The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-03 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM TY.E EVENIN,:. PAPERS 01 SATIMD.IY.
GLOBE.—The Westminster Review IT a
Posteript, takiug curiously waveriagyiews of the
Coro-laws, and demonstrating nothing, as it ay-
pears to us, but that disposition to find fault with
both parties, which is apt to make
.those who in-
dulge it contradict themselves as !menially 1
others. We are sorry to have to caw:se this tail
to our trimestrial friend's performances; as the
Review contains a. very good article on the Corn-
laws, as connected with the late disturbance:,
which we are led by the initials subscribed to it to
affiliate 011 Mr. W. R. Greg. The Posticriber to
the Wetutiiisterisdispimsed to think the new Corn-
law wor.le, and Lord John Russell's pro-
ject no better than the old Corn-law. His
reasons for arriving at these conclusions seem to
nA very indiffereut. ft is no business 'of ours to
take tip the eud4els ti. the Peel Corn-law ; and
the RusSell project was rashly shelved by those
who may not have so good an offer again. Et is
not the Reviewer's practical conclusions that we
care so much to question, as his want ofp ircep-
tura, as it appears to us, of the principles
which must govern all reasoning on the sub-
jeet. Time Reviewer spends much good indigna-
tion on the titct of the revenue having gained
a million from corn this year; and appears to
infer that the consumer has therefore been taxed
more highly fbr his food than he was last year,
when so much of the supply came in at the one
shilling duty; and considerably less than half
the contribution of this year came to the trea-
sury. With this notion in the Reviewer's mind,
it is not wonderful that he thinks no improve-
ment would have been made by the substitution
of an Bs. duty for the scale of the old law.
But is this notion a correct one? Is there com-
mon sense in regarding the shilling duty as all
that the consuMer „paid last year beyond the
natural price? Is it allowable to conclude that
all the revenue gains this year is so much out of
the pockets of the consumer, owing to the
new law ? We do not enter on the question
whether any duty on food is desirable. The
answer to it must depend on whether there
is such a weight of taxation in this country,
pressing upon the cultivator of the soil, as to en-
title him to be placed on an equal position with
his foreign competitor by extending taxation to
imports from the latter. That is a question we
do not now undertake to answer. But it is an-
otherquestnin, whether the domestic cultivator
is entitled to more than this. The sliding-scale
meant to answer that question practically in
the affirmative. It is meant to do more than lay
equal weights on foreign imparts on home pro-
duction. It is meant to do more than counter-
balance the assumed disadvantage of the home
cultivator. It is meant not to place competition
on fair terms, hut to baffle and exclude it, as far
as possible. It is intended to prevent the corn
trade being carried on as a regular branch of
coMmerce. The fixed duty is intended, and cal-
culated, to make the corn trade as open as any

other.
STANDARD —The Leaguers have derived
this advantage from the attitude of hostility to
all the interests of the .country not directly con-
nected with themselves, which they have as-
sumed—the advantage that all animadversion
upon their system and practice assumes the-
character of mere recrimination. If for the sake
of the labouring classes we prosecute an inquiry
into the treatment of labourers in -manufactures,
as well as other labourers, we are accordingly
met with the reproach that we are anti-manu-
facturers, enemies to machinery, blasphemers of
the sacred principle of the economists, that " the
affairs of commerce must be left to regulate
themselves." We are not, however, anti-
manufacturers, or enemies to machinery :
and, it we impugn the principle that
commerce consecrates whatever it touches,
we might ask the manufacturers of Birmingham,
Manchester, and Glasgow, at this moment,
whether they are quite satisfied that the State
shall take no notice of the American Tariff, but
leave the thing to adjust itself? The truth is,
that the fallacious principle quoted can never be
admitted, whether between nation and nation, or
between man and man, without placing the
weak absolutely at the mercy of the strong; aid
what the consequence must be every one is able
to judge for himself. Uncontrolled power in the
!muds of human being is sure to be abused. The
Christian is sensible of this, from the knowledge
of " man's heart ;" but it is not known to the
Christian only—the wisest of Pagans and Infidels
have arrived at the same conclusion. Aristotle
says, that a man will be unjust in nine cases
out of ten when he has the opportunity ; and
?)avid Hume confesses, that in legislating for
mankind it is.necessary to assume that all will
be rogues and villains if the license to be such is
allowed to them. If, then, we show from evi-
dence not to be disputed that the master manu-
facturers have the power to act with cruelty and
injustice to their labourers, and have at the same
tine:! a motive for acting so, let us not be charged
With enmity to tho•.;e persons, even though their
conduct in other respects might seem to justik'
resentment. We merely point to a case of the
operation of Ow evil principle in our common na-
tary— a " in our legislation. RP-
garding the evidence given betlire-Mr. Ferrand's
Committee in this light, the inquiry is relieved
at once of the odium of personal or party Nrar.
rare; and it is cleared, too, of the perplex-
ity in which it has been involved by introduc-
ing the consideration of the truck system in
the island of Portland and in the agricultural
districts. Let the question be, have the labourers
in manufactures sufficient protection against that
cupidity on the part of their employers, which
cupidity is a cormnon fluilt with all men in a
condition to indulge it? and, On the one part, the
millowners will not be made the object of any
special censure ; on the other, the oppressions
praerißed in the agricultural or other non•mann-
facturing districts, will only add further light to
the subject: for if protected, as they arc in sonic
del.,-ree by the employer's apprehensions or an
increase of poor-rates, even under the present
wretched poor-law, and by the usage if not law,
of annual hiring in husbandry, the agricultural
labourers are still in need of further defence
against the rapacity of' their employers, how
much worse mast he the condition of the la-
bourers in manufactories, who are destitute of
even the-e slender protections!