The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-04 00:00:00

parties would be thrown aside until this question was fairly
disposed in the country. Now, he did not intend to
_go _nto_ati argument, and show why the farmers would be
benefited by having an immediate repeal. His opinions were
before the country. He thought that those opinions had been
pretty well read and canvassed, and he did-not intend to repeat
what he had already said to them. He sincerely hoped, after
this question had been merely divided on, that they would see
that this measure was inevitable. He also hoped that in
_ .

another place they would see that this measure was inevitable.
He did not despair, notwithstanding all this irritation and
excitement, when they found that the farmers would prefer
immediate and total repeal— (Hear, hear)—,and that this
measure was disposed of by that House. He did not
despair that hefore the end cf this session the principle of an
immediate repeal of The corn-laws would be4stablished by Act
of Parliament.—(Cheers.) And he did A:rink if lion. Gen-
tlemen would for a moment reflect upon that they were going
to ene3unter in the promoting, .anditOmpelling, and coun-
tenancing this agitation—if they would but candidly and cooly
consider what their-position was; in undertaking this conflict,
why, he, as one of the members of. the League, shoald really
be almost ashaMed to enter the field of battle under such lead-
ers.—( Cheers.) They were broken up, and dispersed, and
without leaders—in fact, he realty believed that the ghost of
the League would be more powerful than the flesh and blood of
the members of that party. —( Loud laughter.) But he hoped
that gentlemen would take a cooler view of the case ; and he
did hope in another place, where there was s.) much hope that
all the arguments that they had used, would be very well ap-
plied by Noble Lords who belonged to the agricultural interest.
He hoped that the Lords would take his advice.—(Laughter
from the protectionists.) Yes— (Opposition cheers)—he
would undertake to say, if they would, in their place, instead
of taking their (the protectionists') advice, which, if it were
Parliamentary, he should almost say was insane—(Laughter)
—they would take his, and, instead of throwing out the measure
if they would graciously say, " the country seems to prefer
repeal, and the farmers seem to prefer immediate repeal.—
( Hear, hear.) And we will not only pass this measure, but
we will make the measure our own."—(Cheers.) Then
would the House of Lords be restored to its pristine respect and
authority—(Laughter from the protectionists )—and, as an in-
dividual, he at once said, we might thank Heaven that there
was still a House of Lords.—(Loud cheers.)
Lord, MARCH, Sir THOMAS ACLAND, and several other
Members, rose together, at the conclusion of the Hon. Mem-
ber's speech, to address the House, but there being loud cries
for Sir Thomas Acland,

Sir THOMAS DYKE ACLAND accordingly pro.
ceeded to address the House, in opposition to the
amendment, and in favour of the. Ministerial measure.
He thought that the Anti-Corn-law League having so nearly
attained the object for which they had been striving should not
now endanger the safety of the present measure in order to
satisfy their consciences, or because they might appear consis-
tent, having always agitated for a total and immediate repeal
of the corn-laws. He preferred the proposal of her Majesty's
Government to an imdiediate repeal, because he
thought that the immediate abolition of those laws
would be like going down a steep incline instead
of a moderate descent. He considered that when
snal,....roaed measure Wes ranee passed It would be as difficult
to repeal it again as it would be-to turn the course of a mighty
stream back to its fountain.—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) It
might be true that the Right Hon. Baronet was conferring a
great advantage sai the country, and they could not say that
his measures would be attended with very great success; and
if so, he for one thought that the Right Hon. Baronet would
have the benefit of such success, but if it should turn out
otherwise, as he very much feared it would, why, then the re-
sponsibility should rest with him, and, for his part, he would
not be answerab!e for any portion of it.--( Cheers. )
Mr. THOMAS DUNCOMBE rose and said that he
would give an unqualified and consistent support
to the measure proposed by her Majesty's Ministers, and his
vote should be a practical, and not a popular one ; and in op-
posing his Hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton, it
was more his duty than his pleasure to do so. Wishing to see
the corn-laws repealed, be felt called on to give his vote in
favour of the Government measure ; for they bad required of
the Government to stand by ther plans; and if he now de-
serted them they would have a right to say that you left us on
the three years' question for that of an i mmediate and total repeal
of the corn-laws, and wenow in return will not stand by you with
regard to the settlement you propose, respecting the manufac-
ing districts. Under those circumstances, he said, he felt it
his duty to vote with the Right Hon. Baronet, and in doing
so he begged to state that long before the Anti-Corn-law
League was in existence he voted far a repeal of those laws.
He looked on his vete as a practical one, and did not give it
with a party view. Many of the Members who had expressed a
wish for an immediate repeal, had now changed their minds and
said they were not prepared for an instant alteration of the
kind; for now, when they were put to the test, they would go
out into the lobby with the Right Hon. Baronet, and he
very much questioned whether the Right Hon. Gentleman
was perfectly safe in such company.—( Cheers and laughter).
He considered that the motion of the Hon. Member for 'Wol-
verhampton was brought forward from a conscientious mo-
tive, as he had pledged himself to the Anti-Corn-law League
to bring forward the question for a total repeal ; and although
his vote may be considered by the League as unpopular, yet
he should give it in favour of the Government measure.
The Earl of MARCH then rose and said that it had been
remarked by the Hon. Gentleman opposite that the Govern-
ment were not safe in going into the lobby with his (the Earl.
March's) friends, but he confessed he was at a loss to know
where they would be perfectly safe.—(Cheers and laughter.)
The Hon. Gentleman tells them that the Right Hon. Baronet
was not safe at his side of the House, and he thought a circum-
stance had taken place which would make the Right Hon.
Baronet the S,-eretary for the Home Department not par-
ticularly safe on that question.—(Great cheers and laughter.)
But he (the Earl of March) thought that the Governmi nt
might go out into the lobby of the House without meeting
with any particular inconvenience.—( Laughter.) He would
not trouble the House wifh any further observations, but for
a remark which had fallen from the Hon. Member for Stockport.
He states that a noble relative of his had expressed a wish
to vo'e for an Immediate repeal of the corn-laws, which state-
ment he begged leave distinctly to contradict. His noble rela-
tive stared, that supposing it was inevitable that the measure
of her Majesty's Government were to be carried, and perma-
nently adopted, his Noble Friend said that he would prefer the
total and immediate repeal to the repeal in three years time.—
(Loud cheers from the free-traders.) That was what his noble
relative stated, that the total and immediate repeal would be
better than the repeal in three years, supposing the measure
were to pass permanently into a law—(Cheers. ) He should
maintain that it was incumbent or, the Government of the

country, and the ministry, brought forward as they were by a
majority of 91 in favour of protection of industry ; that before
they brought forward such a measure as the present, they
should in common justice and honesty appeal to the people of
the country—( Hear, hear. )
Mr. HUDSON said that reference having been made to
him, he would trouble the House for only a very few moments.
The Hon. Member for Stockport had strangely misrepresented
what had fallen from him (Mr. Hudson) on a former ovening.
On that occasion he stated most distinctly that in his belief
the probable average of the price of wheat would be from 355.
to 40s. per quarter. The Hon. Member had threatened them
with the ghost of the Anti-Corn-law League. Now he had
the honour of meeting the Anti-Corn-law League in Sunder-
land, and he believed he had routed them there.—(Protectionist
cheers.) He then wished to warn that body that there was
nothing which the people felt more jealous of than the pro-
ceedings of that body, acting as it was in the endeavour to
manufacture voters, and practising intimidation and deception.
lie felt it his duty to state that when the question came to the
vote, he would be with the Right Hon. Baronet. He did not
know where the lion. Member for Stockport spent his Snn-
days, whether with' market gardeners or others, gleaning his
information, but he (Mr. Hudson) had, formed his views from
the experience of men well acquainted with the subject. Now
he thought the three years would give the farmers time to sew
their land, and make such improvements as would enable them
to meet the competition of the continental produce. Indeed
hehoped the Right Hon. Baronet's measure would be successful.
He also hoped that if carried, the farmers, who were proved to
be injured by the change, will have some compensation. For
this reason he would give his support to the measure for the
three years.
Lord WORSLEY rose, but from the noise which prevailed
in the House he was !imperfectly heard ; he was understood to
say that the farmers were most anxious that a settlement
should take place upon the question, and that an immediate
repeal should take place.
Colonel SIIITHORP and Mr. VILLIERS rose together,
but the latter gave way at the call of the House. The Hon.
Gentleman said that he would not presume to trespass on the
time of the Howe, having occupied so large a portion of it
on a previous evening, were it not that he had one or two obser-
vations to offer, and he thought that the Hon. Member opposite
was about replying, previous to a division.—( Hear, hear.) He
wished to take this opportunity to deny emphatically that the
tenant-farmers were in favour of immediate repeal. He con-
sidered that they ought to restore the franchise to Sudbury, in
order that the two rejected Members of the Government might
have seats in that House—( Roars of laughter)—or, in the event
of their rejecting his proposition, they might adopt the practice
which_ existed in France, of electing certain Members of

the Government without any appeal to the constituent
body.—(Hear, hear.) At any rate he could only say thatSud-
bury or the French system seemed to t
of
bee considered iocine7c d trefugeha t
for the destitute.—( Laughter.) However,.
them,
their constituents had acted properly
in
nd
rejectingttudulntl to their
be-
cause, like the Ministers, they had acted • y
constituents.
Mr. WAKLEY and Mr. NEWDEGATE rose together
amidst Loud cries of " Withdraw," and "Divide," but the
latter gave way
to the Hon. Member for Finsbury, who pro-
ceeded to say that, he regretted exceedingly to find that
the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton, intended to persist in
dividing the House on his motion.—( Hear, hear.) However,
much he might approve of his intention, and however lightly
he might commend his motives, he could not conceive that a
more inexpedient course than this could be pursued by any
Member who was friendly to the prepositions of the
Honourable Gentleman. He believed, however, that the
Hon. Member persisted in his intentions in conformity with
a pledge which he had given elsewhere, and consequently that
he did not feel at liberty to abandon the course which he had
hitherto pursued. He deemed this, however, most inexpedient,
because out of doors it must cause an impression that those
who were favourable to the measure of the Government, had a
divided opinion on this great question, but in reality there was
no division, and he knew, that after a short deliberation those
who would now vote with the Hon. Member would be, if they
were not now, determined advocates of the measure proposed
by her Majesty's Government.—(Hear.) Hon. Gentlemen
might consider that a contrary opinion was entertained, but he
knew from the attention which he had given to the subject that
they were wrong, and that the people were dissatisfied with them.
The Noble Lord had claimed the election of Westminster as a
proof of public opinion on this subject. Why there were two
candidates for Westminster, one of them had been long in
favour of the repeal of the corn-laws, the other had but lately
' got some new light on the question.—(Laughter.) Did they
choose the one who had adopted what might be deemed a
transitory opinion? or did they elect the one who had for years
advocated the principle of a total abolition of the corn-laws ?
They elected the latter—why then claim this election. The
Whigs had no right to claim it as decisive in favour of their views,
for only two years since Westminster had three candidates.
The Hon. and Gallant Member who had been lately chosen,
was one of the three, and the Whig, Tory, or Radical might be
said to be represented in one or other of the candidates. The
electors chose the Radical then, and Hon. Gentlemen might te
very sure that Radicalism was in the ascendant since. He re-
gretted that this motion had been brought forward chiefly
because it might lead those out of doors to suppose that there
was a division on the subject of this great measure. He could
sate from his intercourse with the middle and the working
classes that the impression was almost universally abroad that
the Right lion. Baronet had done all he could do on this sub-
ject. Everybody was full of this exclamation, and they added
that when they reflected on the position in which the Right
Ron. Baronet was placed, they were of opinion that he could
not do more than he had already done, and that they owed him
a debt of gratitude for it. An Hon. Gentleman opposite said
they must go to the country. Another Hon. Gentleman said
they must go to the people. But they know very well that
know
what would not go to the people. If they really wisiedtot! the
what was the opinion of the people, let them look
from
the them look to the show of hantls.—( Laughter from
the protectionist party.) They spoke of going to the people,
why, the people had hands as well as they. Instead of going
to the people, they went to those_ who had the selling of
the food at their command, but they would not appeal to
the poor ignirant classes, h who were obliged to create
that food. What could 3 more unjust than this ?
jf the House Wal dePir.Q.U.3 of deferring this discussion to