The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-28 00:00:00

matter of the utmost astonishment to intelligent fo-
reigners, that we permitted such a law as this to exist
so long. The men who were loudest in their support
of protection in the field, were voiceless arid motionless
in the senate. They left it to the only clever men
amongst them—the members of the Administration—to
a iswer, the speech of the Hon. Member for Stockport;
and lie knew not whether the speech made in moving
for the Committee, or the speech delivered in refusing
that Committee, would be the more powerful in
advancing their cause. There was no one among the
Ministry who could say one word in favour of the
corn-laws ; but they were driven to use evasive
language rather than openly defend the position they
had taken up. Throughout the country, there was
gathering an opinion in favour of the abolition of all
protection. But, let their rulers take what course
they pleased, there was no power on earth could
maintain the present unjust system, and there was no
doubt they would see trade in this country entirely
free, and bringing every return which the world
offered for our produce.—(Continued cheering.)
Mr. W. J. Fox then came forward, and was re-
ceived with enthusiastic cheering, which continued
for a considerable time. After the cheering had sub-
sided, he said—That some very just observations had
been made by the [lon. Member who had spoken first
that evening, about the undesirableness of taking a one-
sided view of a question in an association of those with
whom their opinions were identical and their sympa-
thies were strong. Be it little or belt much, it was almost
unavoidable in that matter of the corn -laws, because, so
far as the League was concerned,it had but one side. The
Pro-Corn-law meetings would not admit them there,
and they would not come to the Anti-Corn-law League
meetings. They (the Leaguers) must bear with that
evil, how great soever its extent --(Hear, hear.)—
however he thought that an intelligent foreigner who
might not be intimate with the mechanism of society
in this country, and who should attend several such
meetings as the present in succession, would be
strongly impressed with the conviction that their
most sanguine expectations were sure of being rea-
lised. In the unprecedented numbers that had been
gathered together week after week in this metropolis
—in the greatest assemblages in that house of all
ranks and classes in society—in the voluntary order
and harmony of their proceedings, and the interest
with which the topics of discussion were received—in
the concurrence of the views which were put
forward with those of the soundest philo-
sophers, on the production arid distribution of
national wealth—in the responses to their feelings and
opinions which were manifested throughout the
country from time to time, even in the most distant
towns and villages—in the determination which had
been evinced there by them never to shrink from the
assertion of the principles which they held—never to
abandon or relax in demanding the removal of unjust
taxation—in all that he apprehended that a close ob-
server would see evidence that the repeal of the corn-
laws, and all other monopolies, was marked down as
an inevitable result. Some Hon. Gentlemen referred
to the time when the country should be visited by a
bad harvest, which he said must lead to the abolition
of the corn-laws. But some other elements would enter
into the destruction of monopoly, for many bad harvests
had already occurred without effecting such a good.
While the intelligent foreigner would behold in their
assemblages only a reason for the expecting the abo-
lition of monopoly, he might be induced perhaps to
visit another place, and breathe another atmosphere,
where a different impression would be conveyed to
his mind, and where he would see every' symptom
of a. stubborn and dogged resistance to those wise,
just; and beneficent measures.—(Hear, hear.) And
how did those symptoms of resistance manifest them-
selves ? They saw on the one hand that the advocates
of a repeal of the corn-laws evinced a frank com-
munication of generous sentiments—a heartening up of
their fellow-labourers for the conflict on behalf of the
helpless against the powerful—an encouragement to
carry out in human institutions that great provision
entire by which the diversity of all regions might be
converted into the benefit of mankind. On the other
hand, they would see a surly and impassable resist-
ance, in order to oppose that result.—(Hear, hear.)
Instead of argument, they would find an affected
silence on the subject. He (the foreigner) would see
numbers of persons met together, professedly to con-
sult the welfare of the natiou, where the one, sole,
paramount topic that occupied the mind and heart of
the nation was continually passed over—few cared for
or countenanced its being brought forward. No
measure tending to relieve the people from the heavy
pressure upon them, which obstructed the supply of
the necessaries of life, had yet found its way there,
still less been adopted there; and, in short, the
position of that House, would forcibly bring to
men's minds the old story of Queen Elizabeth's
times. The Queen said to the Speaker, afterwards
Chief Justice Popham " Well, Mr. Speaker, what
passed in the House of Commons ?" The Speaker
replied, with a low bow, "May it please your Ma-
jesty, seven weeks have passed."—(Great laughter)
Why there had not even been inquiry there. Some
of the agricultural members told them they did not
understand the subject, but yet those very gentlemen
resisted all inquiry ; and surely if those who advo-
cated the repeal of the corn-laws were ignorant of
what they advocated they had but a poor chance of
enlightenment from the discussions of these
gentlemen. Assuredly from these gentlemen
they derived no assistance for its better
comprehension.—(Hear.) The agricultural Members
complained, of the burdens which affected land, but
they refused all inquiry into these burdens.—(Hear,
hear.) They would not allow it to be ascertained
what the particular pressure was. All most he taken
upon trust—for those Hon. Members seemed to think
inquiry would be as perilous to the cause which they
advocated as examination with lighted torches into
a gunpowder manufactory.—(Hear, hear.) And yet
meanwhile those assertions were received with ap-
plause by their retainers out of doors. A large
license was given to these retainerss--statements were
made of the conduct and intentions of those ma-
nufacturers and others who advocated the repeat
of the corn-laws, which, if there was a particle
of truth in them, ought to be put in
the most distinct form, and be supported
by the clearest evidence—they used a latitude of
speech to which there was little resemblance in the
proceedings of other bodies. This meeting had
heard to-night quotations from the speeches of the
Anti-League men, in which it was broadly asserted
that the members of • the Anti-Corn-law League had
attempted to excite discontent, and to enrage the
people of this country—statements so far from the
truth, so substantially devoid of all verisimilitude,
that if such proceedings went on much longer their
speeches would become proverbial for their false-
hood, and when people talked of mendacity, they
would familiarly say that " he lies like a pro-corn-
law speaker."—(Great laughter, and cries of " Hear,
hear.') Connected with -this subject, there was an
affected bustle in trivial and unimportant matters.
Resolutions were passed going in one direction one
night and in another direction another night—there
was great talk of humanity, with little appearance of
any solid advantage to be bestowed on the commu-
nity. They
" Marched up the hill, and then marched down again."
Or, like the inveterate sinner of Doctor Young, who
resolved in the evening and broke his resolution in the
morning. In the course of the debate, allusion had
been made to a memorable historical character, Jack
Cade. The allusion seemed to have so fastened on the
attention of the House, that it seemed wonderful a Se-
lect Committee of country gentlemen had not been ap-
pointed to inquire into the history and principles of
Mr. Cade, as he was now more respectfully termed.—
(Laughter.) A lesson very instructive might be
derived from the experience of those times, and the
labours of such a Committee must needs be attended
with advantage, for they must be impartial and give
both sides of the subject. In one of the chronicles of
Shakspeare, they found that one of the leading prin-
ciples of Cade's follower's was, " that the King's fol-
lowers were no good workmen." Now, he thought
that was not at all inapplicable to some recent
displays of the workmanship of the present Cabinet.—
(Hear, bear.) Cade was a great regulator, and
interfered with business which he did not understand,
and yet in: that interference, he did not show a
worse disposition, for he declared that seven
halfpenny loaves should be sold in London for a
penny, which would not be a worse law than that of
those who enacted that six halfpenny loaves should
be sold for fourpence.—(Hear, hear.) Cade was met
by an embassy in which the Duke of Buckingham
of that day was ambassador. The Duke said he
found him in his answers very discreet; but notwith-
standing this discretion, the Duke led him into
treachery, which resulted in his execution ; and thus
ended the first alliance between the Duke of Buck-
ingham and those who attempted to disturb the
country, and to excite riot and confusion. " Cade said
that he built a chimney—but they were not told
whether or not it was a tall chimney.—(Laughter.)
He was no factory man evidently. He came from that
county which, in our own day, had been adorned
by the eloquence of a Bradshaw, the divinity of a
Molesworth, the divine mission of a Thom, the refined
gentleness of a Winchilsea, and the legislative frank-
ness and impartiality of a Knatchbull. Some con-
temporaneous historians asserted that he was really a
doctor, but, like some doctors of our own times, he
would not prescribe until he was called in. He got
him self prematurely called in, and found himself in
such an awkward scrape, that he used all his ingenuity
to get himself out of it with a whole skin if he could. 7--
(Laughter.) His attention had been attracted, on
that morning, to what purported to
be a report of a
speech of Lord Stanley's, in which that Noble Lord
said that the question of the corn-laws was
one of infinite importance and infinite deli-
cacy. In fact, it was so delicate that it
was scarcely safe to whisper about it, lest the great
agricultural interest should alarmed, and betake
itself unto the extravagance of a panic.—(Laughter.)
There were two reasons urged against legalising the