The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-01 00:00:00

DOWN WITH MONOPOLY!

LONDON HAS DONE ITS DUTY !

CaTILDIIALL CORN-LAW MEET-
ING.—(THIS DAY.)
In pursuance of a requisition very numerously and re-
"Potably signed, addressed to the Lord Mayor, a meet-
ofaher electors of the City of London took place this
(laY, Lt. the Guildhall, for the purpose of taking into con-
sideration the existing Corn-laws, and preparing an ad-
dress to Parliament on the subject. At a few minutes
ast one o'clock, the Lord Mayor, Thomas Johnston,
s(la entered the hall, and was received with loud and
taaral cheering. There were loud calls for Sir Matthew.
al, who presented himself to the meeting, and was
wee ted with much applause, as was also Mr. Crawfurd,
f45:11-
raa The hall was densely crowded, and on the
wereplat-
u several of the most influential merchants and
'rad ma of the city.
An long the gentleman on the platform we observed
.„alue Morris, H. Prescott, C. P. Grenfell, Ralph Ri-
Esqs., Directors of the Bank of England ; Greg-
• arpt, Gladstanes, Benjamin Wood, Esq., M.P.,
Trutt• 14 ns enon, C. Perkins, Sir M. Wood, M.P., George
at ALP., W. Crawford, M.P., J. Pattison, M.P.,
..11orster, H. Travers John Dillon, W. M. Christy,
litAihurst,-Wansey, Fearon, D. Richardson, Heppe',
"'3a Col. Bristow, Norman, Hawes, Sturt, Nicholson,
, °lva, Wire, Prevost, T. H. Hall, R. Taylor, J. Robert-
"°ll,,, Cumming, J. Pease, M.P., Prendergast, Esqrs. &c.
ihr LORD MAYOR said he held in his hand a requisi-
Ifilmi numerously and respectably signed for the present
ng, to consider the subject of the Corn-laws, and
_ P)! ~pare, if the meeting thought proper, an address
?.11 the subject.—(Loud cheers.) The Corn-laws were
Zitlirliportance not only to that City but to the whole
km and he had no doubt that, whatever was done
by4VC Legislature and the Government would be for
its "enefit of the whole community.—(Cheers.) In the
truTsslon that was about to take place he hoped and
*01,?.(1 that everythingwould be amicably conducted,
• when it had terminated that they would separate ',;in
and good will towards all men.—(Loud cheers.)
(an
. ition would now call upon the town cryer to read the re-
s.
ie
requisition having been read,
pt 7, DILLoN, Esq., came forward to move the first
4,;Ntion. It had been asked "Why do you propose an
foahon in the Corn-laws ?" His answer was that
eY wished for an alteration because they wanted bread
fur tr
Shen that
cheers)—they wanted employment
','""l that they might earn bread for themselves.—
t 4 78.) Not the bread of poverty and pauperism, but
o,_,!nolesome bread of honest industry—that best of
in l•
our relief that enlightened laws could confer upon
ZTtrious man to enable to earn bread for himself.
.(.zii :inch cheering.) They wanted markets for their
othellfactures, for if they did not take the produce of
other countries, they would not take the manufactures of
liea fand return.—(Hear, hear.) They wanted re-
al, trum taxation, and therefore they wished to increase
by frade and "commerce of the country to be effected
Stk mt" and enlightened legislation. They, wanted
the erY Prices, and not a recurrence of those drains upon
awv,g'ild and silver, and therefore they wished to do
a= with the graduated scale, and not add the chance
llambling to the fair risks of trade.—(Cheers.) Above
ey wanted a free and enlightened systera of corn-
th,7N"'l intercourse between nation and nation, and if
;111..1e\-bsylibeedintog gain that object they must set an ex-
enlightened in their commercial policy.
of 11'1 and general cheering.) The present were times
rt.tkreti at difficulty—they were times of new difficulty,
ec,ust.le3- must be met by new measures, and an improved
by .wsc of policy. Every man asked what was to be done
463: ay of remedy.
rdtuttriaeds
One said, support commerce, another
tinte :111aPhPe°r another said support the agricultural
'he reest,another saidsupport theCorn-laws,tke sugarduties,
or the silk duties, and some men mh0:14,4i%
:14,4i% the East India, whilst others insisted that the West
, interest should be supported. But there was an
itk'creesst above them all, because it included them all—the
prof r„„ t, of the' people.—(Great cheering.) As to the
twe'-'hon of trade and commercial intwests, let every
av,,timautli, class support and protect itself, and then all
protected.—(Hear, hear.) They had long.
They Passed the limits of wealth and population by which
Ile could by any possibility remain a purely agricultu-
14,(11mtra'• They were now in difficult circumstances,
they must meet these difficulties by a liberal altera-
a a the existing laws of the. country.—(Cries of
tr,i, -ear, hear.") If a duty must be laid
.on
ht al,' let it be a certain and fixed duty—a duty of which
tat times they would know the worst and the best-
-4 it mere speculating gambling duty.—(Cheers.)
Zebrated statesman had said in the House of Com-
that he wished for a slippery or sliding scale; that
t"1
(1-fc,.,4 not wish for a fixed duty, but a sliding one.-
1 r.) Now the people wanted a fixed rule to guide
oa-ril a, in all caseS.—(Cheers.) It was impossible for him
‘ae present occasion to enter into an elaborate state-
ment ot the evilS which flowed from a graduated scale of
"t)', but he would bring forward an argument which, as
inetlumercial city, they would easily understand. Speak-
-11,F„ a. tax upon corn, they were all aware that a tax
we imports was an addition to the price—it made
artiete dearer, and when a man imported corn, the
V,ee at which he would be able to sell it was uncertain,
the buying price, the manufacturing price, was ge-
saaY certain except in the case of corn. Thus the
h_taatiOßS price made the buying price as well as
45: selling price uncertain at the same time.-(Hear,
34:-) A. loan imported corn, because he apprehended
• scareit•
queuce was that he
'The curse ; but, in the meantime, the market fell.
saute tit lost by the sale, and at the
like being tihe duty rose, and he lost by the duty. It was
:hear," aic'd lit with both ends of the stick.—(" Hear,
Mas:,
iclida laugh.) That system was most unfair and
to the farmer it was very often injurious.—
rusbc,l "ar.) An enormous quantity of foreign corn
the__ in when the duty was low, and then, if
to then Was a
- plentiful harvest, it was a curse
.tine
thefarmer, and he was actually ruined
4.as bounty of Heaven.—(Hear, hear.) But it
/uteri
is -if the Corn-laws were altered, the agricultural
tie.;- U'ould be ruined. He begged to deny that posi-
sl4„ "et the agriculturalists do as the manufacturers had
the them inn their processes of production, let
itibee.„, mue more e2onomical in their management, and
It s reign Competition in the market.—(Cheers.)
,the .ould ba remembered that the demand for
• f Sail) IY of the English market would raise the price,
lhaoreiwa corn, so that its price would be much higher
10 I,l_ at pr6ient. The proposition of the Government was
a fixod duty of Bs. on all foreign corn, and it
lx2en sho from calculations that had been made
oilLatt all the cord,imported since 1828 paid an average
aet3r.,;4. ss. 9d. only, so that the proposed duty was
......411jY more than the average duty paid since 1828.
1Q 'eel's.) Another reason that had been urged against
qne alteration of the existing daty was rather a singular
.the
dot was that they would not be able to go to war if
:el,;ritty on corn was taken off.—(Laughter.) His
4drt,e remedy for that was, let them remain at peace,
letter still, let them make it the interest of other na-
t4,711 by taking their produce, to remain at peace with
(e17•11.11d- That was the practical view of the subject.
a*,.-,.1:.) It has often been said of them
.that they
Mr taeorists,' but lie repelled the charge—it was the
ave-,,ates of 'the Corn-laws and other monopolies who
at,r: the Viecirists and not those who advocated the in-
:• ists of free trade. The only chance and hope of safety
a4lal present circumstance was in calling forth the full
Na;.',,l4s of the nation. He had already said that they
surrounded by great difficulties—they had a greatly
it7eu-sed population, with a narrow tract of ter-
• )r.)" for their support.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.")
had a heavy debt, while the world was in rivalry
oTust them ; and it was only by the power of their
tC right hands that they could rescue themselves from
,ePositioa in which they were placed. He asked them
:((,_'uld they tamely submit to have their right hands t
iind them ? (Loud cries of "No, no.") Let them all.
ae, 'mid with one voice to baffee, and there was little
übt as to 'the result of the struggle.—(Cheers.) For
.111 Self, lie was proud of his country—she was great
the nations of the earth for her industry—great
e-r her science and knowledge—great for her sobriety,
maintain mideianco, all qualities that were calculated to
that importaat position.—(cheers.) But let it be.
trittlembered that they were great, not in consequence of
loe'r restriction and protection system, but great
'Tit(' I • t.--
(Vehement cheers.) Let the
141,7,.'e gof
full scope for the exertion of
11na energies let them remove every restriction
' ev.ery one labour for the
'notion and extension of his
.ca ital in
t) means that . seemed best to liiiti—p let
the,
restrictions on commerce be abolished, or as
11;,„.elich phrase was, " laissons nous faire," and then would
ea-ii,e°,Ple of England show to all the nations of the
'AL" tile truth of the proverb, that " Heaven protects.
who protect themselves."—(Much. cheering.)
• -ITO% Gentleman' concluded by moving the first re-
which was to the effect—" That a free and
• fal Policy, on the part of this country, particularly
• those laws which etc:. its agriculture and its corn-
ce, has become more than 'ever necessary, and that
a
meeting highly approves of the proposed alteration
he existing Corn-laws."—(Cheers.)
• ;:°auE LARPENT, Esq., came forward to second the
.union. He would enter very briefly into the sub-
tta, as he felt 'that the arguments which affected it had
,a'll exhausted by the Hon. Gentleman who had pre-
'll-4e'd him. But as lie had himself for many years taken
,tte
active part in that important question—a question in-
resting
to every class, but above all to that class which
4
now for the first time heard of in our legisla-
:,4—the class of consumers—(Hear, hear)—he felt it
"a. duty to came forward in support of so vital a propc)-
itioiL The subject had been first brought under their
t'usideration in the year 1895, at a meeting attended
3': the merchants, bankers, and other inhabitants 'of the
c
itY of London. The Right Honourable the pre-
t Lord Mayor wag then in the chair as now.
that occasion resolutions condemnatory of a
l'utaletuating duty were all but unanimously adopted ;
`Gresolutions having been supported by Mr. Thomas
ilson and Mr. Ward, their then Conservative represen-
htires :LS well as by another gentleman who had since,
e feared changed his ()pinions-11r, Alderman Thomp-
(111---(Hear, hear.) They had held another meeting in
9 at which his friend Mr. John liorsloy
Palmer as-
sisted, who spoke in condemnation of a fixed duty on
1"11. as embarrassing our monetary transactionti and
tail. sing repeated drains of Ow currency. He should oh-
in conelusion that an alwration in the existing
-13ttin Wotdd lead to an extension of um- commerce and
in (i:c.eliange of our manufactures for the g.)ra of other
.to the great benefit of all classes of the caattimie
'tY----02,1heers.)
iv-so:laical was then pat said tarried amidst great
I";crs, with only five or six disseuticnts,
, 1'1tk:v031; If sq., came forw'lli tt propose a mition
Parliament fout2ded on the precedin:v"°l2l66ll'
7,..1),i,.(ct then under tlie.;;.Vonsideration, he din
hesitate
'43•, was one of the most i:.vortant ever discusseu