The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-25 00:00:00

he had to complain (and he was happy to know that that cam
plaint had been joined in by several other Hon. Members) o
the inoperativeness of the parties employed by the Govern
ment.—( Hear, hear.) There were sadly too many diploma
and references from one party to the other. There was tedi-
ousness everywhere, and activity nowhere, amongst the gentle-
men deputed to administer relief to the people during their
present distress. Let the Government appoint men of energy
and activity. The men that had been appointed were ignorant
of the localities to which they had been sent, and they mani-
fested entire ignorance of the proper mode of relieving the
wants of the people in such a crisis as at present prevailed
in Ireland. He thought that the House would agree with him,
when he said that the Government should expend more money
than they proposed to do for this purpose.—(Hear, hear.)
He was ashamed to ask for more money fc r his impoverished

rellow-countrvm, n. He was was not there as a mendicant asking

for further .grants for Ireland.—( Hear, hear.) Let the
Government advance their money without fear ; there was
co doubt that they would, as they had previeus!y done, take
care that they had ample security for its repayment. Let
them tax the landlords.—(Hear, hear.) Let them insert into
their next Loan Bill such provisions as they had inserted in
the Coercion Bill for the taxation of the landed proprietors.—
( Hear, hear.) Let them transfer to the people the protection
which they proposed to give to the landlords. But whilst they
taxed the landlords, let them observe the rules of equity and
justice. For instance, they should tax but lightly such a
landlord as the Hon. Member for Northamptonshire, who, it
appeared, had done his duty to his tenants in Ireland.—(Hear,
hear.) But let them tax heavily such landlords as failed to
perform such duties as they owed to their tenants. It might
be said that those were unconstitutional doctrines; but the people
were starving—they were actually dying, while the Members

hat House were canvassing constitutional doctrines.-
- - - - - - - -

( Hear, hear.) They were perishing by hundreds whilst
they were discussing the best mode of relieving them.
Did they not hear read from the returns, which they them-
selves had placed upon the table of the House, that this family
had but one meal a day, and another family had not tasted
bread for 48 hours, and if they waited till the next 48 hours

were elapsed they would find' them in their graves ? The
Government had professed an anxiety to relieve the fearful
calamities of Ireland ,• let them then come forward frankly ;
he was sure that the House would not shrink from giving their
support in any measure which would effectually alleviate their
distress.--( Hear, hear.) But let there be no longer any
laziness or delay. It it were true that the Government was
not able to meet the challenge which he had already made, to
the effect that not one single shilling had as yet been laid out
by the officers of the Government for the relief of the people
of Ireland, why did they not bestir themselves, whilst that
people, according to their own reports, were famishing? Let
there be no dilatoriness, no unnecessary delay at the Castle
of Dublin.—( Hear, hear.) With regard to the measure that
had been proposed by the Government for the relief of the
people, it was quite true that he had thrown out opinions con-
trary to what he now offered, but when the people were starv-
ing it was no time to discuss private opinions. Let the Go-
vernment at once tax the landlords of Ireland for the support
of the starving tenants ; let them make that experiment, and
when they did, let them do it boldly. Let them drop their
Coercion Bill. Let them bring forward a Coercion Bill for
the landlords of Ireland, by which they would be coerced to
do their duty to their oppressed tenants. Let them introduce
some measure which would compel the landlords to perform
their bounden duties towards the poor around them.—(Hear,
hear.) And whilst he spoke of landlords, he did not mean to
include all the landlords of Ireland. Many of the landlords
were good men, but there was at the same time, an abundance
of clearance and " destroying" landlords in Ireland.—( Hear,
hear.) It would be seen at once that he had still his strong
objections to the plan of ont-door relief for the alleviation of
the distress in Ireland; but, under the present circumstances,
he was anxious for the introduction of any measure that would
bring food to the people, and he was, therefore, sorry that his
Hen. Friend, the Member for Limerick ( Mr. Smith O'Brien)
was opposed to the total repeal of the corn-laws.—(Hear,
hear.) His (Mr. O'Connell's) own conviction was, that
nothing but repeal would do the people of Ireland any good.—
( Cheers.) The existence of the present corn-laws had clearly
done them no good.—(Cheers.) The existence of that mea-
sure had been concomitant with misery--with increasing
misery : it was concomitant with destitution ; and, therefore,
any man that could suppose that Ireland was benefited by the
continuance of the corn-laws must draw very largely on his
imagination.—( Hear, hear.) It was quite plain that the corn-
laws had not enhanced manufacturing industry in Ireland,
nor the number of her manufactures.—( Hear, hear.) What
did they want for Ireland? Wages. Agriculture would not
give diem wages. nor lad the corn-laws given them wages.
—(Cheers.) They had said that the corn.laws had been
introduced for the good of Ireland; but of all other coun-
tries in Europe, that country had been the least benefited
by such a measure.— (Hear, hear.) He hoped, therefore,
that they would at once, and for Heaven's sake, set about
the passing of the Bill for the abolition of the corn-laws and
postpone their Coercion Bill.—(Cheers and laughter.)
Mr. P. SCROPE was anxious to make a few observe's:tons
with respect to a portion of the speech of the Noble Lord the
Member for Lynn (Lord George Bentinek), because he was
very much struck wis h its incon-istency. That Noble Lord had
spoken of the enormous exportations of corn and other provi-
sions that were sent from Ireland to this country, and he bad
said that if they abolished the corn-laws, they would ruin.
500,000 families who lived by the cultivation of the soil in that
country. Now really it appeared to him (Mr. Scrope) that
the only effect that would follow the abolition of those laws.
would be that the Irish people (supposing the Noble Lord's
argument to be true) would have the 10,000,0001. worth of provi-
sions which they annually sent to this country to consume
themselves ; all their butter, their corn, their cheese, their po-
tatoes, their poultry, and other provisions, would be kept fur
the support of themselves. That was the only result which to
his mind at least would follow from the passing of the corn-
laws. He could not admit that the whole of the time which
had been occupied on the Coercion Bill had been thrown away.
He thought that that debate had had the effect of showing such
Hon. Members as were ignorant of the state of Ireland, the
great necessity of passing some measure for the
substantial remedy of the miseries under which the people
of Ireland laboured. It showed in his opinion the necessity of
procuring for the people of Ireland substantial employment,
such as had been enjoyed by the people of England for
centuries. He did not think that the Government need
entertain any dread about the introduction of any measure
which would compel the landlords of Ireland to support the
poor around them. Let them fearlessly proceed with their
measure for the abolition of the corn-laws. They surely did
not want to starve the people of Ireland—they could not, la
fact, do so, because the people would be fed in souse way or
other. The hungry milliens would not suffer themselves to be
starved to death; and he therefore maintained that the
Government must feed the people of Ireland, by whatever
means they might accomplish that object. Now, if that pro-
position were conceded to him, the next step was this—How
were the peopled fed at present ? Why they were fed in the
most wasteful, extravagant, profligate, and foolish manner that
any people could be fed ; they were fed by a misguided system
of almsgiving. The mendicant travelled through the country
and found his way to everybody's cottage ; he attended at
every door and begged from all the inhabitants. It was ad-
mitted that a mendicant's life was the very worst
way of obtaining a livelihood and that the present
system of almsgiving in Ireland, was one which de-
moralised the character of the people, as had been proved
by the Reverend Dr. Doyle, whose name was -esev. o
neraetn.ed
throughout Ireland.—( Hear, hear.) That Right ,R
tleman had proved that it supported a set of the most profligate
and abandoned characters, and that the poorer classes became
iu consequence greatly demoralised. A pauper would, as it
appears, send nut his wife and children to beg whilst he him-
self remained at home doing nothing but trifling his time away
in gos'ip and smoking his pipe. And laying aside the demo-
saril y caused a profligateihlecertdrehal
icaabnwhtnl
eadaf
to
oecet
furthering
rifroawmi
wovn
were
r atedehlytli
eehw;
ralising tendency of the present system of mendicancy in Ire-
land,
let us look at it in a pecunia.l7 point of view. It neces-
mbiTteeh would
otrwhuraeel
edtrrpewi
nrri
seotkeptesst
present
enpbmtr
be preferable
proved
ey
thousands
besides,nhusahetsueaeprndmeedsrtostsononeafowsybfkthl
he
towihrbt
hameoetl
cha-
racterdai
whether
given in the shape of eleemosynary relief in Ireland, collected by'
proper parties, for the purpose of distributing it to worthy
characters? And whilst they did so let them collect money for
the relief of the poor—from the willing as well as the unwilling
let them compel all who were able to support the poor of that
country.—( Hear, hear.) Let them thus introduce a
methodical and economical relief of the wants of
the poor. Let them collect taxes for the support of the poor
from absentees as well as those who resided on their property
in Ireland. Let them bring out the recourses of Ireland and
compel the landowners to do their duty to their tenants ; let
them introduce some compulsory measure, which eventually
would remove the evils of Ireland in a great measure. Let
them not leave the relief of the poor to the discreties
of the landlords of Ireland, for he thought that they
must have clearly found that they were wrong in an-
ticipating the voluntary co-opperation of those gentle•
men in their efforts to relieve the wants of the people
of Ireland during their present distress.--(Hear, hear.) It
was quite clear from the speech of the Right Hon. Baronet
that the Government had relied very much on the co. operation
of the landlords of Ireland, and it was quite clear also that they
had failed to afford the anticipated co-operation to a very great
extent.—(Hear, hear.) He certainly regretted most deep',
that they had been mistaken in that anticipation; the expo'
rience of past years might have prepared them for such s
failure. The Government were responsible for the present
perfect system of relief of the poor in Ireland, and in a great
measure for the present distress in that country. The distress ths
ti
at present prevailed in Ireland was nothing new in that cowl;
try. Was there not a famine in Ireland in 1823, 1827, an
1842 ? and not many years ago subscriptions to the amount 0.
several hundred thousand pounds had been raised in Englal
for the support of the people ; and after all it had been proves
that that very money had gene into the pockets of the lair,
lords. He happened to have a copy of the evidence of an Iris;
gentleman (the Hon. Frederick Cavendish) which ot,
tendered before the Members of the Commission of whie_s
Lord Devon was the head, which proved that that sum hf
.r2etl as some
•ot into the pockets of the Irish landlords, in the shape
ts.—(ld
.nn
calamitiesHear.ina t
e wh
oet
without
hear.) ceb
esi didunbghs
tpoaprnoetpit
aohlsae
measured t. hi s
He
d ei s
dide
foru ss
thinki ot
hn er oet;lilto
of•tthete
the time was come now when some measure should be adopt
by the Legislature for the purpose of compelling the IsS..e
lords to do their duties to those that surrounded theta.
( Hear, hear.) He did not mean to say anything ar.iens-t
the landlords of Ireland individually be knew 'l,et
several of them were worthy characters, like the Hon. Monis,
who had spoken in the course of this debate. They Itn!ltei
tamed the poor people on their estates in a very praisess'o7o.
manner.--( Hear, hear.) They did their utmost for the s,4rif
port of the destitute population of the neighbourhood of !of
estates. It was, however, necessary that the landlords o
be compelled to do their duty, for there were clearly hands 10
who would not, if left to contribute a voluntary tax, attee:ore
the least to the state of the poor. If some such measuref ins
introduced, he felt confident that the people would be v7sbyt
more industrious and useful members of society, and peiC
subjects of her Majesty.—( Hear.)
quo pos
Mr. COBDEN—We have rather lost sight of this iv
—( Hear, hear)—and I merely wish to say a few worda7oo
that point. This is rather irregular; an unexpected trio'
has arisen from a question put by the Hon. Member for the
rick. The question is this—Whether the Noble Lows-% be
Member for Lynn, and the party connected with him.
_lords
willing to vote for the suspension of the corn-law fV:4OI.
months ; but this suspension is to be applicable only to ir%oBo'
Now, we have another proposition before us—not the a 741,%.
siun of the corn-law, but the abolition of the corn-la _
( Hear, hear.) Then I presume, therefore, that this gr. the
tion of the Hon. Member for Limerick is, that install: pa
abolition of the corn-law for England, Scotland, Winer
Ireland, we are to substitute a three months' suspension rto
corn-law for Ireland alone. I beg, in the first places !rste'
the lion. Member for Limerick that there are
besides himself and the Noble Lord, and the 240 who°,,,ce!r:
hind him, to this proposition.—(Cheers.) There sr tb'ut te;
pie of England—l do not mean the country party,es &ye!,
party living in the towns, and who govern peg.
try.—(lronical cheers from the protectionists.) The
10
people, the Scotch people, the Welsh, and, I
Irish too, from what I have since heard, are deterreu;hee.l:
to be deterred by the suspension of the cornelaw-i-hko selx
other ;be
from the Ministers and free-traders)—but to have
tion of the corn-laws.—( Continued cheering.) i'll;pg ages
this matter has been determined out of this House rejole;
—(lronical cheers from the protectionists.) And 0014
that this question of the corn-law can no longer l!cl ott.ott
matter of compact.—(Cheers.) It is disposed of
nut of doors ; and though you are rejoicing at the delay to
you have occasioned, that delay only shows in the Pilaw