The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-12 00:00:00

most reluctantly. He had done so that he neigh
not be answerable to his conscience. He had done so' with the
fear, he admitted, with the apprehension, that he sho, Ile' fail in
obtaining the assent of their Lordships to his proposal ; and
belied done so, running the risk that it he did obtain their.Lord-
ships' con-ant, the inquiry might by possibility pore fruit less. ti
But. stillhe telt that in the ensuing winter the distrees would he
great, that during that hard seasou—harder than ever for the ses
who were more destitute than ever—that during that has if
sereen the suffering, of the people would be greater than hereto.
fore; and therefore happen what may, he had at least discharge.
his duty, and freed himself from a great responsibility, that
though he might deplore, as he most deeply did deplore, the
suffering of the people, at least he was not answerable to his
conscience ; and he hoped to God that their Lordships would
take the same means of relieving themselves frcm the same re.
eponsiiiility.—( Cheers. ) The Noble and Learned Lord con-
cluded by moving that the petitions be referredtoe. Select Com-
mittee of the same nature as that appointed in I e 32, to inquire
into the distress then existing in the ilericultural districts.
The Earl of RIPON was certainly not at all surprised that
his Noble anti Learned Friend had brought himself to submit
the proposition well which he hads concluded, to their Lord-
ships, with very great reluctance, and that he had hesitated
before he would permit himself to do so. He was quite sure,
from his Noble and Learned Friend'.: extensive knowledge of
the matter he submitted, and front his lung experience in all
matters of Parliamentary prosieedings, he
was quite sure tbat,
that reluctance was founded on very grave doubts in his own
mind as to his being successful in inducing their Lordships to
concur in the proposition, and, if so, to its bringing:about any
sa'isfactory result. The object of the inquiry apeesered to be
to repeal the Corn-laws. "I hat was the sum and subs ante of
what his Noble and Learned Friend wanted. This the p etition,
and those it represented, seemed to consider the panacea,
for all the evils under which the country laboured. He (the
Earl of Ripon) lee some difficulty in -being called upon to
discuss this subject again. Twice in the present session
had this been a subject of great discussion. In that.
debate the Coin-laws were fully discussed as to
their being the causes of the distress. If the Corn-
laws were repeeled it would be unkind to the people, be-
cause they would hope that the repeal of the Corn-laws would
be a relief to the distress of the country, and their hopes %% mild',
be delusive. lie thought it would be better to abs:ain from,
an inquiry, unless they could ascertain that the result would
answer the expectation of those who proposed it. His Noble
Friend said that the real cause of all the distress was the em-
barrassment in commerce arising out of the restrictions which
the Corn-laws imposed. Now they must consider the natase
of the embarrassments which these restrictions caused. ft
certainly could not be that we do not take the. surplus corn of
the countries on the Continent, because, in point of fact..
during the last ten years there had been entered for
home consumption, and consumed, all the surplus produce of the
exporting countries of Europe, with the exception of that por-
tion which was required for the wants of other importing
countries. Durieg four years of that time, so good had been the
harvests here, that had there been no Corn-lases at all those har-
vests would have been sufficient protection. With respect to ma-
nufactures, France took an immense amount of our manufactures;
therefore how could the Corn-laws cause a diminution in the
trade tee ,when they had a Corn-law for the proteeten of their
own agriculture? So w ith Belgium and Russia. Was it. to be sap-
p snot that if we said to Russia, we will repeal our Corn-laws if
you eel repeal your prohibitory duties, that they would repeal
those duties, considering the expense they had incurred in fos-
tering their own manufactures in Russia ? We took fro®
Russia six or seven times the amount more than Russia con-
descended to take from us. Therefore, to repeal the Corn-laws;
app eared to him (the Earl of Ripon) to be the most fallacious,
speculation that was ever entered into. This was the only in-
ference he could draw from facts which would come out before
the Committee, if appointed. Russia herself protected her own
corn, and imposed a duty of 13s. on corn. The seasons there
were extremely bad for some years. That was an additional
reason for •supposing that there would be no use in repealing
their Corn-law. Again, with respect to Prussia. That Go-
vernment expressed their opinion that the resent Corn-law of
this country would produce a more steady trade. There NT PA
no likelihood that though they should alter their policy, the
German League would also alter their commercial wAicy.
Then his Noble Friend alluded to America. Now, during the
Corn-law they had a very flourishing trade with America., and
althowsh a change took place, that was in consequence of the
monetary derangements of America. There never was a time in:
which the manufacturing population of America were more
urgent in pre,sing on the Government the necessity of protec-
tion, and this was in consequence of the cheap labour of the
old European States. But they did not do so in consequence
of this Corn-law. He did not know whether the American
Government would accede to those demands. Many persons
thought they would not ; at all events, it would not be in con-
sequence of their Corn-laws.--( Hear, hear.) His Noble
Friend alluded to other points, which he did not think neces-
sary to refer to the Committee, but he did not see how they
could abstain from going into them. He did not see how
they could avoid inquiry into the question of the cur-
rency. If the inquiry were given, how could the
Noble Lord come to a decision, in the short time
he thought it necessary for inquiry? Both sides must be heard,
and one class would be arrayed against another, which be
thought would be peculiarly unfortunate at this time. He had
a high opinion of the good sense of the people of this country,
and he did not think they would ascribe to any other cause the
refwal of their Lordships to grant this inquiry than that it
would not have the effect anticipated from Hear, hear.)
Earl STANIIOPE agreed with the Noble and Learned
Lord opposee in the extent of the distress, and he believed if
an immediate relief was not afforded auarehy would be the
result. The distress of the country was alluded to in the
speech from the throne, rind yet the first measure proposed was.
a diminution of the protection given to the home grower of
corn. Then came the Income-tax, which must diminish the
fund out of which labour was paid; and then the tariff, which
was objectionable on every point. He would now come to the
atuments of his Noble and Learned Friend with respect ;to
nxechiners ; ,and here, he must say, he wished he could put out
of Ms emollection the manrier in which the Noble Lord spoke
of the agticulturists, as a lazy, idle body, when introducing
the Now -Poor-law—that cruel measure. What was sail cc
Dr. Johnson in that had Latin inscribed upon his monument ire
Westminster:4l'ooy might be epplicd es his Noble and Learned
Friend, -for he was
" lelaeitter verborum gravissirnus."--( Laughter.
NMEr he (fang Setamhop) had presented 1 ctitiens from the
artisans thereseirescomplaininr,,, of the increase ot machinery,
and there ronld be UP deeeLt. that.. it threw-many of them pat
out of employnaesur 'ea l: those cases thought the people
hwi a right t. erottiestisse Stos..oose hr :whose means they suf-
fered. -If. hia-INaitilseeee4Jeezieeetecreend had lived amongst
the lahouring-c/aeses‘stiV.Ligeeb; :44 he would utider stand
what-waslnettot itprottoetion,pachats9tre. A woollen manufac-
turer in the West Riding orYs9llcl--who was one of. that panty
ot.arly extinat,itists„,okk.astirsnierhopb.hk,pboulti ever respect—
, ( A laosh).....taht.hitn..thiSt unless Pasharnent...did something
- to protect the.. .weterreeef .........
_eke country would he
rinse-it -,(A..laegbe.). ~Viiiefeskeesetese,of the distress of the
manufacturers was their onoafpaetty, by which they ground.
depers-tise4ehoweees...sta-tha.,oarvatuan...paint, and then lowered
their own peep bwerpprodiAc manufacturers re
n:in.-
of Alufz der; Who beAnie he had no more
.
Woticti 46 eti A laugh :Y." Hey would clothe the whole
human r;t+elithell itlgen .weep that they had no more worlds to.
clothe —( Latiiddirit)eiVlse effect of repealing the Corn-laws
ireful's; alicstevri wit= of the home market, which was the
most tO (Tory cheers.) One other
41feet. esiould. be; to eneout age smuggling—the smuggling of
cotton goods into America. and he would oppose that as he had
opposed the smuggling of opium into China.—( A laugh.)
The Noble Lord at the head of the Government in that
Heim hid' said that the distress was. occasioned by several
causes, operating simultaneously and conjunctively, and he
agt eel as to two of them—the increase of machinery and the
introduction of agricultural labourers into the manufacturing
districts. The latter could be remedied by restoring the

agricultural labourers to their natural employment and repeal-
ing the New Poor-law, which had driven them from it. He
bedewed that inquiry, if impartially conducted, would he
most desirable. But he believed also that the required inves-
tigation would not be so conducted, but that it would put off
the application of any remedy for years, and a revolution would
take place in the meantime. NO reduction of the price of
bread would be any relief to those unhappy persons, whose
welfare was as dear to him as it could be to his Noble and
Learned Friend. The Noble Lord concluded by saying that
he coul!I rot support the motion.
Lord KINN A IIID regretted the determination of the Govern-
ment to refuse the inquiry. He knew the petitioners, anti he could
say that. it was not their sole motive to upset the Corn-laws.
But he thought that those who attributed that motive to them
only feared that the removal of those laws would be the inevit-
able result of a thorough inquiry into the causes of the distress.
He was disposed to agree with the Noble Earl (Stanhope)
that if matters were allowed to gn on as they were, the conse-
quences would he such as the Noble Earl apprehended. It
was not only the manufacturing towns, but also the commercial
towns, in which the distress was intolerable. The Noble Lord
then read extracts from a letter from Liverpool, to show the
extent of the distress amongst the traders and artisans
of that important town, especially those connected with the
shipping interest. In tha manufacturing districts the distress
was greater. In the cotton trade there was complete stagna-
tion, owing to the competition of foreign manufac-
turers, which we ourselves had raised by our protective system.
By our Corn-laws a stop was put to that interchange of com-
modities which might otherwise take place between this country
and tereian nations. It appeared from a statement made by
Mr. etthtingtoe, that if American corn were allowed to be im-
ported into this country, the American tariff would never have
passed ; and even as it was, that. tariff had been sanctioned by a
majority of only three in Congress. Of late years our exports
of manufactures to America had been paid for in fictitious
paper ; but the fact that those exportations had taken place
proved that America afforded a market for our goods ; and all
that WV wanted to place the trade between the two countries
on a mutually advantageous basis was, that we. should allow
them to pay us its their agricultural produce for our manufao-
tured articles. The result of our present system was, that we
were raising America into a manufacturing country. He be-
lieved that. if we were to impose a 6s. fixed duty upon foreign
grain, the corn of the 'Toiled States could not be imported here
and sold under 455. or 50s. ; and the farmers of this country
need, therefore, have very little to apprehend front the adop-
tion of such a proposal. He cordially supported the motion then
before the House.
The Marquis of CL A NIIICARDE conterded that the
Noble Earl opposite (the Earl of Ripon) had furnished no
answer to the powerful arguments of his Noble and Learned
Friend (Lord Broug,h on). The only reason why our trade
had declined was, that foreign nations were unwilling or unable
to pay for our manufactures, while we excluded their agri-
cultural produce. There could be no doubt but that the
country was now plunged in the deepest distress ; and if the
Government refused the inquiry now proposed, it was their
duty to tell the House what they intended to do for the purpohs:
of meeting the threatening evils of the coming wirier.
that
Government had passed the tariff; but no one believed
the
de-
that measure would relieve, at least for some
time,
dining trade of the country. They had now noohwebriim;heahe-
sure before Parliament but the Poor-law —alaw of
approved in its main details, but which offered 'no resource for
the wide-spread distress which prevailed throughout the land.
The conduct of. the 'people under their
them too much. The
notc ss
t,.
kept up ; something
distresses had been sue-
p:ising, but they must not
press
gsta ntteu ofst
pre,,,,,t state of things could
.e
he done for the people ; they had now arrived at a
things when they must submit to inconvenience, or something
worse.—( hear, hear.)
Ile cordially concurred with the mo-
tion, and would support it unless some Member of her Majesty's
Government announced his intention of bringing forward
some effectual remedy for the distress that existed in the
country.
viscount MELBOURNE had never heard a more temperate
preset] speech from the Noble Lord who had introduced the - ' t
been convinced by it of the
notion. Every one must have
distress that existed in the country • b at alarmed hi , but wnm was
the long cont.nuance of the distress, and the patience with
which the people bore it. Ho thought Parliament onght trot
to delay finding a remedy for the distress thatio edxis(it • ed. tic had
eonsi,iered the subject most. not think it
would he wi• eto appeint the fall}',
•tthat had
posed. What they had to consider was, whether the course
israposed lo be adopted was . ' .
,Nl6O or net, or Was one likely t.
proauee any good. it the lions,' had distrust in the Gc7err -
merit, ;
•t night be well to' appoint a Committee, but if it had
Mt, he dirt rot see the tility of it. Ho blieved if ever
Ire was a question in which ample inquiry had taken
I'l met', it was the Cot n.laws. A Bill had alread
passed both Houses on the subject in the course of the preen
session. He did not think that Bill a good one, but still it had
been adopted by Parliament ; and it was impossible to deny
that there was a great. deal of danger and evil in repeated
change. He believed that the apprehension of change and

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