The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-24 00:00:00

of " Hear, hear.") He could hardly conceive how prices could. be
maintained, if they imported five or six millions of quarters
and if Australia could not import corn to this country when there
was a duty of ss. on it, how was it to be expected that the wheat of
that colony could find a market in this country when there was free
Importation sulinitted from every other nation. What also becami
of the argument used in support of the Canadian Corn Bill which
was brought forward as a boon, because they could not import corn
into this country under a duty of ss. ? They would be obliged, under
the measure now proposed, to resort to the United States for a mar- i
ket. Now, with regard to the general question he was extremely
anxious to learn the opinions of her Majesty's Goverment on one
point—what was the real opinion of the Government on the pro-
bable consequences of their measure? On this point he (Mr. Liddell)
was as yet unsatisfied ; and perhaps during the progress of the pre-
sent debate, or at some future stage, the Right Honourable
theof Government,tho general
fßaavrooarnett„hooHrosoosomewioththesrommeemoobelo
of price that might be expected under a free trade in corn.
rulaotifon
His opinion was, that if they discouraged the home grown produce,
and trusted to foreign countries for the supply of their markets, al-
though a fruitful season would maintain an extension of prices ; yet,
in a bad season—in non-productive years, and with, perhaps a rup-
ture with foreign powers, he believed that the corn trade would ex-
hibit a dangerous fluctuation in price. That was the grand point in
which the public were concerned, wad it was in order to
maintain this steadiness in supply and price, that they advocated the
principle of protection. He was also ashamed now to acknowledge
that he had opposed the measure of 1842, for as circumstances went,
he was now inclined in favour of it.—(Cheers and laughter from the
Liberal benches.) We congratulated the Right Hon. Baronet on the
accession of tile Hon. Member for Finsbury to the ranks of his
supporters, and however he might regret the loss sustained in the
Hon. and Gallant Member for Westminster (Captain Boas), lie was
fully repaid in the support of the lion. Member for Finsbury.—
(Cheers and laughter.) He admitted that the new law of settlement
would be not only a great boon to the agricultural Interest, but to
humanity. He had often seen with the most heartfelt pity miserable
beings--men, wives, anti families, wandering in the.public highways
of the country, without a place to lay their heads, and unable to go
to their parishes, not knowing where they could find a settlement,
with nothing in the shape of pecuniary relief before them, seeking a
miserable pittance from the hand of charity, and if they reached
their own country—say Scotland, or Ireland—perhaps literally
starving. Ile trusted, therefore, that no consideration would cause
him to lay aside this measure, for he had no hesitation in saying that
by so doing he would confer a lasting benefit on the country. It would
be unnecessary for him to trouble the House longer. He had endea-
vourt d to set before the House the true position in which they stood,
and the claims the agriculturists had to protection. He did not
pretend to say that after the declaration made by the Right Hon.
Baronet, and by the Noble Lord opposite (Lord John Russell), the
corn-laws In their present shape could be maintained, but so long as
he sat in that House—so long as he had the honour of representing
his constituency—so long would his voice be heard in favour of a
modified protection.
Mr. HUTT said that two days ago lie had the honour of presenting
several petitions from shipowners on the Wear and the Tees, In which
they refuted the fallacies advanced by the Hon. Member who had
last spoken relative to the Interests of Britigh as opposed to foreign
shipping. The Hon. Member wished to uphold the interests of
British shipowners by maintaining high duties in timber.—(Near.)
Could anything be more absurd than thus to place an interdict on
the materials of ship-building ? The principle was scouted by
all the Intelligent shipowners of the north of England.
The only market at present opened to them was the Baltic, but he
would not follow the Hun. Gentleman through all his detailed argu-
ments on this subject. He expected that alter the petitions
presented by the Honourable Member he would on some
future day bring the whole of this question before the House.
rt. tuougut mat it nee. ..-ere so dissatis-
fied with the Right llon. Baronet, they ought to adopt the recom-
mendation of his lion. Friend the Member for Finsbury, and bring
the Right Hon. Gentleman's conduct before the House in a motion of
want of confidence. What was the worst charge that they could
bring against the Right Hon. Gentleman ? It was only that
he had been unwilling to be an instrument in their hands.
They had supported him in his tariff and Corn Bill of
1842, mist now, when they came to the best and wisest tariff of all,
they suddenly stopped. Ile thought the Right Hon. Gentleman had
greater reason to complain of them. It had been asserted by Hon.
Gentlemen opposite, that if the measures of the Right lion. Gentle-
man Were adopted by this country, foreigners would give us their
corn, but they would take nothing but our gold in return. This had
been represented as a most alarming state of things ; and that we
should be giving employment to the labourers of the Continent,
while the people of the Continent would give no employ-
ment to us. Now, he was prepared to say that foreigners
would not require us to give them gold In exchange
for corn. Even if they did so he believed that it
would be advantageous to us. Look to our trade with China. We
carried our dollars to Canton, and we took the Chinese silks and
teas in return, and did Hon. Gentlemen mean to say that our Chi-
nese trade had not been a most advantageous one to this country ?
lie denied that the repeal of the corn-laws would have any effect
on the precious metals, and concluded by declaring that their aboli-
tion would not only improve the condition of the country, but prevent
what soine Honourable Gentlemen so much feared, an undue impor-
tation of bullion.
Captain HARRIS said, in the month of June last, they divided
a united majority of 254 against 125 against the repeal of
the corn-laws, and on that occasion they heard nothing from any
Member of the present Government to indicate so great a change in
the corn-laws as now proposed, since they heard something from
the Hon. Secretary at War, while he was in Wiltshire; but he
attached no itnportance to what fell from him on that occasion, and
certainly did not think that they were to take that as a notice of the
proposed change. He would be glad to see ally measure
introduced which would relieve the population of Ireland,
and particularly the lower classes. He would ask the Hon
Gentlemen opposite, whether it was not the wish of every
Member at his side of the House, be he Whig, Tory, or Itadical,
to relieve the distress at present existing in Ireland ? The Govern-
ment have, much to their credit, taken measures to relieve the dis-
tress now so prevalent In that county , by ordering in great importa-
nous of flour, but that precaution should have been taken some
months ago. He would ask the Government, was it a sufficient argu-
ment to use for the purpose of removing these laws ? Can such tem-
porary distress be adduced for one moment in support of the present
measure? And the question naturally arises, to whom were the pre-
sent state of things due ? and the answer was, to the Right lion.
Baronet at the head of her Majesty's Government. Heoliad never
entertained any doubt of his sincerity, and of his patriotism, and be
did not ask him to change his opinions to meet the views of his side
of the House, but lie asked him to do so as a Minister of the British
Parliament. On the details of that question he was well aware he
could not advance any new proposition on the subject, for he had
heard it eloquently debated in that House, and every argument used
for and against the measure that great talent could command, and
lie (Captain Harris) would only bewilder himself by entering at any
length ir.to details. (Here the gallant member read a statistical account
of the trade with Russia, which went to prove, that if it were not
altered, there would be a serious derangement in the currency. The
Gallant Captain continued, and said that he frequently heard it
stated that free trade gave great development to the commercial
classes, but he did not intend to state any objections on that point,
although, if they looked to the manufactures of France and the ex-
ports and imports of this country, he thought the measure would
strike the'llouse as one of great injust,ce in its details.—(Hear.)
He pledged himself to protection principles when lie was returned to
that House by his constituents, and he had not heard anything to
make him change the opinions which he then expressed with the
utmost sincerity.—(Hear, hear )
Mr. MONCKTON MILNES observed that the present was the
second occasion on which he had witnessed the great subject of the
corn-law come before that Houses and as it had been his ob-
ject doing all the discussions which had taken place
to give the party who sat opposite the credit o: acting
from the best motives, he would not act differently on that occasion,
but he wou'd believe the party with whom he had acted for so
many years were likewise influenced by the purest motives.
—(Cries of " Clear, hear.") Ile did not co,sider that statesmen
were to be judged very harshly for modifying their opinions on the
subject of the corn-laws, for they would Mid that Mr. Ricardo him-
self, one of the great apostles of free trade, recommeuded a fixed
duty of ten shillhiss ; and he believed that if the Honourable
Member for Shrewsbury told them his candid opinions, he would
be found to have experienced some slight change at the very least.
It was not for him to say whether a statesman of the experience
and ability of the Right Hon. Baronet was conducting the affairs of
the country in such a meaner as was best calculated to confer a
benefit by doing away with what was called monopoly, but he
could not but regard the proposed measure as presenting but very
insufficient reasons for a deviation from his former opinions.—
(Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Milnes) did consider that the ques-
tions of the Irish Church and the repeal of the corn-laws,
were the two great questions upon which depended the fate of the pre-
sent Ministry. He had always entertained this opinion, and he felt
it now so deeply, that he could not see how he could change it.
He could not understand why a man should sacrifice his conscientious
opinions, in order to support a Government upon a particular mea-
sure. He, for one, would not do 80 ; and he should say, that if ever
an op; ortunity offered when the Hon. Baronet might have 'done good
by a different policy, and had thrown it away, the present was that
opportunity; at a time when, under Providence, he had the greatest
and grandest opport unities ofdoing great practical good for the country.
He believed that the present Government had done more to reconcile
differences between hostile parties than any Government which had
preceded it. He also believed that they had accomplished many great acts which lion. Gentlemen on the other side of the House per-
haps desired, but had not the means to accomplish.—(Hear,
hear.) lie now saw those means of confidence which had been
hitherto afforded to the Right Hon. Baronet by Hon Members on his
side of the House utterly lost, and their power utterly destroyed.—
(Hear, hear.) Ile could not say that he gave the Right
Hon. Baro-
mist his support cordially and freely. He did it simply because it
was the only course which he could conscientiously pursue. He
would go back to the
year 1841. He then represented to his consti-
tuents that he would do all in his power to place the Right
Ilon. Gentleman at the head of her Majesty's Government, for the
purpose of enabling him to effect ii settlement of the corn-laws.
At that time there were previncial Chancellors of the Excliequsr,
and he (Mr. Milnes) brought before the Right Hon. Baronet a proposal
for changing the duty on corn, which was considerably simpler and
lower than that which the Might Baronet hen proposed, and therefore,
however much he might regret separating from his friends on this
question, he felt bound to give it his support. lion. Gentlemen or