The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-01 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 1, 1866.

NEWMARKET FARMERS' CLUB.

NEWM ARKET, Wednesday.
The eighth anniversary meeting of this agricul-
tural society was held yesterday, and the dinner took
place as usual at the Golden Lion Hotel, under the
presidency of the Duke of Rutland.

" The Members for Suffolk and Cambridgeshire"
having been proposed by Mr. E. Frost and drunk
with much cordiality,

Lord GEORGE MANNERS, M.P., in responding, ob-
served that be thought there was scarcely any class
of men more in want of the sympathy of their fellows
than were members of Parliament. Were it not for
their favour one would no longer be a member of
' Parliament, and it was only by one's conduct show-
ing that one was in harmony with one's constituents
that one could be returned to the proud position in
which he was placed. He was not one of those
who considered that the position of a member of
Parliament was that of a bed of roses, or one that
it was desirable to strive to attain at all hazards,
and it was only by the honest and sincere sympathy
and respect of his constituents that he should wish
to remain in that position. (Applause.) Therefore,
he felt most deeply that it was a high compliment
to have the opportunity of returning thanks to an
assembly such as that for his health being drunk as
a member of that important county. Having said
that much he scarcely knew that he had much more
to say, for when he came to gatherings of that sort
he rather expected to be enlightened than to en-
lighten ; and he was always reminded that nature
had provided men with two ears while they had only
one tongue, in order that they might hear much and
speak little. (A laugh.) They would, however,
pardon him if he proceeded to make one or two re-
marks. In the first place, he thought he might
fairly congratulate them upon having passed some-
what successfully through a very trying period.
They all knew what a trying period the whole of
last winter was, owing to that dreadful scourge
among cattle which broke out in the country ; and
though parts of that county had been severely af-
fected by it, that immediate neighbourhood, he was
happy to say, had to a great extent escaped. He
hoped he was now justified in assuming that if due
ordinary care were still exercised for a few weeks,
or perhaps months, they would be entirely rid of
that dreadful scourge, which, on the occasion of a
former visitation, dwelt among them for 12 years.
Therefore he thought it behoved every man to use
every possible exertion to prevent the possibility of
spreading infection in any way. ([fear, hear.)
Then they knew that the greater part of England
had been affected by a most trying harvest time. He
hoped he was not wrong in assuming that those in
that neighbourhood had weathered their troubles
successfully, and, that being the case, there was
every probability that their return would be equal
to their exertions. (Cheers.) There was only
one other subject to which he wished to draw
their attention, and that was the position of the
agricultural labourer. (Hear, hear.) He felt strongly
that one of the great difficulties farmers would
have to contend with in future years would be an
inadequate supply of labour. He thought that they
would very shortly find that the army would come
into competition with them for labour, as it was
abundantly clear that if their army was to exist
(and exist it must) the Government must offer much
higher inducements to men to enlist than they were
doing at present, and that must necessarily compete
with the farmers in the labour market. They might
ask how they were to improve the position of the
agricultural labourer. That, he owned, was almost
more than he was in a position to state ; but he should
say that a cordial sympathy between the different
classes was one great inducement to influence men
to remain as agricultural labourers. lle thought
they should endeavour in every why to look after
the young fellows and see that they were properly
cared for ; and they, finding their homes in their
native villages suited to their tastes, would be less
inclined to quit them. There wasa sugg,estion'(which
he merely threw out as a wild notion, in order that
some gentleman present might take it up and put it
into some sort of shape), and that was whether what
had been called the " co-operative" system was at
all applicable to agriculture. If he were asked to
explain what he meant he should say—Suppose at
a harvest supper au employer were to say to his
men, '' Now, my lads, I have a certain capital in-
vested in this business—say £3,000. The profit
upon that is the fund out of which I am to pay you
wages. It is my great desire, as far as in me lies,
to improve your position, and to give you an oppor-
tunity, if possible, of rising in the world. Now,
this is what I propose to you. As:l said before, my
capital invested in my business is £3,000, and I ex-
pect, as my undoubted right, to make upon that at
least 10 per cent. If, by your increased industry,
by your increased thrift, and the greater care you
take of my property, I find that my profits go
beyond that point, I will divide the remainder
amongst us—you and I will share together. He
(Lord G. Manners) believed that to be simply
the co-operative system. The labourer would then be
as sure of his wages as he was now ; but, in addi-
tion to that, he would have the great spur and incen-
tive of seeing the possibility tyheoyfonsd h
sharing in
he
would
thein
fits of his employer ; and,
have the additional spur of seeing that every •man
did his proper share of the work, that there was no
pilfering, and that proper thrift was exercised in all
the affairs connected with the farm ; in fact, he
would then be, as it were, a junior partner in the
concern ; and he (Lord G. Manners) was not with-
out the expectation that, some day or other—it
might be many years off—that would be the condi-
tion of the country. He was quite aware that he
had introduced very heretical matter into that
room, but as there was nothing political in it he
trusted he might have the pardon of the chair, and
also of all the company present. (Cheers.)
Viscount ROYSTON, M.P., also responded to the
toast. Having expressed his acknowledgments for
the compliment paid to him as one of the county
members, and the pleasure he felt in meeting his
constituents on that and all occasions, he went on
to observe that he cordially sympathised with the
remarks with which Lord G. Manners opened his
speech—viz., that it was a matter of considerable
satisfaction and pleasure when a member of Par-
liament could believe that he wasreturned by a con-
stituency of such calibre as that of that county, by
the ,free action of a free people, and not by those
farces which they had lately had brought promi-
nently before them by the inquiries of certain com-
missions, which had shown up to a disgraceful extent
the shameful proceedings which took place in this
free country with regard to returning members to
Parliament. (Cheers.) He could not say how he
congratulated himself upon the fact that his Par-
liamentary career had commenced, and he trusted
it would also finish, with the constituency of that
county—but he supposed those gentlemen who
called themselves Liberals, and who were always
advocating those broad Liberal principles, would
say that Lord G. Manners and himself were returned
p simply
ee
ti byve
relatives. h t e amount
lie of d
ist propertyinet
ly
denied el dt
hbayt tshueeihr
wr
ae s-
the case ; and he only hoped that, in the continued
sympathy and attachment he trusted he might per-
sonally find amongst the constituency of that
hc county, u
wn
at s ,
not he e
returned might haveu
p upon
neatshoe p
reason rreianlelyiplteo
obfelipreovpeetrhtyat,
but upon the principle of fair agreement and true
feeling among the general constituency. (Cheers.)
And he believed that no Liberal reformer, and no
reform bill that ever could be passed by the Legis-
lature, would ever bring out such benefits for Eng-
land as the systematic agreement among the body
of the people who returned members to Parliament,
that these members should be men connected
with them by feelings of property, of education, and
those common ties which passed between man and
man ; or induce the people to believe that when,
having transported down to their cities gentlemen
connected with money, and ready to dispense it to
every person who would put it into his pocket, the
constituency or the country at large would be greatly
benefited thereby. His lordship then referred to the
trying period the country had passed through since
he addressed them last year, owing to the death of
Lord Palmerston, the ravages of the cattle plague,
and the trying weather which prevailed during har-
vest ; and then went on to observe that he did not
think it would be right for him to trouble them at