The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-21 00:00:00

exist ?—(Clamour.) The amendment jip intended to pro-
pose was as follows :-
1. That this meeting, whilst it is duly sensible of the in-
estimable blessings derived from the enjoyment of commer-
cial liberty, is still impressed with the belief that what is
called " free trade," to use the words of Mr. Clay, formerly .
President of the United States, is nothing more than a beau-
tiful vision, existing only in the imagination of philosophers
and theorists, and practically repudiated by all nations, slum
an indispensable condition to the adoption of it by one nation
is its adoption by all.
2. That in levying a tariff of duties, care should be taken . .
that all the great interests of the country, viz., agriculture,
manufacture, navigation, and the mechanic arts, should, as
far as may be practicable, derive equal advantage from the .
incidental protection which a just system of revenue duties
may afford; making it a matter of extreme importance to
understand distinctly what is meant by a revenue standard,
both as regards its maximum or its minimum in respect of
amount ; and also as to the mode in which such duties should
be levied, whether on the principle of a duty ad valorem, or
be taken in any other way.
3. That the tenses "Protection to domestic industry" are
of popular import; but they should apply, under a just
system, to all the various branches of industry in the
country. The' t the farmer or planter, who toils yearly in his
fic • 1- is engaged in "domestic industry," and is as much en-
titled 16 ;,:ye his labour protected as the manufacturer, the
man of cononerre.:,
engaged else to donteefeic industry in their different pursuitts.
the navigator, or the mechanic, who are
The joint labours of all the %;lea'sse? constitute the aggregate
of the domestic industry of the and they are equally
one of them can
entitled to the nation's protection. .1:%T9
justly claim to be the exclusive recipients
which can only be afforded by increasing burdeZa on theprotection,
"domestic Industry" of the others. •
4. That whilst this meeting depends with confidence'
upon the justice of Parliament for the maintenance of the
rights of the agricultural interests of this country, it cannot
contemplate with indifference the combinations of interested
individuals of vast money power, whose professed object is to
destroy the independence and control the free agency of Par-
liament, and whose leaders have given daring puttlicity to
their intentions to undermine and control the freedom of
election; and that, such being the instruments by which the
agricultural interest is impugned, this meeting pledges itself
to oppose, by every legal and constitutional mode, such at-
tacks upon our most valued institutions, and to maintain
inviolate the freedom of election and the independence of
Parliament, not merely as regards the eastern and western
divisions of the county of Norfolk, but also as comprehend-
ing the city and county of Norwich, the borough of Great
Yarmouth, the borough of King's Lynn, and the borough of
Thetford, whose electoral privileges may, either now or here-
after, be brought to hazard by being subject to inroads of a
similar character.
(The reference to " philosophers and theorists" in the amend-
ment was received with great laughter and clamour.) He
did not know whether by the forms of the meeting he was
precluded from further discussion. He was perfectly satis-
trheseomluatlioth-twaticanh
dhaedvebreyetnhimngo.vedniencwluadaedre
jtohieeedsutog
fied sit down with this declaration of his resolution. The
areedeutrair:
Cobden, but rteretted the absence of Mr. Bright. It was
impossible to view, without sentiments of the greatest indig-
nation, the excessive bitterness with which Mr. Bright .gx-
pressed himself on every occasion.—(Clamour, and crieti-of
" Question," in the midst of which)
The MAYOR rose, and sold it was the right of an English-
man to be heard, and the more readily they listened to Mr.
Wodehouse, the sooner would they hear Mr. Cobden again
in reply. If the interruption were persevered in he rer-
taielv would dissolve the meeting, and then they would hear
nothing. •
Mr. WODEUOITSE said, he only asked the meeting to hear
him patiently fore Single moment, till he called on them to
to the lution
bear in mind that note thousandthde paee, rt of Mr.
reeoCobden's
speech referred, in the slights gr
which followed.—(Great clamour Meel laughter.)
Mr. A. Hammoren, Westacre, said their representative, Mr.
Wodehouse, had been checked by noise 'anu interruption.—
(Criee of " No, no," and clamour.) Well, then he had not
been checked by interruptions. He had been checked.—(Re-
newed clamour.) Mr. Hammond then proceeded to state
that he would answer Mr. Cobden himself; but he would not
say anything hard of that gentleman. What were they to say
of the man who told them at one time that the landlord was
the only party to be affected by the repeal of the corn-laws,
while to-night he had said that the landlord -would not suffer,'
Mr. Cobden had said that the agriculturists had had too
much protection. He (Mr. Hammond) was ready to show
that they had too little. What had been the effect of the
reduction of protection in 1842 ? Had it not lowered prices
of wheat ss. or 105. a combl Mr. Cobden had referred to
the number of sales of farmers' stock in 1822. Now, he
( Mr. Hammond) wished the meeting to remembor what had.
taken place at the time referred to. It was certainly most
improper and unjust to attribute the distress of that period
to the corn-laws. It was solely attributable to Peel's Cur-
rency Bill, which doubled the farmer's debt, while it left
him only half the means of paying it. For six years, ending
and including the year 1809, the total cash currency of the
country averaged 44 millions and some odd hundreds. The
average price of wheat during the same period was 80s. 2d.
For seven years, ending and including the year 1825, the total
cash currency averaged 30 millions some odd hundreds, and
the price of wheat averaged 60s. For 12 years, ending and
including the year 1843, the total cash currency was 28
millions, and the average price of wheat was 525. This, he
maintained, was an evidence of the depressing effect of the
currency measure on the interests -ef. -the farmer.
Cobden had tried,. to 'prove that proteetiell
weould . Of PP xi
use to the farmer. He (Mr. Hammond) mn-
tain that it was of great use not only to the farmer, but to
every individual who works with his own hands.--tek voice,
" Prove it.") The free-traders have tried to charm the peo-
ple with the cry of cheap bread ; they had talked of the lag,
loaf, and of the increased quantity of food in the country ;
but they had always kept out of view that cheap food meant
low wages.—(Laughter, and cries of " No, no.") What they
meant was that they could not compete with the foreigners
because they eat cheaper bread, than the people of this coun-
try, and because wages were higher here than they were
there, and God knew they were low enough here too. He
(Mr. Hammond) did not grudge Mr. Cobden the thousands
he had made by manufacture. s, but he did abominate the
gross delusion which he pressed upon the minds of those
men out of whom he carved that money, that it was the
landlords of England who, by their attempt to keep up
the price of bread, deprived these men of food. This was
not the case. It merely deprived the manufacturers of a
certain portion of their profits.—(llootings and laughter.)
What did that great League authority, Mr. Deacon. Hume,
say on this matter? In answer to a question put to him
by Mr.Yillieis, when he was examined before a Committee
of the House of Commons, whether he contemplated placing
the working man of this country on the same footing as the
working men of other countries, Mr. Deacon Hume expli-
citly said, that he would place him on the same footing.
Well, what did Mr. Baring, another League authority, say on
the subject. Ile said, e I will not deny that the desire and
policy of the men engaged in trade, whatever may be said of
its inhumanity, is to screw down the rate of wages as low as
possible."—(Cries of " Question.") He saw that those re-
marks were not very palatable, so he would try another tack.
—(Laughter.) He would ask why should they believe why
should they trust a body of men bound together by the
strongest ties of interest to aggrandize themselves at the ex-
pense of the rest of the country ?—(Cries of " No, no," and
confusion.) Why, what had they done here? They had.
come to " soft-sawder" the farmers, which, however, they had
most thoroughly failed in doing. They came to tell the far-
merssuch cases
ipg
rhwi nt eeer eri
their business, when the fact was, that they did not
know the commonest part of the farmers' business. They
came there to describe the landlords as tyrants, who drove
their tenants to the poll like sheep. He (Mr. Hammond), as
a landlord, denied that altogether. He denied that any land-
lord in Norfolk dare coerce • his tenantry.—(Cheers and
' laughter.) Before concluding he wished to say a few words
about the use which Mr. Cobden would make of the present
meeting. He would say that he had been opposed by a few
booby country gentlemen—(Laughter)—but that he had
succeeded in convincing and persuading the great body
of the farmers of Norfolk that protection had been of no
benefit to them. He (Mr. Hammond) sincerely hoped
that the farmers would that night show by their voices
that this was a fallacy. Mr. Cobden bad said a hundred times
that lie had all the farmers with him who had any
brains in their heads. Ho (Mr. Hammond) hoped that to-
night it would be shown that all the farmers who had brains
in their beads were in favour of protection.—(Laughter.)
He knew that they had many farmers with them who had
brains in their heads, who cultivated their lands, who em-
ployed their energies, who invested their capital, who.
spent their money upon improving the land, belonging, he
admitted, to another party ; but did they not make such a
bargain as they were safe by?—(Hear, hear, and laughter.)
' Was all the nonsense true that had been uttered by Mr.
Cobden about letting land to one man, and a butcher
running sheep over it again ?—(Cries of " Yes.").- Bee
shbsctflhaireasedb:evueecnaadadrlselleeir:r-dpomluitichcatl
(Mr. Hammond) did not deny that there were ealerces oaa
injustice. Ile thought it was a case of injustice where
and perhaps r-Oe,
nch and Nottingham, who cams
ma
ganeniteltemhiasnlafnrdomto another sport over,
shMeorr.(misloorbdu.eyeun-amshcrainadvenondeedrs-)
butt d to
not for sporting,sen
kept hares and rabbits,
.d
for nothing but making
s a ievous injustice ; but,
market. This- be did cons' sr a gr c
a mercantile transaction of it—who
pblvesye7attNfoernwow.ey
took rents from their tenants, but
unjust men on the face of
Ladntndhloeotrwdosesnaltyearn division of Norfolk, not for him-
ahafdriesned,en
iatnbdyhleanhdlaodrdhs.admoceer.
Cobden
ontooisseoe
told
thansel4 everbut fohre
them that the League wished to increase the franchise.
Mr. Cobden wished to increase
why did he not, in the House of Common
a, bear witness to
his desire ? But the fact was, that he only wished td in-
crease the franchise for a particular purpose, and nothing
else. But be (Mr. Hammond) frankly said that he dis-
approved of this interference with the representation of this
country altogether ; but he no more disapproved of it than
he did of the interference of the Carlton and Reform Clubs.
He thought all interference bad. He begged to urge upon
the meeting not to be led away by the false statements of
Mr. Cobden—for false he maintained they were. He (Mr.
Hammond) admitted that he had failed to convince the meet-
ing' that his views were right. He was sorry to say that
he had been weak in argument although strong in the
knowledge of what was right. He had not the ability to ad-
dress them as he ought, bat he begged the farmers to re-
member that, doing away with protection meant wheat at
30s. a quarter.—(Cries of "No 1" and shouts of laughter.)
It meant the lowest possible wages for all kinds of labour.
Mr. Cobden had taunted them that their labourers were only
receiving Bs. per week. He (Mr. Hammond) employed a
great many labourers, and at this moment they were re-
ceiving lls. a week ; moreover, they earned Si. 12s. 6d. in
harvest. Mr. Hammond concluded by urging the farmers
to continue to bold together, and all this bobbery of the
League would come to nought.
Mr. BALL then came forward and begged to be allowed to
make a few observations. He denied that the corn-law of
1815 had been passed with a view of securing 80s. a quarter
for wheat, as Mr. Cobden had stated, or of equalising the
price of wheat in any way, but rather for the purpose of
giving protection to the British farmers against the risk of
corn coming in from abroad in such abundance as to beat
down the prices here till the grower would be ruined by the
'
competition. With reference to the depression which
occur
among the farmers in 1822, to which Mr. Cobden had alluded,
that was owing, not to the corn-law, but to the fact, that
1821 there was an unusually abundant harvest. I,tporo=
to Mr. Jacob, there were that year no fewerinaddition to which
quarters of wheat above the average:
from Ireland ; and it
there were 1,000,000 quarters imz
quarters that prices were
was owing to this excess of 5 ,
f'°°°ers ruined. The corn-law had
beaten down, and so mane'
II depression in price. Matters were
no tendency to produce t
but they would have been ten
bad-e
worse without
witlaniulite corn-
it.
They were told that there were vast
times
quantities of corn in America, and that if we only had free trade
abundant supply of corn from A • mama,
we ,should have an
id that she would take our commodities in return. This
sounded all very well in theory, but it would nevetdo in prac-
tice; One effect of the introduction of American corn would
be, that it would sweep away all the milling property in this
country, for America would send flour in such vast quanti-
ties, as he verily believed, would reduce the value of milling
property at least 50 per cent. ; so be advised everybody who
had got mills to look to themselves before they advocated
free trade in corn. Hebelieved that Mr. Cobden wouldinot
deny that the capital employed in: mills was more than equal