The Sun.
London, England, 1836-03-16 00:00:00

was a premature discussion and decision SD far as the Right
Hon. Gentleman and the Government were concerned, though
on the present motion he strongly reprehended the course
which had been pursued, as tendingsto prejudge the question
of the duty on soap—( Hear, hear.) The charge, then, of
promising relief to any particular interest before the whole
state of the public revenues was submitted to the House was
one which, however anxious the Right Han. Gentleman seemed
to escape, he could not relieve himself. He must say, then,
. that if the Right Hon. Gentleman who had brought forward
this motion conceived he had a prima facie case, he was per-
fectly justified, after the conduct of the Right Hon. Gentleman
with respect to the Stamp duty in bringing.it under the consi-
deration of the House. But at the same time he must say
that he thought the principle of such a mode of proceeding so
and such an exception from the ru7e, so open to public. in-
convenience, that he could not agree to follow the example of
the Right Hon. Gentleman (the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer.) He adhered to that principle laid down by the Right
lion. Gentleman, and he condemned his departure from it. It
was because he thought that every interest had a right to be
heard, and its claim fairly considered, witheut any positive en-
gagement being entered into with any particular class, that
be felt bound to oppose the present motion.—( Hear, hear.)
For this reason he could not consent to increase the duty on
candles. The case of the duties on tallow did not constitute
one of those cases for exemption which would justify him in
departing from the established principle. Would the agricul-
tural interest benefit by an augmentation of the protecting
duty ? Certainly, unless the proposition was extended to
foreign oil, it would not. Ile was likewise to consider how
the proposition might affect the labouring interest, and whether
the injury it might be to that interest would not go near to
counterbalance the advantage which the agriculturist might
gain from it. Now it was well known that during many
hours out of the 24, persons engaged in factories were obliged
to work by candlelight, sometimes upon their own accounts
and as frequently upon that of the factory employers.. To
them, therefore, any increase in the price of their candles would
be a great and pressing hardship, and one of which, from
the fact of its pressing more particularly on the lower than the
middling classes of society, would give rise to frequent and
urgent complaint.

Mr. PELHAM denied, most unhesitatingly, that the agri-
cultural interest was actuated by those motives of selfishness
so lavishly attributed to them in the course of the present
discussion. That body asked for relief of the burdens which
so Oppressed them, but, in doing so, they did not seek to de-
tract from the claims of any othr class of the country. He
did not consider the proposition-was likely to effect much for
the agriculturist, but, trifling as the boon was, it would be
something to him.

Mr. CURTE IS said that if the Hon. Member for Lincoln
pressed his motion to a division, he would be obliged to vote
against him.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. HANDL E Y replied—he only asked the House to do
that for the agricultural interests which the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer had that evening an-
nounced he intended to do with respect to the Stamp Duties
on Newspapers.
The House then divided, when there appeared—

- - -
For the resolution 125
Against it ... ... 195
Majority for Ministers 7O
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the
[louse adjourned at a quarter to one o'clock.