The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-06 00:00:00

TENANT FARMERS AND TAX-

PAYERS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sin,—l am a farmer's son, and Ido not think there
aregmany farmers' sons in • the country who have exerted
themselves more than I have to place Sir Robert Peel
and the Conservatives in power, but if I ever do so
again, may God forgive me.
Sir, we have been deceived, sacrificed, plundered,
robbed.
I have had a little leisure lately to investigate political
manoeuvres to the bottom, and, perhaps, you will afford
me space to show how this has been done.
Suppose a farmer has taken a farm of 200 acres, at a
rental of 30s. per acre, and with a reliance that his land-
lord and Members of Parliament would support a corn-
law that shall maintain for his corn the average price of
Bs. per bushel.
The average annual produce of an acre of such land in
22 bushels, which, with corn at bs. per bushel, is 81. 16s.
per acre. Suppose that his landlord and M.P.'s (having
thus let the farm and made promises) " turn round,"
jump " James," (aye, and jump " Robert,") and support
a Minister and measures that shall reduce (and have
reduced) the value of his corn to 6s. 6d. per bushel—and
this, mark, without passing any measure declaring that
the rents agreed to be paid should fall in proportion to
the fall in corn, as tested by the averages;--this differ-
ence of ls. 6d. per bushel is 335. per acre for the 22
bushels, or 3301. per year! being 3.01. more than all the
rent agreed to be paid !
Now, all this has, on the average, been filched from
the pockets and capital of the tenant farmers of this
country, and no wonder is it that the Bank of England is
full of gold, and that the farmers of Ireland and Wales
have become seditious, and that those of England are
fast becoming Liberals, at being thus hocus-pocused out
of it. This gold in theßank is nothing more nor less than
the draws, and gains, and savings of the great moneyed
capitalists, sinecurists, and even landlords, by the last
notable introduction of the " Conservative " Premier's

" principle of cheapness." I will show how this is
effected for, even the latter (the landlords), and there
can be no doubt upon that of the former. (The gains
and savings of the moneyed man and sinecurist, from
buying things so much cheaper, are without any draw-
back whatever, if the matter of the income-tax be ex-
cepted ; and even in this case the farmer or other pro-
ducer is called upon to pay it as well as he.)
With corn at Bs. per bushel, it took from the farmer
750 bushels to pay his rent of 300/. With corn at 6s. 6d.
per bushel, the landlord extracts from him 923 bushels.
Suppose that, in imitation of the crafty Premier, the
landlord makes fur one year a return of 10 per cent., he
still obtains 831 bushels, or a gain of 81 bushels, whilst
all the difference between the 750 or 923 bushels—
namely, 173 bushels, or about 20 per cent.—becomes in
all subsequent, years a permanent actual increase of his
rent.

Thus the landlord pockets a considerable portion of
the farmer's total loss of 330/. per year each. He then
mocks him by telling him to " buy guano" (when his
money's gone), to improve his (the landlord's) land, and
to produce more.
Sir, the work has now been done, and I know suffi •
cient (having studied the laws that regulate the currency
as well as those that regulate corn) of what must inevi-
tably be the low price of corn under the present Corn
Bill, taken in conjunction with the spoliating Currency
Bill of 1819—a measure which made a difference of at
least 2s. per bushel, or 4101. a year to the tenant farmer
of 200 acres—that I would recommend every tenant
farmer in the country to join the Anti-Corn-law League,
provided the League will join them in forming an Anti-
Currency-law League, for the purpose of repealing
Peel's Currency Bill of 1819. By an equitable, and
sound, and enlightened Currency Bill, leaving gold to
find its actual level in value, like all other things, and as
they do in all other countries, in place of maintaining
for it a fixed or monopoly price of 3/. 17s. 10d. per
ounce, corn may be ensured on the average of seasons,
even with an entire free trade in it, at 7s. 6d. per bushel.
Under the present monopoly given to gold, and the mere
abortion of protection to corn, and actual discourage-
ment to trade and consumption, it will not average 6s.
per bushel.

_
Sir, I see by an announcement in the papers, that
what is termed the Anti-League, is about to have " a
great national meeting" at the Freemasons' Tavern, on
Monday next.
My advice to the tenant farmers is, be cautious and
yet awake—firm and resolute, and, if needs be, even
savage, or this " Great National" League of yours (?)
will prove to you " a great national" humbug. (What
are words put into the Dictionary for if they are not to
be used ?) If your landlords can succeed in putting you
against the League, in throwing you off the right scent,
in setting you to and fight your fellow-producer and
fellow-sufferer, they will pocket the last gain of 173
bushels or 20 per cent., without being seen, and come
the same trick over you again in the course of a few
more years, when you shall, in obedience to the advice
of your "friend," the Premier, have sunk the relics of
your capital in " guano" and produce more for them !
At present they say they won't alter the currency laws
in order to restore, or relieve, or do justice to both you
and the manufacturers, because, forsooth, the spoliating
law of 1819 was the handy-work of the man whose
slave they were, and are, and whose slaves they still
wish to be. For the same, and, in addition to this, the
still more unworthy reason of direct pecuniary interest,
they tell you to fight their battle for certain high rents
for them, and uncertain prices, or rather certain low
prices fur you. Tell them that you have been fleeced
once -too often. - Tell them that this won't do. Tell
them that they possess the power to see that justice is
done to the country, and that if they do not do it now,
whilst they may save their estates, you will join the
League and they may lose them. Tell them that by
maintaining Peel's law of a fixed or monopoly price for
gold, your produce has fallen from 10s. 6d. to Gs. per
bushel ; the manufacturers calico from 10d. to 4d. per
yard ; and the labour of the silk, calico, and stocking-
weaver from 11. 7s. to almest 7s. per week. Tell them
that by this hocus-pocus and "sliding down" in the money
value of almost everythir g, it now takes about double
the number of bushels of corn, and pieces of calico, and
pairs of stockings, and days of labour, and everything
else to provide for the taxation under Peel in time of
pence that it did under Pitt in time of war ! I Tell them
this " great fact." Tell them that this has doubled the
value of Sir Robert Peel's funded
.property, of the Duke
of Wellington's property and income, and of Lord
Brougham's and all other pensions and_ that you now
see through it. Tell them that you are thus made to
pay nine per cent. interest for all the corn and labour,
&c., that were lent from 1797 to 1815, amounting to
600,000,0001. in declared value, and this whilst money is
at three per cent. I Tell them that under the present
monstrous monopoly for gold, and no monopoly for
either corn, or manufacturers, or labour that is worth a
rush, you are being only cajoled, hoodwinked, and
robbed. Tell them that that monstrous monopol3 —the
Bank Charter—shall be broken up, now the opportunity
offers, and that paper-money shall be advanced to, and
be allowed to be issued by, all persons who deposit ample
real security, and pay an interest of two-and-a-half
per cent. thereupon to Government for the privilege ;
and that the amount of the said notes shall be such as
shall give the labourers and farmers, and operatives, and
manufacturers, an advance of 20 per cent. upon the
present unremnnerating prices, and gold and silver be
left to find their natural level in value.

Mr. Editor, by such a course the farmers and manu-
facturers will force both the gold zuonopolists, with Peel
at their head, and the landlord monopolists, with Rich-
mond at their head, to do justice. The farmer will be
placed in the position he was prior to his last fleecing,
in 1842—the manufacturers will insure freedom of trade
in money as Well as in corn.

Farmers ! demand that your League shall be an Anti-
Currency-law League, and Anti-Corn-law Leaguers will
join it. Manufacturers ! assist the farmers, in an
Anti-Currency-law League, and they will join your
Anti-Corn-law League. . Both the gold lords and the
landlords will 'then be forced—if shame itself do not the
work—to abandon both the spoliating Currency Bill of
1819, and the Corn-law. Bill of 1815. as patched and re-
patched until 1842. At present they are making the
tenants', and manufacturers', and shopkeepers' capital,
and the labour of the poor, at starvation wages, pay for
the double taxes, &e., in peace as in war, and for their,
rents, &c., being raised 50 per cent: in 1819, and again
20 per cent. in 1842, without the victims perceiving the
hocus-pocus juggle by which it has been effected.
You shall hear from me again.
March 1, 1844. A FARMER'S SON.
P.S.—As there is nothing like being " up and doing,"
if those of the hundred thousand readers of The Sun,
who are either members of the League, Anti-League,
farmers, or advocates of a sound paper currency, secured,
upoil the property of the country, and approve of these
views, will address a letter to that effect through the
columns of The Sun, a compact may be quickly formed,
that will ensure justice being at length done to the
country. At present the sinecure and annuitant class
of this country are getting 30,000,0001. per year more
than their just rights, and allowing foreigners to gain,
a further 20,000,000/. by maintaining gold at the present
fixed price.