The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-20 00:00:00

THE CORN LAWS.

trade doctrines, that they will hardly accord a hear-
ing to an anti-corn-law statement or argument. In
those cases, however, in which this difficulty is over-
come, the farmers are made converts, in scores, to
free-trade views. The other difficulty is in prevail-
in on those who have become proselytes to anti-
corn-law principles, to avow and carry out in
practice the new views they have adopted. So
long as they are tenants and are denied the pro-
tection of the ballot, they dare not vote for free-trade
candidates, unless they had previously made up their
minds to see themselves and families ruined. But though,
for these reasons, the League must not calculate on any
considerable number of farmers voting, when a general
election comes for free-trade candidates, it must not aban-
don the enterprise of enlightening them on which it has
entered. If the repealers cannot expect the suffrages
of the agriculturists, there will be wanting in future
elections that ignorant and stupid enthusiasm on behalf
of monopolist candidates, which used to characterise
county contests. And in this absence of wonted corn-
law enthusiasm, there will be seen a sign of the times,
which will not be without its effect on the Minister of
the day, no matter whether he be Whig or Tory.—
Morning Advertzser.

The near approach of Mr. Villiers's motion for the
immediate and total repeal of the corn-laws increases
the interest which is felt in the question. That there
will be a considerable addition to the minority of last
year is a point on which there can be no doubt.
Much, however, we feel assured, may still be done in
the way of swelling the minority. If the constituen-
cies of populous towns will properly bestir them-
selves, where the Members are only fixed-duty men,
a goodly number of converts to the cause of total and '
immediate repeal will be made before the day on which
the motion is to he brought forward arrives. Let no
constituency be deterred from fully and fearlessly ex-
pressing their views to their representatives, from an
apprehension of being twitted in the same way as the
electors of Edinburgh have been twitted by Mr.
Macaulay. The subject is one of the gravest im-
portance, and the electoral body have a duty to per-
form to their country as well as themselves. Consti-
tuencies not only have a right to call on their Members
to give effect to their wishes on any important ques-
tion; but it is their bounden duty to do so. The
franchise being limited, those who possess it are to be
considered as holding it in trust for that portion of
their countrymen with are debarred from the enjoy-
ment of their political rights. On the question of the
corn-laws, public opinion in populous towns has been
it we're expressed in the most unequivocal manner in which
e possible to give it utterance ; but, as Membt rs
often imagine they
when they can safely disregard public opinion
wishes of their
cancr.ot with impunity disregard the
should reminedegtlllti t
t.oenstituents, it is right that the latter
representatives of the way in
which they ote on Mr. Villiers's motion.
The therepresentationsmi.vm electors of Edinburgh have
not been lost on
offended that they should haveulay' though he is sorely
been made to him. They
have had the effect of elicitingappr fromhi him an avowal of his
intention to vote, on the
im-
mediate and total repeal. That, it for ouccesatsiboen, allowed,
is something. Let other constituencies only extort
liar promise,
from their fixed-duty representatives
and it matters not how many angryepistles the latter
may think proper to pen. Let them, if the
imitate the conduct of Mr. Macaulay in underratingPasei
the influence of the League, by why of revenge for
the sound information which it has diffused, and the
healthy tone of feeling which it has created on the
corn-law question,—let them do this, or do or say any-
thing else they please, if they can only be induced
also to imitate the Member for Edinburgh in voting
for immediate and total repeal. In the mean time, it is
gratifying to know that correct notions on the subject
of the corn-laws are rapidly spreading among consti-
tuencies where the densest darkness has hitherto pre-
vailed. As already remarked, in all the populous
towns the people are corn-law repealers to a man ; but
in many agricultural districts, much yet remains to be
done in the way of dispelling the mists of ignorance.
Lest night, at the anti-corn-law demonstration in Co-
vent-garden Theatre, Mr. Turner, a Somersetshire far-
mer, 'brought before the meeting—a meeting as nume-
rously attended and as enthusiastic as ever—a large

atriolint of interesting information respecting the existing
state of corn-law intelligence and feeling in the agricultu-
ral districts. The farmers are as open to conviction on the
subject as any other class of the community ; and they are
4,r,-LvQrfkllY:4l,v tcnag over. to the views of the League. There
il Is / v b--le* '"M t difficulties in dealing with the farmers,
, , iifiy). , e corn-law repeaters have to contend. The
(
firtg:„.i.V4l‘ta of procuring a calm, dispassionate,
IA: :-,,i-,.. -7-0,0,.' iinPrejii eed hearing to the case which the
1 -cs;:::'.:. ; retfealeil .ivit to submit to them. Their landlords
many; perhaps in a majority of cases, SO
0.;--.7'.- -far 'succeeded in poisoning their minds against free-
.c•-:(-;

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, MAY 20, 1844.