The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-20 00:00:00

most noxious and oppressive provisions. They laid
upon -our various branches of national industry the
heaviest duties—duties which could be defended on no
grounds of necessity, and on no sound political or com-
mercial principles. What was the reason for .such
conduct ? It was plainly this, that private interests
were enlisted against • the public good. It appeared to
him, that the motion of .his Hon. Friend,(Mr. Ricardo)
was a motion_ calculated to be most eminently useful to
the country ; but it was calculated to bring before the
House, and the country, distinctly and separately from
other questions, the, policy. of insisting upon what were
termed reciprocity concessions. If the House might
judge of their conduct, there really appeared to be very
slight grounds of difference between her Majesty's Go
yernment and those aqui supported the motion. The
supporters of the motion held that all restrictions in
trade were disadvantageous ; and that res:rictions by
other countries were just as disadvantageous as those in
this country. Right Hon. Gentlemen opposite held
that it was injudicious to maintain high duties, and there-
by punish ourselves because other nations did so: No
man had avowed . that, opinion. ,more strongly than
the Right. Hon. Baronet himself did in his speech when
he introduced the tariff. SO far they were entirely
agreed, and the only difference between them was re-
duced to this, first as to the expediency, even for a
short time of submitting to the inconvenience of restric-
tion upon our own trade, in the -hope of getting other
countries to join with us in, taking oft' the restrictions they,
imposed, and next as to what would be the best course
to pursue for, the purpose. of placing the trade between
this country and the other nations of the world upon
that foeting which all agreed was desirable that it should
be placed., Now it, appeared to him that if they ad•
mitted that it was inexpedient to punish ourselves by
• high ..duties, because other nations imposed high
duties -on our produce, it was hardly possible to
avoid the conclusion that it was necessary at once to
'make the change ; because time. was a very material
element in this case.. If they admitted that the system
was punishing themselves, and that it was unwise per-
manently to continue it, he could not conceive how.
they could reject, even for a day, that relief which was
available to them, and which would better the pOpulation
of this, country. He could ~net conceive. how, they could
do this . under the vague expectation that by ,main-
taining the system they would get other countries to
join them in the establishment of perfect freedom. It
appeared to him that this must he a mistake, arising
,from misconception as to the relative importance of re-
striction upon our imports and exports. Her Majesty's
Government seemed still, with all the advances they had
made 'in the doctrine •of free trade—they still seemed
not entirely to have shaken off the old notion, that it
was the expert . trade that was the most advantageous,
and that what was long ago called a favourable balance
of trade was desirable. It was nom nearly three-
quarterS of . a century since that , theory was exploded,
by every educated man ;. yet something.of this opinion
still hung on the minds of statesmen, and still seemed
to be the governing influence' of the' conduct of nations.
We. still seemed to think that the exports we, re"-
the most adiantageous. Now he entirely concurred
with the HOn. Gentleman behind • WM, that the real
value of trade lity in the imports, and not in the exports.
---(Hear.) The -first question to be considered was,
what amount of -goods they were able to obtain for the
consumption of the population.—(Hear, hear.) The
export trade was no doubt important, but it was so only
as a
_means by:which they were enabled to obtain their
imports. It was a most extraordinary course of policy
that they should refuse .to receiveimports because they
were
"not tinite certain that there would be no difficulty
hereafter in providing the means of payment. Now he
would ask whether that difficulty had been particularly
felt hithertp?—(Hear, hear.) it was enough to state
that for a considerable time we had been carrying on
what was called a triangular system of trade, by means
of the smuggler. The greater facility they gave to the
introduction of foreign. gooda. into. this country it was
clear that a corresponding ,extension of. the export trade
must foll Ow. That was a truth which seemed to him to
rest upon the most obvious principles of the commonest
arithmetic. For his part he did not deny that extrava-
gant auties existed, in. foreign countries, and he thought
that by such, duties those nations not only obstructed,
the progress of civilisation, but also prevented them-
selves from benefiting by the produce of other nation's.
—(Hear, hear.) It was in that sense only that he be-
lieved those duties were-injurious to us. The grounds
for such a cause of policy therefore appeared to him to
be almost inconceivable. In considering this question
he had derived considerable advantage from the state-
ments of Right Hon. Gentlemen opposite, and he thought
he (Mr. Gladstone) had.. stated the grounds for antici-
pating what would be the result of commercial treaties.
Ile (Lord HoWick) would appeal to experience upon
this siihject- 'iver since the
.termination of the war
we had been
_engaged in one unceasing course
of negotiations. , We had lost no opportunity.
Our :ablest Ministers -at home and abroad—
Mi. Canning, the 'Noble Lord the Member for TiVerton
(Lord Palmerston), the •Earl Of Aberdeen, the Duke of
Wellington,. the Right Hon.-Gentleman opposite (Sir
'Robert Peel), and some of the most :distinguishedinen
thisteeuntry ever produced, had, -for a period:of nearly
thirty years, been engaged in-attempts• to negotiate ads
vantageous commercial treaties with other countries.
What had been the result ? Why, that at this time we
'were no better off than _at the beginning. Right Hon.
Gentlemen opposite themselves admitted that there was
'agrowing desire upon the part' of foreign:countries-to
throw. obstructions in -the way ,of trade. What would
:have" been the result if
,a different course of policy had
been parsuedhy Greatßritain ? Suppose. that .at the
end of the war no negotiation of any sort had been
enteredinto—suppose we had commenced by reducing
all our duties to as low a point as revenue consideratitina
would allow. If that course had been taken in 1815,-if
they had dealt on that principle with Brazilian sugar,
With Prussian corn; with Baltic timber—didthey think
that they would have driven foreign countries to the ne-
cessity of adoptinga commercial system of -so exclusive
a character as they bad ?: He believed, no :man would
contend-that such,wotild have been the. case.—(Hear.)
Altheugh thii,course had not . been pursued hitherto, it
was not too late 'to adopt it now. Let them teach other
countries by example, not by precept.—(Hear, hear).
That:WoUld be the'practical result of the motion of his
Hon. Friend. It was not an abstract proposition, but
was one eminently Calculated-to be useful to the country.
The -Right .Hon:-Gentleman' opposite (Mr: Gladstone)
admitted the general impolicy of commercial noisofalits
tioni; bill he ,said'a Do 'net • tie up . the lands .of the .Go -
vernment, for it is :not probable"---(The Right Hon
Gentleman knew_it was not proba.ble)—" but it is .pos-
sible.„ that a ease may arise in which, we may be ,able to
coaclurle.,,adyeetegeous commercial treaties." The
Right Hrtan:Gentlemati then referred to exampleS, and the
first to Whieh:he adverted was atreaty in 1787, with
France:. He (Lord HoWick) dia not question the advan-
tage of that arrangement. Although he was a great ad-
mirer:of Mr. Fox, he must admit 'that, as. a -commercial
Minister • Mr.-Pitt was 'superior to him ; but he (Lord .
Howickbelieved that'll' the treaty of 1787 had not, been
entered into the result would have. been moret beneficial ,
to this Country. If we liad then adopted a liberal po-
licy; and had left France to follow our, example_ had she
plestsed, at this moment. the, beneficial effects of such a
course would have been visible. The Right Hon.
Gentlemates next ,example was "the treaty with Brazil.;
-NOW the flight Hon. Gentleman -himself was obliged to •
admit that, in point Of fact, that treaty with Brazil gave
her no. commercial advantages' as they were called,
while it required a great deal of her in order-- to secure
our political countenance.' That- he ,(Lord Howick)
-thought vas' the - strongest "condemnation -of. the treaty
that could be found.—(Hear.) He firmly believed,
that instead :Of . driving this bard • bareain • with
instead of, doing ',Abet, they had liberally.
admitted her produce, and shoa n her the -same poli-,
tical countenance, -, only giying in return. what, , accord-
ing to the opinion of. the Right Hon. Gentleman, was
little better than a bribe—if they had given freely their
' political countenance, and admitted her, produce, he
believed, they would 'have obtained greater commercial
advantages than they had enjoyed from that time to
this. Ile believed..that now, in the year 1844, there
would hare been • no reason .to apprehend that Brazil
would impose: differential - duties with respect to our
cominoditiea., •He believed, that , they would not have
had to apprehend that Brazil would impose a duty of
'4O, per cent: on: British commodities. But further than
this, he said that he was prepared to tie up the hands of
the Government on this point, and he was prepared to
lay down it rule, that commercial treaties ought7not. to
be entered. into. Ile would do this in such a manner; as
shoiv to foreign nations that this did not
merely disclaim • any attempt to enter-ipto -treaties
which they thought they could not get but in such a
manner as to show that there was a bona fide
pre-
Terence -of-: the *principle of dealing 'largely and
liberally with all the nations of the world. If they
acted on thatsprincipleif they said We 'want no com-
mercial treaties—we want no stipulations with foreign
countries as to the 'rates of duty to be levied on our
goods,. but we will proceed at once to adjust our duties
with regard to the financial interests of this country--
if they did this, he (Lord Hoaick) was persuaded that
the result would be, that the trade of ,this country
Would make such an immediate spring, and such an ex-
tension of our present export trade would ensue—he
did not say 'at once, but in the course of a very few
years—that other nations would see the wisdom 'of fol-
lowing our example. lie. believed that the feeling Which
now influenced the conduct, of; foreign'eountries, which
,had been so graphically described by the Right Hon.
Gentleman, would no longer be called into, play. . The
monopoly interests in foreign countries—the,. iron
interest of France, for instance--would no longer be
enabled_ to enlist, in support of that monopoly, the
'angry ..sions of a great portion of the corn,
.The commercial policy of foreign coun-
tries ivo, be so influenced, 'that in a very
short tar:.'—in the course, - believed, of a
very few years—th,‘ practical effect of their adopting the
policy which he recommended would be, that trade in
this country would be 'relieved of extravagant rates of
duty in foreign countries on our goods, which were now
levied..- Ile flaked them, was it a satisfactory answer to
them; • now he, wished to .secure those great advantages,
-by the adoption of a liberal, a generous, arid a manly
system of commercial policy—now, when he wished to
secure these great advantages, was it a satisfactory
answer to'him, for the Right Hon. Gentlemen' opposite
to say--" Dou't tie up the hands of the Government.
It isnot probable, but it is possible, that the tase May
arise When we .may conclude scene commercial treaty ;
and, for the sake of that possibility, surrender those large
and great advantages we- have now in our power to
secure ?" He (Lord Howick) said that the adoption of
that address to:the Queen, by the House, would be a
most'important step with reference to the civilization of
the world at large—(Cries of " Hear, hear")—it would
be a pledge in the face- of Europe and the world, that
this,: the first - commercial nation in the universe,
was determined to give up her narrow and restricted
system: of! commercial
would
It •would be a...pledge
rbilitliug upon them in future tune, and therefore it
r,
Own confidence :_to ‘.fgreign a
strong inducement fOr them to
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