The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-16 00:00:00

Honourable Gentleman (the Vice-President of the
Board of Trade) bad said that because two millions
of quarters were 'imported from abroad, the English
production would be reduced two millions. He did
not believe such would be the case.—(Hear, hear.) Was
nothing to be allowed* for increased consumption ?
alear,hear.) He believed the surest means of increas-
ing the wealth of a country wenid be to increase its lin-
ports.—(Hear.) Another pointssf view, audit would ap-
pear to many a novel one, which he took of the pre-
sent Corn-law was, that the priaciple of monopoly which
they had seen to be so injurious in all other cases would
also operate injuriously against the farmers of the
country'.—(Hear, hear.) He believed if the Corn-laws
were i epealed the farmers would, be more anxious than
they were to improve the productive capabilities of their
farms. He remembered with respect to the silk' trade,
that while it was protected by monopoly, old and almost
useless machinery was employed, but when the pro-
tection was lowered, machinery of a better description
was introduced. He considered the same result
would be the consequence in their farming system
if the Corn-laws were repealed, and he WftB
-the more strengthened in this opinion, because in
Scotland, where the best system% of farming prevailed,
the agriculturists were not unfavourable to an
alteration of the Corn-laws.(Hear, hear, hear.)
The causes of the superiority of the SCotch farms, were
their great extent, and the system of leases. Under the
system which prevailed in this country, a farmer would not
however good might be his landlord, lay out his money
in the same manner .as he would if he had the farm
upon lease. A Scotch friend had told him
of an instance in which a farmer who had
the remainder of the lease of a farm of which the rent
was 700/. a year. He had laid out 7,000/. in improve-
ments, and there were more improvements required,
which would cost about 3,000/. On the landlord consent-
ing to extend the lease for five years, the farmer made
that additional outlay. He believed if agriculture were
unprotected, both landlord and farmer would endeavour
to effect such improvements, and that the result
would be most beneficial to the country. He did not
advocate the repeal of the Corn-laws on the ground
which was relied upon by the delegates of the Anti-
Corn-law Conference,'or ,because he believed that it
would, to any great extent, reduce the price of corn ;
but he advocated the repeal of those laws, because he
believed they formed a great obstacle to free trade
all over the world. He opposed those laws on
the principles of the soundest political economy,
and because he was for removing all restrictions on
the freedom of trade. The Right Hon. Baronet had
indeed a sufficient majority to carry his measure ; but
how long would that majority last ? He ' predicted
that 'it would last only till the next dissolution.
He trusted, and believed, that shortly the time would ar-
rive when England, instead of trusting to her Navigation-
laws and Corn-laws, and to systems of protection and
restriction, would trust to her insular situation, her
commerce, her water-mills, her steam-mills, her mind,
and her freedom.—(Cheers.)
Captain RODS, who was at first indistinct and in-
audible, was understood to say, that as this was a popu-
larity question, he had made up his mind from the mo-
ment he set foot in the House that he would speak
out upon it.—(" Hear, hear," and a laugh.) There
were three measures to choose between. There was the
proposition of the Right Hon. Baronet, that of the Noble
Lord, and of the lion. Member for Wolverhampton,
which was in petto.—(A laugh.) Now if Honourable
Gentlemen opposite supported the former proposition
of the Noble Lord, which implied that agriculture
ought to have some protection, they would not keep
their words—the), would not be the high-minded gentle-
men he had always thought thern.—(Hear, hear.) They
would be good for neither God nor Devil—(Hear, and
laughter)—if they voted for the motion of the Hon.
Member for Wolverhampton.—(Tory cheers.) There
was a Noble Lord in the other House of Parliament who
never made btit one mistake in his life, and that was
when he accepted office.—(A laugh.) That Noble Lord
said that whoever proposed an alteration of the sliding-
scale would be only fit for Bedlam. Now in that, he
was happy to agree with the Noble Lord.—(Cheers and
a laugh.) For his part, he had made up his mind that
whenever God gave us a fixed succession of good
harvests, he would consent to a fixed duty.
But as long as our harvests were variable, it would
be necessary to have a variable duty.—(Cheers.)
The gentlemen who sent him to Parliament were satis-
fled with the measure proposed by the Right Hon. Ba-
ronet, because they thought that it was framed on the
principle of live and let live, and on a due consideration of
the interests of the farmers, manufacturers, and working
classes. A French diplomatist said words were given to
man to conceal his thoughts, and this would appear to
be true if we referred to the speeches of the Anti-Corn-
law party, who talk with such anxiety of saving 2d.
upon every quartern loaf for the working man ;
but to whom would this twopence go ? Would it be
into the pockets of the master or of the workman ?
(Hear,
hear.) Now he would refer to the wages in
other countries where food was cheap. He did not mean
the United States, or our new colonies, which were new
countries, and where the value of labour was ex-
ceedingly high ; but take India, where there were
60,000 of our fellow-subjects, and the wages of labour were
2d. a day. In the Valle de Plass the labourer had lOs.
a month, out of which he had to feed, clothe, and lodge
himself. Look to France, where so many English fami-
lies lived—not for cheap bread, but for cheap wages,
cheap education, and cheap horses ; and it
was through the Continent, as in France.
In 1795, mechanics earned 3s. a-day, and their labourers
Is. Bd. ; the price of corn then was 725. I ld. ; in 1812,
when corn was 1225., the wages were the same as they
are at ipresent. Bricklayers, carpenters, joiners,
stonemasons, 'Ambers, painters, glaziers, &c., earned ss.
for a day of ten hours; coachmakers made from 345. to 60s.
a week; bootmakers from 365. to 605.; tailors from 365. to
425., wiven they have plenty of work,Did the House imagine
that these men, who earned from 30s. to 60s. a-week,
cared whether they paid a penny more or a penny less
for the quartern loaf, so long as they had plenty
of work ?—(Hear.) Take one of the stonemasons—they
had their 21b. Of rump steak, two pots of porter, and a
quartern of gin to keep them warm, in a day; but if the
plan which lion. Gentlemen opposite proposed were to
come into operation, they would have no beef, no beer,
and no gin, but bread and onions and a good suck at
the pump.—(llear, hear, and laughter.) The London
tradesmen, now that rents are 30 per cent. higher than
they were thirty or forty . years ago, that they pay
higher wages, and that articles which they
sell still remain at pretty nearly the !same price,
were in a ,worse situation, he thought, than
any other class ; but if they destroyed the
agriculturists they would destroy the trades-
men at the same—time, because the agriculturists
were their best customers.—(Hear, hear.) He would
go higher; he would go to the merchant. He (Capt.Rous)
was a captain and shipowner ; if he went to Hamburgh
he could build a.ship for 2,000/., which at Hull or Liver-
pool would cost him 3,500/., because at Hamburgh a
shipwright's wages were only Is. Bd. , a day, whilst a
shipwright's wages in England were ss. The Hamburgh
man lived upon a crust of bread—his friends in
England liked to have beefsteaks. Then after the ship
was rigged at Hamburgh, he could get Prussians,
Swedes, and Norwegians, all good seamen, for 15s.
a month and rations, which would not cost more
than 3d. per diem per man ; but if he came
to England his good fellows would want a pound of pork
or of beef, which would cost him ls. a day, and besides
that, they would -bot go to sea under , forty shillings a
month ; that made an odds of 70s. to 225. 6d. against
the English crew. The House, he was sure, must agree
with him then that he must be a very clever Captain if
he could pay his way against the Hainburgh Captain.
The stone-masons employed at the Houses of Parlia-
ment every one of theta got five shillings a-day,
and if free trade was established, what wo instanceu there
be to prevent three hundred Prussians, for ,
from being brought over in their stead ?-11ear,
' hear.) He. (Captain Rous) was a practical mail,
and clearly foresaw the effects of the measures
advocated by Hon. Gentlemen oppesite. If free trade
was established, first, there would be no specie in the
banks—(Hear, hear)—and, next, the artificers and
mechanics who are now employed at ss. a day in London,
and elsewhere in England, would not get half that
amount of wages if free trade was established. lion.
Gentlemen on the opposite side were very fond of draw-
ing comparisons between this country and foreign coun-
tries ; they had frequently referred to their relations with
America, but lie cCapt. IL) would tisk them to look at
their American friends. It was true they borrowed money,
in England, but how much interest did they pay for it ?
—(Hear, and laughter.) Their American friends sent
large orders to Liverpool and London, but how much of
those orders were paid ? It was not uncommon for them
(the Americans) to come over to this co tuitry and order
2,0001. worth of goods from persons first setting up in trade,
one half of which was to be paid in hard cash, and

:he other half afterwards ; but there was no

instance on record when that other half was ever
paid.—(Hear, hear.) He would not trouble the
House further, he would merely say to his Right Ho-
nourable Friend (Sir Robert Peel) that if he would only
go in the middle course, and not mind either the murmurs
of the high aristocracy, or the complaints of a de-
luded people, that. Right Hon. Gentleman must re-
main in the high position he now occupied —(Cheers.)

He should not shift out of his course like a man
with one leg in the grave and the other out—(Laughter)
—but he should adhere to the interests of the country,
and care for nothing so long as he took care of her and
himself.—(Laughter, and Hear, hear,)
Mr. WILLIAMS rose amidst cries of a " New Mem.
ber," He said he should certainly comply with the call
of the House, but that he had heard the Honourable
Gentleman before ; he could not, therefore, consider him
• r
in, the light in which he . seemed to be viewed
by the House. (Hear, hear.) He (M . W.) felt some-
what different from a very large number of the people
of this country, who never expected any good from
the present 4overnment. He had expected that
the Right Honourable Gentleman at the head
of her Majesty's Government would have taken a
statesman-like view of the • present difficulties in
which the trade and commerce of this coun-
try were implicated. He (Mr. W.) had expected
that the Right Hon. Baronet having on a former occasion
stated in that House that he considered the trade and
manufactures of this country to be the foundation of its
strength, power, and greatness, he would have intro-
duced into this measure, which so deeply affected its
interests, something that would afford relief'. He
(Mr. Williams) thought that the Government were
chargeable with great blame in placing
in her Majesty's
mouth words which had been
htl
traising e theeffect
o r
creatingexpe t atigornesa
todfi
staP
l e p
oi country,tm e nt
meansonly of h
hadul
•
He considered that the proposition now before-the House
would be in its practical effect, by no means different
from the present law. When the present scheme came into
operation a large surplus of corn would be in the hands
of foreirrn merchants, and a considerable quantity would
be introbduced into this country. In fact inducements
would be held Out by the broker and factor in this
• country to the foreign merchant, who would not under-