The Sun.
London, England, 1827-06-19 00:00:00

•
been-seat up to the other Hotise a Wise Measure oflegisia-
'tion. The agricultural inter* was fully protected by it,
whilst it afforda the gTeatest relief to the manufacturers.
the-loss of that Bill ; and now
hffeihniopi)esid itihe:tPlYsomrt*i
some temporaryete pro Vision would be made,
until they had an opportunity of discussing a permanent
measure next Session, in rather a better temper than had
appeared in this Session, at least in orke branch of the Le •
gislature.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir EDWARD KNATCHBULL wished to treat this
subject in the spirit most likely to conciliate all classes, and
would not resort to that tone of personal reflection to which
some others chose to have recourse. He should have long
hesitated, before he would have spoken so dogmatically and
imperatively on the subject of the proceedings in the other
House as the lion. Baronet had done. The Right Hon.
Member for Oxford had stated that he had been in con-
stant communication with the Noble Duke who had been
alluded to, and that the Noble Duke could not have acted
in the manner in which some appeared to imagine he had
acted without the knowledge of that Right Hon. Member.
It is impossible that the Noble Duke could have acted froin
any improper motive. The Duke of Wellington was not
a man whose public character ought to be rashly impeach-
ed ; and, if he were nut apprehensive that he might he
thought to mention it ad captandum, he would say that,
of all other days, this (18th June) was the least proper for
any such attempt.—(Loud cries of bear, hear. )—ln the
course of the very few observations which he had to make,
he would not use reflections that might tend to excite ani-
mosities among the different classes of the community. Ile
could easily understand the course which his Right Hosi.
Friend (the Member for Essex) wished to pursue, but it
the same time lie could at this moment hardly concur in it.
Still, if his Hon. Friend would persevere to a division,
must have his vote. It was certainly of the highest inmor -
ance that some permanent measure should be adopted with 9-
spect to corn ; but no such measure could be fixed upon at
present as would meet the approbation of the other House:;
and, therefore, he thought it rather preferable for this tine
to have recourse to a temporary measure. At the same time
he must say, that the Members of the Administration were
pursuing a system with respect to the Corn Laws which
would bring the country into great difficulties—he meant
the system of leaving this country dependent, in a great
measure, for its supplies of grain upon foreign countries.-L.
The Hon. Baronet opposite had said, that the agricultuL
lists of Ireland cordially concurred in the :principle of thg`
Bill which had been lately sent up to the House of Lord 4.
[Sir J. Newport—l was speaking of the measure of 1806..
It seemed he had misunderstood the Hon. Baronet. Go
forbid, however, that he should be the enemy of any great
interest of the country, or either do or say any thing th
should excite'divisions or animosities among the differen
classes of the community. He hoped that next Session
proper permanert measure would be brought forward;
which they might discuss with coolness and temper.
Mr. A. BARING—He could not help observing ties;
there was some inconsistency in the conduct of those who
professed to be pupils of Mr. Ricardo; and yet were loud
in the support and celebration of intolerance and Protestant
ascendancy. The measure suggested on this side was one
of a temporary nature, and calculated solely for the year,
but formed in the spirit of that measure which had already
received the approbation of the House. As to the proposi-
tion of the Hon. Member for. Essex, he did not know any
reason why that should be adopted. Why should they
adopt the plan of a prohibition of the importation of foreign
corn, till the price at home reached 70s. ? He could not
but object to that scheme, if it were for no other reason
than this, that it was in complete opposition to the plan
which had been already adopted by this House. He oh:
jected to it, also, inasreoch as it limited the discretionary
power which was vested in the Executive Government
with respect to the importation of foreign corn. If Parlia-
ment should establish a prohibition till the price reached
70s. there could be no interference on the part of Govern-
ment till the home price had advanced that length. There
would be no good ground for interference, if Parliament
thought proper to take upon itself absolutely to prohibit
importation until the price rose to 70c The proposition of
the Hon. Member for Essex would, therefore, be not only
objectionable in point of principle, and contrary to the
plan which the House had already sanctioned, but also ex..
tremely inconvenient in point of practice. The only alter-
native was to adopt some temporary measure, or some per-
manent one, conformable, as far as possible, to that which
the House had already approved. No plan, however, could
be so generally satisfactory as that Which the House had al-
ready approved, and sent to the other House. Many of
the farmers did not think that they would, under that Bill,
get sufficiently high prices for their corn; while, on the
other hand, the manufacturers thought they would still be
compelled to pay a much higher price for bread than they
ought to do. But . still there was a general impression
that, considering all circumstances, and the feelings which
prevailed among different classes; it was as faii and as good
a medium as fould_ well be adopted. He, therefore, deeply
regretted that such a plan should have been destroyed in an-
other House, and that consequently, now he was under
the necessity of resorting to a temporary measure, a thing to
which he could not accede without the greatest reluctance,
when he considered the conflicting demands and interests
to which it would give rise, -and the total uncer-
tainty in the corn trade—to which it would lead.
Before a plan so generally satisfactory was thrown out, it
would have been well if the moral effect of thus setting the
different classes of the community in opposition to each
other had been more maturely weighed. If the People.
should take to reasoning on the subject, and should find
that the class of the community from which Magistrates,
Members of the Legislature, and Members of the Govern-
ment wee taken, instead of attending to the general inte-
rests of the nation,' acted almost with a particular and ex-
clusive view to their own interests and fortunes, in • oppost-
tion to the interests of the other classes of the community,
that notion might be productive of a very dangerous feel-
ing. When he came down to the. House, he had consi-
dered with himself whether Parliament might not sit long
enought to enable them to make another attempt to get a
fixed and permanent plan adopted. But when he saw in
what a spirit another House had dealt with the plan which
had already passed this House, he thought it would be ne-
cessary to give them time to cool, in hopes that in the next
Session a better temper would be evinced. However re-
luctant, therefore, he was to consent to the adoption of a
temporary measure, which on many accounts was so highly
objectionable, lie at present saw no other alternative; for,
considering all the circumstances, he had himself no ex-
pectation that the longest period to which they could pro-
tract their labours, would afford them a prospect of having
a proper permanent 'measure established in the course of
the present Session. As to the Noble Person who had
been alluded' to, as having originated the Amendment, as
it was called, which had destroyed the principle of that
measure, which had received the sanction of that House,
and had been so generally satisfactory, he felt so deep a
sense of the immense debt of gratitude which the country
owed him, that he' should he extremely sorry to say any
thing that might have the appearance of reflecting upon
him. But, at the same time, he could not help saying,
that when he saw no less than five of the late Ministers,
all of whom had, while in the Ministry, themselves con-
! curred in and approved of the measure which had been
passed by this House, and sent to the other House—when
he saw all of them, when out of office, turn rotund and
strangle that very measure, lie could not agree with the
Right Hon. Member for Oxford, that all this was done
from an entirely honest feeling ; more especially as the
Amendment, by means of which they had effected their
object, was the most foolish and absurd, and the most in-
operative for any goed purpose, that ever was proposed to
be introduced into any Bill that ever came before Parlia-
ment.—(Loud cries of hear, hear.)—That was the true
character of the Amendment ; but he spoke of it in these
terms, not with any view to reflect upon the individual
with whom it originated, but merely to point out the rea-
sons which induced him to consent to a temporary mea-
sure, since be saw how hopeless it was to expect that a
proper permanent plan should be adopted in the course of
the present Session. If the Right Hon. Member for Ox-
ford could think that such an Amendment was introduced
from a sincere desire to promote the object without injuring
the principle of the Bill, he could only say, that his cre-
dulity was equal to his candour; far he (Mr. Baring)
could hardly conceive how any persons with common
sense, who were really friendly to the principle and object
of the Bill, could have proposed such an Amendment,
especially if they knew what would be the fate of the
Bill, which they must have done, as it was to be presumed
that they were acquainted with the privileges of the House
of Commons, and with their own 'privilens. The effect
of the Amendment was to throw the whole of the Corn
Trade of the country into a state of total uncertainty and'
confusion. He thought the Right Hon. Gentleman him-
self ought to have said a few words on the nature, object,
and effects of the Amendment. Could any one show that
the Amendment was good for any thing except to throw
the Corn Trade into the hands of foreigners ? If the ob-
ject was to give a preference to the corn directly im-
ported, over the corn in bond, that plan would not have
the slightest effect in protecting the agriculture of this
country; and if it had not that object, it haul no object
whatever, unless that of destroying the Bill. It could not
surely have been intended 'to injure our own shipping, and
to throw the whole of the corn trade into the hands of
-foreeignxceepri ;
t '
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get rid
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Bill P: He
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be,
protection to
?g-ie.tditt'ie." the 'Amendment was thesMoit
absurd and" ino thaecOtild possibly he •Coieetved ;