The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-14 00:00:00

MORNING SUN

EDINBURGH ANTI-CORN-LAW
CONFERENCE.

This important Conference commenced its sittings on
Tuesday forenoon, at eleven o'clock, in South College-
street Church. The number of members present
amounted to upwards of 700. John Wigham, jun., Esq..'
was unanimously called to the Chair, and the meeting
was opened with prayer by the Rev. Dr. Peddie.
The CHAIRMAN said—lt was intended that my friend,
Duncan M'Laren, should have been President at this
first sederunt, but the death of a near relation has de-
prived this meeting of the presence of one of our most
talented citizens. To Duncan M'Laren the friends of
free trade and justice to all are indebted chiefly for the
constitution and arrangements connected with this meet-
ing, and not less to the labour he has bestowed in carry-
ing them, so far, into effect. The following gentlemen
had been invited to attend the sittings of this meeting:—
Charles P. Villiers, Esq., M.P., Robert Wallace, Esq.,
M.P., William Eleart, Esq., M.P., R: Cobden, Esq., M.P.,
J. Hume, Esq.; Joseph Sturge. Esq., G: Thompson, Esq.
These gentlemen are all well known to entertain de-
cided 'sentiment 3in favour of free trade in general, and
opposed to all restrictions on the importation of corn in
particular. 'While I regret three of these gentlemen
have not been able to be present, from causes thatwtll be
explained, yet it is cheering to find four of them are, or
intend to be present.—(Cheers.) Gentlemen, I have,
from the year 1815, when the first of these Corn-laws
was passed, felt that they were oppressing the poor,
and it has been truly heart-rending to think how the
hand-loom weavers and other operatives have been
ground down by them,' being obliged to make goods at
prices, to compete with other countries, in all the mar-
. kets of the world, while they are obliged to pay more
than one-third 'higher for their food. It is evident, also,
how much these laws stand in the way of a free exchange
of the various countries' products, thus rendering em-
ployment scarce. Every year has witnessed increased
oppression from these laws, and matters appear to
be drawing to a crisis—all parties begin to feel
that something must be done.—(Hear, hear.) Even
the robbers—of which I am one to a small ex-
tent—seem to be alarmed, probably under the idea.
that, if they do not change their course, the time will
come when there will be few persons left to eat their
taxed food. Gentlemen, it appears to me that these
laws are nothing short of legalised robbery; they are
consequently immoral and sinful.—(Applause.) I am
sick of sliding scales and all scales. There is a man of
the name of Smith has been robbing the country of bills
. to the amount of some 300,0001. in the course of five
years—would you receive a proposition from him to the
effect that, as the way he has been accustomed to live is
expensive, you must not think of reducing his income all
at once—that he will be satisfied with a fixed income at
the rate of 100,0001. in five years, for the future?—
(Cheers and laughter.) If these laws are what I have
described them to be—as honest men—as Christians, we
can enter into no compromise. We demand complete
justice—we can give our consent to nothing short of this.
. We may not obtain this from the present Parliament,
but no one knows how soon there may be a dissolution ;
let us, I implore you then, in the meantime, propagate
sound views among our neighbours, and thus prepare
them to make a general and firm stand .at all points and
on every occasion
" For justice—equal justice to all."—(Cheers.)
Mr. JAMES PEDDLE, W.S., moved the appointment of
a large Standing Committee, and said—Whatever credit
was due to their conduct, he felt it but justice to say,
that it belonged entirely. to Mr. Duncan M'Laren.
The motion was unanimously agreed to.
Letters from Mr. Cobden, M.P., Joseph Sturge, Esq.,
and the 'Rev. Dr. Wardlaw, were read, regretting their
unavoidable absence, and expressing the most cordial
wishes for the success of the Conference.
The Rev. Mr. Mensuehn, Coupar-Angus, rose to
move' the first resolution :—" That this meeting, com-
posed of persons belonging to different Dissenting deno-
. minations, from all parts of Scotland, not attending as
the office-bearers or representatives of churches, but yet
truly representing the sentiments and feelings of their
brethren in the quarters from which they come—are
of opinion that the Corn and Provision-laws are op-
posed to the benevolent designs of our merciful Creator,
as manifested in those principles of our nature, which
prompt men to engage in traffic—in those laws of
social economics, which render of advantage a
division of labour,—and in that varied distribution of the
bounties of his Providence, arising from the diversity of
climate, soil, and other things, which enable one nation
to supply what is wanted by another, as well as opposed
to the just and perfect precepts of his revealed Word,
and are thus an offence. to Him, who shall break in
pieces the oppressors,' and who bath said, "Whoso
shutteth his ears at the cry of the poor, himself also shall
cry, but shall not be heard.' " We do not attend here as
the office-bearers or representatives of churches. But
neither do we attend simply in the character of citizens.
We appear as Christian men and Christian ministers to
consider chiefly the moral and religious bearings of the
question which has brought us together. A crisis in the
history of the country has arrived to which the prudeneial
maxims that ordinarily guide us as Christian men and
Christian ministers will not apply. The exigencies of the
times have constrained us to depart from these maxims,
and, indeed, appear to us to pour contempt on all the
''.1,14.1'4 logic and casuistry by which adherents to them is sought
" to be enforced. The state of the country is most critical
and alarming. Every branch of her manufactures and
commerce has suffered unexampled depression deprese
sion which it has baffled the wisest State physician who
has yet been " called in"—(A laugh)—to trace to tem-
porary causes. Many houses in what used to be our
most busy and crowded villages and towns are already
without inhabitants. Thousands upon thousands of our
population unrivalled for skill and industry, are
thrown out of employment—are famishing for bread,
and are subsisting on charity. Their numbers are
increasing from the ranks of those who are strive-
, filing hard, but in vain, to maintain an honourable,
however poor an independence. Trade is fast leav-
ing our country for more hospitable shores. Ruin, in
short, threatens us in our commercial and manufactur-
ing, and need I therefore say, in all our interests.'
Such is the posture of affairs, and I submit, that if ever
there was a time when the law of my adage Saluspopuli
came into operation in all supremacy and force, the
present is that time. On every one, be his station Or
• profession what it may, our country has now paramount
claims :or all the influence he can constitutionally exert
to save it—claims which the maxims that may properly
enough guide him in ordinary times would be a poor ex-
cuse, for resisting. We find that justice is foully violated ;
we find that the violation amounts to an absolute perver-
sion of the design of Government ; we find that the in-
stitution of Government, which is meant for the equial
advantage of all classes of the community, is made the
instrument of oppressing and peeling the many for the
benefit of the few.—(Hear, and loud cheers.) Justice
says, " Let every man have his due.' sa-esee
says the British Statute-book. " No," say British land-
owners, who have too long had all but a monopoly of
British legislation, as well as of some other things.—
(Hear, hear.) But what do the Corn and Provision-laws,
do ? They trample on the dictates of Justice.—(Hear.)
They say to the millions of our countrymen—" Invent
and toil as you may, you shall go to to market with
your industry and enterprise, except what the landlords
think it expedient for themselves to leave open to ybu ;
• and farther, that be the produce of your industry and
enterprise what it. may, you shall not eat, ay, you shall
not give a morsel to a starving neighbour, till a share of
the produce has been filched from you in the shape of a
tax upon your bread to swell the landlords' rent-rolls."
—(Cheers.) We have met to denounce a heinous
national sin ; according to resolution first, and indeed
according to the spirit and tenour of all the resolutions,
by the Corn and Provision-laws we are as a nation fight-
ing against God. 'We are counteracting. his benevolent
and merciful designs, as these are variously intimated to
us. 'We are offending him by the transgression—the
legalised transgression—of the jagt and perfect pree ept.
of his Word. What these laws establish is iniquity inis
sight —iniquity the most wanton, oppressive, and cruel.
The most wanton,. for if there be one class who have less
shadow of claim than another to a monopoly in their
favour at the expense of all other 'classes, they are cer-
tainly the lords of the soil--(flcar, hear)—iniquity tho
most oppressive and cruel, ahhe wailing, and want, end
woe, with which it has at present filled the land, sadly
testify. We have met to denounce this sin, to expose its
heinousness, to express our own sense of it, and to do
et all we can to call the nation's attention to it, and to per-
sesen. .suade it to rise and wash it away.—(Hear and cheers.)
ee v.: We have met to pleadthe cause of the poor. Wo
,• iledeeply sympathise with them. We fervently pray for
them. As God has prospered us, "We deal our bread
to the hungry, clothe the naked, and hide not ourselves
from our own flesh." Our Christianity demands this;
and I presume that all who are Christian—all who
are humane thus far approve and • applaud us.
Were we, as Christian men Christian ministers, to be
silent ; nay, were we to decline active, energetic efforts
in such a cause and for such an object, it were a scandal
at once upon our Christian and ministerial profession. I
say active and energetic effort—for, slightly to alter the
just or eloquent words of another upon this point, " to
pray for the famishing poor and not to act against the
monopoly which tarnishes them, is to serve heaven in
word and to insult in deed. On the ministers of reli-
gion it devolved to vindicate the name from this profa-
nity." I consider the peace of the country and the safety
of our instjtutions to be in peril—in imminent peril—and
that the worst of all rebellions—as my Lord Bacon
termed it —" a rebellion in the belly" (Laugh-.
ter)---if not soon and happily quelled—(Renewed laugh-
ter)—will inevitably lead to civil convulsion.—(Hear,
" hear-) And I ask, is it not humane, is it not Chris-
tian, is it not the part of Christian patriotism—does it
not become us—does it not devolve upon us, as Chris-
tian men, and Christian ministers, to seek to have
such equitable and necessary changes constitutionally-
, effected a 3, in the rnlrcv of tiod, 'may avert the hor-
rors of such a prospect ?—(Cheers.)
The Rev. JAB. R. el‘tievete of Dundee, seconded the
motion. We quote only the following brief extract
from his speech :—We cannot create acres, or extend the
surface of our island-hone, or bid the seasons' smile; but
we can exchange the benefits of art, for the bounties of
nature—sve can lighten the load of human labour by th e
progress of mechanical discovery—we can multiply the
comforts of mankind by the diffusion of our manufac-
tures—we desire thus to relieve the wants of other lands
while we enrich our own. And who is the man that
would forbid this mighty enterprise, or command these
mighty pulsations of our community to cease? He must
be reckless of consequences who would dare unduly do
• compress an explosive principle like this. The spirit of
commercial enterprise. that has become the mistress of
natural law and is summoning the elements of nature
to her purposes, it is not likely to be driven back by
• feudal frowns, or foolish enough to forge fetters for her
Own destruction.—(Cheers.) Her voice is lifting through-.
out out land, and there is an insolentness in her tones
that will take no refusal, and a righteousness in her plea
that will accept no compromise, when she demands• to
walk a broad in the liberty of her activity, and to prove
herself tee be the benefactor of the species.—(Applanse.)
But there a higher view of this question, and a loft:Er