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

that was to make the trade in corn in the highest degree
dangerous to those who embarked in it. Some
allusion had been made in the course of that debate to certain
)parties who approved of such a state of things. Now, it would
be always found that there would be merchants of every specu-
ative character—nay, no doubt, of great ingenuity and aciivity,
wile had made large sums of money under the old system, and,
who hoped to make large sums under the system proposed by
the Right Hon. Baronet, and he (Mr. Labouchere) believed
that that system wquld not much interfere with their specula.
Lions. He did not believe, however,tbat prudent merchants would
embark in the corn trade under the scheme of the Right Hon.
Baronet any mere than they had done under the present system.
This had been so well stated by a practical merchant, that he
would venture to quote him as a witness in instances which had
fallen under his own observation. He said that within his own
knowledge some importers of wheat had realized a profit of
100 per cent. and at another period wheat had arrived in this
country at a time when the sliding scale, almost produced a
prohibition, and the result was the importer lost. 50 per cent.
Were there no other objection to the sliding scale, it was enough
to say that it compelled parties to incur risks that were equal
to gambling.--( Hear, hear.) He thought the agricultural
interest could not wish to be protected by the upholding of a
system thatoperated so injuriously. Another point of great im.
portance, and one to which he wished to advert, was the effect of
the shtlingiscale upon the shipping interest—(Hear)—ths
was an interest to which great importance had been most pro-
perly attached by the other aide of the House. Now, he would
call the attention of the House to the effect of the present
Corn-law on shipping ; its effect was to throw the valuable
traffic in corn into the hands of foreigners.—( Hear, hear. )
Three-fourths of it was, in fact, carried in Prussian vessels, and
one-fourth English ; and, owing to these circumstances, the
corn trade was, in fact, a perfect scramble.—( Hear, hear. )
He found upon this part of the subject a most valuable and
important testimony in those papers wh:ch the Right Hon.
Gentleman opposite had recently laid on the table; he alluded
to the opinion of a gentleman who was one of the most
competent witnesses on the subject , he alluded to the
opinion of Mr. M‘Gregor, the Consul at Elsinore, a
gentleman to whom the country was greatly indebted
for his negotiations with respect to the Sound Duties. What
3lr. M'6regor said was in answer to Mr. Meek ;. he had
watched the effect of the sliding scale on the shipping interest,
end had thus stated it:—" If the trade in corn was made con-
stantly open in England, the natural consequence would be,
that the British merchant would become the agent for the
supply of corn, and British shipping would be improved to a
much greater extent than it was at present. The English
Corn-law has a tendency to disturb trade, and in this coun-
try (Denmark) it has made the Government persevere in
high duties ; and, secondly, to throw its trade unto the hands
of the Hanse Tosne. Hats burgh had become more and more
yhe centre of trade, and the Dantzic Corn-market is now more
glutted than ever."—(Hear.) He (Mr. Labouchere) was
eene-;nced if a sound Corn-law was established, London would
become the great depot for corn for the general supply of the
whole eouri.trY• He need not say how much employment and
activity that seeeuld give.—( Hear, hear.) It was not true, as
bad been stated on tbe
present occasion, that the mere ques-
tion was to be decided on the merits of the sliding scale or a
fixed duty. The question which they had to decide that night
was whether they *mould adopt that which he held to be vicious,
a system of Corn-laws founded on the sliding scale.—( Hear,
hear.) lie did not say this to conceal his own opinions ; for
when he was is servant of the Crown, he joined in the proposal
which he thaughe calculated to settle this great question upon
fair and reasonable' ge-eunds, and, at the same time, upon a
principle which he beliosed would not have been inconsistent
with the prosperity of the commerce of the country'. He did
not wish to conceal from the House that he was against throw-
ing open the trade in corn ; they had tried the sliding scale
and se n how it worked, and he believed it would be admitted
by even by its meat strenuous supporters, that acme altera-
tion wee required, and that he considered was a substantial
arguttertt for trying the fixed duty. But before he came to
deal with t&" objection to the sliding scale, he would say a few
words with respect to those who had, and who had not, sup..
ported it. They had beard of the names of Ricardo and others,
who were in favour of tise plan they proposed. while Mr. Hus-
kieson had been quoted aganst them, and part of his speeches
Ind been alluded to, for the purpose of showing that such were
Iris opinions. Now, it was a most remarkable thing to those
wile, like himself, were acquainted with Mr. Huskisson, and
who tied closely watched him, to see how the mind
of that great statesman was inclined on this subject—the opi-
nions ot Mr. Huskisson were far more favourable in his last
year than his first. He was quoted as the advocate of the
present system of Corn-laws, or something like them. Now,
all he could say was, that cn the last occasion on which Mr.
Huskisson addressed the House on the Corn-law, he found
that he stated it was his unalterable conviction that they could
net uphold the Corn-law with the present taxation, and at the
same time increase national prosperity, and preserve public
.ruder. He might be told that although this was an emphatic
condemnation by Mr. Huskisson of the present Corn-law,
yet still it was not to be said that he would not support the
present. plan. To those win used such an argument he would
eay, did they think after the statement he had read, which
had been made by Mr. Huskisson, that he would support a mea-
sere which cootained such slight modifications of the system ?
He did not meal to say that he had a right to claim Mr.
Huskisson as an advocate for an absolute fixed duty ; but he
had a right to say that Mr. Huskisson totally! condemned the
system of Corn-laws under which we now live ; and that if not
an advocate for a total repeal of those laws, he had a decided
bearing towards the principle of a fixed duty.—(Cheers.)
But having quoted the authority of a great statesman, whom
they had no forger among them, he was about to quote the
opinion of one who was, fortunately, still with them to afford
the benefit of his advice --(Hear.) Now, he was not, gene-
rally, fond of bandying personal attacks across the table ot that
House, but there really were some temptations which it was
quite difficult for flesh and blood to endure.—( Hear,
hear, hear.) When he read that memorable speech, which was
addressed by the Noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies
to his constituents at Lancashire, he could not help asking him-
self whether this was really the same Mr. Stanley whom he
recollected in his earlier days, whom he had the honour and
the happiness to sit with in that House—whether this was
really the same Mr. Stanley who in 1828 had expressed such a
different opinion on that subject. But he was afraid that there
was no doubt of the identity.—(Laughter.) He found that in
1828, upon the occasion when the present Corn-laws were
passed, Mr. Stanley 'said that " he had yet to learn the reason
which had induced the Right Hon. Baronet to propose the
measure. He was certainly inclined to the opinion of those
who abstractedly supported a fixed permanent duty ; brat,
feeling that it was impracticable to carry out such ameasure—
( Hear. hear, from the Ministerial Benches)—he felt that the
next best-plan would he to adopt such a scale of duties as would
keep the price of comas low as possible, at the same time giving
the agriculturists a fair protection.—( Cheers and laughter from
the Ministerial benches.) He was quite at a loss to understatd
the mirth of Hon. Gentlemen opposite.—( Hear, hear.) The
Noble Lord said that lie abstractedly preferred a fixed duty,
and that the only reason why he did not then support it was,
that he was afraid there were not the means of carrying his
own opinions. But now circumstances had altered,_
Turne, quod optanti divum promittere nemo
Auderet. voltenda dies en ! attulit ultro.
He ;really should not despair if the Noble Lord were to join his
fforts to theirs, in defeating this measure of the Right Hon.
Baronet; and if the House were to come to the conclusion that
at any rate they could not give protection to agriculturists in
the shape of a slidine• scale, he should not despair of finding the
Noble Lord, in the next discussion that took place, en-
deavouring to carry that principle which he had then sighed over
and had abandoned, only because it was not practicable.—
( Ironical criesof " Hear, hear," from the Ministerial benches.)
They were told that, however fair the principle of a fixed duty
might at first appear, yet there were grave objections which
counterbalanced its advantages. These objections resolved
themselves into two main ones. It was said, that in times of
plenty, it would be ruinous to the agriculturist ; his answer
to that was, that iri.times of plenty, the agriculturist would
find a compensation in tire quanity of his produce for the di-
minished price which he could ohtain for it. There was
another objection, upon which greater stress had been laid.
They were told, that in times of scarcity and high price a
fixed duty would be grievous to the consumer, and that it
could not be retained. He did not believe that under ordi-
nary circumstances there would be the least difficulty in main-
taining the duty, or that it would operate injuriously to the
community ; and he thought, that in extraordinary cases,
they might abandon the duty, and that the only effect of
that would be, to make a present of it to the country. On
that subject he was perfectly prepared to take the same view
as his Noble Friend. That If these fears were the only ground
for opposing a fixed duty, that duty might; in particular cases,
be made to vanish ; and that it would be worth while to pur-
chase an important improvement in our commerce at such a
rate. The Executive Government might be left to act upon
its own responsibility. The Executive Government of this
country had frequently been obliged to reek, special provision
fir special circumstances. It had done so with regard to the
astieles of grain and sugar within the last few years; and it
anuet happen in questions of trade, that the Government was
called upon to set aside the law for a special purpose. His he.
lief, therefore was, that they might, with perfect safety, pass a
fixed duty, and leave it to the Government, under circum-
stances of rare and unusual occurrence, to make a present of it
to the country.—( Hear.) He was unwilling at that late hour
of the night to detain the House at any length. He would
o le say, that, important as he considered the question of the
Co-n-laws, there was one consideration which gave them addi-
tional importance on the present occasion. The Right Hon.
e ttleman had announced to the House and the country, that
in .freeing in that respect with the late Government, tie was
n, t bringing leeward the question of the Corn-laws as an insu-
la e 1 measure, but that he was prepared to follow it up by a
gi a rat revision of the tariff, with a view to ascertain whether
the protection which had hitherto been given to particular in-
t :rests wag consistent with the general welfare and prosperity
of the countelr•—( Hear.) He (Mr. Labouchere) had always
felt that some adjustment of the Corn-laws was necessary be-
fore this revisio3 could take place. He had felt that they
could not make that revision with any justice—he had almost
said with any decency, unless they carried out the same prin-
ciple, dealing with the landed interest. He must say that
the measare of the Right Hon. Gentleman, with regard
to the Corn-laws, had excited a feeling of dis-
tru t in his (Mr. Labouchere'r) mind that one
of tire things would happen—either that the other measures
of the Right Hon. Gentleman would be of the same unsatis-
factory stature, or else, that as he had determined to carry out
the principle of revision freely and fairly with regard to the
oths r articles of trade, while he had dealt timidly with the
queetion of the Corn-leers, a suspicion might be created in the
public mind that the different policy pursued by the Right Hon.
Baronet in the two instances was attributable to the one inte-
rest being possessed of more political power than the other.—
(Loud cheers.) He was the last person to become an alarmist,
but he saw a state of things fast approaching, of all others the
most dangerous to the country.—( Hear, hear.) Englishmen
were now arrayed against each other, not on account of those
mere differences of opinion which must always exist in
every free country, and which, within certain bounds, tended
to preserve the health and well-being of the political commu-
nity, but now factions were banded together, men were
arrayed against each other in a c o ntest of classes.—( Hear, )
.Ihere was nothing het deprecated so much as such a contest,
anal he could say for himself and the Members of the late Go-
vernment, that in bringing forward the measure on this sub-
ject which they had proposed, there was no one thing they
had snore at heart than, if possible, by a fair and reasonable
c.4:_mapretnise, fo stay the progress of this contest.—( Cheers.
ale wsuleisay that if the Right lion. Baronet hail proposed a
measure which he (Mr. Labouchere) had considered calcu-
lated to attain that
great object, no party or private con‘idera-
tioni should have prevented his
giving tle llight Hon. Baro-
net his support—Pr eeseeed cheers.) Ile must, however, con •
fess, that it was with the deepest disappointment he had list-
ened to the details of the Right Hon. Baronet's proposition.
He had no doubt but that it would become the law of the land,
and he hoped it might work well and justify the anticipations
of the Right Honourable Baronet. He (Mr. Labouchere)
midst, however, confess, that he could entertain no such ex-
pectations. The Right Hon. Gentleman concluded by thank-
ing the House for the patience with which they had listened to
him, and stated that he felt it his duty to vote for the proposi-
lion.of his Noble Friend the Member for London.—(Cheers. )
Sir EDWARD KNA WEIBULL explained. The Right
Men. Gentleman had entirelyl misunderstood what had fallen
Knatehbu.l. ) He hadnot
esfaifdarma
s!ingee
from him ( Sir E.
word about raising rent to maintaining the value
whnteinons_pe.yakfinalgleno.f
ig this Misapprehension into h'
was desieous of eorreetio.
unite • .iwt leh the
Right How. Gentleman had,
L•vi
PhieelY eaidn,
What be (Sid Edward Knatehblll)
with the agriculturalui• -
the whole class Of persons connecter
terest, as contra-distinguished from those' connect ed with the
manufacturing interest, referring to landlords, ss'llants4lE4_
is-
bearers alike, was that it was important that they shoo.. Yrr?