The Sun.
London, England, 1827-06-19 00:00:00

derstood from a friend, whose letter he held in his hand,
that there had been.a rise of Ss. or 4s. This, it was said,
was caused by the late Bill having been lost in another
place.—(Loud cries of Hear, hear.)--Though this was the
case, still there was no fear of a great rise of prices; on the
contrary, the promise which we had of an abundant har-
vest was calculated to keep them down. Besides, it should
be recollected, that wheat rose Ss. or. 4s. upon: the intro-
duction of the Right Honourable Gentleman's Bill a few
weeks ago, and that circumstance caused an alarm in
the public mind. When prices were at 675., it was
stated that we were comfortable and happy ; and that
the people enjoyed abundance under their beloved So-
vereign. But now, that prices were at 585., alarm
was said to be spread abroad in all quarters. The fact was,
that with the different variations in the value of our cur-
rency at different times, it was extremely difficult to legis-
late at all with.respect to corn. But they were compelled
to-do what they thought best for the interests as well of
the agriculturists as of the community at large--(Hear,
hear.)—All be asked at present was, that an Act which
had stood on their Statute Book for five years--an Act
which had been passed by that House upon the serious re-
commendation of a Committee—should have a fair trial.
It might be said that Ministers would have the power of
preventing corn from becoming dear by an girder in Coun-
cil. He did not fear, that if this power was given to Mi-
nisters, that they would Use it otherwise than discreetly
and cautiously: But-that was not the question. It was
the duty of Parlianient to provide, as far as in them lay,
against the necessity of resorting to such measures, unless
at times of unforeseen and pressing necessity. He main-
tained, that if his measure was adopted, such a necessity
would be obviated.- Upon the various occasions that the
Corn Laws had beenbrought under discussion, he had taken
a lively interest in them, and had sedulously attended to
the welfare and prosperity of agriculture. He had 'never
looked upon this as a_ personal or a party question—(Loud
cries of hear, hear), and never had be taken any
part upon it upon private or party considerations.—
(Hear, hear, hear.)—He had always felt that this
country should put an obligation upon itself, and provide
sufficient food for its inhabitants, as he was perfectly
sure it could do with industry, attention, and ma-
;snanagement, instead of relying upon foreign countries for
our supplies. This was the wisdom and the policy of aome
of our wisest Legislators and statesmen, and never bad the
doctrine been. more ably and eloquently enforced than by
the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite.—(Hear, bear !)
He (Mr. Western) had looked upon the Act of 1815 as
perfect settling of the Corn Question, and he was sure that
it was viewed lathe same light by Ministers, by the House,
and by the Country at large ; and therefore, he opposed
the Act of 1822, because he considered it to be an inva-
sion of that settlement, and a breach of public confidence.
The Hon. Member -concluded -by rowing the following
Resolution :

" That it is the opinion of this Commission, that so
much of the Act of the 3d Geo. IV. c. 60., relating to
the importation of corn, as renders the provisions of those
Acts dependent on the admission of foreign wheat for home
consumption, under the provisions of the Act of the 55th
Geo. 111. c. 26, should be repealed."
" That the Scale of Prices at which the home consump-
tion of Foreign Corn, Meal, Wheat, or Flour, is admitted
by the said Act of the 55th of Geo. 111., shall cease and
determine ; and that thenceforth all and every the provi-
sions of the said Act of the 3d Geo. IV., shall be in force
the same as if they had not been made dependent upon the
admission of foreign wheat for home consumption under the
maid Act of the 55th Geo III."

Mr. CANNING rose and said—Sir, the first observa-
tion I shall make upon the speech of the Honourable Mem-
ber is, that I consider the tone and manner which he has
introduced his motion exactly suited to the great question
which he brings under our discussion—a question involv-
ing so deeply the interests as well of the agriculturists as
of the community at large. Ibeg to assure the Honour-
able Member, that I shall address myself to the question
in the same tone; and whatever may be the future opi-
nion I may feel it right, in justice to myself, to others,
and to the King's Government, to express, I shall ab-
stain from all allusion at the present, not because I do
not feel the provocation-, but because I do not think this
the most proper.time for doing so.—(Cheers.)—Sir, I ran
conceive no epecits; of faction more inexcusable, more
blameable, or more Wicked, than that which would make
a subject touching the interests, and involving the proa.
perity of the whole community, a ground 'for exciting
party feelings, or exasperating political animosities.—
(Loud and repeated eheers.)—Sir, the next proposition
which the llonourable Gentleman has made, is one to
which, as he has laid it down, I cannot entirely accede,
and which I think; even" according to his view of the
subject; old the reasons he has given for its adoption, is
one he, cannot:boope to= see-carried into effect. Ido not
think that his, propcelitiovvis one at .all calculated to meet
thole disagreeable circumstances of the country, which he
seem 4 to think render some proposition necessary, and
which lie also- supposes call for the adoption of his par-
ticular proposition. His reasons seem to me to amount
to this—that as the old Corn Bill, I mean that which was
Arst.passed, has introduced a system, that every one agrees
requires alteration ; and as the Bill that has lately passed
this House, and which would have afforded the required
alteration, has, through no fault of ours, been lost in
another place, we should now turn to account another Bill
passed some few years since, which Bill, however, he is
:forced at the same time to acknowledge, possesses so many
defect• in principles that it has never been brought into
_operation ; and which' contains among others that clause
which I will call the deterring clause, namely, that which
prevented the introduction into our markets of foreign
wheat until our own wheat had attained the price of 80s.
a clause which was no better than a bugbear, and which
utterly prevented that Bill from being efficient and opera-
tiee.—(Hear.)—l admit, Sir, that there are circumstances
in the country, such as require some interposition of the Le-
gislature ; but Ido think that the Hon. Gentleman is asking
too much of this branch of the Legislature, when he de-
sires the Committee to consider of some proceeding to meet
those circumstances ; and in entering upon that considera-
tion, to retract their latest and most mature deliberation,
and to adopt a Bill which has always been acknowledged to
be defective, rather than resort to the principles at least of
that measure, which, as it seems to me, has been unmerit-
sedly thrown aside. Who, I ask, Sir, who, in the course
of the last discussion upon the state of the Corn Laws, ever
once proposed to act even upon the principle of the Bill of
esoo ? None. None, at least, without a considerable al-
teration in the prosision3 of that Act, which, from its
known deficiencies, has seen a dead letter from the very
date of its enactment. ii making his proposition, the
Hon. Gentleman has assumed It to be necessary upon other
considerations besides those to whicb I have alluded. But
even there his reasoning seems to me equally,inconclusive.
He says that the House of Commons have lately passed a
Bill, in which 60s. or 625. were stated as the remunerat-
ing price ; that that Bill, without any fault of ours, and
be it observed too, without any impeachment of the
principle of the Bill itself, has been rejected elsewhere, in
consequence of which a difficulty has arisen and an
alarm has been created throughout the country--ergo,
as the difficulty exists, it must be removed, and as
alarm has been created, it must be pacified ; and the
difficulty and the alarm both being caused by the high
price of corn, he proposes to remove the one, and to pacify
the other, by destroying the remunerating price of 625., and
'by returning to the price of lOs., which it was our object
lately to diminish—(Hear, hear, hear, and laughter. )—lt is.
really impossible to establish any other proposition than
t'iat which I Gate just stated, as the consequence of
Isis arguments. The Honourable Gentleman ought not
also to have lost sight of the circumstance, that in the re-
cent discussions of this House upon the subject of the Corn.
Laws, it was not only the price, but the principle, which came
under consideration ; and the question, therefore, which
we hare to consider, is not only whether we can agree to
the substitution of 70s. for 605., but also whether the
more matured decision of this House shall he abandoned,
anal whether we shall withdraw our support from those.
principles on which that decision was founded, for no other]
reason than that those principles have not been fortunate'
enough to meet with approbation elsewhere ? Yet such is.
the condik which the Hon. Gentleman wishes us to pur-.
sue ; and withotat any arguments to spew the incorrectness:
of the conclusions to which we then arrived, lie calls upon,
ass to abandon what we have done, and to retract the de-
liberate decision we have lately- made—to disclaim all we.
have been before declaring necessary—and, in short, tol
go back to the principles of prohibition. Ido not say thatl
thelllon. Gentleman has been unable to make his propo-1
sitions clear to the House from the want of capacity in
himself. Ido not say that it is from the want of ability,
or of knowledge, or of experience (all of which he possessesi
as much as any other man), that he has not succeeded ini
furnishing the House with a single reason for the course he
requires us to pursue. Perhaps that he has not done so isj
more to be attributed to the nature of his proposition itself)
l
than to any other circumstance.— I agree, Sir, with the',
Hon. Gentleman, that something is necessary to be done ;:
• but the rule I should lay down upon the subject is a very
plain one. As, I presume, that the House of Commons is
not so reduced as to abjure what its Members have declared
to be necessary principles, to rescind their deliberate Reno_
ich
/utions, and to throw away as waste paper thatmßeirlle.wh_
they have so much and so carefully considered, be
rause in a certain assembly, which, for many reasons, is en-,
titled to our respect, they did not happen to be entertained'
with that courtesy which might- hive beeu expee7 u