The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-02 00:00:00

held it impossible that these men could say, " Gi"
us more protection."—(Loud cheers.) It was the.
grossest ignorance to believe that the agriculturtt
labourers could be anxious to perpetuate sue,'
a state of things. All classes complain"'
of the present state of things, and they did not corn'
plain without reason. It was true a majority of the
farmers in Somersetshire were opposed to the repeal
of the corn-laws. Why were they so ? Because
they were told by those who had an interest in per, e,
petuating the present state of things, that a repeidliq'
the corn-laws would make corn much lower, and
that they would be altogether ruined. Some of these
silly fanners looked as it were with suspicion on the
manufacturers, because they agitated for a free trade
in corn. Many of them said "the manufacturer!
agitate for cheap bread in order to keep wages low'
Could there be a greater insult to common sense than
such language as this.—(Hear, hear.) Was it n°l
well known that wages was a marketable commodit.”
(Hear)—and that the prices of wages and bread never
harmonised ? The demand for labour regulated On
price of bread. Others of these deluded men said',,.
the manufacturers wanted to sink the price of coral
in order to invest their capital in land.—(Cries of
" Oh, oh !" and laughter.) Such arguments were
more characteristic of the inmates of a lunatic asylum
than of men pretending to common sense. If the
manufacturers, as Lord Radnor remarked, possessed
the newer of applying skill, and capital, and industrfo,
then there was the greater likelihood of their being
able to give employment to the surplus population,,
and the greater prospect of their enabling the coil'
sumer to buy a cheaper article. He looked upon ale.
manufacturer as the "farmers friend." The arr.
cultural population should look for real protection o°t
to the landed proprietory, but to the manufacturers, who
would enable the people to consume their commodias'
and to give a high price fur them.—(Hear, heari
Let the manufacturers prosper, and the farmers wad
have nothing to fear. If the artisan had full employ'
ment, the farmer would have no reason to. complain;
He would then have a ready market for his beef 0'
mutton, for the people would have the means of buying'
Al present the restrictive laws forbade these adve-__:'
tages. It was said the farmers were against rr
trade. He had already said they were so, and he was
sorry for it, but they might not care much for that'
If a few of the landowners, such as the Noble Lord
in the chair, would come forward, and advocate
free-trade principles, the farmers would sett!
follow in their train.—(Hear, hear.) He thought
there could not be a stronger argument in favour of
free trade than the case of wool. When the duties
on this article were about being reduced, some year]
ago, the sheep-breeders exclaimed that they would
be ruined, and calamity was foretold to the corn;
munity ; but the fact was, that the wool-trade llu'
in consequence of the reduction of those duties, be;
come much better, and had. been greatly impros:
Why should not the same results follow as regari
corn ?—(Hear, hear.) There was not the slightest
doubt but such a result would occur. The la!'"
lords saw the farmers were an important class'
and deserved support; very true, but wri,
there no consideration for . the great be'
of the community—those men who earned their bread
by their labour and by their intellect ? That was the
class .that required protection—that was the cis°
which needed the sympathy of the Legislature. Oda
question was, whether it was more prudent to exten
commerce, and give general employment, and pro'
duce general comfort, or maintain high rents for
the benefit of the landlord class ? The VI:,
tion of free trade would be soon agitated again
the House of Commons, and he could on
see 'what the result would be. Among other
arguments arguments which would be adduced in fan
of monopoly, it would be said that a great number
petitions were presented against a repeal of the 011;
laws. Well, so there were scene, but how were these
petitions got up ? He would tell them. It was th
custom in the counties where they wished to have a
petition signed, to give a pint of cyder to each man
who signed it. Indeed, for a draught of strong cYc'lee
the ignorant peasant came and put not only his MO
to the petition but the names of his innocent childrell,j
and the babe at the breast, as ignorant of the re
nature and objects of the petition as himself.— (Ilef:'
hear.) Why, for a sovereign he could get a hop'
head of cyder, and he would be bound to say that li,
would get a petition signed for any purpose srbs
ever by all the rustics in a country parish."b.
And then those petitions were held forth by tee
monopolists as an evidence of the disposition of die
people of England towards free-trade principles. in
had -once called a meeting in his native parish,
favour of free trade, which was numerously attend°
He explained his views and opinions to the occupiers
o
of land who attended, and they all signed a petT°.
in favour of free trade.—(Hear, hear.) An 11°h";
Member had recently moved for an inquiry into t
burdens which affected land. This inquiry was ref
fused, and for very obvious reasons—the majority
the House of Commons refused to grant even a Coll°
mittee to inquire into the tendency of the preset'.
corn-laws. He was convinced the period would 50"
arrive when the principles of free trade would be
triumphant, for, according to Scripture, the successjef
the wicked would be but of short continuance. ~
looked for the triumph of the principles which the
League advocated, in the progress of information,,f:4
in the result of a long and painful experience. '-f-,1,0
sooner that triumph was achieved the better for wo
people. After thanking the meeting for the kindnt
with which they had listened to him, the speaker sa'
down amid loud cheering.
Mr. COBDEN then advanced to the front of °l'
platform, and was received with the most enthusiastic
cheering and waving of hats and handkerchiefs to
ed
every part of a densely-crowded house, which list.o,
for nearly five minutes. He said fortunately for Wed
phrenologists who had examined his head had assaro
him that neither the organ of self-esteem nor the lead
of approbation were developed there, for if he 11..„,
possessed them they would have quite spoiled hint'
ld
(Laughter and cheers.) At that late hour he virtf
not long trespass on their attention. It was achap
he owed to the Noble Lord who had taken the c°'s,
so kindly, and who possessed the true nobility of ar,
ture, who was the second of his body to come 10.0,
ward and preside at their meeting, to thank
for the honour he had conferred upon them.
had answered his Grace the Duke of Richmond le7,
since by the speeches of Mr. Lattimore and
Hunt at that meeting. They gave him a further an,
swer in the speech of Mr. Somers on that evening
These men were tenant-farmers. These were answers
oss
to his Grace from farmers residing in the three gr,
agricultural counties of Herefordshire, Gloucester
shire, and Somersetshire. They were not the re'l.o
creatures—the serfs—the toadies of the landowners'
They came forward, and boldly, marl-11'110f"
and fearlessly gave utterance to their se
ey
timents, and were not afraid to declare that ti
believed the corn-laws were injurious to the best je
terests of the country. He was once travelling.ith
Scotland, on the banks of the lake between Tayrartie`er
and Killeen. :t was late at night, and a Highlano
drove him who believed in witches and ghosts. 'ere
said his father had seen many of them, and theY,lrilict
worse than the evil one who sent them. " Just,_;
" he, as the factor over there, (pointing to Lordl3r;rs
albane's seat) "just as the factor there is waur 0
the laird."—(Laughter.) They had not a veto
wide choice amongst the free trade farmers, the
could speak at a public meeting like that; but thssto,
could tell them from his own experience, that wheeds
ever there was a man of thought, and of indepe"the
ence, he was almost invariably fund to be et' to
side of free trade.—(Hear, hear.) In reference.free trade generally, be must congratulate the mob'
on the progress which it had made during the Pilot
week. They had a budget.—(Hear.) He cow' the
say that it was a free trade budget, such seee,
Leaguers would produce when they came into P° the
but still there were somee little things done itidoe
budget of Monday, and every thing that was
pra.)
was done in the direction of free trade..--(Che-tson
What had the Duke of Richmond and the Potat,
Society been about ? He thought they had :;,esise
raised themselves and declared that the „.-Voras
Minister should go no further.—(Lau hter )
g • drea
d
quite clear that the Prime Minister did not
these carpet knights—he relied on the free truceca
Now there was one thing that was well done, b_e..A to
it was totally and immediately done. He rarely-jos
the entire abolition of the protection upon sircol•
of the
and-twenty years ago, there was an uprising Tbef
Knatehbulls and Richmonds upon this subject ei
-
insisted that 6d. per lb. should be imposed on forseelse
wool. Five years afterwards Mr. Huskisson 57that
had been told by Leeds woollen-manufacturers vole
unless this duty was thrown off, the wordlerLe
would be lost. By dint of great management, " „sir
enabled to take off, in 1824, 6d. of the bad
chief which had been put on ; DOW they. The
got rid of the other penny.—(Laughter)riod to
Knatchbulls and Buckinghains of the Pe if the
which he had referred declared that
shoe duty was repealed there would be no more 5" ; that
employed—they would all go to the workiscu,s.% a that
there would be no more mutton in the land,-em were
T
all the shepherd dogs might be hanged- Lohgness of
now, however, going to carry on the
iheep rearing and wool shearing without any orf corn.
tion. Why should they not carry on the trade to oho-
without protection ? If it were unreasonaTeiginieter
lish the duties on corn why had the Prim..., Take
abolished the protection on wool ?—(lie,T, noe en-
again, the subject of coffee ; that matterrrT7 duty on
tirely done—it was but half done. 'coffee and!
coffee was, at that moment, 4d. on coloni.a)ilishesi th.e.
Bd. on foreign. Sir Robert Peel had had le!
duty on foreign by 2d., or in other wohrd ba"
the colonies with 2d. less protection.
the
eeynext matter
the other half by and by. Now
_free unless.5
eir s°le
was sugar. Ladies could not mv,a,lis
isjoesrt
they had the sugar—at least er.) for a
this sUger,
they could not make it sweet.—(Laught
they were in a little difficulty about _ ,iove t
teht the eth
ticrtiple- of conscience col@ over *the ,ogee