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 de-
ficiency in the wheat harvest, had produced the change? That
apprehension 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 eves absurd for the Anti-Corn-law League to pro-
fess 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 sieliberations.—(Proteetionist cheers.) At the same
thee, ha would maintain that the manufacturers of this coan-
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
nuestion 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-
ceeded 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
t txes to the amount of 265. per head; but in consequence of the
low tone of voice in which the Hone 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 beenbrought forward 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,
end 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 600,001) 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 corn-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 iay that it was
e mistake to suppose that the people slid not take a great interest
in the measure now before the House, and that if they (the pro
vstioniat.)tbought otherwise, they were egregiously mistaken.•
me confidence that was placed in the Right Hon. Baronet
by a great Conservative party when he came into power re-
,nained unshaken.—(" No, no," " hear, hear," from the Oppo-
sition benches.) That confidence was placed in the, Right
Hon. 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-
eithstanding 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
die sentiments he once expressed so eloquently
.in defence of
that establishment. And when he beheld him unsaying all that he
had ever expressed before, he locked with the utmost alarm
AS to what would be his next desertion of principle.—( Hear,
hear.) He represented an agricultural county,' and he had
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
looked to the measure which they were then discussing as merely
iffecting their rents. They looked to it with the most kindly
feelings in order that they might be able to make the labourer
more comfortable.--( Hear, hear.) He wished to see the
Learned Soliciesr-General in his place, in order thathe might
ask him had he changed his opinions on the subject of protee-
ion, for he held in his hand a speech made by the Learned
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
House, but would conclude by expressing his 'intention
to vote against the proposed measures of commercial
Mr. MUNTZ said, that during the last thirty years no
change had come over his opinions with respect to the present
question. He often differed in opinion with the Right Hon.
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
was gratifying to him to see, however, that this question was
at length coming to an end. He had often told the Right
lion. 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.)
lion. Gentlemen might laugh, but he thought there was no
.eason 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
agriculture. Now, it was protection to native industry.
For his own part, he wished that they had gone
he full length and protected all native industry ;
but they did not, however, do so. They only pro-
tected a portion of it, and that was one reason why he was
induced to support the present measure. The Hon: Member
ror Newcastle had stated that he (Mr. Muntz) had only paid
one-sixth of the amount which he had paid thirty years ago
for labour. He defied any man to say that he had ever pro-
fited by exacting labour from the poor man at an inadequate
remuneration. lie 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.
The advocates for protection had, he admitted, protected cer-
tain portions of native industry. They had given protection
io carpenters, smiths, and other trades, that were immediately
connected with domestic industry, but they had not protected
that industry which came into the foreign market. They had
heard speeches from the Right Honourable Baronet at the
bead 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. 'fhe latter Hon. Gentle-
man indeed went a step further than the others, but he (Mr.
eluntz) would go a step further still. He would ask, of what
ti,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, but 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 prevail when the Government of the
country was in their hands ? They did not. When he (Mr.
Muntz) alluded to it they sneered at his statement, and re-
fused all relief. The retribution was now come, and it was
quite impossible that any other course could be adopted than
that now proposed.—(Hear, hear.) For thirty years they had
protected themselves, and now when they saw the game was
up, 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 lion.
Baronet was right or he was wrong. Bat in any case, they
should not be propping him on 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 rate of wages far 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 lion. 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 1'245; 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 )
fhe 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-
'situation in that article that it was scarcely worth working.
:Some time ago the peice was much greater, but so considerable
a reduction bad taken place in that brought from abroad,
through the reduction in the tariff, that it was manufactured to
no extent-whatever in this country.— (Hear. ) He did not, how-
ever, mean by this argument to have it inferred that he was
eteainst 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
thismountry that an injurious result must naturally be the con-
sequence. Why, on the continent iron could be had at 4/.
per ton, while in this country it could not be had for less than
about 14/. 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. Munts), 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 Holt. Baronet now deny that he had deceived himself,
for most endoubtedly, 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 he 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 lion. Baronet would
join him (Mr. Munte)—would enter his boat— he would
engage that he would land him in a place of safety.—(Cheers.)
Mr. B. DISRAELI—Sir, I believe that the Right Hon.
Baronet, in the first year of his present Ministry, settled
the currency, and be 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
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 in--however sanguine our expectations may be of the benefits
to be conferred on the Constitution by this measureed,h ere 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'9 present Ministers have changed their opinions.—
(Ch eers.) Whatever mayhave been the opir.ions 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 hope will have the effect of inducing
this House to hesitate before they accede to the great change
which the proposed measure will bring about.—(Hear, hear.)