The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-18 00:00:00

that the House would analyse th,
sum was to be expended. TI
Baronet had brought in one BiL
age ; and had that Bill been inf
it might have been attended wit
lie was not going to say that that
ful in some small degree, but he
that the Right Hon. Baronet woult
applicable to meet this distressin,
Lion. Baronet enumerated amon,
which granted certain loans, for the _
under the order of the Board of Public Works.
The Right Honourable Baronet also alluded to some
great undertakings for promoting the improvement of
navigation in Ireland. He (Mr. S. O'Brien) had heard
of no such works being yet commenced. The Right
Hon. Baronet had, however, informed them that 20,000 L,
a part of the greater sum of 400,000, had oeen laid aside
for this purpose. The Right Hon. Baronet also stated
that the County Presentments Act would bring into cir-
culation an expenditure of 100,0001. Now he (Mr.
O'Brien) could inform the Right Hon. Baronet
that, with only one or two exceptions, the grand
juries had decided that this measure was altogether
inapplicable to meet the present distressing crisis.
That Act would go, not to the benefit of the labouring
classes, but to people who did not require assistance.
Another of these measures was the Fisheries Act. He
thought that it was a very good Act, and hoped it would
be successful, but so far as he had observed during his
residence in Ireland, it had not come into
operation, nor was there any appearance of it.
There remained only another Act for him to speak of,
and that was the Public Works (Ireland) Bill. It would
be a very useful Act if the Government would only
facilitate its operation. Public meetings had been held
in many parts of Ireland to promote and expedite the
operation of this Bill. The amount sanctioned to be
expended by the provisions of the Bill was
:-.0,000/., and that would just give ls per head to a mil-
lion of people, and thus it seemed that in the course of a
few months a million of individuals would require the
assistance it was intended to give. A very large number
of applications had already been made to Government for
employment under the provisions of the Bill. He confessed
that with reference to those provisions, they seemed most
desirable in their nature, but he thought that it was the
duty of the Government to bring to the aid of the local
exertions made on this emergency the funds derived
from general contribution and from the grant of the
swasultoicadrhtkei.sna
dsuiTnsedhreei
wouldrn
atc aioki
ebsnteeeqtuuoes
engfc of such a proceeding would be,
that the people,
uie
instead of applying for public
charity,vlei nt,wouldhtheemin b
themselves.
vpeelsem.ypull
Hoeyneetda
asked
andhwoulded
tt the
beee
kittiigeshvtwliitohn.retispeenctltetaloathne taoppsitiaetaetietons tthheatHhoaudsbeewenhamtandee
for employment on those works, for which 58,000/. had
been granted. He (Mr. Smith O'Brien) believed that
the applications already made would warrant the expen-
diture of 500,000/. He could not refrain from expressing
his is get t that Government should think it necessary to
couple the question of Ireland with the question of the
' corn-laws. An attempt had been made to give
that country cheap food by opening the ports
but other documents independent of that were required.
Ile was one of those who differed from the great majo-
rity of the Hon. Members on his side of the House—he
meant a measure in reference to corn, which he had no
doubt would be of service to this country, but would, for
many years be very injurious to Ireland.— (Hear, hear.)
If, indeed, the duty was to be taken off foreign oats, and
the article to be admitted into Ireland duty free, be
would support it, because the price of oats in Ireland
had risen to an enormous height. Well, then, again he
would say that still more unfair and ungenerous had
been the conduct of the Government to Hon. Members
on his side the House who differed from him, in coupling
this measure with the question of the Repeal of the
Union.—(Hear, hear.) Was it fair then to taunt Hon.
Members on this side the House with throwing impedi-
ments in the way of the people of Ireland getting the
means of relief because they would not consent to a
measure which would be the greatest infliction that
country could suffer?—(Hear.) Why, the Irish Members
had no remedy. If they had not adopted this course
they would lose all confidence of the Irish people, unless
they opposed the Bill in all its stages.—(Hear, hear.)
But he trusted they would be able to compel even Eng-
lish majorities—even an English House of Commons—
to undersrintsl at last that the arguments that Irish
Members used against this measure were so fraught
with justice, that that Bill could never pass the House.
—(Hear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman had
spoken about alienating the feelings of the Irish people
from the Government of this country. He (Mr. S.
O'Brien) found that the feelings of the Irish people had,
by the conduct of the Government, been deeply,
perhaps irrevocably, alienated from this Parliament.
He regretted that the present Government had thought
it necessary to couple measures of coercion with those
which they had brought in for the removal of the evils
with which Ireland laboured. Yet such was the case.
What, then, he might ask, if the people of Ire-
land bad had a Legislature of their own ?
Would they have suffered those evils to continue
so long ? What would have been the course
pursued by an Irish Government ? An Irish Govern-
ment would have summoned an Irish Parliament to meet
early in November ; and would have suggested such
measures as would have anticipated the evil, and would
not have waited until the calamities had actually
occurred, till the last moment of relief ; and would have
taken such measures as would have effectually prevented
that mischief, for which sufficient prevision could not
be made by the Government at present in power.
Neither would they have committed the error of
coupling measures of coercion with the measures for re-
lict, and would have used their utmost endsavours to
remove those evils by means within their command,
and would have found in their national resources
that guarantee of soccess which would have availed
ti restore confidence, and save one-half of the mischief
which now was inevitable. Under these circumstances,
whatever loss of life might occur from the scarcity of
food known to prevail, and whatever the misohiefs that
might arise from consequent collisions, for these and for
all the other evils that might arise, he should hold the
members of her Majesty's Government wholly and
solely responsible.—(Cheers.)
Sir J. GRAHAM said, that however anxious he was
to answer to the responsibility which the Hon. Gentle-
man had thrown upon him, he felt responsible to the
House to bring the adjourned debate to as early a con-
clusion as possible, and he should, therefore, confine
himself to answer a few of the questions which the Hon.
Gentleman had put. In doing so, he would in the
first place appeal to the House, and he might also
appeal to the Honourable Gentleman himself, whether
he had ever concealed his opinion from the information
which he had received of the extent of the calamities
under which Ireland was suffering, and of the proba-
bility that the pressure would increase rather than
diminish as the summer advanced. Still more might he
appeal to them whether he had ever. endeavoured to con-
ceal the extent of the mischief, and whatever might be
the result, of this he felt assured, that the House and
the country would acquit them of any intentional
neglect, and would relieve the Government of all
responsibility for the present condition of Ireland.
At the same time, he was aware, from the unusual cha-
racter of the calamities, that it was no small matter for
the Government to be called upon to feed an entire
people. Those aware of what the functions of a
Government were might readily understand that
there existed no machinery for that purpose ; and
it was necessary to create a machinery to meet
the case. Some allowance, therefore, must be
made if the arrangements were not so complete as to be
able to meet every possible phase of the evil. He must,
however, say, in reference to the statement made by the
Hon. Member, with regard to persons who had died
from famine, that the Government had received no ac-
count of any deaths having occurred from this cause. He
did not rely upon the circumstance of the poor-houses
not being filled as any argument of absence of scarcity.
In neither of those cases referred to were the work-
houses full. The Hon. Gentleman, and those surroun
him, who recommended large gratuities to be given
,ne aishouldl be by
agreed.
to the Irish people, one and all said, that with respect
to oh wages.a tt hwe a as
ob able-
ebt oh diesige
idte n3ot
anett mods
then,
mod
eo f t
of
feywere
meeting
reliefwthe evil,
Then, as to what the Honourable Gentleman had
said with respect to the introduction of Indian corn into
Ireland, he (Sir James Graham) had already stated to
the House that the Government, on its own responsi-
bility, had departed from the accustomed practice--he
had almost said the legitimate course—and ordered a•
large importation of Indian corn into Ireland, for the
relief of the people during the continuance of the disease
and famine engendered by the failure of the potato crop.
They did not, however, intend, neither did they
conaider. that that supply would meet all the demands of the Irish
people during this emergency. But at any rate its
introduction would prevent an undue increase in the
price of provisions ; for instance, meal was one-third
dearer this year than during more than three of the
preceding years, but they anticipated that the introduc-
dun of this corn would prevent people from withholding
foot] from the markets in order to get high prices and
regulate the supply of the necessaries of life in
the different markets of Ireland. It was, how-
ever, difficult to regulate the supply of food, but the
ofl Indianh peoplecorn; was
but
Government would do their best to do so. They never
sufficient
attempted
they said this,—that the supply, regulated by proper
to to
meetsay that
tdiehmeangclus quantity
ty
theris
officers, would prevent the rising of the prices of food.
Large supplies of corn, in addition to those supplied by
the Government, had been imported into Ireland, which.
was sold at a moderate price, now that the
duty had been suspended by a Treasury
order, and was in consequence sold as cheap as oatmeal
It was found, as the Government anticipated, anentan
agree-
able and nutritious food. Now, the Hon. Gentleman
hadmidst of
existed the
accompanied with loss of life,
be was sure the' Hon.
plenty.—(Hear, hear.) Now,
might be the
bad justly observed, that cases of. extreme. destitution,
uite impossible that
efforts of the Government, it was q
wished, if they
d accomplish all they
they could
o emergency, instead of;
Gentleman would admit that whatever
were alone to meet th
persons of influence stepping forth
Gentleman asked him what
generously and aiding
them—(Hear.) The ilo •
but he would meet his question by
another,ing in Ireland,
the Government had done to meet the distress prevail-
hethe wealthy
landowners
of Ireland done?—(Cheers.) The Govern-
merit
rttun i
glhretlaangdotoafacilitatehad(Heanthendwise-
tribunon of the food which the Governmenthad provided.
The Hon. Gentleman had referred to the Grand Jury
Act; that was a measure to which the Government
offered to advance 100,0001. for the carrying out of sub-
stantial public works, this would have circulated a great
deal of money, and would have employed a great number
of heads. It was left to the discretion of the Irish land-
lords. They have refused, and very generally so,,
to avail themselves of it. He regretted that such wae.
the fact, as if it had been adopted it would have been the

he mode .. .. I . .•
'he R. . 'Mt i %1•-_,,...:...5'%
ill to ,t,', . r: :::,. ritiii-- „ S
/
trod ;I'. • asA.liniuti3,- ... ,'" ~
th c 'Ol ..: -Wekbeib t - ••• , '
t Bil ' .....T! tdicit be use-
was • \l3 of iiid - :•••
ld find • ....elhe
~:ui..--",--.) -
n criaik .1 ilt litit4hV. I .
ngg ins dilieldfireg; that -
le improvement of land