The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-01 00:00:00

A the landlords did not participate with the tenant-
:, eters in their desire to preserve protection to agricul-
e. On the contrary, I am happy to be able to say that
tlemen of every political party, and of all shades of
• eion, are resolved to do their utmost to support and
orate the objects for which we are this day met.—
,- '.eers.) And now to these objects. This, you are
all aware, is a singularly interesting crisis. We have
had one Ministry dissolved, and an unusual difficulty in
the formation of another ; and no sooner is that estab-
lished than it crumbles to pieces. The late Ministry
was the same which passed the present corn-law, and I
repeat that when they went out an attempt was made to
construct another Administration, the leading principle
of which was to be the total, immediate, and uncon-
ditional repeal of everything like protection to agricul-
ture.—(Hear, hear.) Standing, as I do, before gentle-
men every way better acquainted with the subject than
I am, I shall not enter into any detailed statement of the
right of agriculture to protection ; but I may be in-
dulged while making one or two observations. These
rights appear to me to be of a twofold character ;
first, the special burdens thrown upon the land
demand that some protection should be extended
to the produce of that land in the same way
that protection is given to every trade in the coun-
try—(Hear, hear)—and, therefore, I contend that those
who demand, open-mouthed, a repeal of those protec-
tive duties, demand that which is essentially and mani-
festly unjust to a large and important body of her
Majesty's subjects.—(Hear, hear.) Leaving oat of con-
sideration all questions of politics, let us look only at
this practical view of the case, namely, the possibility of
supplying Great Britain with food from other countries
—of, in fact, doing away with home-grown crops alto-
gether, and looking at the magnitude of the evils which
would follow from so pernicious a course. I think the
Committee were quite justified in calling the Society
together. lam one of those who will not acknowledge
that the present amount of protection is all that agricul-
turists have a right to demand; but lam also prepared to
ba contented with it if left alone.—(Hear.) But now the
iaatter has assumed a different complexion. It is asserted
that protection duties have failed in the object they were
originally intended to further, and some begin to see in
the dim vista of futurity a total abrogation of these laws.
I remember, and you may remember, that it is only
tWO years since I had the felicity to announce to a meet-
ing held in this place that that able man and great
Minister, Sir Robert Peel, did not contemplate any
alteration in the corn-laws, which he stated had been
passed for the protection of our just claims. I then
repeated the very words he made use of in his place in
the House of Commons on the previous day; and, look-
ing around me now, I cannot see anything which could
Lave induced him to change that (as we thought) settled
opinion.—(Hear, hear.) I cannot find any important
increase in the price of food; in fact, I believe, if any
that wheat is lower at this time than it was when
that memorable declaration was made, and we are
aware that there is no want of employment in the ma-
nufacturing districts. I confess I can see no reason
why a man of Sir Robert Peel's great abilities should
change his opinions, end adopt, as he is reported to have
done, convictions diametrically opposed to those he
held formerly. I hope, and think lam right in assert-
ins. to the meeting, that no such changes are intended.
I therefore beg of you to wait until we have some posi-
tive proof that it is his intention to do that which is re-
ported of him, before we give effect to that manifesta-
tion which must follow this forgetfulness of all his
pledged opinions.—(Cheers.) I know of only one reason
which could have brought about this opinion, and that
is fear—fear which is felt by others who look to the
preservation of the integrity of our Constitution, as the
salvation of the country.—(Hear, hear.) They were
alarmed sot the proceedings of an association which
made fearful encroachments on the free exercise of their
rights as British subjects. It will doubtless be the duty
of Government, under these circumstances, to put a
stop to the proceedings of a body calling itself the
Anti-Corn-law League.—(Cheers.) But I shall not
make this a subject of discussion, although I am
ready to say that I shall be among the first to
petition Parliament to put a stop to practices calculated
to be subversive of all good government.(Cheers.)
You are aware that the proposed measures of the Anti-
Corn-law League are in the last degree subversive of
your interests.—(Hear, hear.) You are aware that in
one day not less than thirty-five thousand objections to
the voters for the county of Lancashire and Stafford-
shire, had been raised, and as many of those gentlemen
did not attend to defend their qualifications, they were
of course lost to them. These two counties may there-
fore effectually be said to be deprived of their franchise.
—(lean) Whatever may be the political feeling of
parties, all right-minded men must agree in this, that
such a course is inimical to all the rights so dear to Eng-
lishmen. Was it not monstrous that a body of men
should come forward to deprive a vast majority of the
electors of their just rights and privileges 2—(Cheers.)
I am happy to observe this unanimity among you, and I
think that the series of resolutions to be proposed will
receive your cordial and unanimous assent, and I espe-
cially beg of you to bear in mind that if the Anti-Corn-
law League be allowed to pursue their present iniquitous
course, you will all be deprived of that protection to
Agriculture to which the peculiar burdens on the land
justly entitle you.—(Cheers.)
The Earl of ESSEX rose to propose the first resolution,
and said that it was a matter of congratulation to see
..ssembied so large and so respectable a meeting, eons•
posed as it was of the most influential landlords and
farmers of Hex .tfordshire,—(Cheers.) He remembered
.eith great pleasure the formation of that society some
;.pro years before, when a movement similar in character
the present prevailed over the length and width of
,seat Britain—(Efear, hear)—and when men, from a
-anciple of self-preservation, rose to secure that pro-
: -aim which was e-sential to the British farmer. Their
remonstration had had the effect of confining the
League to those manufacturing counties who thought
with them, and he thanked God that they were no
:.roger annoyed by itinerant orators, who sowed the
seeds of discontent and anarchy wherever they came,
end made extravagant promises. The true object of
the society then present was certainly to obtain
a moderate protection to agriculture, but judging
Isom the censure thrown on Sir R. Peel by a portion of
the pub'ic press, they might, he was afraid, be considered
to have failed in that object. On the last time he had
the honour of addressing them on this subject, he had
pointed out the dangers that would result from an im-
mediate and total repeal of the corn-laws. He had
pointed out the protection given to many articles of
British manufacture, and that it would be utterly impos-
sible for the farmers of that country to compete with the
farmers of the Continent in the production of wheat, if
the protection duties were not allowed them. He showed
that if protection were done away with, the tenant-
farmers would, from a state of comparative opulence, be
reduced to destitution and distress.—(Hear, hear.) It
was well known that three-fourths of the landlords lived
upon their properties, and spent their incomes in reliev-
ing their poorer neighbours—(Hear)—but they could not
do this if their present position was destroyed, and the
result would be that they would cease to live upon their
estates at all. Why, if they asked a farmer now why he
did not keep stock, he would reply, that owing to the
unfitness of the soil he could not do so. But he (Lord
Essex) could inform them that light lands were the very
best to rear sheep on, and the experience of the farmers
of isforfolk and Lincolnshire had rendered easy the rear-
ing- of horned cattle. If Indian corn, linseed, and
lentiies, were imported from abroad, they could have
more than double the quantity of green stuff to rear
their cattle on, and the consumption of sheep during
the present as compared with last year, would suffici-
ently indicate the increasing importance of attending
to this subject. He found that while in the last year,
the amount of sheep imported was only 108 ; that during
the present year, the number imported was 18,000,
and with all this food was one shilling a stone
higher than in the former year. He did not think that
the meeting would be justified in withdrawing its sup-
port and confidence from Sir R. Peel until accurate in-
formation was given to the world that it was his inten-
tion to bring forward a measure for the complete and
total repeal of tAte corn-laws.--(Hear, bear.) But let
him ever hear that it was his intention to do away with
the present corn-law, and humble as he was, and poor as
his ability might be, Sir R. Peel would not have in
either House of Parliament an opponenet._rzGrereuatnflchinceh-
ing, consistent, and determined than h
ing.) He would, with great pleasure, move the following e
resolution—" That the accession of a new Administration
to office since the notice of this meeting makes it do.
sirable to abstain from proposing any specific resolution
as to the rights of agriculture until some further indica-
tion is given of the measures supposed to be contem-
plated by the Government."
Mr. G. ROBERTS seconded the resolution. He corn.
mented on a speech of Mr. Ward's, lately delivered, in
which that Hon. Gentlemen ridiculed the notion of keep.
sag up the price of corn at 805. a quarter, as was pro.
raised by the law of 1815. The deduction the speaker
drew from this fact was, that the corn-laws were a boon
to the consumers, inasmuch as they obtained their corn
9.0 to 100 per cent. cheaper than they had been led to
eszpect. He warned them against bartering away their
protection for anything called an equivalent. They
should stand firm, and not give up a jot of their present
sights.—(Cheers.)
Lord DacaE then proposed the second resolution—
" That whilst this meeting depends with implicit and
unabated confidence upon the justice of Parliament for
the maintenance of the rights of the agricultural in-
terests of this country, it cannot contemplate with in-
difference the combinations of interested individuals
of vast money power, whose professed object is to
destroy the independence and control the free agency
of Parliament, and whose leaders have given daring pub-
licity to their intentions to undermine and control the
freedom of election. Such being the instruments by
which the agricultural interestis impugned, this meeting
pledges itself to oppose, by every legal and,con. constitutional
mole, such attacks upon our most val valued institutions
and to maintain inviolate the freedom of election and
the independence of Parliament." His Lordship, in an
admirable speech, disclaimed the word "protection."
They wanted °illy even-handedj
ustice, and if they received
that—if the burdens which pressed peculiarly upon the
hand were removed, the farmers could take care of them-
selves. He was decidedly opposed to. the, course now
pursued by the Anti-Cornatveague intne purchase of
forty-shilling freehold qualifications. He considered
such conduct subversive of all order, and such as would
do the greatest possible injury to those who pursued it.
Mr. PASSEXGER, in an able address, seconded the reso-
lution.

tposcd the next resolution as f°llpw,s;
iMenz!bers be requested to support in the 'Rouse of Commons.'
seconded by Baron DIXBDALE.
'., shortly spoke in fitvour of the

moved the thanks of the a ' ul-
g for his admirable reply to Lord
on the subject of the corn-laws.
seconded the resolution.
its of a similar charaater from other
of the society were givou to the

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