The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-08 00:00:00

course. He could tell them, that in the district. with which he
was immediately concerned—that in Lance'hire there had been
a sacrifice of fully one-half of the capital vested in manufactures
within the last six years. said that deliberately. He would
a,k his Hon. Friend, the Member for Manchester, whether he
could realise for the capital of Lane ;shine one-half of the sum
it would have brought six years ago. That state of things was
not the re ult of a few partial failures ; for if that were the
case, the vacuum so created would soon be filled up by men of
more energy and industry. He would urge tho Right Hon.
Genileman to take the same capacious view as Mr. Huskisson had
done when he had sought to discover what was necessary to be
(lone for the regeneration of the manufactures of the country.
If the Right Hon. Baronet did that, he must come to the same
conclusion with Mr. Huslii;son, which was, that this country
could not continue to pay the present. amount of taxation
to maiuta.n the pubic, credit and to maintain the Corn-laws
too. If they continued their sliding scale, they would be
pressing unjustly both upon capital arid upon labour. It was
partial—it was unjust. They were mulcting the labourers of
his earningsin a palpably unju,t manner by this sliding scale,
and they were at the same time depriving the capitalist of the
means of giving the labourer employment. They would, if
they read this Bill a third time, stand self-convicted of legis-
lating merely for a class. Wry took corn out of the category
of other articles of commerce. They refused to carry out the
principles which they applied to everyother article to the
article of corn, and it they persevered in such a course there
could be no question as to what must be the result. He (Mr.
Cobden) was a practieal man, and the present was a subject on
which he felt strongly. With regaid to the tra.le between this
country and America, as he could claim some sort of acquaint •
ante with the subject, he hoped the Right lion. Baronet weuld
even at this late period pay attention to vi hat he had said. He
would not detain the House longer, but would at once propose
his resolution as an act of justice to the labouring classes, for
he considered the present Bill as a violation of every principle
of justice, as far as they were concerned.
Mr. BROTHERION seconded the motion.
Sir R. PEEL could assure the Hon. Gentleman that he
had listened to all that he had stated, both on this and on
all former occasions, with the greatest attention ; and how-
ever he (Sir R. Peel) might differ from the Hon. Gentleman
in the conclusions at which he had arrived, he mild assure
the Hon. Gentleman that he had never treated any of his
arguments or observations with either disrespect or indiffer-
ence; and he trusted the Hon. Gentleman would not consider
it any mark' of disrespect, if, after the ample discussion which
this subject had already undergone, he should refuse, on the
present occasion, to follow the Hon. Gentleman through the
whole of his arguments. The resolution which the Hun.
Gentleman proposed was clearly tantamount to a declaration
that there ought to be no duty at all on the importation of
corn ; that all duty was unjust, and that corn ought, under
all circumstances, to be admitted free of duty. The resolution
condemned a fixed duty equally with a Gliding scale. There
night be some objections to a sliding scale which did not
apply to a fixed duty ; and, on the other hand, there might be
many objections to a fixed duty which did not apply
to a sliding scale. But the resolutions of the Honour-
able Gentleman condemned equally both propositions. The
lion. Gentleman's resolution says, " That it is inexpedient
and unjust to pass a law to raise unnaturally the price A food."
But he apprehended that a fixed duty must have the , effect of
raising the price of food according to the Hon. Gsritleman's
own argument. According to him it must also raise it unna-
turally, because no regulation should be applied to articles 6
subsistence. He (Mr. Cobden) referred to the opinion of Mr.
Huskisson in 1831 and 1832. He (Sir R. Peel) would not
take advantage of the lapse of the Hon. Gentleman's memory;
but the accident which terminated Mr. Huskisson's life oc-

curred in 1830. The opinion of Mr. Huskisson, was that the
Corn-laws as they existed could not be maintained, but that
opinion was equally applicable to a fixed duty as to a graduated
scale. The opinion he delivered was, that the existing Corn-
law could not be maintained consistently with the prosperity of
the manufacturing interests of the eountry. The alteration in
the law which he had-proposed was perfectly reconcilable to
the opinions of Mr. Huskisson in the year 1830. At the period
when Mr. Huskisson quitted office he was uniformly and deci-
dedly an advocate for a graduated duty, on the ground
that it was necessary a".a protection to domestic agricul-
ture, and to insure a supply of corn at all periads. He
thought that the Right Hon. Gentleman would hardly deriy
that the measure which he had introduced would both relax
the duty and prevent the speculations of those whom he had
spoken in terms of such severe censure, namely, the merchants
in Mark-lane ; that it would facilitate in a great degree the im-
portation of fOreign corn, and tend generally to make it plenti-
ful; and that by preventing sudden fluctuations it would re-
move the chance of gain by mere speculation and gambling in
co. n. Having already expressed his opinions on this subject at
greatlengtb, he hoped the Hon. Gentleman would not consider
it disrespectful if he referred him to the statements which he
had made on former occasions, and refrainedfrom entering into
any lengthened discussion on the particular motion before the
House.

Lord J. RUSSELL said he did not rise either for the pur-
pose of supporting the motion of the Hon. Member for Stock •
port, or of opposing the third reading of the Bill; but he wished
to state his views with respect to a point which had arisen in
the course of discussion. 'l•he Right Hon. Gentleman had re-
ferred to the opinions of Mr. Huskisson. He did not wish to
enter into any controversy with regard to those opinions. He
had, himself, voted fur the graduated scale in 1828, and it
appeared, at first sight to have many advantages.—( Hear.)
He was convinced that if Mr. Huskisson, whose authority was
so often referred to, had lived a few years after 1828, the ex-
perience then furnished by the operation of the new measure
would have shown so able a men that. it had failed in its object,
either as respected the farmer, the labourer, or the consumer,
for it took away all possibility of calculating future prices with
safety. This state of things would have been reconciled by
his (the Noble Lord's) Bill, which would produce a certain,
constant corn trade ; but the Bill now before the House,
though an improvement certainly on late ones, though it was
worse than any measure introduced from the Revolution of

1688 to 1800. -He had never heard it stated from the other
side of the House that they expected they were establishing a
permanent system—all they were doing was to shake the au-
thority of the present system without forming a permanent
one. When they had altered the law as to all other authori-
ties—when in the next year they should proceed to alter the
law relating to foreign sugar, French brandy, and
French silk, they would again have to alter the 'law
with respect to corn.—(Hear, hear.) So far he shou!d
rejoice in the passing of the present measure, as it. would shake
the authority of the present law; he looked forward to a time
after passing the law, when they runic.' find that the plan of a,
graduated scale was altogether faulty, and that a better system
would he substituted in its place. He was not one of those who,
like the Hon. Gentleman behind him, was for taking .away all
duty, and admitting corn free. He admitted the talent and
ability with syhich the Hon. Gentleman supported that view of
the question ; it was impossible to listen to him without-feeling
that it was possible to argue very strongly. fur the plan he pro-
posed. He thought a moderate protection was fair to the
farmer, but the system established in 1828 was most faulty, and
he certainly hoped that the time would not he long befure they
had established a plan on sound principles of trade, which he
hoped, with regard to other articles, the House was about to
sanction.

Mr. VILLIERS said, if the Noble Lord • thought he should
propitiate the farmers by declaring in favour of a fixed duty,
he thought he was likely to be disappointed. He believed the
farmers would be better pleased if he would not disturb the
present. system. He congratulated the country, however, on
the prospect of receiving the Noble Lord's eloquence and ex-
perience in disturbing the present law; for he was convinced
they could not have one less suited to the circumstances of the
country than the present one. He could not help observing,
that his Honourable Friend could not -be justly charged
with having improperly quoted Mr. Huskisson with re-
gard to the sliding scale. The country had not the
misfortune to lose Mr. Huskisson till the year 1830.
The principle of his Hon. Friend, the Member for Stockport,
was virtually recognised by Mr.' Huskisson—namely, the prin-
ciple that they should not raise by artificial means the price of
food, while they left uncharged the price of labour. If they
raised the price of food, they ought to raise, in a corresponding
degree, the wages of labour. That principle, however, was
violated by the present law. The price of food had never been
so high as at present, and the wages of labour had never been
so depressed. He could not let the new m-asure of the Go-

vernment pass without expressing his most unqualified disap-
probation ; he considered that it had not been recommended by
the experience of our agriculturists, or by the expe-
rience of the community at large. He believed that
all the evils of the old law would follow front the
present. He believed it would relieve nobotiy, and that
it would satisfy nobody. A graduated scale would neces-
sarily baffle the calculations of capitalists, and the trade in corn
would continue as unsettled under the new system as it had
ever been before. No one who had reflected upon the sub-
ject could deny that the Corn-laws had lice, at toe bottom of
all the evils undo- which the country had lately suffered. He
was ' surprised under those circumstances to find the Hon.
Gentleman proposing such an abortion of the law as the pre-
str.t—a law which he believed was really deserving of the words
that had been applied to, it, namely, that it was hut a
mockery of the people. S said that it was an improve-
ment upon the former plan ; but he said there was no improve-
ment. It would not enable the country to obtain more food than
could be obtained under the old system ; for in order to obtain
more food, more corn should be grown ; and such a result
could not be expeeed under the operation of a law which left
the trade in corn as uncertain as it had ever been. He kneyv.

itsm said that this was all the Right Hon. Baronet could
have effected to correct the evils of the Jaw, and that he
could not have accomplished more ; but he did not hear Hon.
Gentlemen around the [tight lion. Bart. say so. He seemed to
have great influence over them, and he thought if the Right lion.
Genleman persuaded them to it, they would be induced to
accept a measure more suited to the circumstances of the country.
The presumption was that they were a very docile body,
and would have consented to greater changes if the Right
Hon. Baronet persuaded them to it. If he bad proposed such
a measure as the country required, he did not think he ( Sir
Robert Peel) would be deserted. The Members for Essex,
and Berkshire, and Sussex, would not of themselves form a Go.
vernment.—(Laughter.) But at all events the public would
support him in such a case. Persons were sent to that House
entrusted with great privileges, and those who had the power
of sending them should exercise it for the general wellarc of
all, and not for their own interest, otherwise they who had 11,4
the power hhd just grounds of complaint against them.—
( Cheers.) There was only one national ground suggested for
the present system of legislation—that was that they should
be dependent on their own soil for their own supply.
—( Hear.) But he believed that the present mode
of legislation was the very one which ready them
dependent on other countries. They were a perfect nuisance
to other countries when they went to purchase corn, because
they took away that which was only necessary for the supply
of the country where they went to purchase. They were
starving at home under the present system, and that ought
to make them ready to try another.—(Hear, hear.) How
could they be worse off if they depended on other countries?
They would be much better, because they would get trade and
food if they depended on other countries.
Sir JOHN TYRRELL hoped the Hon. Gentleman who
had spoken last would not think it discourteous in him if he
did not attempt to follow him in his argument. But he would
just s emind the Hon. Member that on every occasion that he
had brought this subject before the House it. had been with
a still increasing majority against the motion.—
His (Sir John Tyrrell's) object in rising was to
answer an accusation which had been made against
Honourable Gentlemen who represented the agricultu-
ral interest. The accusation had been made, both in that
House and out of it, that, in supporting the pmpesition of the
Right Hon. Baronet, they were deserting the interests of the
agriculturists. lie, for one, had no hesitation in saying that.
such an accusation was totally unfounded.—( Hear, tear. )
The Hon. Member for Sheffield had stated, on many occasions,
to his constituents, that the agricultural was the slowest pro-
cess of milting money. The lion. Gentleman must recollect
that there were many persons who could only cultivate the poor
and sandy soil; and he (Sir J. Tyrrell) would ask the Hon.
Member, what would become of those persons, if there was no
protection given to them? It had been said, that many of the
agricultural Members had had interviews with their con-
stituents.--(lronical cheers, and hear, hear.l He could
say that he had attended a meeting of his constitu-
ents, and had submitted his conduct to a direct show
of hands, and the result of that was that three out of four held
up their hands in favour of this conduct, and only one indi-
vidual held up his hands against it, "and," said the Hon.
Member,
"I ca led upon him to explsin himself."_-( Roars of
il
laughter.) wouflodr dty Hon. Gentlemen opp':site to this.
The Hon. Member Southwark, who was as it were, sprung
from the loins of the Opposition, or, vulgarly speaking, was
one of their own kidney—(Laughter)--was delighted with the
Conservative party in ',power, for this reason—he said, the