The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-02 00:00:00

TOASTS

No. 16,656.

mittee in thus calling you together on this occasion.—•.
(Hear, hear.) But first I must say a few words in ac-
knowledgment of the high honour you have done me in
presiding over such a respectable assemblage. I ens
quite aware that in filling this situation I cannot din
c ,argo its duties so well or so t ffctivsly as the Hon.
Gentleman who presided at the last meeting, ard whose
n .me stood as President of the Society during the past
year.—(Cheers.) Nothing would have induced me to
accept the position I now fill, excepting to confute the
b:•oad assertion that had emanated from many quarters,
that the landlords did not participate with the tenant-
farmers in their desire to preserve protection to agricul-
ture. On the contrary, I am happy to be able to say that
gentlemen of every political party, and of all shades of
opinion, are resolved to do their utmost to support and
advocate the objects for which we are this day met.—
(Cheers.) And now to these objects. This, you are
all aware, is a singularly interesting crisis. We have
had one Ministry dissolved, and an unusual difficulty in
the formation of another ; and no sooner is that estab-
lished than it crumbles to pieces. The late Ministry
was the same which passed the present corn-law, and I
repeat that when they went out an attempt was made to
construct another Administration, the leading principle
of which was to be the total, immediate, and uncon-
ditional repeal of everything like protection to agricul-
ture.—(Hear, hear.) Standing, as I do, be fore gentle•
men every way better acquainted with the subject than
I am, I shall not enter into any detailed statement of the
right of agriculture to protection ; but I may be in-
du!ged while making one or two observations. These
rights appear to me to be of a twofold character ;
&at, the special burdens thrown upon the land
demand that some protection should be extended
to the produce of that land in the same way
that protection is given to every trade in the coun-
try—(Hear, bear)—and, therefore, I contend that those
who demand, open-mouthed, a repeal of those protec-
tive duties, demand that which is essentially and rnani
featly unjust to a large and important body of her
Majesty's subjects.—(Hear, hear.) Leaving out of con-
sideratien all questions of politics, let us look only at
this practical view of the case, namely, the passibility of
supplying Great Britain with food from other countries
—of, in fact, doing away with home-grown crops alto-
gether, and looking at the magnitude of the evils which
would follow from so pernicious a course. I think the
Committee were quite justified in calling the Society
together. lam one of those who will not acknowledge
that the present amount of protection is all that agricul-
turists have a right to demand; but lam also prepared to
be contented with it if left alone.—(Hear.) But now the
matter has assumed a different complexion. It is assorted
that protection duties have failed in the object they were
originally intended to further, and some begin to see in
the dim vista of futurity a total abrogation of these laws.
I remember, and you may remember, that it is only
two years since I had the felicity to announce to a meet-
ing held in this place that that able man and great
Minister, Sir Robert Peel, did not cort-mplate any
alteration in the corn-laws, which he stated had been
passed for the protection of our just claims. I then
repeated the very words he made use of in his place in
the House of Commons on the previous day; and, look-
ing around me now, I cannot see anything which could
have induced him to chanee that (as we thought) settled
opinion.--(Hear, hear.) I cannot find any important
increase in the price of food; in fact, I believe, if any-
thing, that wheat is lower at this time than it was when
that memorable declared( n was made, and we are
aware that there is no want of employment in the ma-
nufacturing districts. I confess I can see no reason
why a man of Sir Robert Peel's great abilities should
change his opinions, t nd adopt, as he is reported to have
done, convictions diametrically opposed to those he
held formerly. I hope, and think lam right in assert-
ing to the meeting, that no such changes are intended.
I therefore beg of you to wait until we have some posi-
tive proof that it is his intention to do that which is re-
ported of him, before we give effect to that manifesta-
tion which must follow this forgetfulness of all his
pledged opinions.—(Cheers.) I know of only one reason
which could have brought about this opinion, and that
is fear—fear which is felt by others who look to the
preservation of the integrity of our Constitution, as the
salvation of the country.—(Hear, hear.) They were
alarmed at the proceedings of an association which
made fearful encroachments on the free exercise of their
rights as British subjects. It will doubtless be the duty
of Government, under these circumstances, to put a
stop to the proceedings of a body calling itself the
Anti-Corn-law League.—(Cheers.) But I shall not
make this a subject of discussion, although I am
ready to say that I shall be among the first to
petition Parliament to put a stop to practices calculated
to be subversive of all good government.—(Cheers.)
You are aware that the proposed measures of the Anti-
Corn-law League are in the last degree subversive of
your interests.—(Hear, hear.) You are aware that in
one day not less than thirty-five thousand objections to
the voters for the county of Lancashire and Stafford-
shire, had been raised, and as many of those gentlemen
did not attend to defend their qualifications, they were
of course lost to them. These two counties may there-
fore effectually be said to be deprived of their franchise.
—(Hear.) Whatever may be the political feeling of
parties, all right-minded men must agree in this, that
such a course is inimical to all the rights so dear to Eng-
lishmen. Was it not monstrous that 'a body of men
should come forward to deprive a vast majority of the
electors of their just rights and privileges ?—(Cheers.)
I am happy to observe this unanimity among you, and I
think that the series of resolutions to be proposed will
ri-cc ive your cordial and unanimous assent, and I espe-
cially beg of you to bear in mind that if the Anti-Corn-
law League be allowed to pursue their present iniquitous
course, you will all be deprived of that protection tee
agriculture to which the peculiar burdens on the land
justly entitle you.—(Cheers.)
The Earl of ESSEX rose to propose the first resolution,
and said that it was a matter of congratulation to see
assembled so large and so respectable a meeting, com-
posed as it was of the most influential landlords and
farmers of Hertfordshire.—(Cheers.) He remembered
with great pleasure the formation of that society some
two years before, when a movement similar in character
to the present prevailed over the length and width of
Great Britain— (Hear, hear)—and when men, from a
principle of self-preservation, rose to secure that pro-
tection which was e-sential to the British farmer. Their
demonstration had had the effect of confining the
League to those manufacturing counties who thought
with them, and he thanked God that they were no
longer annoyed by itinerant orators, who sowed the
seeds of discontent and anarchy wherever they came,
and made extravagant promises. The true object of
the society then present was certainly to obtain
a moderate protection to agriculture, but judging
from the censure thrown on Sir R. Peel by a portion of
the public press, they might, he was afraid, be considered
to have failed in that object. On the last time he had
the honour of addressing them on this subject, he had
pointed out the dangers that would result from an im-
mediate and total repeal of the corn-laws. He had
pointed out the protection given to many articles of
British manufacture, and that it would be utterly impos-
sible for the farmers of that country to compete with the
farmers of the Continent in the production of wheat, if
the protection duties were not allowed them. He showed
that if protection were done away with, the tenant-
farmers would, from a state of comparative opulence, be
reduced to destitution and distress.—(Hear, hear.) It
was well known that three-fourths of the landlords lived
upon their properties, and spent their incomes in reliev-
ing their poorer neighbours—(Hear)—but they could not
do this if their present position was destroyed, and the
the farmers
liveße austyuh
the
en r.tehaeri (Lordr.
result would be that they would cease to
werew in
tghetoyethrle.
estates at all. Why, if they asked a farmer now why
the
did not keep stock, liaen d wouldtht,e
xrrpeepenri
e,orci.ehedaot
fo
Eunssfietzscso ou
could
d tihnefocsraomti
tl he
eth. e Cmllrfwstletnilhintdht:i
with last
nddl gat
Indian
ode lands
corn, linseed, of
fesNt
otorforlekaranshdeLe
ing of horned and
lentiles, were imported from abroad, they could have
of green stuff to rear
their cattle on, and the consumption of sheep during
year, would suffici-
ttethomnbeetotlhyra
more than
amount present
snhuudaubinjet
eaodet
afoet
s.
us
sheep
lhenoepei
emnpeoteic
increasing
nrcueparcindbeudai
the present year, the oyliamstportance of attending
thagt while in the last year,
numberrte imported was
imported
only r t
el
d 0 8
w; talsi a t
Iduring
,
and with all this food was one shilling a stone
higher than in the former year. He did not think that
the meeting would be justified in withdrawing its sup-
port and confidence from Sir R. Peel until accurate in-
formation was given to the world that it was his inten-
tion to bring forward a measure for the complete and
total repeal of the corn-laws.----(Hear, hear.) But let
him ever hear that it was his intention to do away with
the present corn-law, and humble as he was, and poor as
his ability might be, Sir H. Peel would not have in
either House of Parliament an opponent more unflinch-
ing, consistent, and determined than he.—(Great cheer-
ing.) He would, with great pleasure, move the following
resolution—" That the accession of a new Administration
to office since the notice of this meeting makes it de-
sirable to abstain from proposing any specific resolution
as to the rights of agriculture until some further indica-
tion is given of the measures supposed to be contem-
plated by the Government."
Mr. G. ROBERTS seconded the resolution. lie com-
mented on a speech of Mr. Ward's, lately delivered, in
which that Hon. Gentlemen ridiculed the notion of keep.
ing up the price of corn at 80s. a quarter, as was pro.
mised by the law of 1815. The deduction the speaker
drew from this fact was, that the corn-laws were a boon
to the consumers, inasmuch as they obtained their corn
20 to 100 per cent. cheaper than they had been led to
expect. He warned them against bartering away their
protection for anything called an equivalent. They
should stand firm, and not give up a jot of their present
rights.—(Cheers.)
Lord Dauax then proposed the second resolution—
" That whilst this meeting depends with implicit}t and
unabated confidence upon the justice of l'aTliawer in-
terests of this country, it cannot contemplate the maintenaw
e of the rights of theagricultural
difference the combinations of interested tnoilvi
professed object is to
at.i.th
nab?, in-
of vast money power, whose P •
of Parliament, and whose leaders
have
given daring pub-
licitycontrolfreebeinglegal to their intentions to undermine. and control the
freedom of election. Such p instruments by
which the agricultural interest is impugned, this meeting
mploerdige,essuictsliclaft.tacks upon our most valued institutions
and -to maintain inviolate the freedom of election arid
'Theytcini reaebsinetesdpoeneleah- even-handed disclaimed
j
the independence of Parliament." His Lordship, in an
utsht
ew,
aonrdd
f"t
hperyo treecctei
receive
„d"
that--if the burdens which pressed peculiarly upon th
land were removed, the farmers could take care of themee selves. He was decidedly opposed to the course now
pursued by the Anti-Corn-lawLeague in the purchase of
tarty-shilling
freehold qualifications. He considered
such conduct subversive of all order, and such us would
do the greatest possible injury to those who pursued it.
Mr. I'AS'ENGER, in an able address, seconded the resos
lutien.
Mr. HI BERT proposed the next resolution as follows