The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-28 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

HERALD.—" Give your decisions boldly," said an
experienced judge to a newly-appointed brother,
" for they will generally be right; but never give
your reasons, for they will very often be wrong."
We can give our hearty support to the motion
brought forward last night by the member for
Devonport. We think it high time that the Go-
vernment should take into consideration the state
of the manufacturing districts, and determine what
measures, if any, may tend to relieve the operative
population from their present condition of unwilling
idleness. But we certainly think it most unfortu-
nate that Mr. Ferrand should have "given hii rea-
sons," and prefaced his motion by such a speech as
that which he thought it his duty to make. It is
true enough, no doubt, that delegates from
numerous manufacturing districts have furnished
Mr. Ferrand with distorted facts and un-
reasonable opinions; but certain we are that
these delegates do not represent the views of the
m-re intelligent and respectable of the opera-
tives. It is not possible for one who does not
comprehend the economy of factory labour to avoid
such misapprehensions of filets as several times eli-
cited the laughter of the 'Lidice' beeches during Mr.
Ferrand's speech. He promised, and evidently in-
tended, not to revive the memory of old personal or
political feuds. But that memory mastered him;
and seeing his old enemies of the Anti-corn-law
League before him he could not refrain from taunt-
ing them with the prophecies in which they for-
m( rly indulged, and the miserable results wli11til Fi
have followed and falsified those prophecies. 1
n ere
opportunity was tempting indeed. When
pevirn what
eat
:ee
eY:s
ctnot,
uojs:
In
fighting for the repeal of the Corn
n Laws,
gentlefmorena swueprpelyw Look at
And what was their answer j' . _ us;
oarfnfeododthautpoitn
u 6 is bread, entirely
depend for cotton, which to .
and w
otsacfoen tont r de-
pendicountries.
America, e do not
that d d
uponntht
fveaeilniwere they told that this dependence was a great
Butnaeteassyoufngere
waa
foreign
and lamentable misfortune7a misfortune which, if
ehesllaevaest
In vain were they asked it were the result of choice, w ould have been a
crime.
become of them if a servile insurrection should
break out—what would become of
should close the ports of the U • them if war
did rot believe in servile r United States. They
was the last thing they
wouidevolt or in war; war
induced us to le idly on ever believe in. They
tual peace ;to put our a the expectation of perpe-
ply of food, on the same army and navy, and our sup-
cotton peace footing on which the
manufacture
blunder with the f • stood. We paid for the first
vve are paying, for
rrightful disaster of the Crimea;
America for cotton, theh, inevitable dependence on
the Anti,Corn-law ,L 7 ;ch seemed such a trifle to
wherein we shall
the hour may be fast ap-
Proaching_s al bitterly regret our de-
pendence on America
But the motionanswered
for so large a part of our food.
tnirably. It compelleds
eredth itsG chief purpose ad-
mirably, to make
up its mind to take some couerse other. So long
as no pressure was put upon them, or put upon
them only to be withdrawn, they were content to
do nothing and let matters drift. But with a seri-
ous motion in prospect, threatened by a man not to
be
cajoled or lectured into withdrawal, they were
compelled to act ; and their action, if it go far
1 enough, may prove exceedingly fortunate and judi-
cious. Mr. Villiers refused to promote emigration
at Government expense, and declined to accede to
Mr. Potter's request for a Royal commission.d Use.
considered the first unnecessary and the sewn.
only
less. His opinion is, clearly, that the distress Isexpe/ .
temporary, and must be met by
ltemiihoartary
inquiry
clients. He proposes, accordingly, y
he multitude of
shall be made as to which of
metnt of the towns
works required for the inipirboove
begun at once, and
and lands of Lancashire ar
inquiry will not occupy
he pledges himself that this
and that there is
much more than three weeks,
work enough to be
done
to occupy a bundrkd
for twowinters.
As a,
thousand able-bodied men
temporary reme-y a this is perhaps the best that could
(FIE' l '
be named. It has its 1 eu ties ; but so have ell
schemes for the relief of Lancashire ; and it has the
advantage of being at once less costly and less deP
panda than a resort to emigration.