The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-21 00:00:00

A POOR MAN'S ARGUMENT pop

CHEAP BREAD.

(From a Penny Pamphlet by JAMES YOUNG, a Journey man

Mechanic.)

How stands this question, so far as we are concerned?
what do the opponents of these Corn-laws say—the '
great and intelligent manufacturers ?—why, that if they
are not removed, so that bread may be cheaper, they
shall be ruined. Well, and what do the great lands
holders say, who wish to continue these laws ?
why, that if they arc removed, bread will be so cheap,
that they shall be ruined. Both parties, we see
then, admit that the removal of the Corn-laws
will cause 'heap bread ; there is no dispute about
that—so that all we have to ask ourselves, is, whether
we are for cheap bread or not, and on this point I do not
feel any doubt as to what will be your reply.
These landholders, however, instead of wishing to
enlighten us, seek to confuse our understanding, by
turning our minds to another matter—they say, if
bread and provisions get cheaper, wages will
,fall,
and that will be a bad thing for the poor. Now I
think we can answer this argument in favour of
dear bread, from our ice n experience ; we know
whether we are best off when provisions are dear or
cheap. In this place there are a vast nember of per-
sons whose incomes are stationary—men paid by fixed
wages ; there are also numerous journeymen pa►d so
much a-day ; and others, as printers, tailors, shoe-
makers, and so forth, who are paid for their work
by the piece ; now the wages of such of us as arc
in this situation do not fall when things get cheap,
nor rise as they get dear—our employers are
mostly too liberal to desire to screw down the
wages of their workmen ; they rather delight in
seeing us happy and comfortable ; besides which, the
prices are generally fixed by rules of the trade : mad as
regards all this class of persons, it stands to reason, that
dear bread must weigh heavily upon them—it just takes
from them their comforts and independence. It is the land-
lord s and the great capitalist manufacturers who advo-
cate low wages, and who never hesitate to screw up the
profits out of the blood and bones and bellies of the poor
workmen. But even among these, wages never rise so fast
as provisions do, nor do they ever sink so fast ; so that
dear bread, even to these must be a curse, and cheap
bread a blessing. But this question is settled in a mo-
ment—we all know that bread is almost double what it
was a year ago ; well then, are our wages doubled ? if
not, where is the argument of our enemies ?
There is another part of this question, which, how-
ever ignorant .we may be, I yet think we may all
understand. The effect of these Corn-laws is to
keep corn from coming into this country, lest it
should be too plentiful. Does not this seem an ac-
cursed law ? can we be so ignorant as not to feel
sure that it must be easier for the poor, and for all
classes, to get a bellyful when bread is cheap and
plentiful, than when it is scarce anti dear ? Is there
one of us who has not said lately, " ah, bread is dear
now, we must be careful of it!" If a poor person
comes to our door, do we not think more of giving
him a piece of bread when it is a shilling a loaf than
when it is sixpence? Or, if we give a beggar a penny
does he not get a less loaf for it? Is there a poor
woman in this country with a limited income, and
four, five, or more children to cut bread and butter
for, that does not sigh, every time she takes up the loaf
at its high price, and that does not feel it necessary to
stint them of a bellyful ?
I ask you, if you do not know this—if you do not
know how this accursed tax affects us all ; and know-
ing this, can we hesitate to petition against it ?
With regard to the interest of the rich landholders,
who cry out for dear bread, that they may have
more money to squander upon their luxuries—and
with regard to the great capitalists, who cry out for
cheap bread, that they may screw down the wages of
their workmen for their own profit—we will take
their interest into consideration when we find they pay
more attention to ours.

I must confess, that if I heard of these great land-
holders saying to their tenants, " You must give me so
much for this farm ; and I must insist upon every la-
bourer having sufficient wages to find himself and family
plenty of bread, and a bellyful of meat once or twice a
week," I should have quite a different notion of what is
called the landed interest from what I have now. But
instead of this, their only object is how to get the highest
possible rent ; and in order to secure this, they set their
wits to work to find out the cheapest food which will
hold body and soul together.
The Scriptures tells us that the ox shall not be muzzled
while treading out the corn—and in every age it seems
to have been a maxim, that all creatures that help to till
the land should be fed upon its fruits without stint—but
such I fear, and know, is not the case with our "la-
bourers, who are worse off in this respect than the oxen
of the Jews.

Yet St. Paul tells us, that for our sakes this is
written : that he that plougheth should plough in hope ;
and that he that thresbeth, in hope should be par-
taker of his hope ; Solomon also tells us, that he
that tilleth the land shall be satisfied with bread ;
but we know very well that our agricultural labourers
do not plough in hope, nor are they satisfied with bind ;
potatoes, and an abominable compound of barley flour
and bean meal, are their diet, and even of these they do
not get a bellyful.
This is owing to these accursed Corn-laws. You
have only to walk into the neighbouring villages
to see the deplorable state of the poor agricultural
labourers; no description that I can write will give you
a just notion of their misery and wretchedness. Yet
there's enough of everything grown in them in one year.-
to keep the inhabitants weil for ten. But it's all draggeli
away to London, or some large market town ; the motley
is spent in keeping horses, carriages, or for the main-
tenance of pride and luxury, while the tillers of the
ground are left to starve.
This is all true enough ; and the Corn-laws must be
blamed for it. If corn were allowed to be brought freely
from the foreign countries in which it is plentiful to sup.-
ply our large towns, there can be no doubt hut more
would be left for the consumption of the poor labourers.,
on the land.

But do not these corn-laws and dear bread seriously
affect the tradespeople of this city, and of all others
Is there anywhere a baker, a grocer, or dealer, that does
not find that the journeymen with families, who a short
time since could pay their bills, weekly, are now obliged
to put them off? and if these people have 4s. or ss. a
week more to pay for bread, they must of course have
less to spend in clothes and other matters. The tailor,
shoemaker, draper, hatter, and all this class of shop-
keepers must suffer.

THE HOME TRADE and TAXATION,

An estimate may be made of the extent of the home trade
of this kingdom, by the average expenditure, week:y and
annually, of the whole population, consisting of twenty-si.::
millions, as follows: _

Weekly. Annually.
One Shilling expended ac.:1,300,000 £67,600,000
Two Shillings , 2,600,000 135,200,000
Three Shillings 3,900,000 202,800,000
Four Shillings 5,200,000 270,400,000
Five Shillings 6.500,000 338,000,000
Six Shillings ......
Seven Shillings ... 9 100,000 475,200,000
Eight Shillings 10,400,000 544,800,000
Nine Shillings 11,700,000 608,400,000
Ten Shillings 13,000,000 676,000,000
Eleven Shillings
Twelve Shillings 14,300,000 743,600,000
15,600,000 811,200 000
Thirteen Shillings 16,900,000 878,800,000
Fourteen Shillings
Fifteen Shillings 19,500,000 1,014,000,000
If we take fifteen shillings a-weak for the average ex,
penditure of each class, rich and poor, of the whole pore-
lation in food, clothing, and the comforts of life, aniouut:,
the sum of 1,014,000,000/. annually. If that sum were
alone taxed five per cent., it would raise a revenue of
50,700,0001., which is more than is now annually raised
by the present system of taxing the food consumed by the
people, instead of their incomes, and which can be jus.
only on the supposition of the appetites and incomes of al's
qeing equal
But if fifteen shillings a-week be considered too musk
take only ten shillings, and tax 676,000,000/. at five per
cent. produces a revenue of 33,800,0001. annually ; and it
that sum be not enough, raise the per centage to seven-
and-a-half to produce 50,700,0001,, as it would be pre-
ferable to forty or fifty per cent., that all classes arc
now taxed, who spend their entire incomes in the mainte.
nance of their families.
This concise view of the subject is sufficient to she.
that the present system must be wrong, when 5 to 71',-
cent. on the average expenditure of the whole poptilati
would be sufficient for all the wants of the State ; and c,,m_
sequently a more simple and efficient system might
ha zub.
stituted for it, without taxing any provisions, and leave
commerce free from the shackles of customs and excise laws.
All that is first required is a dispassionate investigation of
the whole system of taxation by a Committee of the House
of Commons, and a just Report made upon it :—but so lone •
.
as the people are led astray with shadows, as they
now are
e
by petitioning only for reformation of a part, instead of th
whole system of taxation, the substance escapes the;
which would secure the comforts they want, by relief from,
the unnecessary burdens they bear.

According to a return made by the Minister o
the Interior, the number of electors in France in the
year 1837, was nearly three millions, and of these oni3
one-half exercised the right of voting.
Monday the annual scramble for the loaves oi
bread given away under the bequest of Nicholas Clay,
Newark, was attended with the loss of life. A widow wet,,
into the crowd for the purpose of getting a portion of tl-
bread, when, in a rush made, her child was crushed tc
death.— Stamford Mercury.
SHIPWRECK AND LOSS OF LIVES.---In th,
snow storm of last Sunday evening a Sloop from k
ides.-
laden with bark, &c., for this port, was driven un the b
Esahe
xos
trc: Dadr:
a\io:trdbnuEl.inclnsiDi
near Portaferry, and totally lost with all on board. Tore..
of the bodies of the unfortunate crew have been washe,'
on
aaPdtstrutoeurisrndi:Sk.anKeyanimi:NleeiG.—in the emirs of
drunkenness, it
Walker,t , -
whoseltabnadet.:ao
tnohen wa
tlio
last week edofba)
deceased drank nineteen quarterns of gin. Ii
could earn 91. a week at his business, and yet has left hi
family in great poverty.