The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-15 00:00:00

ping of this country, for instance, and handed over to foreign
merchants. A statement had been made showing the enormous
sums of money necessarily spent in the *abase of corn, in
dear or scarce years, in comparison with plentiful seasons; in
a pamphlet of Mr. Wilson's, which was quoted by the Right
Hon. Gentleman (Sir R. Peel), it was stated, that at least
fifteen millions of money more were paid for corn in years of
scarcity,, than the sum paid for it in seasons of plenty. A
similar statement was made by Mr. Whitmore and others, who
had ~written upon the subject of the commercial interests of
this country, with reference to the interdiction of foreign corn;
it might be shown that fifteen millions a year was the greatest sum
paid for corn in seasons of scarcity. He(Mr. Wood) believed,for he
had made a calculation upon the subject, that' it amounted to
thirty millions a year very frequently.—( Hear; hear.) Would
not that enormous additional price of corn put it entirely out of
the power of a great many persons to consume the same quan-
tity of it in scarce seasons as in those of abundance? That pretty
cleverly represented the sacrifice which this country was
obliged to Make in consequence of the high price of corn.—
( Hear, hear.) If the price of corn was necessarily increased
teethe extent of thirty millions in one year, taking the average
amount of wages earned by families in this country, and de-
ducting from it the increased price of corn, what would be left
for the purchase of the other necessaries of life?
(Mr. Wood then went into a detail of the comparative sums
expended for the purchase of coin in seasons of scarcity, and
other necessaries of life.) The price of corn had been increasing
materially while wages were gradually diminishing throughout
the manufacturing districts of England. He (Mr. Wood)
more particularly alluded to Halifax and other places with
which he was connected. He alluded to places whereelthough
distress was great and very general, the misery or destitution
of the people was not so appalling as in other parts of the coon.
try, yet wages had to his own knowledge Wien in those
places more than one-fourth within the last few years; there-
fore if the price of corn, which was so essential an article of
food bad been so much increased, how could it be wondered at
that distress had also been very general, and very considerable
augmented ? ( Hear, hear.l The number of those depending
upon agriculture was, as the Right Hon. Gentleman (Sir R.
Peel) said, a small proportion of the whole of those who de-
pended upon manufactures. There might be advantages attend-
efig the'various propositions made, but upon the whole, he (Mr.
'Vend) was of opinion that, in times of peace, a fixed duty was
the'orily mode by which a steady priceg could be obtained.
—4 Hdar, hear.) He believed that a s ding scale prevented
any" trade being carried on between this and other countries.
It was his firm conviction, under all circumstances, that a mo-
derate fixed ditty might be sustained, and that the objections
whkh the Right Hon. Gentleman urged to a fixed duty
could not be maintained. Under all the circumstances he was
clearly of opinion that a fixed duty upon the introduction of
foreign corn would be a positive advantage to the country at
large.—( Hear, hear. )
Mr. LIDDELL thought that the Right Hon. Gentleman
the Member for Halifax had commenced his speech in a tone
of unwarrantable triumph, imagining that the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman the Vice-President of the Board of Trade had
been entrapped in his able address into an ad-
mission that the proposition of the Government
was not likely to be acceptable to either party. As far as his
(Mr. Liddell'e) experience went he though be might dispel
those illusions of the Right Hon. Gentleman, because he be-
lieved that the measure of the Government wouldbe acceptable
not only to the agricultural interest, but likewise highly gra-
tifying to a large portion of the manufacturing and commer-
cial interests.—(Cries of " Oh, oh," and ironical cheers from
the opposite side of the House.) He would assert again that
he believed it would be acceptable to a large portion of the
manufacturing and commercial interest who sanction the mea-
sure as a decided ,improvement in the present law.—(Hear,
hear.) , If the assertions that had been made that the manu-
facturing, commercial, and agricultural interests were inti-
mately interwoven, and that no measure relating to onebut must
affect the other, he could not see why the measures should
not be beneficial as well to the manufacturing as the agricul-
tural interests. For his own part, he believed that this mea-
sure would be a signal improvement in the present law.
and one that was likely to confer great benefits on the country
at large. The Right Hon. Gentleman then went on to argue
upon the absurdity of the proposition of keeping this country
dependent on foreign countries for a supply of corn ; where he
would ask, did the Right lion. Gentleman find that proposition
stated on that side of the House. He (Mr. Liddell) thought
that he made giants first, then he knocked them down; on that
side of the House, such a notion had been repudiated. What
they maintained was this, and in support of that they might
revert to past experience that this country, with a fair harvest,
could very nearly, it not entirely, supply the wants of its
own population ; that argument had been maintained, and was
to be justified by reference to facts ; but when the period came
that 'the rise of prices indicated a deficiency of supply, then
the value of the sliding scale was proved. They had never
yet failed in such instances of obtaining from foreign eountrios
a supply adequate to the wants of the country. The Right
Hon. Gentleman then went on to argue against the present
Corn-law, in consequence of its causing fluctuation in the
price of grain. He (Mr. Liddell) had heard the same argu-
ments- advanced before the fermis' a of Northumberland by a
Noble Lord whose follower 'the Right lion. Member for Hali-
fax wae.-s-( Laughter.) That Noble Lord in vain appealed to
the farmers in Northumberland. In that respect those argu-
Ments were not successful. He (Mr. Liddell) greatly re-
gretted the absence of that Noble Lord, and, recollecting the
cause of that absence, he would abstain from saying anything
further ; but he could not help referring to the arguments of the
Right Hon. Gent. opposite. The fluctuations of price to which
he had adverted had not occurred by the competition of foreign
supply. As the subject of the Corn-laws excited at the present
time universal attention, he bad looked with very great inte-
rest to the arguments made 'use of on both sides of the House.
He hail also attended to the speech of the Noble Lord opposite,
in which he found recommendations, that when changes were
to be made they should take place upon sound principles. Now,
he asked himself what were those sound principles—were they
those of the Noble Lord, for which he Lad fought, bled, and
fallen?-(Cheers)—or were they those of the Right Hon.
Baronet, which he (Mr. Liddell) trusted would be carried into
effect? The Noble Lord, before he proceeded to the
consideration of this question, thought proper to
put forth certain principles on which all changes ought to take
place ; and he stated that one great object was conciliation of
opponents. He felt that this measure had not been brought
forward before it was well considered ; it had been judiciously
arranged, and deserved and was entitled to the consideration of
the Ikouse. lie could not admit the safety of the principle
put forth by the • Noble- Lord, that in making
any change, conciliation should be the great object in view.
Now he 61Ir. Li4dcll) remembered when the question of
Catholic Emancipation was conceded, and it was conceded in
the - best spirit; lie remembered when that concession took
place, that concilidtion lasted hut a short time.—( Hear,
hear.) He remembered also, when the Noble Lord opposite
introduced his -great measure of Parliamentary reforM, when
some people thought he was going too far, the answer was 'din-.
stantly the people would not be satisfied with leSs—(Hear,
her..) Nuw they had all seen how little' satisfied some men
of eitreme opinious were even with that measure, and the No-
ble Lord opposite might depend upon it that precisely the same
conssquences would follow if, unhappily for the country, he were
to succeed in carrying his proposition of a fixed duty of Bs.
It had been admitted by all .free traders that all
duties on the necessaries of life were unsupportable and
intolerable ; what, therefore, was to be 'expected frOm such
men, why ? that if they agreed one day to a fixed duty they
would the next try to get rid of it.—(Hear, hear.) What
then was the duty of the Government in effecting chagges?
In his opinion the duty of the Government was the adoption
precisely of that line which the Right Hon. Baronet, at the
head of her Majesty's Government had adopted ; namely, that
of-carefully considering the details of the measure, and after
such consideration fairly to lay the results before the country
as the deliberate opinion of the Government. He felt con-
eineed that the same arguments that had induced him to come
to thesopinion he had formed, would not fail to recommend the
measure of the Right Hon. Baronet to the House and the
cotonry.---(Hear, hear.) Those who brought forward mea-
sures for popular conciliation would find themselves as the
Noble Lord had done, disappointed in the result. In the argu-
ments of the Noble Lord, on behalf of a fixed duty, and in con-
demnation of the sliding scale, where he spoke of impediments
Thrown in the way of free-trade by the sliding.scale, it ap-
peared' to him, that he was arguing on behalf
of the ;merchant, who had entered into speculations ;
his sole attention seemed to be directed to the chance of the
success of the mei chant who had entered into the foreign
trade. It was surely to be considered that the result of com-
mercial enterprise was of advantage to the country, but the
merchant traded for his own exclusive interest, not for the in-
tenM of the public. The Noble Lord brought his proposition
befoi'o the House, and the country had rejected it at the last
election. For his own part, he mid not think that at the time
the Noble Lord brought forward his proposition he had any
very sanguine hopes of carrying-it in that House. The two
questions fairly before the consideration of Parliament were,
whether the shding,seale or a fixed duty was most for the be-
nefit-of the country at large ? He would not attempt to an-
swer the propositions put for Ward 'by the Anti-Corn-law
Iseigtie: Ile had, however, a right to assume that a Corn-law
of .some sort was ' for the' benefit of the country, and he
cerlcurred with the Right Honourable Baronet in thinking
that, the sliding scale was better than the fixed duty.
The. sliding scale conferred these two great advantages—on
the one hand it. secured to the home grower the command of
themarket, so long as he could supply it at a reasonable price ;
and, on the other hand, it gave an opportunity to the foreign
grower, when corn was so high here as to threaten a deficiency
of supply. He thought that it had been long ascertained that'
the sliding scale was superior to a fixed duty, and the opinions
of Canning and Huskisson were so distinctly in favour of the
sliding scale, that he was surprised to see a large party in fa-
vour of a fixed duty. He believed that the measure which
her Majesty's Government had brought forward, was calculated
to realise the hopes entertained respecting it; and he had so
many reasons for believing so, as altogether tojustify him in the
support which he should give to the measure—that it was a de-
eideseampeesesneet on the present system, and removed many
evilS Which he. had out, been blind to —(Cheers.) He firmly
beliejeste andsal, -coy party in which he placed confidence
had, brqught the present measure forward within the last
ten years, he should willingly have supported it.—(Hear,
hear.) Now, with, retard to the question of averages,
and the frauds committed and said to have been committed by
fictitious means,a.nd undue returns. He believed a good deal
of that sort of trickery had takeu place; he had made certain
inquires in the market of Newcastle, and had at times heard
large ,ales had been fraudulently made, but on wishing for
for further inforination there was so much reserve as to
giving authority that he (Mr. Liddell) was not able to lay
beforh' the House any certain facts, but it was quite notorious
thategraat'fraudsi had taken place in taking the averages. He
thought the provisions introduced into the proposed plan, if not
entirelY sufficient, would be' adt quete' to prevent frauds.—
(Hear; -hear.) 'rhe widening the range of those towns in
whit:if-the 'averages should be taken would induce individuals
no longer to combine, but to make bonest and honourable
retiu'oas His Right Hon. Friend, the Vice-President of the
Board of Trade,, went into many of the objections made to the
Pr"enlaw in so masterly a style,. that he ( Mr. Liddell) would
not go over the same ground, particularly as to the derange-
ments produced in the country. It appeared to him (Mr.
Liddell) that there was one point in which- this de-
rangenient lop the Country.o/Al ~,,r,i,t 6f huuninbmi, be contemplated, it was the
of the7.
harvest for
supplies of foreign. corn.
The insuffleieuey
rein,
in. this country required . a
great'supply of foreign
bullion. As the Right Hon.which most be paid for in.
of the Board of Trade'Gentleman, the VicesPresideset
showed,do whatever was the state of the
Corn-laws, sitoposing a
the derengeinent of the currency to the harvest took 'bee,
Yrist take place. It was not
fair, therefore, to lay on the
„thiletv,
were,
on elidingthert
.scalet,
the'deficieneies in the currency,
the deficiency of the harvest. But they theeere;latiln hea:rrloawigngrerrot.
deal of .the distress in the country ;undoubtedly if there, were
more money there might nor h ,much e se distress
. ; out the. ward
of money Must be laid to the deficient supply, the result of
seasons. of scarcity ; and should a season of
four lalceessive
idrentyratdhae.t
plenty again occur,. these clouds on their horizon might
be dissipated. He felt that it was po
there must be ebbs and flows in all portionsm ssibl
ner to
our
certain that whatever branch of trade in corn_
Inc it Was
F= Nifecefi;,pfolllisetl a fair . remuneration, capital
flowed
i xitsiesi much, that the prices soon became lowered great
Talsif ceased over-production, over-production produced an
over-ii . led., market, and blackness ot• trade followed, which
could en be assimulated to the ebbs and flows of the tide..._
l
t
(Hear, hear.) Let them hope that before long the current
would'ehange—that by treating these important subjects with
the calterfess and the deltberation due to them, a measure might
be brought forth and matured which wigkst invigorate the
weakened resources of .the country, protect the agricultural, at
the aside
time thatit gave a zest to the manufacturing interests, e
lad ruing confidence where it had been most shaken.