The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-25 00:00:00

aeete
-`"wi,p,varira4a trade', and he bad net reeel veJ. a single
ner 3 SIO,;1' represen et •et •• •
lee, ep•oositien to tle• i;A-• .
00 the contrary, al! that 1-tc had heard had tended to
te:eerni previously coneeieed opinion, that the measure
ti; a v:nole was weilealeulated to promote the best interests
e cottetr e. eII felt glad that none of that acrimony
s
te,h."lnelseftle.b had characterised the previous debate on thetoJect Lod been shown on the present occasion, and has,
did
ielthat the Hon. Gentlemen opposite woelti glee her Ma-
CY I Ministers some intelligible ergettents to deal with and
44wers insteed of rodeaveneing to cover them with obloquy
shame•
He ex ertesel that the Hon. Gentlemen npposite
see,, • s p
kdie_ ve foreoehed cone tangible reasons to induce us to
telirve that protection tees necessary to be upheld for the
'tentraoe of the egricultir al interests. They had shown
t,""tat the price of corn was high, and hai proved at the same
)it'd that protection had effected that object. He (Mr.
• would undertake to show that since the dates of 1815,
vitt' the great experiment of the cern-law tayetem of England
ti. tried, the Agricultural Committee had invariably con-
etehed the laws and the principles of those laws which the
theno7seotterni Gentlemen opposite now sought to uphold
t important advocates of the alteratiets of the
it 4 1815 had supported the measure, becautes he said, that
ebsolutely necessay to de somethieg to prevent the
Intition of the price of corn to snub an extent as would
!"w the land out of cultivation. The corn-laws were not
'srf',lti_earty intended to uphold The price of corn, but the object
t "Le introduction of the law 1815 was to prevent the price of
'44 fro
m diminishing below a certain moderate standard
1,7
Imeasure would n es
not have bee necessary bail there been
ke,7gislatiee. interference in matters of trade. If encourage.
Rent had been given to every species of manufactures, three
tt▪ hve been no necessity or any Parliamentary inter-
nee a
in regulating the pricef of corn. Mtioufactu res, and
IsertY kind of staple trade, had repudiated protection altogether.
ll'withstanding the law of 1815 was. passed ; he would ask
bon' Gentlemen opposite, if it had been successful end useful
t,„.sete as agriculturists? The Hon. Gentleman then re-
is2"rl to the report of the Agricultural Committee of 1821.
and 1828 —in the drawing up of which Mr. Huskisson had
hen a part—to show that protection had not tended to benefit
ncultural interest,but, by keeping out foreign competition,
ab4en influential in depressing the property of eritulturiste.
'Y would find the labourer much better off when the price
tetee°rs lees low, and food abundant, than 'when it was other-
ler The Committee of 1836 was largely composed of the
the interest, and the result of their labours showed that
t,,iklonclition of the labourer was greatly improved when
tee" were dew, as .compared with what it was when they
-re h:
vlsat 'AI. He would now ask the gentlemen opposite on
tit„
,erinciples they intended to proceed? They not. se-
-411',1 steerliness in price—they had not secured high prices.
iney bad done was to introduce uncertainty, doubt, and
leoTtaY•—( Hear, hear.) Protection very clearly had not been
114,5"1ive of benefit to the agricultural labeurer. He thought
142t,he peotection „admitted ranted had aied. The aw of
t}ok
tt very failed —its authors thatf itl had failedl ; and
"ry tact of Gentlemen opposite calling for the opening of
let,''')qs showed that they condemned that law.—(Hear,
rife ) That very act was the condemnation of protection.
14%50d ask, had they any experience of the working of free
el He thought the law of 1773 was one which bore
timely e .
on the pima Th commerce of this country at that
torainued to flourish. The late Lord Sydenham had
ltellt,,t4le expressed his opinion on that subject ; but, before he
let -,;1 allude to that further, he would just call the
Ilttlrin of the House to the period to which he
VI, "9 when there was partially a free trade is corn. From
har 1773 to 1795, the imports into this country were
te
)01., while the exports were 2,400,000 E, showing a
• t•f imports over exports of 1, 690,000,. The population
lei!, during the same period from 7to 8 milltons—popu-
e(tl increased, trade increased, and agriculture was thrivine.
ass/rear, hear.) But the period to which he especislly alluded
12„ ,"ent 1781 to 1792. Tt t• highest price sit corn then was
365., 445., 455., 545. The lowest price was 41e.
41e) nth, 425., 475. The greatest difference of auctuatem
e the one p riod being only 75., and the lowest 25., aria
Naewas Tan period when the entumerce of the country in-
. N74(1 to the same extent in so short a: time. All this cc.
be 1 during the partiel operation of tree trade. He would
l'rertnnind the House of west prices were from 1742 to la es.
ke,Piee of corn wag on an average about 30e. ; what was the
of the people during that time? Adam Smith said
rrlere never was a period when the labouring population
Siel4.4 a Uttrre thriving condition. This surely proved then, that
.tie operation of low prices the condition of the
etet„'tnO, classes had not deteriorated, but had improved.
btoeen the years 1773 and 1790 there had been-a controversy
Wit), the price of core, and the connexion of the country banks
Isk",:artuers. In that controversy Sir Francis Baring had
Noe a Part, and the opinion of that great authority ()pet,
111,147ereial affairs was, that the lowest price of corn was me
Ile (,tot to fix a remunerative price foe agricultural produce.
ir Hawes) was of opipion that, from the great improve-
th'',Which had taken place in cultivation, the farmers would
ktieteitel to grow more wheat than they had hitherto done,
W teerefore they would be able to compete with the produce
41, foreign mark-eta. -e( Hear, hear.) It was eeen that
tsei, Wheat was at I`;•es. and clown to 565., there was no one
at' which a remunerating price could be fixed. The
~qq°
farmers' f .ad derived, and he hoped they .could con-
. •
ens derive, remunerative prefirs at even the lowest prices
e • tie was of opinion that the effect of the corn-
‘ft Pun the social state of the people of this country
entiet Pernicious The farmers in try•ng to mt the
for food, satire obliged to 'have resort to artificial
Ttt: to raise the necessary ripply, and hence was it that
tttakat of ground, which was intended for the recreation
fit People, was taken for cultivation; and the result of all
tn''asi that they were unable to meet the wants of the
Ni,?“—( Cries iif " Hear, hear.") The corn-laws pre-
!try the supply of food from abroad, and the neces-
tkt:dunsequence of the continuance of these laws would be to
Iltieauee the manufacturing principle into the agricultural
Rtt'4l of this country. Now, he did not agree with such a
10,,!;:lf things ; he did not think that laws which required the
ith.", frig of the land into something like a produce could be
tit"'di when it had been so clearly proved that there was not
4eenat corn grown after all to meet the wants of the people.
lii!b r, hear.) He was glad to find that this state of things
? out to he remedied by the measure of her Majesty's
ii,gl.sters, and for the reasons he bad stated, he would give
stilklidovernment his most cordial support, in the hope that it
benefit the country
Tat:" JOHN TROLLOPE said he represented a large con-
lsr,,eYs and be must say, in answer to the Honourable
Heber for Lambeth, who. in the opening part of his
lette'ei had said that the measure of her Majesty's 51i-
, r was one upon 'which all were unanimous in
ltir, 'Tour—with regaree to that certainty, be could
111,45 the House that so far from his constituency being
"tit:netts in favour of the measure, the feeling was quite the
1.14t0:4,7•—("' 14.-ear, hear," frem the protection side of the
gilElf
He attended a large meeting in South Lincolnshire,
,
tailley.sider the expediency as well as the general bearing
i',lsh„,'''aeasure upon the country, and at that meeting there
ege I rt one landowner who held op his hard in favour of it.
;"-ii'jlti heard the Right Hon. Baronet stare to that House
gtors had come to the conclusion thet such a measure was
to meet the wants of the country e but the Right
~; aentleman said also, that he had formed his views upon
Illel'erience of the last three years of certain experiments
4aqreduetien of duties. He did not think so great a ques-
th e
°tdd be settled upon ese slight an experience as that of
Oit Years. ..4 Hear, hear. Ni An allusion had been made to the
0, °f 1815 ; he would admit that that law was the law of
4111)(4Y, and he was er'iad it had been amended in the year
L for it tea; one -dhich prevented corn from coming in till
I'l4 'to an exorbitant price. TI law of 1820 hart
11;lsj; "we4(.11 r
amentleO. this, and he (Sir J. trollope) considered
'lsCr of that •feer a good one; and such as was required for
lenereeti •n cei native sericulture. The Hon. Member then
Ithi' sever,, authorities in support of his views of the
t 4
k 'lest Ile considered that there was nothing like
„,14 th "ta:ristics regerding agriculture in this country.
•'k,--,°%laht it rather a blot upon tha character
11-glare', that it did not, like France, have a proper statis-
dist:eturn of the arronnt of her aericulturai produce.—
tttltt, ) Had there been proper statistics of the tigte-
:rtePte,'.:' Prhad oduction of this country, it
ton bede fofond und tforhat
the
the
i T made great exertionsprovi
y,e• In his own county there hail been an inereise of 10e
of corn 'anti wheit, and the inerease of the popula-
," not mote than 20 per cetit.—(“ Her, hear," from Lore
's Did it not follow, then, that the same result
tilto..,l* faded in other parts Of the country ? and, if the ar-
tts -st :As good for anythiee, it went to prove that the far.
yea,ri_angl;iti were able to supply the demand upon them.—
and No, no.) He had heard it said that the
thi teres a consenting party to this measure ; but he di(
'hat the working clergy would so much neglect thcit
beta •crests, ti
beeause it would be the working clergy who
effectedby it. Then, as to the malts= ; that tax,
• 4'"eni to operate against ,he farmer, and amounted to 7d
~"••ii"et'it• per annum upon the raw material ; and if it were
,4 It I, the famer would be enabled to give his labourers ale
P••r . quert He could eo on enumerating many other
,eth:lkters: He would ask. would not the effect of tree trade
y - •
ani of introducing the growth of the beet-root, and
te.hther :products front which this country now derived
Oe '• The legacy duty also operated against the owner
b' kart?. added to the grievances of free traits ; for ins.ance,
it'"4t a piece of land lately, an 4 had to pay nearly five
::ent for the cost of cenveyaneing. In Ireland also, he
this measure would have a most injurious effect, by
;1,,"1131g the value (Aland, on which the i ecple of that country
'hs 'tiled entirely for their support. He was in Ireland during
St,eule of the summer of 1e22, when a large sum of money
r'sy,-,efie up to relieve the people from the famine that then
iteled. 'the late defect in the pota'o crop had nearly been
tea and, therefore. this was not the period at which to lea-
sloe de value of the produce of land at home. He did not
tt`t,,' that foreign countries would give this country the benefit
'tsse'Proprised reductions, for he heard that in France they
lerit raising the price of brandy ; but they did not• at the
lithe sly they would admit British produce upon the
'he tetuvantageous terms ; while France might still contend.
4.th l'eir wines also should be admitted at the same reduction
t'clasktt.'nade upon brandy. He did not see that in America any
e''"n of the tariff was pr mosed, at least not such
e't7,4elinn as would meet the free-trade measures of this
40t lersri and, therefore, from that part of the world they had
i1f,44-"Ictt'le:11 to xpect either, while the hopes raised in Canada
tus dashed to the ground. He had heard imputations of
lea,-"elned Monopolists" applied to those who entertained
04, this question like his own ; but he would say he would
luandon all his property than act in any way that would
le''o4%.sttelt imputations applicable to him. But he could not
"'lee-ling that it appeared to him that these epithets were
1::4114-PPlieable to Hon. Members at the other side, becau-e he
Ifrene"tend for it that the first class of persons who would
i'led Injuriously by this measure would be the agricul •
'lileeilsnrers, whose wages would be lessened, and many of
wtal nuld be thrown out of employment by the quaatit
~,at would be cultivated into pasture.—( Hear, heart)
i;',ll,d;"°old not this country have the power to do in the Pre-
tore the ancient Romans did, namely, to keep up a
lititai,:orn to meet a period of scarcity?—( Hear.) He re-
tietee..`? have trespassed so lung upon the attention of the
ihetie,"'„ne seldom d
ever advocate his principles honestly and
Ster"ently. (Hear, hear. )
arl"sreOH \ HAN MER said he could point attention to acts
t,et, tit 1670 and of her eariv periods, in which protective clauses
P,?.'sed for the express purpose of keeping dawn the
'et corn wise from 1689, for several years after, the
"'ea rd. tie •
th. , th, Is protective system was in fact to raise the price of
IV tee ,e•th it was intended to keep it down. lit 1791, came
att i.'"lltionary ware, and if the price of corn was then raised,
rt 114414 not be said to he attrihutrible to the corn.lses
Nt.
Me to the corn-law of 128, which they ail at
e •
?ncred in, and he would ask what had been the
Lefrae ,hat' Had the) not seen corn sowed up in bond never
ieettirte el ma rket, yet exerasing an influence on prices outside;
*Tait, therefore, on ee mat tere, he should confess hansidfa
fe:11 " the score orth
pros tection. A great deal had been said
vi:iit:gerd to the effect the, present measure would have on.
it „"ations ; now, he ehoul,l confess that in teat pint to'
14711Ner4,3'esseil its greatest recemmendation in his eyes. th.
via Lnk,rtneti that in Russia it would have a very bent-
itly-"%te LS an alteration in the tariff of. that country,
14,r,Tefe),""n,ble to England, was certain to result.
tkie-„e' ie his opinion, it was high time
reyrrs"tit• measure should be brought forward.—(Hear,
latetlet,e' lowing ell these matters, then, he implored of Hon.
liZ%ik,v, to cease 'heir cry for protection, when they had
tto that it had ever given an' appreciable vatue.to pro-
tl .`llrn seated of them to leok tii the substance rather
Suado if tl wished fir a fixed duty. his vote
be w.
ree°Tded agtioit it, OA he believed it would prevent,