The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-13 00:00:00

bound to vote for this measure, and to give it every support
his power —(Cries of " Divide, divide.")
P. SCOTT

i ._ctaron ol 1.,- .1.-;
used in I:=s-Gur c, ~ •
.
measure by the Hon. Geroieman who sat on the opposite :tae
o f the House. The reasons and arguments adduced in the
present debates had been used over and over again by the Hon.
Members long before the Right Hon. Baronet had taken the
measure up, and if that was the fact, why did he not conform
to this policy before. —( Hear, hear.) Why did he for
thirty-six months delay adopting the present course ?, It
had been said that the landlords' acres did not accumulate with
the population of this country. This was too true, but it could
not be denied that our foreign possessions would more than
meet the wants of the country, It could not be denied that .
Canada had corn to send in when that should he requxed. ; He
had ever studied the wants of the working-classes, and on hat
side of the House were not their interests always advoca d ?
When those with whom he had acted advocated the inte eats
of the poorer classes, who opposed their endeavours? ho
was it that threw impediments in the way but those who ow
we' eso loud in the advocacy of them ? (" Hear, hear,"
om
the protection benches.) This measure was, beyond all doubt,
Z
one which would be also detrimental to Ireland, and that fact : . •
had already been proved by the arguments that had been ad- ~.
duced. The Hon. Member then referred to the exports of Ibis
country to China, in the articles of silk, woollen, and cotton. - • .
He would then say that all that England ranted was even •
justice, and if the Government were going to do justice I o The
manufacturers, why would they not also deal even-handed us-
tice to the agriculturists ?—( Hear, hear.) It could no be !
denied that the agriculturists were as willing to bear their s are
of the burdens of the country as any other portion of the ins ie.
(Hear, hear.) He would ask why would not the Government
propose reductions upon other necessaries of life as well, as
corn sent in here, on which the duty was now 250 per cent. ?
Mr. Pitt got up the colonial system, and had he lived to the
present time he (Mr. Scott) would engage to say he would
have regarded the system in the same manner as the elder Mr.
Pitt. The elder Mr. Pitt, in speaking of the colonies, add
that we bound the colonies by our laws, regulations, and re-
strictionsin trade, navigation and manufacture, and that the
protection which we extended to them, whether the protection
of a military force, or protection in those every day transac-
tions , .•
between them and other countries, called commerre, • - .'-.
should not be withdrawn. They had encouraged whine If
they ought to have prohibited, and prohibited where they ' Fii
ought to have encouraged. We had so extensive a colorlial 01
trade that it amounted to one-fourth of all our produce It[-
ported, and, therefore, it was madness, by a measure like t is, -;
to sever the connexion between them and the mother coup .
..
Look at the feeling which had been' expressed in Can . • „
4
They said that we imposed rules on them, quartered troops . n
them, and confined them with our regulations ei .1
_.., ..:i
laws ; and when they asked to send all they could —,
.-7-2,--:.: -
send to us, their wheat and their timber, we replled
that the Baltic was nearer to us, and that it, e
had rather take it from them. Because they were submissfee
and patient, and the others were irritated, we would rather
deal with them. The West Indies, in the same manner, (4)-
posed the remarks of the Right Hon. Baronet, when he Aid
that he could not consent to tax the necessaries of life w n
they came from a foreign country, but he would do so who it
came from the colonies. He felt he had already occupied st
House too much, and he should now no longer trespass on thtpr
attention, but would conclude by thanking the House for e
indulgence it had afforded him.
Lord'BROOKE said he rose on this occasion to make a fow
observations relative to the measures then before the House.
He could assure the House that, after having spoken on a
former occasion, he would not trespass on them again so soon,
especially after the kind indulgence afforded him on the former
occasion, if the measure were not of sufficient importance to
induce him to do so. He Assured the House he was un-
willing to allow this opportunity to pass, without en-
deavouring to justify the course which he on a former
occasion took, in giving his vote against the measure of the
Right Hon. Baronet. He was not about to enter on this
subject, for which he very well knew he was not qualified, but
he must contend that on the first introduction of this measure,
and the principles it involved, and the results likely to accrue
from it, he would, like other Members of the House, give his
decided opposition to it. They were told, three months ago,
to wait and see how the distress of the people would be in-
creased. The corn-laws had been preserved for many years
by the wisdom and judgment of several successive statesmen.
The propose, measure was not one that would warrrant the
people in placing any confidence in its promoters. The Noble
Lord then entered into an elaborate comparison of the prices pf
corn from the year 1770 to the present period, showing thnt
there had been very little variation in prices. He should be
glad to see agriculture and commercego hand-in-hand together
without either being depreciated to aggrandise the other, or or
having an undue advantage over the other. `1
Captain VYSE would not have addressed the House on the ..
present eccasion had he not felt it to be his duty to his coma.
tuents. No man ought to give a silent vote on so important a
question as the present. The only reason they had for passing
this measure was the alleged distress in Ireland, but that die.
tress had been contradicted by unanswerable proofs proofs
which had never been answered by the Ministers of the Crowe.
It was very easy to raise the cry of cheap bread, but was it so
easy to allay it? They were called on now to pass a measure
which was without precedent, and to please whom? To
please the agitators of the country—to please the Hon. Membqr
for Stockport, and his brother agitators, whb had carried thefr :
measures thus far.' He would oppose this measure to hia
utmost.

Mr. SEYMER said that a mistake had been made by the
Right Hon. Baronet, when he stated that the Dorsetshire la-
bourers were only paid seven shilling a week, and that rent,
&c., was to be deducted from that sum. He could assure
the Right Hon. Baronet, that the wages of the labourers in;:
that county were at least seven shillings, and, in addition to
this sum they had free cottages, besides other advantages. Hel
would wish to ask a question from the Right Hon. Baronet.
Would he have supported this measure if it had been proposed
by the Noble Lord the Member for London ? He could not
see how they could answer the question. The only difference
' hitherto between the Noble Lord and the Right Hon. Baronet
was in political opinion. But when the Right Hon. Baronet f
' came round to support the same political principles as the
Noble Lord, he could not see upon what grounds they could
support the one in preferency to the other. There was a great
uncertainty in agricultural operations which did not belong to
manufactures, and he could not see how any increase in pro.
duction would make up for a reduction in price. This :
uncertainty in the operations of agriculture appeared to him a
justification of the sliding-scale, which was now proposed to be I
abandoned. Under the present circumstances of the country
he considered the sliding. scale more applicable than any other.
The present course of policy in the House was paying court to
the doctrines of political economy, which he was persuaded
were losing its hold upon the feelings of the country, as shown
in the proceedings taken in mining and faetory operations, anti
which he trusted would even be shown by Hon. Members to-
morrow. They had heard a great deal of what wages would.
be under free trade, and the Right Hon. Baronet had told them
that wages were not regulated by the price of food. To that he
would say that the continual cry of the free-traders had been:
to increase the demand for produce, and that demand could
only be created by reducing the price of the articles, which'
would involve a reduction in the rate of wages.—( Hear, hear.)
When they said they were not independent of foreigners, he
thought they forgot their colonies. The col mies, properly
conducted, would prevent anything like a dependance upon
foreigners. He could not understand the rise of the colonies,
under a system of free-trade. He would turn for a moment.
to the subject of the failure of the potato crop. He had never
understood that failure. He believed that the Rsght Hon..
Baronet would have been perfectly justified in opening the
ports in November last. If that were the case, what could be
said of his colleagues who out-voted him on that occasion. They'
must then have been violent protectionists—much more violent.,
than he would have been under similar circumstances. Now.l
they were violent free-traders. He would not impute motives,.
but he would say, that he did not understand their conduet..i
The Right Hon. Baronet had first introduced his measur
upon consideration of policy, but finding it so violently o
posed, it became a question of justice. When it was taken t
another place, where he had no doubt it would be still mo
violently opposed, no doubt it would be considered by t
reverend orators at Covent Garden Theatre, a religioos quessit
tion. He said, then, that the manufacturing interest were
far from unanimous upon the question, or rather those -who
were engaged in the operative department of manufacture.
They were decidedly in favour of a Ten Hours Bill, but con-
sidered thst the protectionists had sacrificed that measure andi
rescinded their votes in its favour, because they wished to keep;
in a protectionist Minister. They argued, therefore, that if,
the corn-laws were to stand in the way of the passing of a hen
hours' Bill the sooner they were abolished the better. It was'
this feeling which had induced the manufacturing operative to
become a supporter of this Bill, and not frtm a conviction t hat
free trade would immediately benefit him or his country ,
(Cheers. ) He was asked, or rather the protectionist pstrty
was asked, why or wherefore was the price of land kept ure so
high ? He would tell them why. It was because of the
advantages which were attached to the possession of lasults-1
(Hear, hear.) A millionnaire could pass down Cheapside with-
out anybody knowing or noticing him. He might be run •
over by an omnibus and killed, and although the acci dent
might occur within one hundred yards of his own ,
house no one would recognise him unless he had his card case in his pocket.—( Hear, hear.) On the o ther t
hand, the millionnaire might go down into the country and pun- chase a large estate. He then assumed the advantageous l nrsi-
tion of a magistrate, became a deputy Lord-Lieutenant, and
highly preserved his game.—(Cheers.) It was these tl sings
that kept up the price of land, and while these advent ages
were attached to the possession of land, its pr ce would coat issue
high.—( Hear, hear.) Before he concluded, he wished to ad-
dress an observation to the Hon. Member for Stockport. 11'.'hat
Hon. Gentleman had said that the farmers were with him, ,ise.t
owould s ietrrboer
f necessaryit wtoerteo,ssli himhe
wasi npaerbsolannikneyt to convincee
acquainted
many strong-armed yeoman who were perfectly
_y_
ling to do so.
—(Hear,
es
by observing,
his scat amidst loud and coal Pnied-
ooTess of this measure. 71.
du
for vigorously opposing the. progress of —(tHhaetar,thbeearp,raott'edcit?;ourgiihsttserh.a)dileevewroyujiudsctoort e
Mr. COLQUHOUN moved that the debate be adjoui med,
lion.
which was agreed to, on the understanding that the div islets
cheering fr gentleman
om t the resumed
eprotectionists.
on the third reading should take place on Thursday evenini
RAILWAY COMPANIES DISSOLUTION BILL This Bill was then read a second time on the motion of Sir
GEORGE CLERK.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and.: the
•
House adjourned at Half-past Twelve o'clock

PARLIAMEN'3BINESS.,
(From the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commo 45. )
TUESDAY, MAY 12.
The following Petitions for Railways were reported, and the PAIS
ordered to be brought in by the undernamed Hon. Member, :
Midland (Birmingham and Gloucester Branches)-3lr. Hudson and
Mr. Philipotts.
WC. Wood est Riding Union (No. 2)—Viscount Morpeth, Mr. B. Denison, r.
, and Mr. Entwisle.

STANDING ORDERS' COMMITTEE.
The following resolutions Ivere reported from this Committee: '--
I That, in the case of the Poole Harbour petition, for leas e -to
present the Bill, the sessional order ought not to be dispensed wit t.
2. That, in the case of the Wilts, Somerset, and Southam Ptkl"
Railway petition, the standing orders ought not to be dispensed 'V al,.
3. That, in the casa of the Warwick and Worcester Rail IntY
petition, the standing orders ought not to be dispensed with.
4. That, in the case of the London and Birmingham Rail gay
(Newport Pagnel Branch) petition, for additional provision, this
standing orders ought not to be dispensed with.
5. That, in the case of the Portsmouth Harbour Pier pet! Cvat
for additional provision, the standing orders ought to be dispe Neel with :—That the parties be permitted to introcluce such additi 81.11
provision, on proving before the Committee on the Bill the ass itle3
of all the owners, lessees, and occupiers of the property affected
the proposed alteration. And that the Committee on the Bill do
mine in the first place how far such order has been complied w
and do report the same to the House on the report of the Bill.
6. That, in the case of the Bideford and Tavistock Railway I en-
tion, the standing orders ought not to be dispensed with.
7. That, in the ease of the West Riding Union Railway petit
(No. 2), the standing orders ought to be dispensed with :—That t Pa
parties be permitted to proceed with their Bill.
BThat,opr e
si thenta
casepeti: thepetition for a l
Rain'si,
AssignmentPtlamtesnttasnding
accordingly.
dispensed with : —That the parties be permitted to present a petal, vs.
orderoughtpeti petition o
tr;
irate

9. That, in the :ease of the Midland Railway (Mrrningham an i

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DAY.

London: Printed and Published by AXED° YOUNG, of No. 112,.
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of the Savoy, in the County of Middlesex, 'Wednesday, Mar
13, 1846.