The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-18 00:00:00

says, this is now very much a question between Sir R.
Peel and Lord J. Russell. For myself, I have no reason
to feel any very great respect for Sir R. Peel. He is
the only man in the House of Commons that I could
never speak a word to in private without forfeiting my
own respect. But though I say that, and though I am
justified in saying it, yet I will add, that so
deeply have I this question of the corn-laws at heart,
that if Sir R. Peel will take the same manly, straightfor-
ward part that Lord John Russell has taken —if he will
avow an intelligible course of action without any mysti-
fication, I will as heartily co-operate with him as with
any man in the House of' Commons—(Tremendous ap-
plause)—and I should think that the time has come when
every statesman, of whatever party, who has a particle of
intelligence and conscience, must be anxious to remove
this question of supplying the food of the people out of
the category of party politics.—(Cheers.) The respon-
sibility of supplying the people with food is one which
no Government ought even to take upon itself. If by
any sudden calamity of flood or fire the material riches
of the country should be destroyed, would the people
blame the Government ? No, they would rally round
it; and why should they not do so when, through the
dispen.ation of Providence, there is a deficiency of food?
Why, because the Government has arrogated to itself
functions which belong not to it, bat to nature. If
they will take upon themselves superhuman functions,
they will be held responsible for Divine inflictions.
But though I say that in reference to the past Govern-
ment, this I will also say, that it is to be regretted we
have such a tale to tell, because I know that this is a
question which many of them had nearest their hearts
—(Cheers)—and I now say, that if Sir Robert Peel will
only take up this question as Lord John Russell has
taken it up, and that he will promise that there is to be
no my stification about it, as there was upon a former
occasioneithen I pledge myself that I will most heartily
co-operate with him and his party when he shall intro-
duce this measure in the House of Commons.—(Cheers.)
And, let me tell these statesmen that the time is now
come when the statesmen of every party, who have
a particle of integrity or intelligence left, must
yield to the pressing and irresistible demands of the
people, and put aside for the present all conside-
rations of party politics.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.)
Look at the position of the present Ministry,
or of any Ministry who will persevere at this time of
day in refusing this demand of the people of this
country.—(Cheers.) What position can any Minister
he in who will attempt to maintain a tax upon food ?
(Cheers.) If the food of the people should fall short,
will they not immediately assail the Government? That
they will not do so is what no Government should
assume.—(Hear, hear.) Why should the Government
assume that a scarcity will or will not take place? Why
should the Government say that that will or will not
take place, which can be assumed by the hands of Provi-
dence alone, and which Providence alone can dispose of?
—(Cheers.) Why should we seek to visit the Govern-
ment with that which we believe to be a visitation of
Providence, namely a deficiency of the bar-
vest?—(Hear)—and why should the Government
seek to visit the consequences of the dispensations of
Providence upon the people ?—(Cheers.) Will the
Government pretend to say that they should con-
tinue a tax upon the people's bread because of this
year's rot in the potato ?—(Hear, hear.) Let me put a
converse proposition, and suppose that all the best and
most valuable fruits of the earth were swept away, would
the people then be found resisting the efforts of the
Government to avert or alleviate the calamity ?
(Hear, hear.) On the contrary, would they not be found
ready to rally round the Government, and to ren ler all
the assistance in their power to relieve the country from
such a calamity ?—(Cheers.) Then why should not the
Government take the part of the people, now that that
part devolves upon them ?—(Cheers.) They have not
done so heretofore, because they feared to offend a
party ; but now the Government, at least Sir Robert
Peel's Government, aro compelled to acknowledge that
they are obliged to accede this question because they can
not do otherwise.—(Loud cheers.) If he should not
succeed, I do hope to see such a set of statesmen brought
together as shall evince an anxiety to get rid of those
laws which impose restrictions on food.—(Cheers.)
There is, however, another reason why we should hope
that we will never again be visited with a vision of
this ghost of restriction, and that is, that
the protectionists have now almost despaired of ever
being able to rally a meeting in their favour again.—
(Cheers.) I say, then, let Sir Robert Peel and Lord
John Russell put an end to this senseless and ridiculous
war against the coin non rights of humanity by making
a united resolution to propose, in the next session of
Parliament, a proposition for the total and permanent
abolition of the corn-laws.—(Loud cheers.) But then
they talk of making terms for a re-adjustment of these
laws, and for compensation, and for a great many
other things.—(Laughter.) I am told that Sir Robert
Peel has a hundred different projects of one sort or
another to mix up with his proposition for repeal-
ing the corn-laws ; but we will tell him,
that whatever his propositions may be, we
will have a total, unequivocal repeal of the corn-laws,
and nothing less.—(Loud cheers.) We have had too
much of these propositions already—(Cheers)—we will
have no more of them.—(Cheers.) In the north of
England the people have a very " vulgar," but a very
useful and a very popular " prejudice " in favour of
" doing one thing at a time."—(Cheers.) And those
people have had too much of such things as undertaking
a great number of projects at one time, and therefore
they say, let us have these corn-laws dealt with first.
(Cheers.) I have also been told that Sir Robert Peel has
some such project in his head as a " compensation to the
landlords."—(oh.) Now, all I can say is, that Sir Robert
has not been very successful hitherto in his efforts
to conciliate the people of this country; but if ho perse-
vere in this, he will prove himself as great an enemyof the
people, as if he neverconsented to a repeal of the corn-laws.
w I warn others against this new mode of taxation ;
for great as the grievance of " protection " has been felt,
I do believe that, even if you were to bring forward all
the legislative enactments for the last hundred years,
3ou would not find one so great a grievance as this
would be, even in the corn-law itself.—(Hear, hear.) If
the Government really wish to aim at the death of the
corn-laws without any additions or restrictions,
let them do so at once—(Hear, hear)—but if
they want to impose renewed restrictions, let
them, before they do so, look at the manner in which
the people have already been cheated and robbed and
bamboozled under the plea of taxation.—(Loud cheers.)
The Hon. Member having alluded to the system of taxa-
tion 150 years ago, when the probate and legacy duty
pressed heavily on the tradesmen of England, the effects
of which he illustrated by the operation of that tax
upon the sons of tradesmen, he then continued
by saying: Three years ago, when we met
in Palace-yard upon this question, a nobleman
attended the meeting and asked us what we wanted
—(Laughter)—and, when we told him, he very modestly
replied that we might just as well hope to unseat the
Monarchy as to achieve our object."—(Cheers and
laughter.) Well, the same energy which we then applied
to our purpose with a few, we have for the last seven
years never failed to exert until our numbers have now
became so great that we have succeeded in putting
down those who conceived they were placed above us,
for ever.—.(Cheers.) That is now our position ; and I
warn Sir Robert Peel not to force us, by any such
measure as " compensation," into a discussion of the
burdens which peculiarly press upon land.—(Loud
cheering.) Sir Robert Peel and his party, nor any other
party, can now meet with any hope of proposing any
measure for what they may choose to call a " modifi-
cation" of the corn-laws.—(Cheers.) No ; the time has
gone by for that, and' therefore I would advise them to
do jastice to the people speedily and promptly—Cheers)
—and if we are satisfied to let bygones be bygones, and
accept of a repeal of the corn-laws without any re
strictions or compensations, I think they ought to be
very well satisfied.—(Great cheering.) The Hon. Mem-
ber then alluded to some observation of Mr. Vernon
Smith, and proceeded to say that it afforded
him great pleasure to observe that the
proceedings at Conciliation 'Hall, in Dublin,
were in favour of this movement, and that Mr. O'Con-
nell had said that it afforded him great pleasure to ob-
serve that the people of England were so near the
achievement of the repeal of the corn-laws.—(Cheers.)
From the beginning' of the agitation of this question,
(continued Mr. Cobden,) Mr. O'Connell has taken the
part of the people of England.—(Loud cheers.)
I never considered Mr. O'Connell as advocat-
ing that measure solely for the benefit of
England, so much as because he believed that the repeal
of the corn-laws would not only benefit this country, but
also relieve the poor peasant of his own country, and
afford them better food than the " lumper potato."—
(Cheers.) Therefore, I say, then, that upon this ques-
tion we are glad to have the co-operation of Mr. O'Con-
nell, and that we have found a point at which no line of
demarcation shall be known betwixt us.—(Cheers.)
The people of Ireland want bread as well as the
people of England, and if we can help O'Connell to give
it them, they shall have the half.—(Great cheering.) I
have now only to add that the time is coming when our
greatest activity and vigilance will be required.—(Hear,
near.) The Duke of Richmond has told you that he in-
tends to trust to the " hereditary " legislators of his
country.—(Laughter.) Well, in answer to him, I say—
" Hereditary bondsmen, know ye not."—(Tremendous
cheering.) ,1 am satisfied to place the " hereditary
bondsmen" against the " hereditary legislators," and
abide the resalt.—(Cheers.) However, even amongst
the " heriditary legislators" we have not all opponents.
—(Cheers.) We have the best portion even of that
House on our side, and we always had—(Cheers)—and
even if they have not joined our club, I do not care much
for that, so that they have adopted our principles.
I have never made this a class question—it is others who
have done so ; but we have, even from amongst the
hereditary legislators, on our side Lord Mor eth—
(Cheers)—and the Earl of Radnor—
(Cheera)
—anS Lord
Cheers)—and
Ducie—(Cheers)nd Lord Kinnairel—(
Lord Grey—(Loud cheering)--and therefore, if his
Grace of Jmond be against us, why we can only say
that if he and some of their other Graces continue so,
they will form the greatest "noodles and doodles" on the
whole of their Grace's estates.—(Loud cheers.)
Now, this is a question which involves matter
of great importance. It is not a questioa of every day,
and therefore we have to consider who we shall have as
the next Ministry.—(Hear, hear.) I feel quite assured
that if Lord John Russell comes in, his word is his
bond.—(Cheers.) I do not know whether he will take
office or not, but if he does, I do not know who he will
have to assist him.—(Cries of "Yourself," and cheers.)
Yes, I will be with you as long as there are bad charac-
ters abroad.—(Hear, and cheers.) He may have some
difficulty in making up a Cabinet, but we must back him.
--(Hear, hear.) We must show him the power we can I
give him to carry this important question.—(Cheers.)
And let us take the case of Lord John Russell in con-
nexion with this subject. It was said that he had made
a mistake in writing the letter that he had done,
but, witthont it, how comparatively unimportant he
would have been. Without it, in fact, he would have been
no tlcOELVatleout kthe Queen would never have sent for
his& Wi out that 14ter, he would have excited no