The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SAIITAPAY 3

rangers were ordered to ithdraw, and •he House
divided, when there appeared—
For the amendment
Against it -••••
1
4DISTRESS
OF TIRE COUI4TRY.
In the motion being puts that the House go into cohl-
inittce of Supply;
Mr. M. GII3SON moved that tl.e Hotise should resolve
itself into 4.c64i4iittee of the whole House, to take into
'C'OtiMderation the distressed state of the country. It
might be said that such a motion was useless, as Parlia-
ment had shown that it would not take any step for
the relief of the distress, which all upon every side and
of every opinion admitted to exist, although the sup-
porters of the Government denied Its extent. lie had
been, and was so continually pressed by those who
sent him to that House, to represent their sufferings to
Parliament and the Government, that he could not omit
any opportunity of bringing the distressed state of the
country under the consideration of those who were re-
garded as their representatives. 'The Hon. Gentleman
then went into detail to show the falling off in the sale of
butter, coffee, candles, sugar, butcher's meat, and other
necessaries of life, by the retail dealers of Manchester
during the last year. He knew that there were men
in every position of life who were so sanguine as to
hope that their fortunes, however desperate, were
sure to retrieve themselves ; but the present state of
things in this country allowed of no such indulgence to
the feelings of the most sanguine. The predictions
which were made in the petition of the Manchester
Chamber of Commerce in the year 183$ had been fear-
fully verified. The Hon. Member read also an extract
from the annual Report of the United Society of Cotton-
brokers of Liverpool to the same effect. The Right
Hon. Baronet opposite (Sir R. Peel) had said that the
improvements in machinery caused human labour to be
superseded. But was it not the fact that the restrictive
and monopoly laws kept away those means of absorption
which nature had provided for the superabundant
labour? He read extracts from returns to show
that the increase of exports was no proof
'of increased prosperity in manufactures ; oa the
contrary, the increase of exports in gotten was
a proof of the distress and the decline of mane-
factures.—(Hear.) He complained of the attempts made
on the other side of the House to throw a false co-
louring over the present state of affairs, and to give a
hope to the agriculturists that an improvement was
about to take place. A benevolent and talented preacher,
much admired by the . party represented on the other
side of the House, and In close connexion with Members
of the present Government, in preaching a sermon in
obedience to the Queen's Letter, said to his congregation
that it was necessary to put a check upoil the progress of
manufactures, which were superseding agriculture, and
collecting the people in dense masses. He (Ur. Gibson)
deprecated the issuing of party politics from the pulpit
of the Established Church. The Rev. Gentleman de-
precated the competition of industry with industry and
labour with -labour, whilst he poured out all his eloquence
to eulogise the competition of 'nations in war and blood.
l'here was a majority in the House that believed that
distress did exist in the country, and that nothing that
he Right Hon. Baronet. had brought forward would mi-
tigate it. 'lnquiry, therefore, was- necessary; and'hotli
aides of the House were bound to look into these matters
Ti a dispassionate .way, in order to ascertain the best
mode of alleviating the evil. There could be be, pos-
,ible excuse for not going into the inqttiry.— (Hear.)
The Honourable Gentleman had stated that he had
submitted all his measures to the House, and there
was, therefore, not a more fitting Opportunity than
the present for going into the inquiry. Was the
inconvenience of detaining a few Members in town to
he compared with the wants of the millions ? The coming
harvest. according to all accounts would not be an average
one. There was nothing to plead against inquiry, but
the lateness of the session, and that plea hid no foun-
dation.—(Hear, hear.) Parliament was bound to in-
quire into the distresses of the people, and Government
would incur an awful responsibility if they allowed Par-
liament to separate without doing something to alleviate
the distresses of the people.—(Hear.) He could not
conceive that the House would do its duty unless it re-
solved itself into a Committee of Inquiry. The days of
the Corn-laws were numbered, and the tune was at hand
when the Corn-laws would be erased from the statute
book, and it 'would be a wonder that such disgraceful
laws were ever allowed to exist.—(Hear.) He believed
if the manufacturers had only full scope, the country
would have full prosperity, and the landlords would
ensure a greater. rental.
Dr. BOWRING seconded the motion. It was ob-
vious that all that had been done by the Right Hon. Ba-
ronet had had no effect in alleviating the distresses of

-78

the'country. All that was required by the industrious
classes was that the markets of the world should be
thrown open to them. It was his belief that the distress
that had hitherto existed in the lower classes, was ex-
tending itself to the
_middling ones, and ,it was the
duty of the House to consider the suffering that existed
in the country, and endeavour to relieve it. He believed
that the country was never so much burdened with
misery as at the present moment; and he could not
conceive how Hon. Members could retire to their
homes, and consider that they had discharged their
duty in voting certain supplies, when they had
altogether passed by the wants of the people.—(Hear,
near.) When thousands of human beings were starving,
could it be said that the Howe of C.mimons had done its
lay, unless it took their case into consideration ?
(Hear, hear.) In conclusion, he trusted that the House
would agree to the motion.

Captain BERKELEY hail never shown an improper

. .
or hostile .feeling towards the present Government,
but he felt hound to vote for the present moton.
He was sorry that the able and powerful speech they
had just heard uas not delivered on another occasion.
When he came into that House, he made up his mind not
_ _

o vote for the motion of the Hon. Metiil;er, but when •
he heard the speech of the Hon. Gentleman, he owned
to was staggered in his determination. He did not think
,he Hon. Gentleman was doing any good to his own
cause. Then was a -great, deal of necessary business to
)e yet done, and he thought it would be better to leave
he responsibility with the Government of rejecting all
aeasures for their relief.—(Hear, hear.) • He thought it
would be wiser to do as the Irish coachman did, when
tis tour horses ran away with his coach tor ten miles,
:nd he was not able to stop them, he threw the reins on
-.he horses back, and said, " Take the responsibility
amongst you, I have nothing more to say."---,(Laughter.)
['he coach, to be sure, was . upset. And though he
did Dot wish that anything should occur to the coach-
-nun, guard, or cad, of the Right lion. Baronet's coach,
'u rejoiced to see the coach itself upset.—(Laughter.)
Sir J. EASTHOPE felt with the Hon. Member for
'lloucester the inconveni lice of interrupting the public
4usiness ; but very extraordinary circumstances justified
1. deviation from the common 'and customary course.— •
jiver,- hear.) The simple question was, whether the
~resent state Of the country was such' as to demand from
the Mcmbers who represented suffering districts a ~!evia,
;ion from that course which, in other cases, they should
adopt. He did not believe that the indomitable deter-
nination of the Hon. Member for Stockport—that all the
--urage and energy he had shown in these debates,
.vould be sufficient to carry on the discussion, were it not
or the general and very stringent distress which per-
:tided the country.--(llear, hear.) It would be impossi-
Jle fiir him, discouraged and discountenanced as he was
within the walls of that House, to carry on the discus-
sion, were he not aided by a pressure from without, that
pressure arising from distress unparalleled, misery with-
out example, which threatened the disorganisation of
society, and held forth to them calamities which.they
lared not meet, and the consequences of which they
dreaded.—(Hear, hear,,) He thought a great deal might
oe said in excuse of those representatives of large menu-
acturiug places for pressing this motion beyond what '
was ususlly and ordinarily done.—(Hear.) They retired
not to amusements, to relaxation from lathehrs, with the
pleasure and delight which usually follows attentive
labours, but they went to the abodes of misery and suf-
fering, which they could not contemplate without feel-
ings of commiseration and sentiments of pain, at their
inability to alleviate them.—(Rear, hear.) They did
not come before the House with topics of oratorical de-
clamation, but with a painful detail of distressing misery
and suffering wretchedness, He had himself the honour
—he said the honour—he might say the misery—of re-
presenting. a large constituency, who were suffering to
' an extent he could not describe, but which, if he did not
detail to the House, before the chise of the Session,
would be, an abandonment of his duty. The Right Hon.
Bar,,net told them that Government had done all it
He gave them credit for imagining they had
done all they could do. Many of the supporters of the
Government thought that too much had been done, but
they, on his side of the House, who, notwithstanding their
Corn-law and their tariff, were pressed with the misery of
those whom they represented, felt that very little lead been
dope to mitigate the wide-spread distress of the country.
—(Hear.) The people, too, say that they can have but
little dependence on-a House of Commons that tells them,
while in their present condition, that all has been done
that can be done. lt had been said that the increase of
inhabited houses was a proof of the thriving condition of
the country. He wished that the number of inhabited
. houses was calculated for the last two years, instead of
the last ten. The number of inhabitable houses in the

town of Leicester was 11,000, and of these 1,600 were

now unoccupied, rather more than one-in seven.—( Hear.)
There were 4,000 frames employed in the staple manu-
facture of the place. One-half was now laid by. Houses
were depreciated from 30 to 35 per cent. in value, and no
sales could be effected even at that reduction.—(Hear.)
The value of machinery had fallen 40 per cent., and those
persons who subsisted by the hiring out of property
were failing. The poor-rates for the first quarter of the
pri:,ent year, as compared with those 01 1840. were
doubled.—(Hear.) In le4o the', rate was 2,745/. 1 in
1841 it was 3,8981. ; in
.the present year 5,1201.—(11ear,
hear.) When such was the state of things in the towns,
could the agricultural districts remain long unaffected by
the same distress ? Within the last two days he met
with a person who was• a constituent of his at the last
election, who described himself' and his family to be in
the greatest Misery and distress. he did mot, tie said,
want t rbeT, but he desired he might he admitted into •
an hospital,' as he had not eaten bread from the previous
morning. He went into the hospital, and he was now
gone to agricultural employment.—(Hear.) That was
one case ; but he had no doubt that many more might
be adduced when the population of the towns went to the
country to seek relic by competing with the agricultu7
ral labourer, who were not themselves u bit too well oil.—
(Hear, hear.) So that it was likely that rural districts,
instead of being the fanciful resorts of delight and gaiety
which they were described, would be soon as unseemly
as the wretched towns which were now-so much depre-
eated.--(Hear, hear.) 'He Would repeat 'the•question of
the Hon. Member, for Manchester, and ask whether every
thing that ought to be dune had been done ?—(Hear.)
What bad been done in the way of emigration ? He
thought that the fleets of the country might bee benefi-
cially employed in carrying out to richer localities the
poor of this country who could not obtain employ-
inent at home. The Honourable Baronet then
referred to 40 hll4 0004 do= by the lie& fiber for