The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-08 00:00:00

been dissolved in 1834. The Right Hon. Baronet had
spoken a vast deal about the prerogative ; it was a
theme that was ever in the mouth of the Right Hon.
Baronet whenever it was brought Under' the considera-
tion of the House, and he (Mr. Waklef)thou t that it
was a subject which should be treated With - greatest
~,4respect when discussed before that house. lowever, it
was strange that so much attention was bestowed on the
prerogative in one point of view, and so little in another.
If the people perceived that when the right of appeal of
the House, or the executive to the Crown, was to be made
in their behalf, it was impossible to obtain the exercise
of the prerogative ; and when they saw at the same time
that in the case of appeals made by particular parties in
that House, the prerogative could be exercised at plea-
sure—as, for instance, when the Right Hon. Baronet
called on the Noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies,
to state what the Crown intended doing, they would'
say that the Crown was placed in the hauls of the
great factions ; and they might begin to think that they
were paying too much for that state of things—that it
was too dear an entertainment. For his (Mr. Wakley's)
part, he should wish to see .a dissolution of Parliament
every month, or at least every year, until the condition
of the people was bettered, and they were more truly re-
presented in that House. The Right Hon. Baronet had
been very stingy in his statements of what he
would do when -in office. That might be a
very sagacious course ; it - was at all events a
very convenient one. The Right Hon. Baronet alluded
to the offers which he had made, and which should not
be lightly rejected. HQ said be offered a prospect of
continued peace—he offered reduced estimates (that was
a most important offer)—(Hear, hear)—he offered re-
form of the ecclesiastical law—settlement of the tithe
question in Ireland—commutation of the tithes in Eng-
land—removal of any real abuses in the Church of which
the Dissenters complained. The Right Hon. Gentle-
man said he offered also to advance soberly and cau-
tiously . (no doubt of that) progressive improvement.
Was there any more to promise ? If the Right Hon.
Baronet could make so many promises in 1835 was the
stock of promises exhausted now ? If they were ex-
hausted what was the use of his coming into office ? The
Right Hon. Baronet was more useful in opposition, for
he kept a wary eye on those who were opposed to him.
The Right Hon. Baronet talked of his supporting the
Government, but he (Mr. W.) though that he had sup-
ported GovernMent when they least deserved it, In
1834 the Poor-law Bill passed through that House, not
becaUse the Right lion. Baronet opposed but supported
the Government. The Noble Lord (the Member for
North Lancashire) was now ready to take office with
the Right Hon. Baronet, vet what was the language of the
Noble Lord• in the speech which he (Mr. Wakley) had
already quoted. He said he was confident that no re-
presentative of any Administration could either i ,
.., -asure (
or endanger, after the passing of that great ir- --'Peuthee
Reform Bill) the course of comprehen
"'..ve and salutar
to be made to the
country, reform.
fern.
\a‘p,:it-ike
iaely) was w goerl,iti ei
•to know what that
system of reform was- was it to he a sliding system ?
(Hear, bear) Wore they 1..`7, take the Irish Registration
Bill as a specimen of.
that syttent of reform. gßut that
Bill was ttlaught, by 1111111,Y
competent to judge of the
matter, most ho4til# IA the principle of reform. There
ought, he thlmght„ to be no concealment in a public man
in await tk pos;t;on as the Right Hon. Baronet was, as to
"Olatt n-ere his intentions, The Right Hon: Baronet ex-
presses
higtaeleltoStile to the Ballot, a measure which •
the MT-As iAf the people wished to see carried. He had
4111Da5.0 that measure without any reserve whatever ; but.
at the same time the Right. llon. Gentleman said he had
got a system of reforkt‘ or his own, in order to judge of
that systen,l:o (;fir, Waldoy) thought they ought to
hav,e 31i cic4n,ils. wina the appeal was made to the coun-
-1 try, he hOped that pnbllc men would be honest in ,`
cke.claratims, at the • hustings. He fearer] '
niksioa would not be attended t,'

-Len'

tits admo-
.,-; but he de-
'lave the honour of a
...tad exercise his industry in no-
declarations of public men at the
• —.comparing them with the votes and speeches
douse, and let them be friends or foes, he should
ne-the first to charge them with inconsistency if they de-
served it. With regard to the Poor-law, many persons
had said to him that they could point out several Mem-
bers who on the hustings spoke in favour of the repeal
of that law, and in the House voted for the continuance
of it. The Right Hon. Baronet had never (as we under-
stood) said one word against the Poor-law in public.
Sir R. PEEL said that he stated the modifications
which he proposed having made in the law, at the same
time he stated he would support the principle of the law
with certain modifications.

o;*ed% if he should again '
seat in, that House, he
iCil34g what were 0
hustings, ar-`

in th^

Mr. LABOUCHERE thought that the speech of the
Right Hon. Baronet contained more serious charges
against the Government than he had hitherto made. The
Right Hon. Gentleman had charged his (Mr. Labou-
chere's) Right Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer with having a fair-weather budget and a foul-
weather budget. He (Mr. Labouchere) would answer
that charge by stating that he knew from personal as
well as
.official acquaintance with his Right Hon. Friend
that the statement which his Right Hon. Friend had
made, and the system he proposed were entertained
by him from the beginning of the session. He (Mr.
Labouchere) knew that his Right Honourable Friend
had all along never departed from the opinion that it
was the duty of Government, when the time for the
financial statement of the present year should come, to
propose that that statement should be founded not en
new taxes—not on a loan—but on an arrangement of
such a chahge of duties as would meet the financial diffi-
culties of the country, and, at the same time, afford relief
to the people and to the manufacturing interests. There
was another charge against the Government, which the
Right Hon. Gentleman made, and which he (Mr. L.)
thought was one of a very grave description, and equally
unfounded as the former one. The Right Hon. Baronet
said that it was strange enough that the Chancellor of
the Exchequer should come down to the Honse to move
the Sugar duties Bill, and go on in the usual way, and
that nothing should be said as to a dissolution until he
(Sir R. Peel) had moved his resolution. It must have
been the impression of the Right Hon. Baronet that the
Government, after the defeat they sustained on the sugar
duties, meant to retain office without an appeal to the
country—that must have been his impression since he
had moved the resolution which had lately been decided.
But he (Mr. L.) could assure the Right Hon. Gentleman
that the course of the Government had been decided on
long previous to the time when he (Sir R. Peel) gave
notice of his motion. The Right Hon. Member stated,
if that was the case—if their measures had been so long
prepared, it was their duty to have mentioned it. But
it was necessary for the Government to wait for that pe-
riod of the session when the financial statement was
usually made before Parliament, from which the Go-
vernment would not be justified in disconnecting those
measures. The Right Hon. Baronet had also repeated
on the present occasion what he (Mr. L.) had heard
before. The Right Hon. Gentleman seemed to suppose
that those measures brought forward by the Government
were founded altogether on the Report of the Import
Duties. Committee. He (Mr. L.) spoke with all respect
for that Committee. Their labours had been most useful,
and the circulation of that Report through the country
had done more to call attention to the facts of the sub-
ject than any other document that was ever published.
At the same time he must deny that any discovery was
made by that Committee. With respect to the timber
duties, a measure identical with that was proposed by
Lord Althorp some six or seven years ago; and since
that time the principle of the measure had obtained the
sanction of a Committee of the House of Commons.
With respect to the Corn-laws, the Right Honour-
able Gentleman seemed to think that the measure
of the Government was quite a sudden thought.
During the debate last Session on that subject, the Right
Hon. Baronet might recollect that he (Mr. Labouchere)
had stated a fixed duty was the best system which could
be adopted, with a due regard to those interests which
were involved in the subject; and that with respect to
the amount of duty, it might be fixed very fairly at Bs.
Bd. The Noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies had
also, on the discussion of the subject last Session, stated
he was in favour of a moderate fixed duty; and if the
House should resolve itself into a Committee on the sub-
ject, that either the Noble Lord himself, or he (Mr. La-
bouchere) would move a resolution for a fixed duty.
There were several indications that both he (Mr. La-
bouchere), and the Noble Lord the; Secretary for the
Colonies, were of the same opinion as to the principle.
Mr. Huskisson, too, had introduced a measure which went
further than the present one, and was so far a better one.
He would ask the House to consider the course taken by
the Government in the present Session with respect to
matters of trade. That course, whether right or wrong,
had at least been directed not by the pressure of 1 party
difficulty at a particular time, but by general feeling.
They said that it was for the interest of the country dur-
ing the present Session to reform the whole of our com-
mercial system.—(Hear, hear.) What measure had he
given notice of the first day of the Session ? He had
looked forward to the sugar duties, but he had felt it
necessary first to put the East Indies on the same foot-
ing as the West Indies, and with that view lie had
ii gi
th
wast forward
necessary
and just,
ilftuhmeßiiollt.endHode fteolt alsu
that deal
hisE
brought
with the question of the sugar du • ties, to relieve
the West India planters, from the duties of which they
had so often complained.—(Hear.) With that object lie.
had brought in the Colonial Duties Bill, which had re-
ceived the sanction of the House, but which he extremr2.-,
regretted the state of the business of the Session would
prevent his bringing to a satisfactory eeliclusion
these things
because He thought it necessary to star.
e
because he heard it stated that the " taovernment had
brought forward these measures in A state of despair.
He could conceive no graver chttrge against a Govern-
ment, and being conscious that the present GovernMent
did net deserve that chasate, he was surprised that any
gentleman who had watched their proceedings could en-
tertain such an opinion.'--(Cries of " Hear, hear.")
He had atated that it was their intention to make
Most important changes in the commercial policy of the
country. They had introduced measures relating to the
ruin duties, • colonial duties, timber and sugar, but they
had intended not to stop there.—(Hear, hear.) It was
his intention, whoa the Customs Bill of the year was
brought in, to have proposed such alteration in the duties
as he as Qanvineed, if carried into effect, must have had
the most important results on the commerce of the coun-
try.—(Hear, hear.) It was on the same feelings and
principle that the other measures were founded. What
was the state of things ? They saw the country divid-
ing itself ine, two, great parties : on the one side, the
great nyoteptkve interests bonded together ; and on tha
cAq., 4 iaerehants, manufacturers, and the grey: body
P ow industrious people of the country, Ile confessed
he uuuld not contemplate such a Oate etthings without
a .
latm He thought that a'a'4 party contention wouicl kw.
as nothing if that fearful struggle should talita, pig"
without an z, attympt on the part of the Ckw,;ex:lo,p4t (11,
Parliament to interpose and rest:3).7'9 ttralaor,con-
- by the only means, 16y•wiaivii they could be re-
' stored, by raeastll:o c 4• tuiraegs and justice .—(Cheers.) . ( .)
It,ut Iv:, denied that the Government had taken an exa
treme course on this occasion.—(Hear, hear.) 44 al-
lowed that such conduct would be unworthy of a' Go-
vernment, but was there the simplest pret,ext, for saying