The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-18 00:00:00

MORNING _EDITION.

operations rather than recommence.—(Hear.) _ These
Were appalling facts, and ought to be token up by the pub-
lic
at large ; for every individual in the realm was deeply
interested.—(Applause.) In conclusion he moved the
resolution.
Mr. T. BAZLICT. a past Boroug'nreeve of Salford, said,
dispassionate observations, he dc.
with a very few calm,
sired to second the motion. In the Parliamentary Report
upon Import Duties it was very pithily stated, that the
tariff of the United Kingdom presented neither unity nor
cengruity of purpose—a declaration which, in his opieiee,
ought to be inscribed and worn as a phylactery upon every
man's front, till these discriminating inconsistencies were
entirely removed from our commercial statutes.—(Hear.)
While in arms, in science, and in the arts of peaceful in-
dustry, we had earned numerous splendid trophies and c ir-
rind out great improvements, if we looked at our civil po?i-
tion, at cur commercial legislation, there reproach awaited
us; there self-interest and ignorance had prevailed, and
thence had sprung those wrongs that we now sought to
have redressed. Our colonies baa very greatly ember-
rassed the course of commercial legislation. The protec-
tions, restrictions, and prohibitions with which they had
surraunded us, had led, he feared, to a rivalry of which we
should long feel the effects. By protecting our colonise,
we had done injustice to ethers, and driven them to be-
come our manufacturing rivals. But how far were our
colonies customers for our manufactures ? Tbey had pro-
tections on their produce from 50 to sao per cent. The
West Indians were a body of individuals about a million
in number; and, during the last year, we had paid them
an exce s t f price, beyond what we could have purchaeed
the same arti des for elsewhere, of not less than four mil-
lions sterling—( Hear, bear)—twenty-four millions of
people had paid to one millon four millions
ate ling more than they need have paid, if our ports
were free for ariiclei to come in Elam other parts of :he
world.— (Hear, Ina-.) Y.et our col mists only took
fom us one-fourth of our wie.l.l experts. If eve 1;ol!ed
at the produce of taxation arising out of the foreign
trade of the country, we should ece that nearly half the
revenue procee is freen the customs duties, and that our
manufacturing industry alone supplies the whole amount
of exports by wai..:h this very sum of half the re.-
veette was brought into the coutary. The e itton manu-
factures formed one-half of all our exports; and hence
it was clear, teat our cotton manufactures CO2-
trihuted one-fourth to ell the exigencies of the State.—
(Hear.) These were employed in the cotton manufac-
tures about two minims of the pe ,ple, who were, therel,re
directly bringing into the customs revenue something
Eke ten millions sterling, yet they were subject to the
bread t ix, and every other home tax, end be would say,
that, if the r-at of the people of the Unitel Kingdom at
large cora' ibuted to the revenue in the same ratio, our re-
venue would not be less than 100 millions sterling per an-
num.—( Hear.) Let the industry of the country, then,
fie. ly bring here whaterer they can get in exchange for
their labour, and let fiscal regulations only, not protection
and Lvour;tiim, determine the amount of duty to be ex-
acted.—(Hear.) As to the operation of these restrictive
dut!.es upon the colonies themselvee he might mention that
foreign rice was subject to a duty of about lad. per lb, or
15 e per cat., while colonial rice paid only Ir. per cwt. ;
and iu a period of scarc'ty, the colonists, whose chief cur-
ia et was rig e, had actually to be brought Moe stars ing con-
diiiere before it became the interest of our merchants to
take rice there from other markets. As to the
oaeratien of our duties upon raw rr.terials, mahogany was
t.:zed 200 to 300 per cent., while manefactured artielei
of inahoginy might be imported from the Continent of
F :rope at this time, at a duty of 20 per cent. There
ere ware% uses at Hull filled with continental furniture
of luperb make, which could be bought at a cheaper rale
than in Manchester.—( Hear.) Was not this absurd taut
our artisans here could not produce articles as cheap as
those b ought from the Continent of Europe ? He bad
shown that we pay the West Indies an excess of four n
il-
lions sterlin, a year; yet our exports of manufactures to
the West Inc'ies were only four millions sterling annu-
ally ; so that v'rtually we make them a present of all the
goo's we send them.—( Hear, hoar.) Yet we saw the de-
reand for cur manufacturing industry diminishing day by
day. We came here to ask for the reward of our indus-
try ; he trusted the demand for it would rererberate
throughout the land; and that we should never crave
calmly, deliberately, and peacefully, but strenuously, to de-
mend justice tid we obtain it._-( Applause.) Connec.ed
vri it humanity, he believed the commercial policy of the
country had had a right-handed tendeacy to increase
sl very, while the law was intended in a left-handed mar-
ter to suppress it He trusted that, in embracing the
principles of free trade, we e ere promoting the general
principles of freedom to mankind, and unshackling the,
slave in evety part of the world. He would say—
.' Free as the waters of the ocean,
He man is every clime and nation :
Free as the light and winds of heaven,
To man be all ei.rth's bounties given."—(Applause.)
M-. ROBERT GARDNER, in supporting the resolution,
said it was most outrageous and inconsistent that, while
we levied only 245, duty upon colonial suga-,
should levy 665. upon foreign sug4r, which amounted
to a prohibi.ion. Ile (Mr. Gardner) was a manufac-
turer and shipper; he manufactured cloth, and shipped
it to Brazil, getting sugar in return. Suppose he
called to him the man who had woven the cloth,
showed him the sugar, and said, Here is what I have
g in return fer your labour (by which you don't live. but
just contrive to keep alive); this eugrr has cost lad. a
lb." Perhaps he would say. " Ob, rentaer, t two basic
come of th..t." He ( Mr. Gardner) might reply, " No,
this is not for you, ths is for the blacks in the West In-
dies. This must he refined in bond, n l then Le shipped
for the West Indies; and the blacks there are absolutely
usii g alteg tber the *lave-grown sugar of Brazil and
other countii s, abler ii supplied to them at 4id. to 54.
per 11.."—e FlLar.) Iry consequence of our restrictive sys-
tem, the West Indian Ll eats can get our double-refined
white sugar at lees per lb. than ti ey can tell us their
commonest t brows sugar—so coarse !hat you could hardly
say whether it was molasses or sugar.—( Hear, hear.)
In his opinion we rev e. could entirsly suppress sLvery so
long as we grant any protection to a ur West Indian cole-
nivta— (Hear, hear.) Referring to Gurrey's " Winter
in Jamaica," Mr. Gardner quoted a statement of Mr. Na-
thaniel Gilbert, to the effect that, since emancipation, the
molasses on his estate alone bad paid the whole of his
wages and expenses; and his estate was now worth more
money without the negroes than before it was with thorn.
He showed that land in that island had increased in value
seine double, some two-thirds, and some two-thirds and
three-quarters ; so that by and bye the very high prices of
land would be quoted aga'nst us, as a reason or excuse for
protection...—(Hear.) It appeared to him, that our Go-
vernment would rather levy 6d. a lb. cut of one pound of
sugar than let the poor man have 31b. where he now got
oi,e, and still rec,ive the same amount of revenue. He
Hus no: for an unconditional repeal of the Corr-laws, be-
cause certain interests bad arisen; but, if a modified scale
could be agreed to' it w laid tend greedy tar increase our
consumption of food, would benefit the condition of the
working cl taws, and tvotill be bentfichl also to the landed
irte est.—( Hear, from Mr. Garnett.) Mr. Gardner con-
cluded by reading an extract from the Report of the Man-
chests r Chamber of Commerce on imeort duties, to the

ci'Lct. that we were paying :even millions per annum to

Vie West InAesfor tie privilege of soling tnc►n I•roducts

to tle value of three milliona.

Tnc CHAIRMAN then put the resolution, which passed
u: a• ixousl.l..
JaMES HALL, jonicr (a past Boroughreeve
of Salford ), moved the, Lext resaution, end exp:eised
gr t iicaticn .t havkg witnessed two meetings within a
v.';.e.!;: gentiemea of widrl,-,'•itfering polities,

prind}.lQi, and in.'ereies, corotined I.lr f)e cainmon, g.-
ngral, and benvficial intirest. of rll.—(App'atig,-.) He

regretted very much the operation of the Co.:- &WS on
the working classes, whose condition he should lil.e to
tee much in re alleviatei ; and be did hope, ere long, to
2€12 some hind dosie, to this em./.—( Applause.)
Mr. R P. Liviscisros said thl subject of the Corn-
-14,,s (in the resolution) was one cf so much importance,
ail :he cruelty and oppression reldultin7 from them had
teen sn gnat, that he dared net trust himself to dvae I on
the subject, leA Ifs feelings should overcome his judg-
ment ; and he Wool 1, ti:erefrro, merely second the ra.so-
lud It la,sed um.n,au..tr'Mr. y
NtiNi. ARVEY, in movkng e adoption of ale !-
laces of 1315ti,ngel into a levilw tic Ili,toty of the Cum-
and 182`,3. In 1815, vin,!n the average
of wheet per quarter, on the Con inent, did nut exca cd
28e. or 29. i., the a istoc,acy, in order to get their high rents
front the fanner?, made U 3 pay 703•
per quArter. (H,ar.
hear.) He rernembele a meming beans a 1, ,
about 014.1
time in the Manor Court room, where a ptti•icn was
ajoi y. '"ng that the Bid might n.,t p Is. At 11141
time th great apathy on the subject in thil
ere w
classes; and the mass (I the labouring clay,es were al-,y
west the only movers; but no w. the. casetlit %INT. very da,.
t the middle classes, perceiving
forward,
property
tee orward, but the
was going out of their bands, had come
labouring classes were holding back (though admitting
that it was right to get the Corn-laws repealed), because
ea for all the evils
they wanted Annual Parliaments, Uciserl Suffrage, because
Vote by Ballot, as the grand panae Ir.
they
wood
that baiet this. eountry.—(Heix, hear.
only put their sheulders to the w.heel)
nths. lie
ithin twelve m
should get rid of the Corn-laws w
beolieved, we
was aware that the condition of the labouring daises bad
been sinking lower and lower, a strong reason why thi'y
should seek for a repeal of the Corn-laws, and a_m9ie.
equitable adjustment of our import duties. lie concitn -i o
by moving the adoption of the pe:itiun, which he read, an d
which was received with great a,plause.
-Mr. SAMUEL EVELEIGH seconded the motion, expressing
kis opinion that the commerce of this and every other
country should be as free as the air we hie 'the.
Mr. R. J. RICHARDSON said, Mr. Harvey had asked
why the working classes the middle
classes. It was becAusenif. Greg had injudiciously let
slip, and it had flown slide will-fire throughout the coun-
try, that the object of getting the repeal of the Corn-laws
was to reduce wages that ne migacompete with foreign
manufacturers. That was the idFi-prevalent: be was not
• going to justify the idea in any wp.y ; but it was the gene-
ral idea, that it was intended t ) get c )rn cheep, in order
this wages might be reduced, so as to enabla our manu
fattarers to compete with these ib:otd,
Mr. lialiVAY wished t di,huse the mind of Mr, Ti
ehardson, who, with the Chartists gencr..lle, was
mud,
mistaken, if bethought the repeal cf the Cort:-laws weulti
have the affect of reducing the prises of labour. He woulJ
refer Mr. RicharOson to 1822. when provisions were per-
taps at their lowest price during the last forty years, and
there was a period of great commercial prosperity ; our
rnanuractures were extending; the people generally
throughout this country were in full employment, and rc-
ceiving wages far higher than what they new get. His fi.-ro
conviction was, that, it the Corn-laws were repealed to-
morrow, instead of wages being dinsinishe3, we should
halm increased orders ani increased demand for labour,
and conseql,ntly wanes would rise as t':at demand
increased.--(Applaus?.) Whoev.r had said that wages
would be dirninilbel by the repeal cf the Ccrn-laws, said
what was not true. The effect cf their repeal would he,
that we should get corn fru:A the Continent, and cause it 14
rise in price there, so as to bring it to something like an
equality with the pries he,e. The same -price almost
would be paid far food in German and Poland as in this
y
corn w •
country, it we had a fr,e import
ofilhout dot'.Tbo farmer would have protectioa enoght by the differ.