The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-25 00:00:00

Saliebury or Grantham—or he might ,mention a plate from
which a warning voice had that night been heard-
-Windsor.- - Hon. Members of the- other - House would assu-
redly discover that there bad been a great alteration since
their last visit in 1847.—(A laugh.) They would find a.
marked improvement, which could only,be attributed to a
decrease in the price of provisions. They would be
told all this by the women.—(Laughter.) Noble Lords
might laugh, but there was no surer indication of the do-
mestic condition of the people than the account which the
women would give on election occasions. And he declared
that if two per cent. of the female portion of the population
asked for a restoretion of the corn- laws, or any equivalent,
to deprive them of what they called the cheap- loaf," he
(the Duke of Newcastle) would surrender the question.
He believed that, on the contrary, tales would be heard
from the wives and daughters of working men more pathetic
in their humble prose than the forcible poetry of" Corn-law
Rhymes," tales as powerfully proving the folly of restoring
the corn laws as those rhymes showed the folly of re-
taining them. Why, the importation of corn amounted to
nearly 10,000,000 quarters! Did not the very importation
of that quantity prove that it was wanted ? Was it not
clear that the provision for the labouring classes had been
made a certainty, which before had been matter of specula-
tion ? And was there any ore prepared to take a course
which would deprive them of this supply? Even the agri-
cultural villages showed the improvement. The poor-law
returns showed a diminution over the whole area of England
of 7 t per cent. in the number of paupers relieved. Nor had
the improvement been merely in the manufacturing dis-
tricts; the returns proved the reverse. The few towns
in which there had been an increase included some manu-
facturing towns, such as Leicester and Nottingham; while
among the districts in which there had been the largest
decrease in pauperism were Berks, Bucks, Devonshire,
Westmoreland, and the East Riding. The returns proved
that in the villages and smaller towns there had been a
decrease of pauperism consequent upon the increased
means of subsistence- and the augmented means of
employment. The case was the same with Scotland.
To support his statements as to England the Noble
Duke referred here to a return of a poor-law inspector for
one of the districts, in which it was stated that, out of a
population of three millions, only three-seventieths were in
the receipt of relief. The period of the return was for three
years after 1848. The corn-law had been repealed in 1846,
but did not come into operation till 1819. So the returns
proved that the diminution of pauperism had been con-
current with the abolition of protection. In 1843 there
were on the poor-law books in the district referred to 79,000.
In 1849 this number had been reduced, in round numbers,
to 74 090 ; in 1850, to 69,000 ; and, in 1851, to 65,000. The
diminution of crime tended to establish similar conclusions.
At the last quarter sessions there had been hardly any
of those offences which of old were used to occupy several
days. He contended, then, that these facts showed that
they were the true friends of industry who had relieved it
of its fetters, and sent the people to work either at the
loom or the plough. It was indeed said that there had
been great distress in the country. lie did not deny it.
He had never denied it. He believed it was to be
looked for as the natural result of the transition
from one state to another. He had never anticipated that
such a a change could be effected without some severe dis-
tress. He knew, however, that in some districts rents were
too high, and had to be reduced, and he believed this to be
rather a landlord's question. He would not prejudge what
course the Noble Earl might pursue next session on this
subject. No one could raise a voice against the present Bill,
and it was very probable that a similar measure would be
brought forward again. He (the Duke of Newcastle)
wished such broad hints had not been thrown out on the
part of the Government as to direct taxation being im-
practicable without exemptions, and with exemptions
practically confiscation.—(Hear, hear.) And if the tax
were to be abandoned before the revenue had equalised itself
with expenditure, and the increase of the amount derived
from other taxes now existing, be hoped the Noble Earl
would not resort to duties on articles of trade, and, above
all, the food of the people. He entreated the Noble Earl to
much
abandon the idea as chimerical. He (the Duke of Newcastle)
would
totuhteihrea,:woradsships mistaken if the
, especially in times
so
people of this country, however attached to their Sovereign
quiet
and'dea l
contented. i n menace
B
and their constitution, would suffer any withdrawal of the
benefits they had obtained by free trade. He was persuaded
they would not allow any measure by which, directly or
indirectlyaany increase upon the burdens of the consuming
classes should take place. He hoped the Parliament about
to be returned would resist any reversal or revision of the
free-trade policy. Ile
,did not, of course, mean to exclude
wise revision of detaila but such a recision as was talked of
by "free-trade Derbyites" at elections, who spoke against
reversal while reserving to themselves the power of re-
vision. It was doubtless intended, by these slippery
phrases to do that indirectly which could not be done
directly ; but he believed the resistance of the people would
be equally great, and their discontent greater. The Noble
Earl had spoken of the Conservative character of his Govern-
ment, and of his being a barrier against the encroachments
of democracy. If there were ever such a encroachments"
he (the Duke of Newcastle) would be a humble follower
of the Noble Earl; but he saw no symptoms of such en-
croachments, and only observed that occasionally an agita-
tor's speech fell flatly upon the people's ears.--(Hear, hear.)
But the Noble Earl had no right to assume to himself this
position until he had " made a clear breast of it" upon this
most important question. A declaration from the Noble
Earl before Parliament was dissolved that he had finally
abandoned any intention of restoring the corn-laws, would
place the Noble Earl in a proud position before the 'people.
But a Conservative policy at this day was a policy of rational,
steady, well-considered, and, because steady and well-con-
sidered, safe tied salutary feogress--(Cheers from the Oppo-
sition.) It was impossible to stand still without danger, and
any attempts at that re-actionary policy, of which there had
been recently some symptoms, would accelerate the onward
progress of that democracy, the advance of which the Noble
Earl anticipated and deprecated. He repeated, the proper
policy of a Conservative Government was progress; to stand
still was peril ; and re-action was revolution.—(Cheers from
the Opposition. )
Lord BERNERS, after stating that in some counties the
cry was " Free-trade and starvation," referred to certain re-
turns showing that the expenditure for the relief of the
poor in 1850, which was 5,305,0001., was 440.0001. more
than for the year 183''—(Hear, hear)—and. though it was
less titan for the year 1849, it was only one farthing per bead
on the population less than the average of the seven years
when there was the highest price of wheat. It might,
perhaps, be supposed that wheri there was the lowest
average price of wheat we sho Id have the lowest amount
of expenditure for the poor, but such was not the fact. The
minimum price of wheat in 11;37 was 52a. If then, he took
the last sixteen year?, and took out the eight years when
wheat was above 525., and eight when it was below that
price, he found a very large proportion in favour of high
prices. The expenditure for the last five years was
greater by '2,000,000/. than for the five preceding years; and
the expenditure for 1850, though less than for 1849, was
greater than for any other year since 1836 From another
return he also found that from 1845 there was a general
decrease of the sums deposited. For 1849 there were
20,000 depositors leas than for 1846, and 3,206,0001. less
deposited in amount, though last year, certainly, there was
a little increase.

Lord WODELIOUSE said his
him to the same conclusion es t 8
which he was best acquainted, in
1848 and 1849 had been
causes quite separate from observation did not lead
years
ohe Noble Earl. The years
hardly believed that—at least i question of free trade. He
the of great depression, owing to
at all disputed that the condition e eastern counties—]t was
vastly improved. It would seem of the labouring classes had
which was observable had createdthat the rise in wages
mind of the farmer that the part of the country with
some apprehension in the
would improve more ra
in the condition of t
of Noble Lords opposite was than his own. If the argument
pidly conditioa of the labourer
turd for anything, the depre-
ciationliving upon his capital, he
continually-increasing deprecligricultural body would be a
predicted. He appealed to must every year go more and
ation.
more towards the verge of ruin
quainted with the agricultural districts If the farmer was
which had been so frequently
their being in a continual state
tif land. He believed that the optricts whether, instead of
a decidedly improved and healthful Lords who were Sc.
there was not
excited in the breasts of thin:e
hellgree of energy and industry
ft sanguine hopes were being
tone among the occupiers
being aroused to a greater d arnlers, and that they were
than ever. He could not
terous argument that had been used
noticing the very prepos-
other House of Parliament, 1,1)Inst'l"--not in that, or in the
withstanding the many hundred - out of doors—that, not-
and flour annually imported intothousand quarters of corn
loaf more of bread had been eaten is country, not a single
show that there was no fear of lefOr the people. Now, to
he might state that by the last r 11-
going out of cultivation,
Com-
missioners no less than 644 applications
of the Enclosure
them ;of these 161 had been disposed had been made to
nual report, and of, the, remaining
of before the-last an
closures of ,land, anti the quantityneg 483, 364 were for en-
tions arid authorised to be enclosed-°,nprised in the applica•
port, was 46,798 acres. Althou ilsince the last general rea
treated as one of reason and deliberation, question was there
great body of the people one of the it was with the
when the Noble Earl had dpest interest. Last
Governorent upon his shoulders, not the responsibility of a
forming an Administration, he and had not succeeded in
ample and deliberate aiid open' p 'd given them a very
he was going to do, but of what zilograsn n, e, not of what
stated that he should have propose!, would have done. He
and extension of the income-tax, , a gradual diminution
duty noon corn. That was a Coupled with a moderate
forth, 'but clearly ,and distinctly L not dimly shadowed
the Noble Lord would, adopt the same He wished
an extraordinary state- of things when course now. It was
Minister of the Crown making an neitileY had the Finance
principres establishing the free-trade elaborate statement of
Government, and then they had the Policy of the late
head of the Administration—not in that Noble Earl at the
Mansion-house making an elaborate House, but at the
the facts used by his Chancellor of the .„nlystification of
the eve of an approaching election, it was -e,xchequ On
that they should have some explanation o most essential
Government--whether it was deemed a
,v. the policy of the
the policy of the late sir Robert Peels:
or
to reverse
entirety, and carry it out. There were other
adopt it in its
as the navigation-laws, the timber duties, and nutters, such
upon which it would be very desirable the tea duties,
should be pronounced ; and he believed other
rome opinion
anxiously waiting to see whether this count states were
tinae, to •pursue the policy it had commenced ,
would con-
assure the Noble Earl that by the silence • He could
he was doing injury to the cause of the _re he had adopted
he headed; and however much he mightbdilLft party which
party, he did not wish to see it destroyed. differ from that
The Earl of ALBEMARLE trusted the Noble Earl would
give the House some little inkling a
policy. In
his future
other places he was not so chary of his opinions,
Mansion-house he had indulged in what his .. forthe
oble at
A
called an elaborate mystification ; and he hoped it
Friend
be said that his policy could only be elicited by would not
champagne. The Noble Earl had there spoken
o. turtle and
class unconnected with manufactures. Would the a large
Earl inform them whom he meant? - There
Were
three Noble
minations of persons in the agricultural class_ the thelabourer, deno-
the tenant-farmer, and the landlord. He would assume
once that it was not the landlord, and he inferred -at
.that it
could not be the labourer. He feared the House was
tient ---c Cries of "No," "Go on.") Well, then, wouldmpt a-
Noble Earl inform him of any period when the labouringhe
man-thanks to the blessings of free trade—enjoyed.
a lag
supply -of breal, bufter, bacon, eggs, tea, sugar, and Coffreee?
(Cheers.) Then there was the poor man's luxury, tobacco
and he would call their Lordships' attention to the increased
consumption of that as an evidence of the improved
condition of the labouring classes. ,i'..i,
ae Calculations
of the consumption of tobacco per Lead in ' the
five last decennial periods was, omitting fractions of
ounces, in 1821, .;
11 oz. per Lead; 1831, 12 oz. ; 1841, 13 oz ,
and 1851, 16 oz. He believe.' that more skill and capita
had been expended in agricultural pursuits bY the tenant-
farmers since the passing of the free-trade measures than
*at any previous period. -His Noble Friend had spoken of
the consumption of bones and foreign manures—he found
that in the last five years the quantities imported were, in
1848, 103,000 tons ; in 1849, 112,000 tons; in 1850, 144,000
tons; and in 1811, 274,000 tons, showing an increase of
137 per cent, He admitted that there was distress among
the tenant-farmers here and there, but the present was a
transition state, and the improvements going on in all
quarters was an eyidenee that they Were recovering from it.