The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-23 00:00:00

have constant dependence on foreign supplies than a partial de-
pendence. In 1801 the King of Prussia declared that when
the prices here were Famine prices he should keep his duty ny to
the full, but if the prices got lower here he should reduce
his. A great deal had been said with respect to the burdens
upon land; it had been said that the agriculturists had no
right to ask for any protection.—(Hear, hear.) On the sub-
ject of burdens upon land he (Mr. Wodeholise) would refer to
what took place many years ago on the subject. The present
Sir Geo. Phillips was connected with certain returns made at
that time; by those returns it appeared that the taxes on land
were four millions and a half. One million on houses,
and 300,000/., and no more, was the amount
of the taxes upon the trade and manufactures of the country.
When this return came back, Sir George. Phillips said there
must. be some mistake, and he recommended that a second re
:urn should be made. The second account came back in the
sam.s shape as the preceding one, arid they never heard Sir G.
Phillips on the subject any more. With respect to wages, did
they think it possible that wages should keep pace with
the price of provisions—( Hear. ) The Honourable Member
opposite, in speaking of this subject, had gone back to the
earliest periods, when wages were 9d. a day. —( Hear, hear. )
Ile would refer them, however, to the wages of labour b3tween
the years 1800. and 1810, when it would be found that wares
were nearly doubled. It had been stated that these laws would
be really a great obstruction to foreign commerce; he (Mr.
Wodehouse) hoped he did not undervalue the commerce, but
he did not believe the proposed measures would in any way
materially affect our relations with foreign countries. In speak •
ing of this question, however, he shoul i quote from what had
been said by a gentleman,whose correctness he presumed would
not be doubted by Hon. Gentlemen opposite. (The lion.
Member here proceeded at some length to quote some
remarks of Dr. Bowiing on this subject, which have
already appeared in the course of the debate.) He
believed the measure of the Government was intended to
act fairly towards the landed and the manufacturing interests;
but he did not view it without fear of danger—( Hear, hear)—
for though there might be an obvious necessity to relax the
duties on foreign wheat, which was the food of man, or on fo-
r eign oats, which was also the food of man, what necessity
was there to relax the duties on foreign barley ?—( Hear, and
laughter.) He maintained that the cultivation was most im-
portant to the cultivation of wheat, for the sowing of barley
maintained the land in heart. Yet the correspondence laid on
the table would show that the prospects of a supply of barley
from Elsinore alone were enough to alarm this country. This
was the principal point of objection he had to make to the mea-
sure, and having now stated his views, he thanked the House
for its kind attention.

Dr. BOWRING, in explanation, referred to the period
when he met the representatives of the Govern-
ments composing the Prussian League at Berlin, on
behalf of her Majesty's late Government, to consider
the question of a mutual modification of the tariffs of
Prussia and Great Britain, in order that the twenty-four mil-
lions of inhabitants comprised within the territories of the
League, might be induced to take our manufactures, on condi-
tion that we should open our markets to their agricultural pro-
duce. The Deputies were willing enough to consider the corn
and timber duties of England on this principle, but our engage-
ments with Canada prevented any modification in the latter,
and the corn question was not so ripe in or outside the House
then as it was now; consequently, nothing was done. Con-
sidering the motion of the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton,
he (Dr. hovering) was glad to recognise one great merit in it,
that was, the introduction of the word " now." That word
appealed intelligibly to all. There were around us multitudes
suffering from want, and " now" was the time to
relieve them ; and if the claims of the landed in-
terest interposed injustice between us and this great
act of duty, let those claims be investigated, and if they
were proved, not a man in the House would be more
willing to afford them compensation. Before they came to a
vote on this question, they should consider how it was regarded
by public opinion. While every one admitted the awful gravity
of tide question, two petitions, signed by less than 100 persons,
had been sent to the House in support of the Right Hon.
Baronet's measure; whilst there had been presented 1,694
petitions, signed by 427,600 petitioners, expressing dissatis.
faction with the present Corn-laws, and almost unanimously
demanding their total and immediate repeal. —( Hear, hear. )
In the House, too, the question of repeal had made a great ad-
vance. In 1829 Mr. Hume proposed a fixed duty of 205., and
was supported by only twelve Members. In 1833 Mr. Whit.-
more brought the question forward, and was supported by 106
Members. In 1834 Mr. Hume's minority was raised to 155. In
1836 the motion of the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton was
supported by 195 Members ; and in 1840 it was supported by
177, in a much less numerous House than that that who heard
the previous debate. Now in 1842 we saw that 226 Hon.
Members declared that the present state of things ought not to
be tolerated, and that the measure of the Right Hon. Baronet
ought not to be accepted. Let us again refer to the evidence
of advancing distress in the country. The 150 market towns
which furnished the averages showed that from 1836 to 1838
the consumption had been 12,346,000 quarters, making all
average of 4,145,000 quarters ; while from 1839 to 1841 the
consumption had diminished to 10,938,000 quarters, being an
average of 3,646,000 quarters, proving in these towns a falling
off of 469,300 quarters. This referred to wheat alone. An
Hon. Gentleman opposite remarked that the duty was but
ss. 9d. a quarter ; but he should remember that the lower
the duty the higher the price to the consumer. The Hon.
Member for Shropshire said this would be but a tax of five
farthing-3 a week to each man. Now there were hun-
dreds of thousands in the country who did riot earn more than
Is. a week each. Yet on these unfortunate people the bread-tax,
even according to that Hon. Member, would be 10 per cent.
out of their earnings. The Right Hon. Baronet, the Secre-
tary for the Home Department, said the Bill of the Govern-
ment would give a protection of I 4s. a quarter; this would be
30 per cent. out of the wages of those miserable people who
earned ls. a week ; but adding the ss. 9d. to this, they would
have an aggregate of 19,000,0001; and adding 6s. more for
transport, the amount of tax paid by the consumer would be
26,000,000/. The Hon. Member for Kent spoke of the
burthens land was peculiarly liable to. The history of this
country on the contrary, was a history of the exemption of
land from burthens. The Hon. Member said the landlords
were not allowed to grow tobacco. No one would object to it,
if they paid the 3s. duty now paid by the consumer. Upon
the same principle on which they now spoke, the landed in-
terest would have cultivated beet-root sugar, and would have
insisted upon compensation, if the proposal by Lord Sydenharn
some years ago to lay a duty of 245. on foreign beet-root
sugar were carried. Returns presented to the Chamber of
Deputies in 1840, showed that in forty-three departments of
France east of Paris, an area of 64,600,000 acres,
growing 6,280,000 quarters of wheat produced on the
average 14 3.20 th bushels an acre. Now, our land produced,
not less than 28 bushels an acre ; yet, while the whole direct
land- tax paid by this country did not exceed 1,250,000/., that
paid by those 43 departments in France, exceeded 3,000,000/.,
and this was but one kind of tax. After alluding to the feudal
system still prevailing in those parts of Poland. Russia, and
other districts to which we might look for supplies, the Hon.
and Learned Gentiemari alluded to their want of
capital and labourers, and added that he should be
more afraid that they would not be found able to supply our
growing population, rather than that our agriculture should be
overwhelmed by the abundance of their exports. It was said
that there were sliding scales in other countries. Would the
Right Hon. Baronet adopt some of these ? The scale in
France was most complicated, or, rather, there were four
scales acting in the tour zones into which that country was
divided. Under the French tariff, when wheat was 445., the
duty was 9s. 64d. ; at 58s. 3d. it was 6d. a quarter. In Hol-
land, when the price was under 235. 9d., the duty was 14s. 3d. ;
but when the price was above 425. 10d., the duty was ls.
The Dutch had given practical application to the principles
recommended by the Noble Lord the Member for London, and
the Noble Lord the Member for Tiverton. There the revenue
was collected as well en the produce of industry as on the land,
and it was taxed at the mill. He could not help saying that
this was one of the causes which produced the rebellion in
Holland, and led to the alienation of Belgium, and the creation
of a separate Government. In Belgium the importation of
corn at 565. was duty free, and when it was under 275. 9d.,
its importation was prohibited. Therefore, when he
referred to the sliding scales of the Continent, arid compared
with them that of the Right Hon. Baronet, he could not but
feel that the people of England were unjustly dealt with.—
( Hear, hear.) Taxation in Holland was high, the cost of the
Government was great, the comforts and conveniences of life
were nearly at the same price as in England, and yet they
could import corn for 425. at a duty of Is. 2d.—(Hear,
hear.) He now came to the averages, and he recollected the
Hon. Member for Shoreham had said the landed interest was
willing to make concessions on this point. An opinion
was prevalent: abroad that a fall of 4s. or 54. in the averages
would take place, but the Hon. Baronet introduced new ele-
ments in the taking of them.—(Hear, hear.) He (Dr. Bow-
ring) was of opinion that the tithe commutation had been set-
tled on the system of averages which had been established un-
der the present mode, but the Right Hon. Baronet was now
about to supersede it altogether. If the new system would
have the effect, as he believed it would, of lowering the
averages, then he was dealing unjustly with those
interests for which lie professed so much attachment.—(Hear.)
The Hon. Member for Pontefract had referred to him (Dr.
Bowring) with regard to the Prussian League, and he stated it
was a failure, but he (Dr. Bowring) did not think so. It was
true that with the aid of other States it might turn out un-
fortunately, but the opposition of that House to the introduc-
tion of a moderate fixed duty, or free trade in corn, added
greatly to its influence.—( Hear, hear.) The agricultural in-
terests of Germany were enfeebled, and the manufacturing
interests were encouraged, by their legislation.---( Hear. )
'that League was becoming more powerful every day, and a
free trade was now being established without embarrassment or
impedimeutbetween 24,000,000 or 25,000,000 of persons, who
before gave every resistance and annoyance to each other.—
( Hear, hear.) Many others had expressed their intention to
joie that League, and he (Dr. Bowring) considered its
creation, both in a commercial and political point of
view, one of the most remarkable events of modern
times. The Hon Member for Pontefract had made allusions to
the Legislature of France, and quoted the opinion of M. Dupin,
whom he considered the Brougham of that country, and who
looked upon the sliding scale as the beau ideal of political
invention. But M. Dupin was not the individual whom
the Hon. Member represented him to be. He stood high
indeed, with respect to many valuable contributions which
he had made to literature, but upon statistical facts his evidence
was not of much value. It had been stated that the cause of
the distress of the working classes was owing to the progress
of machinery, but if they looked to the state of things
which existed where machinery was not employed, the
distress would be found equally appalling and extensive.—( The
Hon. Member was then proceeding to show the great re-
duction in the price of wages which had taken place in those
branches of trade to which machinery had not been applied,
when he was met by loud cries of " Question" from the Mi •
nisterial benches.) It was with great pain he spoke of the
state of things which existed, but which ought not to exist,
in the country, and when they came to that House to dis-
charge that sad and painful duty of representing their suffer-
ings, it was met by loud cries of Question, and he:could not
but contrast the shouts which proceeded from the party opposite
with the testimony of the Right Hon. hart. to the sufferings of the
people and the patience with which those sufferings were en-
dured.—( Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member for Bath repu-
diated the idea of the present being a religious question, but he
(Dr. Bowring) thought they were only acting and legislating
be done
in atrue Chaistian spirit in endeavouring, as far as it could
were e
art
ef Manchester,o
remove
the
et theydistress i
by leoislation, that the hungry should be fed
and the naked' clothed.—( Cries of " Hear, hear.") The
Honourable Member for Knaresborough had spoken of the
Wll:onlywitwith
which endeavoured,
thaesyfar werea s they
were able, to remove the d istress with which they were sur-
rounded, and whatever obloquy may be cast upon them in that
House, they would find their
recompense in their own bosoms.
And he thought thSt wl-
they had done iu Men the
women
put themselves forward as
anchManchester, Hon. Gentlemen might anticipate
out of this discussion a new state of things would arise. 'the
Hon. Member for Finsb
lessness of the people wily was right in saying that the hope-
regard to the repeal of the Corn,
ing
laws
exi would d
out create new demands for political changes. A feels
ste manors,
that House wery who represented
it was spreading widely, that in
a few, and hut few wh9
represented the many ; and
until the interests of the many were
, attended to with more devotion
the; demands for organic o than they had been heretofore,
cla-
morous. The pressure from alniftehowtould become more
bee bee;,recognied by the Right Hon.n—}the power of which
tiate to that aipmbie, ; aro
ss the re ilaronet7-would pene-
tParliamartiry Worm', consecitiete nether
be the removal. of everything the ..peo (4, Nol'let!Kbuld
pressive, and'which one day or other woulde deemed to be Op-
BgNETT sal!, that the Hon 1 e swept away..
sat' down had made allusion to the tith,e'cr bet who Iced just
mode of taking' the iticrage4 but _m„ position, and Rua
tfe should t reColleet