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

TUESDAY

Salisbury or Grantham—or he might mention a place from
which a warning voice had that night been heard--
Windsor. Hon. Members of the other House would assu-
redly discover that there had 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 restoration 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, ou 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 bad been
made a certainty, which before had been matter of specula-
tion ? And was there any oee prepare(' 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 7e 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 ineluded some mann-
lecturing 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 1849. 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 74,000; 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
loom or the plough. It was indeed said that there had .
been great distress in the country. He did not deny it.
of its fetters, and sent the people to work either at the
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, he 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
abandon the idea as chimerical. He (the Duke of Newcastle)
any withdrawal of the
would not dentin menace to their Lordships, especially in times
so quiet and contented. But he was much mistaken if the
People of this country, however attached to their Sovereign
had constitution,
obtainedwouldby
de. He was persuaded
they would not allow any measure by which, directly or
indirectly, any increase upon the burdens of the consuming
benefits and
their
they
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 details, but such a revision 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 " 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 occasion an agita-
tor's speech fell flatly upon the people's ears.--Gear,
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 and salutary progress.'—(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 5,305,0004 was 440,0001. more
than for the year 1836—(Hear, hear)—and, though it was
less than for the year 1849, it was only one farthing per head
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 when there was the lowest
average price of wheat we should have the lowest amount
of expenditure for the poor, but such was not the feet. The
minimum price of wheat in 1837 was 525. If then, he took
the last sixteen years, 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, h
--oh less than for w
greater than for any other year Since 1836. Fromanother
return he also found that from 1846 there was a general
decrease of the sums deposited, For 1849 there were
20,000 depositors less than for 1846, and 3,206,0001. less
deposited in amount, though last year, certainly, there was
a little increase.
Lord WODEHOUSE said his °beerya tioli
r did not lead
him to the same conclusion as the Noble Eal. The years
1848 and 1849 had been years of ' g to
great deression, owin
causes quite separate from the p
question of free trade. He
hardly believed that—at least in the
which he was best acquainted, eh tof the country with
par
oprn counties—it was
at all disputed. that the conditio
'1 thee) bu in classes had
vastly improved. It would seem
the rise
r
wages
that
.1
which was observable had createdthe
some apprehension in
mind of the farmer that the c .
audition of the labourer
would improve more rapidly than histhe argument
of Noble Lords opposite was good f Own.
.If -
or anything the bees
1 in the condition of the agekeitue
continually-increasing depreciation. 'al body would
'
If the farmer was
living upon his capital, he must ev re and
more towards the verge of ruin wh. ery year go mo
leh had been so frequently
predicted. He appealed to Noble Lords who were ords
ac-
quainted with the agricultural districts
whether, instead of
their being in a continual state of de
a decidedly improved and healthful treciation, there was not
of land. He believed that the most 8 one among
the occupiers
excited in the breasts of the fitrauguine hopes were being
rners, and that they were
being aroused to a greater degree of e and industry nergy
than ever. He could not help neti .
cm the very prepos-
terous argument that had been usea_fi g .
'n the
other House of Parliament, but out oot in that, or i
withstanding the many hunred tho f doors—that,
not-
and flour annually imported unto t his
h. and quarters of corn
country not a single
loaf more of bread had been eaten
by the ale. Now, to
show that there was no fear of land ~ef._ P
le le peot
of cultivation,
he might state that by the last report
glsouE I re Com-
t e nc osu
• • ars no less than 644 applications
mission
had been had been made to
them; of these 161 disposed of before the last an
nue( report, and of the remaining 483, ee .
en-
closures of land, and the quantity corner. db 4 for were
applica-
tions and authorised to be enclosed, since'ised in the
t was 46,798 acres. Although the last general re-
treated
or the question was there
as one of reason and delib -
of
ration, it was with the
great body of .the people ?anrel hat d the
deepest interest. Last
year when the N . not the
his shoulders responsibility of a
Government upon ,
"d had not succeeded in
Administration, he .1,
forming anhad 'given them a ver
ample and deliberate and open programme who
but of what h ' not of
be and
delta to do, e 'wouldehave done. He
stated that he should have proposed a gradual diminution
and extension of the income-tax, eollleled with moderate
duty upon corn. That was a policy not . a
dimly shadowed
forth, but clearly and distinctly enumeiated. He wishes
the Noble Lord would adopt the same
coarse now. It was
an extraordinary state of things when they had the Finance
Minister of the Crown making an elabora—te
statement of
principres establishing the free-trade Policy of the late
Government, and then they had. the Noble Earl at the
head of the Administration—not in that ii-
-0125e, but at the
Mansion-house making an elaborate Mystification of
the facts used by his Chancellor of the e,
-ezehequer. On
the eve of an approaching election, i was
Most essential
that they should have some explanation of the policy of the
Government—whether it was deemed advisable to reverse
late Sir Robert 'Peel,' or
the policy of . the adopt it in its
There were Other Matters, such
b duties
the tine er, and
as the navigation-laws,the tea duties,
lie very desirable
upon which 'it would
and he believed otherl" opinion
should be pronounced;
see whether this country would con-
tinue, to pursue the policy it
had commend' He could
assure the Noble Earl that by the silence he
, , had
adopted
he cause or tne great Dart,
he was doing injury to t
h he might differwhich from that
destroyed.
ty, he did not wish to see it
par ,
The Earl of ALBEMARLE trusted the
fNoble Earl would
give the House some little inkling hiso
future policy. In
chary of his opinions, for at the
other places he was not so
Mansion-house he had indulged in what h• la $ oble Friend
called an elaborate mystification • , and he hoped 4t
be elicited would not
be said that his policy could
only
th , h3' turtle and
champagne. The Noble Earl had ere !peen of a large
class unconnected with manufactures. Would the Noble
Earl inform them whom be
in meant? There were three deno-
minations of persons.
agricultural
the class—the labourer,
the tenant-farmer, and the landlord. He would assume at
once that it was not the landlord, and he inferred that it
the
He feared House was inept,.
could not be the labourer.
"No," "Go on.") Well, then, would the
tient.—(Cries of
period when the
Noble bad inform him of anylabouringl
fre trade—enjoyed
man—thanks to the blessings of
tea, sugar, andacoafal
supply of breed, butter, bacon,eggs,
the poor man's luxury, tobacco;
(Cheers.) Then there was attention
and he would call theirLordships' to the increased
consumption
as an evidence o the improved
consumption of that
condition of the labouring
classes. The calculations
of the consumption '
tobacco • per head in the
five last decennial periods
of was omitting fractions of
ounces, in 18ad ;
1831,
12 oz. ; 1841, 13 oz.;
21, 11 oz. per "el that more skill and capital
and 1851, 16 oz. He believ
had been expended in agricultural pursuits by the tenant-
farmers
since the passing of the free-trade measures than
His Noble ,Friend had spoken of
at any previous period.
` manures—he found
the consumption of bones and foreign _
imported
, were, in
that in the last five years the quah-lues .
1848, 103,000 Coos ;in 1849, in 1850, 1
112,000 tons.,. 44,000
tons; and in 18i1, 274,000- tons, - showing an increase of
137 leer rent, 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 teas tee ei.idenee that they
were recovering from it.