The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-28 00:00:00

MORNING SUN

n
th
otltAboi
sfes
told, that
that
aosut
tltogo.tlhnuctl
colonial
:4et
oih, aoistlrtns
she fn4soosolri
consumption
tli
eis e,
thillfvas tosm 9three:u:aoy,nofpd:
quantity
og(c,tnadeht,v. saßt,,
was 992,000
aegnenhndii t
1, producei
ingl2,o,ooni theoo a,:h.sthoeef
b Beser
man confine his statement to the first six months. If Gtruecilt;ct'
stiettiiitemnen
trpchrooerruetreatao)rogirtieessutfhiammaciote, fact.
that I value lt
is
ea
tilt
indication i n firi tel infinitely
thatles s t ohne
raec;
aac isor ut no t
and
eo(
afs
tioton.
holvereftehrattoatphoartiofadctofarseiomopeorryt:
slight, indeed, but still a time in the dowrild progress of de-
pression has been niched. 1 now come to the more important
and exciting topic, the consideration of the question 01 the
duties on corn ; that I may make no mistake, allow me to
quote the exact words I then used. I said before the dissolu-
ti,n, that after mature consideration I bad come to the opinion
which no intervening consideration had induced me to alter,
that I preferred the graduated scale to the imposition of a
fixed and irrevocable duty.—( Cheers., I said that, and I now re-
peat it.—( Loud cheers.( Speaking of the language 1 had
used in 1839, I said that is the language I hold now--1
would prefer the principle of a graduated duty to a fixed scale.
I do not bind myself to the details of the existing law, but I
r
aensrmas,ewisnrh. vriee:l(lat
lortilhcemeea3r,,•sfelf
hear.)the
you
oconsidering ando
bind
od amendingysel
f
the
existingagriculturaltotelarseystisnwitisil details as the condition
I say on that condition Iwill give me their suptotple'rhrseetr
not accept that support.—( Hear. )
lam now mairtaining what I did before. 1 may be wrong.
I know it is the fashion for every gentleman to presume that
he is, in the right, and that those who differ from bilal
is in error. Have compassion on inferior judgments,
and do not impute motives. You say that we are actuated by
base motives. I tell you that such is not the case. I Pur-
posely avoid entering into details. Ido now, as I did before,
in a minority; with a supposed majority, I hold the same lan-
guage that 1 did in a minority. 1 reserve to myself the un-
fettered power of considering the details.—(Hear, bear.) liudt
aouare not satisfied, and whole streams of obloquy are directe
gainst me, which, after an experience of thirty years, Pr":
duces little irritation. 'The whole stream of obloquy is
directed against me on these accounts. Although you say Situ
the principle of a graduated scale, you studiously Wital,
hold the mode by which you would alter it. la'
this of any reasonable man Oman was there ever a more preposterou!
demand made of a public , than that he should declarr
not only his preference of certain principles to the
wyciooruuldiai,raebvut that he was irrevocably bound to the precise o e
mar.ye
of carrying it out. You made this demand of me last
ecormeminagineidntion office—we Was there
every such a shallow candidate for power as not to tell us what
i
he intended to do? Suppose I had done it.—f Cheers') 11
this demand proceeded upon the assumption that you were
about to quit officee and if in May had declared my
your views would have changed, and-having in the intervenmg
period determined to retain power, and to appeal to the people,
Ygoouinsgaidootto. me last year,
you wanted a convenient instrument of attacking any Gut" :le
pt eject, and, to the best of your power,. you would have ma„,-",
it impracticab:e, and if, after that, I had come into powers
..Yea;
would have tied my measures round me with the bonds ot tile
irrevocable pledge ; and if 1 did not adhere to it, you of
have said, here is a man who came forward with the detail'
of a plan ; he ha: got into office, and the moment he has at,C.'
acquired it he changes his opinions. It it true that 1 ant
individual who is honoured with the confidence of a Poureci.o
body, but that does not impose upon me the obligation of devis-
ing a Budget for you. Ns hy should a Minister of the Crown
have the means of information if we are all to be upon an
equality. I will prove to ye; that you do notrequire this 'rune Met
and that you feel the justice of my observation. Why did
be e°
give me a year to consider of the new Poor-laws? It has ehe
the subject of discussion, and why did you not ask me for t
subject of my details upon that measure ? One is as reason:
able as the other. Do not:you know that the public detail of
measures has a tendency to prejudice the free consideration of
it. If I were to pledge myself to a particular principle with
respect to the Corn-laws, and were then ceded upon to form a_
Government, is it to be said that I must state to every Gcteepal_
ment whom I called upon to assist me in the Government that
there was one irrevocable principle to which he roust subscri
You must subscribe to the precise mode of contracting the ave-
rages. You must subscribe to the private price which I have
determined on, and from which I cannot depart, becausse
have made a public declaration of it.—( Hear, hear.) Can
any reasonable man deny that there never was such a prepos-
terous demantt made upon a public man, who was not incea„t
fits, but a candidate for power.—( H ear, hear.) I statedbefore the election, and no demands, no solicitations, :no ridi-
cule shall induce me to depart from it.—(Great cheering.,
That was the question between us. • Many of the gentlemen_
who were advocates of fee trade were not Members °Vibe in
Parliament, and those that were seemed to have forgotten
ohf
real uestion at issue. We both acknowledge the Principle
to
protection ; we both acknowledge the principle
the Crown being asked whether this fixed duty was aftax
.b.
agriculture.—(Hear, hear.) The first FinanocrePAretinisteorr oaf
protection, he said it was protection. We started r t
Iseavntieedpooion tioreigfoh e
oGoroov,erantmarini tttoptroosp,oasoedd
stances, no matter what might be the glut of the marrke_t o
price of corn—if it were as high as 90s. 0
• d with•
Cries of •4 Hear, hear.") The proposal of the Go-
vernment as to the Bs. duties was to be rigidly complied a
underfixe d
Will the Hon. Member for SI ockport apply his proposition te.rothee
Bs. duty, and when he estimates the amount of duty taker! I!
alld u tcoY•l nr
tt•rou ;17.-
the pocket of the poor man, compareed with the duty on bread'
taken from the pocket of the rich man, will he tell me vs
his calculation is not as precisely applicable to the fixed duty of
Bs. as to the sliding scale. And when I have adopted the he
duty, and accepted it as the fienal settlement of the Coro-la e_
question, what security shall 1 have that those promised derittinth
ciations levied against the bread-tax will not apply
equal force to the duty of Bs. ? As to the graduated scale.
Mr. COBDEN.—It depends upon the amount. se
Sir It. PEEL—No, it does not. Every one of duty
elaborate calculations apply with equal force to the fixed ""
nature
as to the sliding scale. Every argument of a popular 021 I
iter.
calculated to produce disaffection and discontent will sP,P,Ye
with equal force to taxation, whether irrevocable or not. ""
principle of free trade is opposed as much to one as the other,
Let me ask this question. Suppose you passed your law in
May last, fixing an Bs. duty upon corn, to take effect at the
end of the Session—supposing that the weathei continued un-
favourable, and the price of corn hail risen in September to
90, a quarter—do you mean to say that you would at:here to
your fixed duty arrangement then ? That is not at all an
improbable case. You want to give security to commerce.
What, I would ask, is the meaning of that, when you allow
patties to speculate in corn ? The moment they know the
amount of the fixed duty, they make great gains
by bringing in corn from the Continent. That is
not what I consider the principles of free trade.
But then it is said that the remote consequences of those prices
never will arrive. That is the speculation of those who con-
tend for fiee trade. If the duty was to be fixed at Se.' it,
would be in vain to show that it could have been adinittedhee
Is , and it would be vain to draw the comparison between, tht
state of the law, defective as it is at present, and what it mire
et
be when the provision was made. I will venture to say t"rjg
d
the duty of Bs. could not have been levied, a
something must be done for its relaxation. Would yc'
provide that when corn arrived at a certain price therief
should be a power in the council to abate the duty?
11
you do that you must apply the system of averages.Y",„
el
take no such power, then, in my opinion, the principle °f to'
law which provides for the total omission of the duty Nebe
corn is inconveniently high is more likely to work "ell
than the principle of a fixed duty. With respect to the fl ue'
tuation in the price of corn. Having (paid the bestattentionr
I can to that subject, I have very great doubt whether yet'
expectations for a free trade in corn will produce a flied prieet:
or can be carried out. 'There must be such fluctuations in the
price of corn, for the very nature of the commodity dependo4
i
upon matters so accidental as the seasons, that the r?-
provements in the law which you meditate I doubt would be
_
productive of much good. It is important, in this respect, t
compare the prices of corn in this country with those of othe;
countries, in which the Corn-laws do not operate. In cowl.
dering this question of the Corn-laws, I wish to throw aside all
party feeling, and consider the question upon its OWII meri st•
With respect to the fluctuations in the price of corn, I admit
they have been great—much greater than could be wished'ha
I think the great object to be obtained is a fixed price, but t
t
I think, could not he obtained by a fixed duty.—(Hear, heatree
Just compare the. varaiations in the price of corn in h
United States with that of England. America is a country
not subject to the operation of the Corn-laws. It has a free
trade sin corn, it produces more than its inhabitares
can consume, but I was very much struce indeed
.
wall the fluctuations in the price of corn in the United States_
The followine is the account of the variations in the preceitef.
corn in New York, from the year 1634 to 18-10. Now, jt
listen to the amount :—ln November, 1834, the rice of the
Winchester bushel of wheat was 335. 4 ,• in 1836 it was 34.5. ;
in January, 1837, it was 635. ; and in June, 1839, it was 07e•
4d. ; and in October of the same year it was 675. 4d. Nl/°'
what was the ground of these immense fluctuations? There
had been an intervening harvest, and in October, 1840, the
rice fell to 31s. 9d. There was a fall of more than 100 Per
Pant. Yet in that country, where there is a complete froee
trade, and a most abundant supply, on account of the variety'
of the seasons, there was a greater fluctuation in price than lu
this country. In 1836, when the price of eor,u
in Ncw York was 545., it was only 455, 9".
here; and in that country, which was subject to such fluctua-
tions in price, occasionally having those gr. at prices, there seas
not that extreme of suffering mentioned as occurring in` do!
country. Here is a most extraordinary statement with repecot
to the produce of Russia, which was furnished by your own
Consul, and which shews a very great variaotio yetii
the supply of corn according to the seasons, ,d,
~chat,
consul told you that that might be made threefeld,fraeu.ea
an idea,
does his add in another paragraph ? In order tics, ets
corn mer-
ticularly good lie says, " I have been assf red
of what this country can poetize when the hab•,:c4a
zamboff alone pro-
chant that in 1835 the Government, are par-
;!,)__ 3/ay last I was to
diced 38,000,000 quarters of cornh. to
ninon was o oe, it is
3oti yourselves were to
furnish, and when 1 read it your.
"a-nswer from Sir Edward
anticipate all the information whic,aa,
impossible." This document
eur,e,„ " Is it not possible.
Barnes to a letter signed " Palin
from other cause
then, that fluctuationsolelaythe
wiiiCornl:oauws:reatlly excaagnng:
not derive such benefit
titan the operat ion
help thinking that eo
rivable from any alteraCon in the Corn-
tdeto those accounts of distress in the mantl-
Sou anticipate.
from the change which
-"the are given by
laws.lateth e
lavith.ttaf
rtoats
ntsYa-re. so- affecting,.
gentle
men whose chaos;
^ rtunities of information entitle them to credit'
that I said to mYseIG
lets and opPo-
Some of thee,' a(
what must be theoperation. of the Poor-law in those dis-
trictsie which such a horrible state of things is permitted ?
facturine districts.ou.
There certainly must be some mistake in the account. 141/
unfortunate inan found dead at h.s loom, and ne inquiry ma&
into the matter !" But thee, in such a state of things we og*o
riot to content ourselves with a mere expression of symPathr„.
'To those who are in authority it appertains at once; and,
the first ins arise, to demand by whose laxity nei
are cause.—
conduct it is that these thingscaused .—(Hear.?
I have no hesil t• e
a iou in declaring, that if I thought an altere
tion in the fern-laws could
preclude the risk of a return
these evils—if 1 thought it would he an effectual remedy
all occasions against such instances of lamentable suffering
those which we have heard described, I should say at once to
the agricultural interest, it is for your advantage rather to 501).
mit at once to any reduction of your incomes, taan to centirord
a law which led to a continuunce of national distress. I wee
say it was for the interest not only of the community, but mete
especially of the agriculturists, that if any sacrifice of the"=
could prevent the continuance of the existing distress, and off.ei
a gua.areee against a recurrence, to make that sacrifice; atot
would earnestly desire a relaxation or an alteration, nay's
n cessary, a total repeal of those laws.—(Cheers.) But ite'e
because I cannot persuade myself that the Corn-laws are at tri._
bottom of this distress, or that the repeal of the Corn-la' S'
tt• alterat ton ot its principle, would secure the proposed e)":
that I am induced to continue my support of that law.—(-le
position cheers.) 1 own to you that I think the evil is on.
cannot reach. I fear that in commercial and manufactuteui;
concerns of this kind, no legislative remedy scli,ltel
you can by possibility devise, will afford an effectui,
remedy against the recurrence of individual distress. Theo „,
something in the invention and sudden application of machine:),
whatever might be the benefits which it might ultimately eiere
for upon the country, in increasing its productive power-11,he
is something in the application of machinery which leads to 'Le
infliction of distress upon those who have subsisted upon to%
manufacturing industry. the course of my inquiries oPee
the subject, I have been most forcibly struck by a docurnr;
Vltich appeared in' tho first leport of the reerelew