The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-21 00:00:00

Hon. Baronet the reasons of his change. But could there be •
any doubt that the fear of a bad crop, and an alarm of a do- i
ficaancy in the wheat harvest, had produced the change? That '
apdrehension might be well founded or ill founded—time alone
could show. But it served as an awful warning to the people
of this country not to place too much reliance on the political
conduct of Cabinet Ministers. The Hon. Member went on to
say that it was absurd for the Anti-Corn-law League to pro-
fees superior enlightenment and intelligence on this subject than
the agriculturists. The real fact was, that it was self-
interest that influenced the members of that body in all
their deliberations.—(Protectionist cheers.) At the same
time, he would maintain that the manufacturers of this coun-
try were entitled to a fair share of consideration from the
Members of that House. If it were simply a question be-
tween the manufacturers and the agriculturists of this country,
the question would not possess half the importance which
was attached to it ; but the fact was, that on the issue of the
question depended the national honour and prosperity of the
country. All the trading interests in this country were directly
or indirectly concerned in the resolution to which the House
might come.—( Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member then pro- ,
(-ceded to make -a few remarks upon what had fallen from the
Hon. Member for Sunderland (Mr. Hudson) on Tuesday night.
The Hon. Member then drew a comparison between the con-
dition of this country and the people of Holland, who paid
Lices to the amount of 265. per head; but in consequence of the
low tone of voice in which the Hon. Member delivered this
part of his speech, his remarks were quite inaudible in the
gallery. The Hon. Member, as we understood, contended
that the arguments which had been brought forivard against the
repeal of the corn-laws on the ground that it would make this .
country dependent for its supply of food upon fore gn countries .
was wholly untenable. He stated that we had imported
greater quantities of wheat in seasons of comparative plenty,
P.nd argued that we were, in consequence, dependent in some
measure for our supply of food. And as to the question of in-
dependence, in the time of a general war it was only a question
of degree, because this country had already imported 600,000 qrs.
of corn. A general war (continued the Hon. Member)
is not likely to burst upon us in a moment. The farmer would
have time afforded him for turning his grass-land into arable.
He did not attribute the present miserable condition of agri-
cultural labourers to the operation of the corn-laws. He
apprehended that the small farmers of this country, who were
obliged to cultivate their land with limited sesources, would
be the class that would most suffer by the change. He was
sure if they took the benefit of the tenant-class of farmers
into consideration, they would not pass the measure in
its present shape. In conclusion, he would say a few words on
the effect which a repeal of the c wn-laws would have on the
landed interests of this country. [Here the Hon. Member
turned round and addressed himself to the protectionists sitting
at the lower end of the House, and we could not in consequence
catch his observations.] We understood him to say that it was
i mistake to suppose that the people did not take a great interest
in the measure now before the House, and that if they (the pro-
,ectionists)thought other wise, they were egregiously mistaken.
Me confidence that was placed in the Right Hon. Baronet
ay a great Conservative party when he came into power re-
mained unshaken.—(" No, no," " hear, hear," from the Oppo-
;Rion benches.) That confidence was placed in the Right
Ron. Baronet, because it was felt that he would never bring
orward any measure which would create such financial changes
if he had not the support of his own party, and he (Mr.
Barkly) would venture to predict that that support would re-
main undiminished. The Hon. Member concluded, by saying,
that he would give his support to the measure.
Mr. BENNETT (Member for Suffolk), who was very in-
distinctly heard in the gallery, was understood to say, that not-
withstanding the able statement made by the First Minister of
the Crown, in his speech the other night,—and notwithstand-
' mg the ability with which he conducted the financial affairs of
the country, he could not place his confidence in him, as he
had so often changed his opinions, and because he had seen him
desert the Protestant religion in this kingdom, and repudiate
the sentiments he once expressed so eloquently in defence of
that establishment. And when be beheld him unsaying all that he
had ever expressed before, he looked with the utmost alarm
AS to what would be his next desertion of principle.—( Hear,
' hear.) He represented an agricultural county, and he bad
lived constantly in an agricultural district, consequently he
had an opportunity of witnessing the kind feelings which
existed between the yeoman, the labourer, and the country
gentleman—( Hear, hear)—whilst Hon. Members on the other
side of the House were not acquainted with the habits of a
: country life.—(Loud laughter, and cries of " Oh, oh.")
There was not a country gentleman of his acquaintance who
I looked to the measure which they were then discussing as merely
affecting their rents. They looked to it with the most kindly
i feelings in order that they might be able to make the labourer
l more comfortable.—( Hear, hear.) He wished to see the
• Learned Solicitor-General in his place, in order that he might
ask him had he changed his opinions on the subject of protec-
tion, for he held in his hand a speech made by the Learned
I Gentleman when returning thanks at a dinner given to him
• when elected for the borough of Cambridge, in which he
speaks of the folly of those who advocated a free-trade policy.
; —(Hear, hear.) He would not trespass further on the
i House, but would conclude by expressing his intention
, to vote against the proposed measures of commercial policy.
; Mr. MUNTZ said, that during the last thirty years. no
change had come over his opinions with respect to the present
I question. He often differed in opinion with the Right Hon.
I Baronet and with those Gentlemen beside him, who called
themselves philosophers (Laughter)— but with all those
, differences of opinion no man in that House was more desirous
than he was that the present Bill should pass into law. It
f was gratifying to him to see, however, that this question was
at length coming to an end. He had often told the Right
I Hon. Baronet that there were two courses open for him, and
as he had taken the wrong course now, he would take every
opportunity to support him in carrying it out.—(Laughter.)
Hon. Gentlemen might laugh, but he thought there was no
reason whatever for laughter, for anything was better than
' that things should remain in the state of uncertainty in which
they at present existed.—( Hear, hear.) The past cry, which
was raised by the Gentlemen opposite, was protection to
. lor lab,ur. He defied any man to say that he had ever pro-
ne advocates for protection had, he admitted, protected cer-
aFgorricuhltisure.ownNo
hwea s w
iprotectionshed
th a
tt o nativethey h
ad
the full length and protected all native industry ;
but they did not, however, do so. They only pro-
part, he
sorted a portion of it, and that was one reason why he was
I induced to support the present measure. The Hon. Member
Or Newcastle had stated that he (Mr. Nluntz) had only paid
one-sixth of the amount which he had paid thirty years ago
I fited by exacting labour from the poor man at an inadequate
remuneration. He might pay now one-sixth of what he paid
thirty years ago, but the variation in the remuneration for
• abour between this and that period, was in the same ratio.
I ain portions of native industry. They bad given protection
'a carpenters, smiths, and other trades, that were immediately
connected with domestic industry, but they had not protected
hat industry which came into the foreign market. They had
aeard speeches from the Right Honourable Baronet at the
head of the Government, from the Right Hon. Gentleman
,he Secretary for the Home Department, and from the Secre-
tary at War—all to the same effect. The latter Hon. Gentle-
man indeed went a step further than the others, but he ( Mr.
aluntz) would go a step further still. He would ask, of what
u-e was the repeal of the corn laws unless it reduced the price
of corn ? If he did not think that this effect would follow, he
would not vote for the present measure, and that was the very
reason why it should receive his support. The real reason
why the present measure was proposed was, because the prin-
ciples of free-trade must shortly regulate the commercial po-
licy of this country. It was not the famine in Ireland to
which this great change must be attributed. It was all very
well for Gentlemen to make an outcry about the misery
of the country, bet that was not the reason for bring-
ing forward the present measure. He would ask, did
the Whigs, when in office, do anything to alleviate this misery ?
Did they do anything to sympathise with the afflictions which
were acknowledged to piavail when the Government of the
country was in their hands ? 'nay did net. When he (Mr.
Mentz) alluded to it they sneered ai his statement, and re-
fused all relief. The retribution was now come, and it was
quite impossible that any other course could be adopta than
that now proposed.—( Hear, hear.) For thirty years they has
protected themselves, and now when they saw the game was
tip, when protection could be maintained no longer, they came
forward with an affectation of great generosity, and said that
" honesty was the best policy," and that they would give
up those laws from which they had hitherto derived so
much advantage.—(Hear and laughter.) Their conversion
it must be admitted was a sudden one.—( Laughter.) He would
not, however, be captious, but he called upon them to give the
Right Hon. Baronet a straightforward and manly support, or a
decided, unmistakeable opposition. Either the Right Hon.
Baronet was right or he was wrong. But in any case, they
should not be propping him en one side while
they were undermining him on the other.—( Hear, hear.)
They should either approve or condemn, and exhibit a conduct '
consistent with these opinions. The Right Hon. Gentleman
(Sir R. Peel) had stated that the tate of wages for the last
few years had nothing whatever to do with .the price of corn.
In reference to this point he would take the liberty, with the
permission of the House, to read them a few extracts from
Adam Smith.—(The }lona Gentleman here read . several
quotations from Adam Smith on the relation which
existed between the price of corn and the wages of labour.)
The House would remember that there had been a very mate-
rial change since 1841 to 1845; between those periods there
had been a very great depression. During ' those periods we
had an undeniable depression in the revenue. Since then how-
ever the revenue had materially increased. The Chinese war
made a great increase in the revenue. There was then a great
deal which added to the prosperity of the country. There was
the increased demand for labour by the spread of railways, and
he was sure that if they were to do away with railways they
would cause iron to fall fifty per cent.—(Hear, hear. )
The railways in this country made a very great increase
in the wages paid by himself. There was one great
reduction caused by the general depression, and that was in the
manufacture of zinc. There was now so considerable a re-
duction in that article that it was scarcely worth working.
Some time ago the peice was much greater, but so considerable
a reduction had taken place in that brought from abroad,
through the reduction in the tariff, that it was manufactured to
no extent:whatever in this eactritry.— (Hear.) He did not, how-
ever, mean by this argument to have it inferred that he Wes
against a repeal of the corn-laws ; on the contrary, he was
entirely in favour of the repeal of those laws.—( Hear, hear. )
By adverting to this depression he was only showing that the
change in the policy of the country had been detrimental to
many trades. Indeed, it was not to be denied that foreigners
could get their work done at prices so much lower than in
this country that an injurious result must naturally be the con-
sequence. Why, on the continent iron could be had at 41.
per ton, while in this country it could not be had for less than
about 141. Now, with respect to the Right Hon. Baronet,
every one thought him right in his policy till very lately—in
fact his own supporters thought him infallible—but many of
these had said to him (Mr. Muntz), how is it that the Right
Hon. Baronet has all at once changed a line of policy which
he has followed for forty years ? And they added that if he
was now right, he must have been wrong all that time.—
( Hear.) Having failed, then, for such a time, could the
Right Hon. Baronet now deny that he had deceived himself,
for most undoubtedly, if he was at that moment right, he
must have been wrong for forty years.—(Hear, hear.)
Well, then, his object was to get all that lie could into his boat,
and the reason he asked them to join him was because they
well knew his plans, for he had never made a secret of them.
—(Hear, hear.) If, then, the Right Hon. Baronet would
join him (Mr. Munta)—would enter his boat—be would
engage that he would land him in a place of safety.—(Cheers.)
Mr. B. DISRAELI—Sir, 1 believe that the Right Hon.
Baronet, in the first year of his present Ministry, settled
the currency, and he is now supported in that measure.
( Hear, hear.) But in order to understand that measure well
we must refer to the speech of the Noble Lord the Member
l for Liverpool. ( Hear, hear.) There is one point, how-
ever, upon which no doubt any longer exists.
Whatever may be the opinion of the two great parties which
constitute this House upon the general merits of the measure
—whatever may be our conviction upon the subject of protec-
ti m—however sanguine our expectations may be of the benefits
to be conferred on the Constitution by this measure, there is
one point at least upon which we are all agreed—a point upon
which no misunderstanding can exist, and that is, that her
Majesty's present Ministers have changed their opinions.—
(Cheers.) Whatever may have been the opinions which
for-
merly prompted the measures they proposed, it is quite
certain
that they expect to benefit this country more by the question
now before the House than any which preceded it.—(Hear,
hear.) That is the question which we are now called upon to
declare in favour of—that is the question which I shall now
consider, and upon which I propose to offer some sugges-
tions,_ which I hope will have the effect of inducing
this House to hesitate before they accede to the great change
1 which the propesed measure will bring about.—(Hear, hear.)