The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-18 00:00:00

'N,7k, THE SUN, LONDON

maviage-7-to subsistence, and the regulation of
the' nuptial contract; and we appeal, on the
former subject, to is great authority:

He begins by. saying, that " I take my stand
On the broad general principle, THAT EVERY RE-
STRICTION IS AN EVIL IN ITSELF," and " the bur-
den Of proof lies
.upon the advocates of every
restriction to show its necessity." The Corn-
laws are a terrible restriction; they prohibit men
from buying food when and where they
like, and bringing it home. They are a
restriction on public liberty, and no man has
shown a necessity for the restriction. On the
contrary, the whole of the argOments urged in
favour of the Corn-laws resolve themselves into
some fictitious calculations as to the' cost of pro-
ducing corn in different countries—we do not
say its price, for that is the effect of the law—
and into the unfounded fancy that the farmers
and the labourers would cease to cultivate the
soil if they had less rent and tithes, or no rent
and tithes at all, to pay. NeeesSity for the re-
striction ! Why, the whole course of nature
cries out against it. Necessity is that from.
which there is no escape; and instead of society
being unable to escape from this evil restriction,
it can only be maintained by great coercion, and
by causing grievous destruction.
The Archbishop goes on to say, and we are
fond of supporting our opinions by such a high
authority—
What may be, .called a meddling system of Govern-
ment amounts practically toil most intolerable tyranny.
If the Legislature of a, country consisted of the most dis-
interested- and public-spirited men, but who should think
it their duty to compel by law every individual to do
everything that might seem to them best, and to prohibit
every one from taking any step which they might not
think advisable, it would be found, I believe, that even
the government of selfish oppressors would be preferred
to this.

Our Legislature is, however, far from consist-
ing of the most disinterested and public-spirited
men, and yet t'iey undoubtedly think it their
duty to compel by law every individual to do in
this matter of buying corn what seems best to
them, and they prohibit him from taking that
step, namely, buying corn in Poland, Russia,
and America, which they think not desirable.
Dr. WHATELEY thinks a Government of selfish
oppressors preferable to such a meddling Go-
vernment; and what must the public think of a
Legislature composed of selfish oppressors, who
so meddle with the subsistence of society, for the
very purpose of putting pelf into _their own
pockets? The restriction, which is an evil, they
' enact from no other necessity than their arrogant
self-will, and to gratify their rapacity. Public
advantage, either preSent or distant, either di-
rect or contingent, the law. has none; it is in-
tended to keep up prices, and kcep up rent, and
the public good is sacrified by a meddling Go-
vernment of selfish oppressors.
The Morning Post of Tuesday found out a new
characteristic of the Corn-laws. Our Contempo-
rary denied that they were a tax, and, we presume,
meant to deny that they impose a tax, and asserted
that they may be looked on as a" stimulant to
production, and this we, believe them to be so long
as the balance (ofprotection) is rightly adjusted."
To adjust this balance rightly the Legislature
must estimate to a nicety all the varying bur-
dens which agriculture here and abroad, and
which manufactures and other employments
than agriculture, have to sustain; it must watch
over increasing skill and knowledge here and
abroad, and adjust the balance as new methods of
husbandry are discovered or newsoils are brought
into cultivation. To fulfil this duty, then, the
Legislature must, in the strict sense of the word,
be a meddling system of Government, and must
let no year pass without an elaborate investiga-
tion into the circumstances we have alluded to,
and without altering or modifying the nicely ba-
lanced system 'of protection. The consequence
of the principle a palpable absurdity, and no
Legislature, however disinterested and public-
. spirited the men who compose it, and however
gigantic their powers, could rightly adjust for a
single week the balance of protection amongst
the varied and contending. interests of several
countries. The only way to adjust the matter is
to leave it, unmeddled with, to what Dr. SMITH
called the higgling of the market.
The Corn-law, it is said, is a stimulant to pro-
duction. How ? It is a settled axiom in po-
litical economy that a Legislature can only in-
fluence production by altering the distribution
of wealth. This is done by the Corn-law. The
natural and necessary price of wheat in the
market would be considerably below what it is
but for the law which is passed to keep up the
price. The corn-grower receives a higher price
from the consumer than he otherwise would for
his corn, or the law takes away the property of
the consumer, and gives it in the first instance to
the corn-grower,, out of whom it is squeezed by
the landowner. By taking wealth from the con-
sumers, and giving it to the landowners, the Post
says the production of corn is stimulated.
We could not believe this assertion, even if
the whole of the increased price went to the cul-
tivator; but how making him the tax-gatherer
for the landlord can stimulate production, sur-
passes our comprehension. He receives a greater
price than he ought to have for his produce,
a reward for something which he has never
done,—and in general, to bestow unmerited
rewards, to give a higher price than is necessary
for an article, is considered the best method to
check production. At least, when the labourer
is in question, no maxim is more insisted on by
the landlords than that he must' not be rewarded
beyond his deserts, otherwise he will become
lazy and saucy. Landlords and farmers combine
to act on the very opposite principle 'in regard to
the , labourers which the Post advocates with
regard to the. landlords. That the plunder of
the consumer bylaw stimulates or increases pro-
duction, is an idle dream, not a necessity which,
justifies the terrible evil of a great restriction.

The noble list of subscriptions in honour of the
Duke of WELLINGTON, published in another
part of the paper, appears appropriately on the
anniversary of the day which sealed his fame as
the most successful warrior of the age. It
has rarely happened to • any one individual
to have such a sum contributed from all parts
of the world for the erection of a monument, and
we believe there is no instance on record ofsuch
a display of enthusiasm towards either states-
man, warrior, or patriot during his life. WEL-
LINGTON, too, has this additional honour : the
subscriptions come from all parties. Po-
litical feeling is forgotten in admiration
of the man who • commenced the battle in Por-
tugal, under the most inauspicious circum-
stances, who was betrayed by his allies, and in
supported by his friends at home, but who still
kept on the steady tenor of his way, till by one
gigantic contest he and his brave companions
raised the fame of the country to the highest
pitch, and confirmed the peace,•of Europe by the
most decisive victory of ancient or modern times.
We confidently hope that he will yet live for
years to enjoy honours which have been so well
earned, and which, by foreigners as well as na-
tives, are considered so justly due to his great
talents as the leader of an army.

The character of the Times for audacious as-
sertions is so fast sinking to the level of
that of the Standard, that in a very short .time
nobody will believe it. We no longer think it
worth while to notice the twentieth part of the
strange assertions it continually makes. For
example, it has indulged for two or three days
in tirades against the Ministers for protract_
ing the Session, and has described them
as wanting honour and honesty, because
the Parliament is not already dissolved.
But on two nights the House was count-
ed out, and necessary business postponed,
by the Tories. Nay, on one of these nights Mr.
WALTER himself had the HouSe counted out,
and so stopped proceedings. But while the To-
ries have thus delayed measures, the Times has
the hardihood to accuse the Whigs of procrasti-
nating the dissolution. It will come sooner than
will be satisfactory to the Tories. •

Nc,w that the contyrsf hp-ween Sii. CI-I A RT,r4
iv AVIFAX and l%tr. I OUNG for tile representation