The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-21 00:00:00

The President of the Board of Trade and his
Constituents,

ASTITON,UNDER-LYNE, lan. 20.

The Right Hon. T. M. Gibson, President of the
Board of Trade, addressed a crowded meeting of his
constituents this evening in the Ashton-under-
Lyne Town-hall. The Mayor presided.
Mr. GIBSON, who was received with loud cheer-
ing, said—Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen,—l have
sometimes seen it stated in the public journals that
at the present moment, when there is no active con-1
test betwixt the great political parties of the country '
upon any stirring question of domestic interest, it is
difficult for one speaking upon public affairs much
to interest his audience ; and I must say, if there be
any truth in that, I feel that it requires a much
better orator than I can ever pretend to be to make
anything but a dull speech. The hon. gentleman
continued—l am afraid your worthy mayor has
given rise to expectations which I shall be unable
to fulfil, if he tells you that I can either instruct or
edify ; for it is my belief that instruction and edifi-
c ition must, in these days, come from constituents
to members, and will not be conveyed by members
to those whom they represent. (Hear, and cheers.)
However, there is one duty which obviously devolves
upon me, to present myself in public to my consti-
tuents, to pay to them my personal respects, and to
thank them for the confidence which they have
hitherto reposed in me. I think that meetings such
as this are salutary, and that they are useful, more
especially so in a great and populous constituency
like that of Ashton-under-Lyne, where the relation
between a member and his constituents is more real,
and where the representation is more free than in
many parts of this kingdom which it would not be
difficult for me to point on. (Hear, hear.)
Wawa last I had the honour of addressing
this constituency, some months since there
existed a condition of great suffering amongst the
operative and other classes, and the future was dark
and gloomy. At the present moment suffering to a
great extent still exists; but I think I may say, in
the presence of those better informed than I am,
that the future at no distant period promises to be
better ; that there is blue sky appearing in the
clouds, and that, aithough there may not be any
immediate amelioration in this particular union of
Ashton-under-Lyle such as you could desire, filled
as it is for the most part—l speak of those who are
out of employment—with cotton operatives suffering
probably from the absence of adequate supplies of
cotton, yet, from all the information I can get—l
think we may look forward to an approaching period
of reviving properity in the cotton trade of this dis-
trict. (Hear, hear.) I judge so from the returns
of last year. The imports of cotton from India, from
Egypt, and from other countries, very materially
increased, showing a tendency to make us almost,
if not altogether, independent; for probably it will
be long before we arrive at adequate American sup-
plies. Still, to a great extent this increase will
make up that large deficiency in the supply of the
raw material of your industry which has been cc•
casioned by the American war. (Hear.) But, Sir,
speaking of the distress that has prevailed in this
district, I will undertake to say that the history of
the world does not afford an example of such a bitter
trial having been borne with so much fortitude, and
having been got through, as it were, with so much
smoothness. I remember the tax at the outset upon
the manufacturers and others, and I would ask now,
after the long period of distress which has existed,
has this locality done its duty or has it not ? The
county of Lancaster, I believe, has subscribed as
mach as the whole of the United Kingdom. The
management of thesegreat difficulties has been mainly
in the hands of local authorities. The distress has
been grappled with, not by the State, but by the
local authorities; and when we read advertised in
the newspapers the large subscriptions received
from various parts of the United Kingdom, we must
not forget that there has been an amount of aid in
public contributions in this district of which per-
haps the world at large are little aware, and from
which, if we could get an accurate account, we
should form a more just estimate of the suffering
and the difficulties that had to be encountered, as
well of the beneficence with which they had been
met, Now, it is the fashion. to say the country is
prosperous; and what does it signify ? We were
always told that the cotton industry was the main
foundation of England's prosperity, and now we see
that industry almost prostrate, and yet there is coo-
eider thin trade, gradually increasing exports, and
much prosperity in various parts of the kingdom.
N)vc, though I am obliged constantly to make use
of statistics I area not an entire believer that figures
give you the fall truth. la these respects of the
condition of the country I do not believe it possible
that this country can be so wealthy, or that there
can be so much happiness amongst the masses of
the people as there would have been if this great
American war had not taken place, and as if there
had cot been this prostration of your great cotton
manufacture. I have heard it said "It is an ad-
vantage to England that this blow should have
fallen upon the United States of America"—as if a
nation prospered by the downfall of neighbouring
countries. (Hear.) I hold no such opinion. (Hear.)
I believe that the nations of the world arc like the
individuals in a particular nation, that they are de-
pendent upon each other for their prosperity and
happiness, and that if there be a great destruction of
wealth in any one nation, the common stock is thus
invaded, and there is less to be distributed by
the channels of commerce through other coun-
tries of the world, Therefore I believe that this
and other countries of Europe must of necessity
share in the losses that have arisen from that des-
perate civil strife that has prevailed in the United
States, But there are undoubtedly signs of pro-
gress in our trade that are worth mentioning. Take
the shipping interest. We used to be told that
free trade in shipping—the power to employ the
foreign ship as well as the English ship—would be
damaging to British navigation. But what is the
case? We find that the tonnage of British ships
entering in and clearing out with cargoes in the
United Kingdom has increased in the present year
to an amount of something like 14 millions of tons
and upwards, against seven millions tons of foreign
shipping ; thus showing that, with a great increase
altogether, British shipping has kept gradually in
advance of foreign shipping in the trade with the
United Kingdom. But it would not be fair to take
credit for this improvement in shipping as due to
any policy in this country. lam afraid that some
of it is due to the transference of the carrying trade
from American ships to British ships. And
why this transference from American ships
to British ships? No doubt, partly in con-
s:Atience of the war that prevails in America,
there may not be the same power in man-
ning and fitting out merchant vessels; but I am
afraid there is something more than that. There is
the fear among the American merchant shipping
of attacks by certain armed vessels that are career-
ing over the ocean, and that are burning and de-
stroying all United States merchant ships that they
find upon the high seas. The fear, therefore, of de-
struction of these cruisers has caused a large trans-
fer of American carrying to British ships. Now the
decrease in the employment of American shipping
is very great. In the trade between England and the
United States it is something like 46 or 47 per cent.
I mention these facts to show you that it is right
that the atimtion of this great commercial nation
should be serioasiy turned to those laws which
govern the acts Of belligerents upon the high seas
.—(hear, hear)—for If some two or three armed
steamers which a country, with no pretence to a
navy, cen easily send upon the ocean, armed with
their one or two guns, and almost
clearn atthioenseas h
what
the merchant shipping of a particular
might ha eon to this country, with her extensive
commerce over the seas, if she went to war with
some nation that availed herself of the use of simi-
lar decrlirtion of vessels ? (Hear, hear.) why,
the whole system of maritime warfare is altered by
the introduction of steam; and these fast steamers

clenot be ovi-!rtakc,,n by the most powerful navies,
The SC% is a very broad place, and they can roam
about, for there is no saying how long, capturing
and destroying commerce ; and it is not in the
power of navies to prevent them. Well, if it be so,
is it not rendered worse if neutral nations aro to
supply such vessels to belligerents ? (Hear.) We
might with our great navy, for instance, if w were