The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-18 00:00:00

Government whether he did not consider himself answerable
in a great measure for the falling off in the supply of cattle that
had taken place by reason of the introduction into this country
of the disease of cattle 2—( Laughter.) Hon. Gentlemen might,
laugh, but he begged to tell them that the introduction of
foreign cattle into this country with diseased lungs and other
diseased organs ...:used the spread of that disease amongst the
cattle in England, and was a great means of preventing
grawiers from breeding cattle.
Mr. VILLIERS sail that the Hon. Member who had just
sat down had dwelt at great length, and with great eloquence,
upon the subject of diseased cattle ; but he had forgotten to
tell the HOUS3 that there was a time when he made a speech in
which he said that the farmers of this country had nothing to
fear from American competition, because, in fact, the cattle
that came from that country were in such a condition that
you could clearly read the newspapers through them—
( Laughter)—and as to the American pork, that lost more than
half its value on the passage. He (Mr. Villiers) had heard a
great deal said about the importance of those imports to the
dealers in them, but not one word had been uttered in reference
to the poor people for whose benefit their prices had been re-
duced.—( Hear, bear.) There could be no doubt that this
measure would pass, and Hon. Members opposite had no doubt
of it—(Cheers and laughter)—but he would ask them were
they aware of this fact, that there were very many of the
labouring classes in this country who for forty years had not
tasted meat?—( Hear, hear. )
Sir JOHN TROLLOPE begged to offer a few observa-
tions to the House. The Right Honourable Baronet at the
head of her Majesty's Government had loudly cheered the
remark of an Hon. Gentleman, with reference to the disease
in the breed of cattle. Now he recollected when that Right
Hon. Gentleman introduced the income-tax he told the coun-
try they should save it out of their style of living. He hoped
the Right Hon. Gentleman had suffered his part of that.—( A
augh. ) The Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer
had adverted to experiments, but he should say that they were
prevented by the excise from carrying out these experiments.
Now, if he might be permitted to say, having had some ex-
perience, that if his friends at the same side of the House had
exaggerated the alarm with respect to the destruction of cattle,
and the number imported from abroad, they did so, not of
themselves, but on the representation of their constituents.—
( Hear, hear.) They had been treated to a eornelaw lecture
by the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton, though he (the
Hon. Member) could not see what that subject had to do with
that under discussion. The Gentlemen on his side of the
question were in favour of every description of encouragement,
cultivating the land extensively and feeding cattle, because they
were aware that from those sources sprung cheap feted for the
public.—. Hear, hear.) And it was only by the perpetual in-
terference of the Government in the matter that such bene-
ficial effects were checked, as the Right Hon. Baronet, the First
Lord of the Treasury, would, ere many years, discover to be
the fact.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. P. BORTH WICK said that, in 1842, the Right Hon.
Baronet at the head of the Government, in introducing his
tariff, told them, in reply to an observation made by an Hon.
Member, to the effect that Spain, owing to the richness of its
soil, would import cattle, that he ( Sir R. Peel) felt assured
a single hoof would never cross the Bay of Biscay. though the
result was that, in that very year, several head of cattle were
imported from Spain. They had heard it stated by the Hon.
Member for Wolverhampton, that, owing to the depression in
agriculture, the wages of the agricultural labourers were low ;
yet they were going to improve the condition of the agricultu-
rists by a further permission of articles of foreign growth free
of duty. It was impossible, in his opinion, to fix tae gentlemen
of the Anti-Corn-law League to any certain principle.—
rhey had, 'o he sure. succeeded in converting twe cabinets by
means the most extraordinary that ever the country witnessed.
They proclaimed in the face of the country that their determi-
nation was to benefit all classes ; but how did they set about
doing that ? Why, by depressing that class en which the pros-
perity. of the rest of the country depended.—( Hear, and a laugh.)
He wished to ask the gentlemen what reason they had given
in defence of the proposition which they maintained? But
he would not pursue the argument, as he merely rose to ask
the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton how it was that his ar-
gument so completely contradicted itself ? (Laughter. )
Knowing the distinguished ability of which the Hon. Member
was possessed, he (Mr. Borthwick) could not believe the Hon.
Gentleman was serious when he rose to proclaim his opinion
that the same measures could, at the same time, and under
the same circumstances, raise the prices of corn and beef, and
also depress them.—(Hear, and lau >later.)
After a few eeods from Mr. VILLIERS, which were in-
audible in the gallery, owing to the cries for a division,
Sir J. WALSH expressed his regret that Hon. Gentlemen
at the opposite side should have attributed motives of a selfish
nature to Gentlemen who happened to be at his side of the
question, though they had ever contended that they repre-
sented the great national interest of the country, with which
all other interests were interwoven, and still believed that they
were contending for the benefit of all classes, as well as Hon.
Gentlemen opposite.—(Hear, hear.) It was true that in the
present moment the price of cattle was higher than it had been
for many years; but if the Right Hon. Baronet at the head
of the Government had been called upon six or eight
months since to introduce his measure, he would
have spoken very differently.—( Cries of " Hear, hear.")
He should express his regret that that Right Hon, Gentleman
should have thought fit to disturb the arrangements entered into
by him in 1832, and which occasioned the evil effects which the
trade at that moment were only relieving themselves from.
The case of Ireland had been mentioned. Now he saw no
parity whatever in the case of Ireland as compared with foreign
countries, as Ireland was an integral portion of the empire.—
( Hear, hear.) The great article of produce in the south of
Ireland was cattle, and if the value of these was depressed great
evils would ensue, and the state of the country be made much
worse than it was at present. The measures of the Govern-
ment, instead of improving the condition of Ireland, would only
aggravate its miseries,and place the population in a much worse
position than they were even now. On these grounds he must
oppose the present alteration.
111 r. ELLIOT YORKE only rose to protest against
Honourable Gentlemen on the Opposition benches
using such language as they did in reference to the
great interest which he, and those on that side of the House,
represented. He felt it his bounden duty to oppose the pre-
sent motion, as well as all others that went to reduce the
amount of protection to agriculture. The prognostications of
the Right Hon. Baronet on this subject had not been made
out, and therefore the change was not justifiable nor expedient.
Mr. KNIGHTLEY said the cause of the present dearness of
cattle was the unhealthiness of last summer, which destroyed a
great quantity of stock. If the present alteration was carried,
the effect would be, that the home market would be swamped,
cattle from Russia and the north of Europe. Great facili-
ties would be offered to sending cattle to this country, from
the railroads that were being constructed in those countries.
Mr. CUNIMING BRUCE was against the alteration. He
had received a letter from an extensive grazier, who stated
that the home market would be filled with lean cattle if this
alteration was made; and especially that the Highland cattle
roarer! would be ruined by the importation of foreign stock.
By referring to the importations that had already taken place,
'hey had evidence how the market would be affected. In 1844
the number of cattle imported was 1,521 ; in 1845 it was
4,920; while during the last year it was 16,870. He most
cordiallt supported the amendment.
Lord G. BENTINCK rose amidst loud cries of "Divide,
divide." He said, he supported the Right Hon. Baronet when
he altered the duty on cattle, at the time it was a prohibitive
duty ; but he could not agree to the present alteration. He
could not look upon ten per cent. as a prohibitive duty, and to
that he wa' disposed to adhere. In answer to the lion. Mem-
ber for Wolverhampton. who had complained the the people of
this country did not get a supply of meat, he would inform the
House that the population of this country eat more meat than
the people of any other country in Europe. The average con-
sumption of the people of this country was )ter annum 92 lbs.
each person; while no other country in Europe consumed
more on an average than 50 lbs. As he had
resisted the other portions of the tariff, that
did away with protection to agriculture, so mast he oppose the
present, and vote with his Hon. Friend below him, who had
made the motion. If they were defeated in that House, he
had. better hopes of the House of Lords, and should Hon.
Members be sent back to their constituents, judging from the
recent elections that had taken place, lie had no doubt his
party who stood up on behalf of native industry, would come
back strengthened, and with such power as to put a stop tat
the ruinous policy that was now prevailing with the Govern-
ment.—( Cheers.)
'The House then divided, when there appeared :
For the amendment
Against it
Majority -39
Several items in the tariff having been agreed to without
opposition,
On the proposition that the duty on foreign hides should be
lowered,
Mr. LAWSON said that he should have to offer one or
two observations on this subject. He intended to move, as an
amendment, that the word " hides" be left out altogether. The
introduction of foreignl hides, by the tariff of 1842, had been
attended with ne benefit to the working classes, for he could
state, with perfect safety, that in no part of the country were
shoes to be had cheaper than before the duty had been altered'
and therefore to that extent at least the reduction of duty on
foreign hides had been attended with no advantages. The
Noble Lord the Member for London had taxed the Gentlemen
with whom he (Mr. Lawson) acted, with their new-born zeal
for the working classes. He could inform the Noble Lord that
their seal was not new-born, and, as regarded himself, he
could only say that in the proposed alterations of 1832, he had
moved that native manufactures, where protected already
against foreign competition, should return that protection. In
the very same spot he now proposed the amendment that the
word " hides" be left out of the present tariff.
Sir JOHN TYRRELL rose to second the amendment. As
they well knew that one fact was better than a thousand argu-
ments, he should trouble the House with a circumstance which
bad been communicated to himself by a clergyman, one of his
constituents. He related that a farmer in the neighbourhood,
a man of undoubted capital, was so alarmed by the late and
further proposed alterations that he had already dismissed ten
of his workmen, and was on the point of dismissing ten more.
What made the case the harder was, that these men and their
ancestors had been in the employment of this farmer and his
predecessorsmGf
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were to be" absorbed," for that he believed was the word with
them, now that they had lost their former work? He (Sir
John Tyrrell) shrewdly suspected that tl o workhouse, in that
and similar cases, could best tell the tale. These persons he
was informed were in the habit of attending the meetings of
the Anti-Corn-law League, and subscribing to their dogmas.
He suspected that the promised " cheap loaf" had blinded their
understandings.
Sir G. CLERK presumed that the men bad been dismissed
from their employment in consequence of the uncertainty which
at present prevailed—( Great cheering from the protectionists,
which was of considerable duration, and in consequence of
which it was impossible to hear the conclusion of the sentence )
So great was the uncertainty that trade generally was paralized.
( Renewed cheering.) 'fhe Hon. Member for Knaresborough
had complained that the tariff of 1842 had been productive of
no advantages to those employed in the manufacture of shoes.
Did the Hon. Member mean to say that the introduction of
the material which those persons used in their trade in large
quantities and at a cheaper rate, was not a benefit to them ?
The return of the quantity of hides imported would demon-
strate this fact. In the first year after the alteration, they
had imported above 500,000 cwt., in :he second year 600,000
(nets., and in the last year 700,000 wets.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the House
divided, when there appeared—
For the original motion
Against it
Majority for Ministers • —sB
On our return to the gallery, we found that the article of
linen had been proposed.
Mr. LAWSON said that as the linen trade was very exten-
sive in the borough which he had the honour to represent, he
should think it unbecoming in him if he were to remain silent
while he heard the dearest interest of his constituency interfered
with. 'The growth of home flax had enabled the manufac-
turers in this country to compete with the foreigner. Ile
had no doubt that they would be enabled to do so
after the abolition of the duty, but they could
only do so at the expense of their work people. During the last
autumn he had been waited upon by a body of workmen, who
stated to him that their masters, who were linen manufacturers,
had promised them an increase in their wages of ten per cent.
This promise, however, had never been kept, and therefore the
workmen had turned out. Their masters had informed them
that they were unable to pay the workmen the required ad.
vance, in consequence of the badness of trade. These workmen
applied to kiln (Mr. Lawson) to give theta a rabsoription