The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-05 00:00:00

TOTAL ABOLITION OF THE
CORN-LAWS.
_ TO RICHARD COI3I3EN, M.P.
My DEAR CORD:EN—EarIy in the year to •
gi, e one hundred per-annual for that.-
reelB39 yearsl agreed
the
Anti ,Corn-law League for the '
and immediate abolition of all taxes
smotiotii off etdheeftotal
people. On leaving this co,tint-ev for 311 ie o. the
as 4, I addressed the folloviin ' " America inMarch
.
tater, which was published
on the 1 lthof that mont,a; g
41 To TILE EDITOR OF ' ,r, c
-r..E ANTI-CORN-LAW CIRCULAR.'
"As circumstance 4 are likely to preclude my paying
any personal atter
ado; for the present, to the great
object for I-
', Jai the Anti-Corn-law League is
fished— -the immediate and entire abolition of the
t,a-x 11PQn the food of the
per have concluded to
'ler ,b 1- my contribution to their funs for this present
ye ar, provided that there is no compromise of the high
Wad impregnable ground the League has taken, and that
I'lle.Y will neither relax from their efforts, nor swerve
:from their purpose, until they have obtained the corn-
Tlete removal of this disgraceful and cruel impost.
" The Anti-Corn-law League has already, acquired
'sufficient influence for the political partisan to be very
411liona to make it subservient to his narrow
'and selfish views and purposes ; arta, perhaps, there
never was a time in which
it was in greater danger of
having noble objects in view, have made shipwreck. I
wcan an increase of supporters who are without any
ady principle, but who join it because they see it is
owing popular, and who may be so numerous as
to nut-vote those who have born',; the burden and heat
of the day, and who have long laboured at the oar, with
'Only the good of their oil:al:cry at heart, uninfluenced by
oy selfish or party in' Jtives. I have, however, not only
much confidence, in the high principle of the
leaders of the league, but of the numerical
force of their honest supporters, that I fully believe any
attempt, such As the one to which I have alluded, by
their enernie'„, in disguise, would be instantly met, and
intlignan tly iepudiated.

" " Bir.tningham, 3d Month, 6th, 1841 JOSEPH STITEGE.
."
tooIT
y inquiries since my return to England give me
AUCh cause to fear that the Anti-Corn-law League
wer, not faithful in their opposition to the measure of
the. late Government in favour of a fixed duty of 63. per
aaarter upon wheat, and that many of the members of the
lamigue, either secretly or openly, gave- their support to
tb.4.s measure. Absurd and ruin
.tous to the country as the
system now is, and pledged -as the mat majority of the
Present,llouse of Commons may be against the adoption
of any course which c•hri be a real relief to the labouring
topulation, the proposed fixed duty would, I believe,
"aye been still moze fatal to the best interests of the
'''.llltry.
'I,_,INTo otie of common observation, unless completely
y laded b prejudice and self-interest, can visit
44111 Y of the numerous districts in foreign coun-
es, where rival manufactories are springing up
'we magic, and, in consequence of the pre-
sent facilities of communication, are increasing in
a geometrical ratio, but must see that the injury inflicted
upon this country by the monstrous system of taxing
the food of the people is irreparable, that nothing short
of its total removal can stop the progress of this in-
:jury, and that even this, if delayed a few years longer,
will not prevent its bringing ruin upon many of our
manteacturers, and the extreme of destitution upon our
labouring population. Our rivals, both on the Continent
of Europe and in America, are already so powerful and
wvialthy as to be able to influence their respective Govern-
s tents in favour of duties to protect their own manufactures,
rand discourage ours, even in those countries in which, but
for the infatuated measures of our corn monopolists,
they would have found it to be their interest, for ages
Yet to come, to have taken our manufactures in exchange
for their agricultural produce. The incontrovertible
proofs of the injury inflicted by our Corn and Provi-
ion-laws are far too numerous to recite here ; but I will
mention a few facts which have recently fallen under my
own observation.
~.„ On bor.rd the British Queen, in which I sailed for New
-I'°,rk, -.vas a gentleman connected with a menu-
it •
Toe‘tin'lg establishment on the Continent of Ea-
- Pe, now employing from 4,000 to 5,000 hands
an To •
- Allig goods which he was then going to sell in the
'eCI-Aurierican markets, and which he candidly told me ho
ejEl afford to do at fully ten per cent, below the
,1411 prices, an advantage solely to be traced to the
.-Aation of our tax pentuo the food of the people. While
aa
.7-oaerica I visited ity of Lowell in New Eng-
,tl", which less than twenty years ago contained not
re than fort •or fifty houses. It has now upwards of
•1t9,000 inhabitants, and the following are some of its
I:.4ltitics made up to the Ist of January, 1841. Ten
11°1N-stock Companies, with a capital of 110,500,000,
vig thirty-two woollen and cotton factories, besides
print Works, with 178,868 spindles, and 5,588 looms, and
ih ,11-VoYing 2,172 males, and 6,920 females, who made,
u.`11!840, 65,802,400 yards of cotton and woollen cloth, in
,!}1 Were consumed, of cotton alone, 21,424,000 lbs.
ti. "-he average amount earned by the male hands em-
,`,..°l3,red, exclusive of their board is four dollars and
tilsittY cents., or about 20s. sterling per week ; and of
0 females, two dollars, or about Bs. 6d. sterling per
1,.,e1ek• The profits to the Shareholders, upon their capi-
" etuployed, from eight to fifteen per cent.
-Although the establishments I visited were prin-
-1
Pally for th', manufacture of cottons and woollens,
,t is well known that the competition in our
hardware !;tirl other goods is going on with equal rapidity,
erilli 3aln elated by the same cause. Not only is the pecu-
ttiarrY remuneration of all connected with the manufac-
taaa of Lowell thus ample, but the moral and intellec-
r_ , standard of the people employed will bear compa-
e7,j with any in the world. There is a monthly periodi-
,origi,44,ard' the entire contributions to which are the
the i e°4lPe'sition of the young women who work in
wouirtorieA
, ; and no person of immoral character
olents ,13" kl. or retain employment in these establish-
felt - 'be single day. The pleasure that I
" seeing this orderly and Ivell-dressed
eprdat.
iia unit leave the factories at their dinner hour, was
ti. no 5111511 degree lessened by reflecting upon the con-
rthast which was at that moment to be found in many of
:f e tnaollfacturing towns of my native country, arising
rlaterthe selfish and narrow policy of the British land-
Ltte 4. Since icy return to England, I have received a
foijor_from a well known American citizen, of which the
nr •
following is an extract:—
,

44 New York, August 6t:n
the
I,bnpe to receive the earliest informatiounlr-es
It; respecting
Con-
at
It neat question. It is expected there w
yen. •
at 4°ll at Cleveland, Ohio, next month, or in October,
_
bl \vdlich it •
is possible
i on our
Ile I may be present, and it will
fe:7„juablY be then necessary for us to . .
•e, purse of policy with regard
, e shall r
" let Eng•
to the tariff , i. e whether
14rid resolve to adhere strictly to free trade, tqiia,,,d° as she may, or whether we shall unite in the re-
thitie'rY principle, with our Government to lower our
Ina as fast as England lowers hers. This latter has
pied' tIY advantages and appeals very strongly to national
'avain'. There are: also many arguments in its favour.
4
and yet I am
lot
q fully convinced by them,
tbot, .slllikffected by them. Shall we, or shall we
14,41 There likely to succeedinmakin r an impression
Thriourgland by having a high dutyr actually laid on her
Prepez,nkes, with a provision for educiithe duty in
tura], pro as she reduces her fixedduty on our agricul-
Par4tyl'hee'.tt.a.lvtill? be a stropg effort to raise a northern
Party
.___ . hisi.xsis, and the- abolitionists will be greatly
I
14 1° JOIn it perhaps to lead it.' an .re I have urged mycorrespondent, who is
to abolitionist, to keep
his friends, if possible,
the sound principles of free trade, and sorry
that the Anti-
-11.,e, ate at the prevalent opinion
'lair: 'law League, or,. .at least, many of
.the
lbe t'•iltial oiembers, have in some measure.cnowinepv
eh, high ground they had taken. I have, however,
" current subscription of 1001. for this year,_ anrodlpisaaiemdd
t,
Beadyq de - Pay the extra 1001., if Richard Cobden, who is
the tservedly considered the leader and representative. of
4,1 4-'°.4(41,1e in the House of Commons, will give
League
ill, " relax
from
me the
their once they neither have, nor ever w
untilthey
have
obt;L efforts, or swerve from their purpose,.
tr tilled the complete removal of this disgraceful. and
1144(el `lnPost." Should I fail in obtaining a satisfactory
e43ge for at least the future conduct 'the League, I Pro-
bi Presenting the money to so.m?ofAssociation, whose
41plt is, by peaceable and Christian means, to secure
01-,1 a representation of the people as the golden rule
Ils,':(luing to others as we would they should do. unto
the entitles them to claim ; for I have been driven to
it is hopeless to expect
j4sjoaeausion, not e
tivelee to the labouringnly thatpopulation from the representa-
tLl Of the present constituency, but that the infatuated
ti't:Y_ vvhichnow millions. rulers will be persiste. d in,
kill they plunge into want and misery, if not
I therefore think the
11,411 them to a premature grave..
Ty is arrived when every friend of humanity, of what-
a:dr elass, sect, or party, should endeavour to obtain
ova 4ecure for the people a just an d permanent control
r tileir own affairs.—Yours, very respectfpy,
Illtlingham, 9th Month, 29th,JOSEP H STURGE.
1841.
•
JOSEPH STURGE, ESQ., BIRMINGHAM.
„At •,,
London, Oct. 4, 1841.
gi44e ,sIII4R STURGE,--Your letter ressed to in
ve Os" °F to-day has just reached eland.il hasten to 1
huge fullest explanations in my power i i answer to
41 m° r inquiries. After referring to your formerletteenr
,tile' ll ththorrt'ugh the Anti-Corn-law Circular written
March,at the moment of your departure for
v•kineriea,
.4 _
Ni"4l of 44,,i; which you offered the munificent subscrip-
tie u`• to the League for the present year, onthe
the ad 4 that it did not swerve from Its object—namely,te
~l'eact (v,„13,,e4(' prowf the total and itnntedtate repeal of I 1
-4. son -.• sion taxes, you proceed to state you have
ilri4el In') PPPese that the League departed from its
fri3olll.l?Ps .euttii° r absence from England. To quote
(-.._'•.‘ana reil,'"'r: My".ll inquiries since my return to.
--"rn 1 ''-'° The toomuchcause to fear that the Anti-
.l, - 4 l't, I.
"tY of eight
"f the late Government in favour of a fixed
plan of s_ot shillings per quarter upon wheat, and that
°Peril 'l'o member f the League either secretly or
gave th • 8 ° •
FoAs yotl , their support to it.
ur sua .°.O not adduce the particular facts on which__
,°" tis,„P:ielons are founded I can only reply general!)
I'°ge--,.t'ilhg You, as a member'
of the Council of th.e
accredit
r, 4t no act of theirs, no word contained in their_
bY th • e`-` organ
the Circular, and no sentiment uttered
the s the lecturers warrant, so far as my knowledge goes,
Theuad:Pposition that they have ever swerved from their
ussjiltal principle. As you are pleased to regard
I
renfe representative of the League in Parliament,
as to ho " You to the reports of the debates for evidence
the tr,t,w far I have been the undeviating advocate of
oon-elt and unconditional repeal of the bread-tax. The
prinei„l, or the'League will feel bound to adhere to the
a sere,..laid down by their constituents, not less from
their or deity than the conviction that it constitutes
and th°M of union and the main source of their strength,
3ustiee".the slightest deviation from the strict path of
Zettue:vtli be the instant signal for the dissolution of the
'With reference to your complaint that the League did