The Sun.
London, England, 1825-04-07 00:00:00

[MORNING CHI ONICIAI

The Corn Laws which lately involved the
agricultural part of our population the greatest
distress, are 'now producing the most mischievous
results in our towns. So long as a monopoly
'shall be given to the British grower, so long must
we be subject to the vicissitude of excessively. high
find excessively low prices, for the average price
at home being higher than that of the Continent,
the farmer cannot find a profitable vent for
his surplus in good years elsewhere, and, in had
years, importation is prohibited till the popula-
tion is suffering from a famine price. The far-
mers were nearly ruined so long as the prices
were low enough . to enable the manufacturers
to subsist, with any thing like _comfort, on their
scanty wages ; and now that prices are again
high, the manufacturing towns are everywhere
in a state of commotion, the workmen strug-
gling for a rise of wages to enable them to
maintain their families, and the masteri vigorously
resisting their demand. In a little time we shall
have Yeomanry Cavalry parading the streets of
the towns, and Country Gentlemen receiving the
thanks of Government for the vigour with which
they exerted themselves in repressing the disor-
ders engendered by their monopoly. The Common
Connell of the City of London are to discuss the
subject of the Corn Laws this day, and to add their
voice to that of their fellow-citizens throughout the
country. We are glad to see the union of feeling
which prevails at the present most decisive mo-
ment. We say decisive, because, if the evil be
not remedied in time, we fear the distress of the
workmen will. alarm the masters too much for
their own safety, to allow them to oppose as they
ought, the pretensions of the land-owners. We
have seen several well written hand-bills on this
all-important subject. They are signed V.erax.;
and one is entitled " An Appeal to the Landed
Interest," and the other " An Appeal to all
Merchants, Shipowners, Manufacturers, and Ar- .
tizans." In the Appeal to the Landed Interest,
the evil effects to the cultivators, produced by the
present system, are demonstrated ; but the writer,
though he condemns the present abominable sys-
tem of averages, advocates the imposition of a pro-
tecting duty of twelve shillings—a tax on con-
sumers which we cannot help thinking in every
sense,,most unjustifiable. " It appears;! he says,
" by incontrovertible evidence,- that.in ordinary
years wheat cannot be grown in • Holstein
under 40s. to 455. per year. No argument is,
therefore, afforded by the present low prices in
some of those countries, which prices,as they are
ruinous to the growers, cannot possibly long con-
tinue. If an important duty or 12s. per quar-
ter were levied, this, together with the charges
of shipment, freight, commissions, &c., will be
equal to an increase of 18s. per quarter, and.from
distant ports, of 21s. or 225. per quarter, upon
the original cost of production, and when the
ordinary rate of mercantile profit on the capital
employed is added, the price will, by these means,
be enhanced to the English consumer to above
60s. per quarter, which must surely be considered
as an ample protection to the home grower."
. But why should we thus endeavour to keep up so

great a difference of price in Britain, as compared
with the Continent ? Let it be borne in mind,
that in proportion as we keep up prices artifi-
cially here, in the same proportion do we expose
our agriculturists to difficulty when they are visit.
with seasons of abundance; for the average here
being alwaps higher by the duty than The average
of the Continent, the fall must be equal to the
duty, and the cost of exportation, before they
can be relieved by the foreign market.