
Nogland that the bread of the poeple should be cheap.
Veil, I say take care that the producer of that bread
Shall be able to produce it as cheap as possible.—(Loud
cheers.) Now, gentlemen, you will find it you adopt
that view of the case that you who are occupiers of the
*oil will efore meadualle get the feeling of the country
/ae.t"YThiv favour, and at the same time more perfectly
—cave' cememsation for youvelvee It is, as I have
“id; in revi'ewing the ay 'stem of taxation which exists,
Lad In the adjustment
of that sys:em, that the cultiva-
tors of the soil will find thet coiepematim which they
112" 4
right to expect from the abrogation of that law
which gave thorn artificial pri:;e3—(Cheers)—and I say,
f a accordance with the s irit of the age and with the
temper of the count,.
'7' Piet
Fourr produce now be
taised upon the cheapest •
t possible principle.—(Loud
• • ciple —(Loud
cheers.) But, then, it follows you must not allow
your netive produce to be shackled by laws which
hinder the producer from competing with foreign coun-
tries. It follows that in the new principle of justice the
Cultivators of the soil shall no longer remain the only
alma incapable of receiving a fair profit for their in- j