The Sun.
London, England, 1838-07-03 00:00:00

THE CORN LAWS,

Earl FITZ WIL LIAM presented a petition from Glasgow
praying for the total repeal of the Corn-laws. The
Noble Earl considered the present Corn-laws as anti-
commercial, and destructive of the best interests of the
manufacturing classes.—( Hear, hear.) He thought that
the House ought deliberately to consider the measures it had
adopted upon the subject of the Corn-laws, in order that such
alterations might be made as the circumstances of the coun-
try required. The law, as it at present existed, was a dis-
grace to the Legislature of a free country.
The petition was read at length.
The Duke of RICHMOND said that those who had
framed the present Corn Laws had no intention to injure the
manufacturers by adopting a protecting duty. He disagreed
in toto with the petition.
The Earl of STANHOPE fearlessly asserted that the re-
peal of the Corn Laws would be an injury to the country, and
would have the effect of reducing the wages of labourers. He
was surprised to hear that the Noble Earl apprehended the
dangefrof Corn-laws being swept away if prices were to rise to
a very great height. Did he not know that if they rose to a
certain height the duty was reduced, and the trade to a great
extent thrown open ? He hoped, however, that the people
would follow the advice even given by the Noble Earl him-
self, and refuse to pay all rents and taxes if this measure were
adopted.

Lord ASHBURTON might say that the present Corn_
laws had, he believed, worked better, and had been considered
by the country as having worked better, than any system which
had been previously introduced. Ile begged to draw the
Noble Earl's attention to this, that when be told them of the

great prosperity of the country at a period when no Co;;-
lows were in force, he should remeinber that the great power
of the manufacturing interest had arisen since then, and it
was a singular fact that the countries which were the greatest
in point of manufacturing prosperity and industry were those
in which the price of bread was the highest. The Noble Earl
should therefore reflect that there u ere some circumstances,
not merely dependent on the price of bread, which should in-
fluence the consideration of this question—the advantages
which great nations enjoyed and which free institutions
brought with them were to he considered ; and when they
found that the countries in which bread %las cheapest were in
the most miserable condition, and that, even with alt their
abundance of bread, the poor labourers could not obtain any
—(1-lear, hear)—the Noble Earl was bound to reflect that

these were all points of consideration in connection with the
question. There was one other topic connected with the sub-
ject to which he wished to allude. A proposition to which lie
might, without any irregularity, refer, as it appared on the
Votes of the House of Commons laid on the table, had been
made for grinding corn in bond for the purposes of exportation.
Now, with every desire to maintain the protection afforded to
the agricultural interest in its present state, lie must say that
lie very much regretted that the friends of the landed interest
in the other House had opposed that which he believed to be a
salutary measure.
The Earl of HA RD WICK E had risen for the purpose of
eliciting from the Noble Viscount opposite information whe-
ther he was disposed to declare himself a supporter of these
laws, or whethi r he would join with these parties who were
anxious to put the question aside altogether, awaiting a more
convenient opportunity of giving an opinion, which n.ight be

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to the advantage of the Government. ....
Lord PORTMAN hoped that the Noble Viscount would
decline giving any opinion at a moment like the present, not
only in consequence of the present state of the Corn markets,
but because the question would probably come before Parlia-
ment next Session.

Viscount MELBOURNE said that he should nst have felt
called upon to state any opinion on the present occasion on
this subject—a subject of great importance touching matters
of deep interest, greatly affecting the interests of this country.
and which, in his opinion, it was imprudent arid indiscreet to
agitate without any intsntion or purpose of bringing the matter
to a decision ; but as he bad been decidedly and distinctly
• called upon, he could not reconcile it with his sense of daty
sot to say a few words. The Noble Earl opposite had said,
that it was essential that the opinions of the Government on
the subject of these laws should be known.--(fiear, hear.)
Now, he did not know that the op lions of the Government,
as individuals, were of any greater value than those of any
other persons. The opinions of the Government were
only :.reportant as they indicated the intention of Government,
and what the Gevernment intended to do on the subject was
certainly a very important matter. Now he begged to say.
for himself, that unquestiombly, looking at the present
state of the country—considering the magnitude of the
question—considering the various matters of importance
with which it was connected—it was far from his intention
to think of introducing any mra,ure on this subject, or of
disturbing the present system. Ile would not give
them any opinion upon the general principle upon which
these laws were founded, but he agreed entirely in the
opinion of the Noble Lord (Ashburton) that they bad
worked extremely well for the interests of both parties—
much better than any former system had ever done. He
could not then attempt to change such a system unless that
change appeared to be in accordance with the wishes of the
great majority of the people—unless he felt that in so doing
he would be acting right, and acting for the benefit of the
people, and he did not feel that in so ding he would be acting
in conformity with the will of the people. lie thought it would
be dangerous in the highest degree to abolish the present sys-
tem. There was much danger of losing the advantages
a hie', they at present possessed, and of introducing evils to
whiellthey were not now subject ; and, therefore, his had no
intention of proposing any alteration. He must say that he
perfectly concurred in another opinion which had been ex-
pressed, snd which, indeed, referred to all matters of policy;
but particularly to questions of commerce and finance. Those
int,,tests might flourish under inconvenient regulations—under
systems impolitic and imprudent—under laws the most calcu-
lated to repress and subdue their energies ; they might flourish
in a soil the most rugged, and in a climate the most ungenial;
but they could not prosper, they could not thrive, under a
system of frequent fluctuation and change.—( Loud cheers.)
There was great danger in the change ; and, next to the
change itself, was to be dreaded and feared the constant ap-
prehension of change. Influenced by such considerations,
he, therefore, said that he had no intention whatever of intro-
ducing any change or alteration. He was glad to hear that
this question was not likely to be made the subject of discussion
this session.

The Earl of HARDWICK E could assure the Noble Vis-
count that his statement would be received with the greatest
satisfaction throughout the country.
Earl FITZ\\ ILLIAM complained of those laws because
they constituted a system, the effect of which was to counter-
act the beneficent intentions of the Great Ruler of the Uni-
verse, be presenting nations from interchanging their commo-
dities. With resiucct to the Grinding Bill, be was reijeed to