The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-23 00:00:00

Strangers eirere-er,lere-1 CO- svitht;reess, and the Reuse
divided, when there appeared--
For the amendment
Against it
Majority
DISTRESS OF THE COUNTRY
t-In'the.motion being put, that the House go into Com-
mittee of Supply,
Mr. M. GIBSON moved that the House should resolve
;Itself into a-Committee of the whole House, to take into
• e*sideration the distressed state of the country. It
Might be said that such a motion was useless, as Parlia-
tnent had shown that it would not take any step for
the relief of the distress, which all upon every side and
. rof every opinion admitted to exist, although the sup-
. Porters of the Government denied its extent. lie had
and was so continually pressed by those who
sent him to that House, to represent their sufferings to
Parliament and the Government, that he could not omit
any opportunity of bringing the distressed state of the
country under the consideration of those who were re-
, rarded as their representatives. The Hon. Gentleman
then went into detail to show the falling off in the sale of
butter, coffee, candles, sugar, butchers' meat, and other
necessaries of life, by the retail dealers of Manchester
!luring the last year. He knew that there were men
111 every position of life who were so sanguine as to
hope that their fortunes, however desperate, were
sure to retrieve themselves ; but the present state of
things in this country allowed of no such indulgence to
the feelings of the most sanguine. The predictions
which were made in the petition of the Manchester ,hamber of Commerce in the year 18353 had been fear-
- fullye verified. The Hon. Member read also an extract
'rum the annual Report of the United Society of Cotton-
brokers of Liverpool to the same effect. The Right
ITeon. Baronet opposite (Sir R. Peel) had said that the
improvements in machinery caused human labour to be
superseded. But was it not the fact that the restrictive
cud monopoly laws kept away those means of absorption
which nature had provided for the superabundant
14°110 He read extracts from returns to show
that *the increase of exports was no proof
!f. - increased prosperity in manufactures ; on the
contrary, the increase of exports in cotton was
t 1 proof of the distress and the' decline of menu-
factures.—(Hear.) He complained of the attempts made
?n the other side of the House to throw a false co-
,- touring over the present state of affairs, and to give a
11 °Pe to the agriculturists that an improvement was
about to take place. A benevolent and talented preacher,
411" oh admired by the party represented on the other
side of the House, and in close connexion with Members
"f the present Government, in preaching a sermon in
?hedi euce to the Queen's Letter, said to his congregation
that !It was necessary to put a check upon the progress of
• Inaltafactures, which were superseding agriculture, and
collecting the people in dense masses. He (Mr. Gibson)
deprecated the issuing of party politics from the pulpit
'5l the Established Church. The Rev. Gentleman 'de-
' pecated the competition of industry with industry and
' ahour with labour, whilst he poured out all his eloquence
to eulogise the competition of nations in war- and blood.
There was a majority in the House that believed that
distress did exist in the country, and that nothing that
'tll° Right Hon. Baronet had brought forward would Ini-
'!gate it. Inquiry, therefore, was necessary, and both
fides of the House were bound to look into these matters
14 a dispassionate .way, in order to ascertain the best
,Ode of alleviating the evil. There could be no pos-
-4,,1e excuse for not going into the inquiry.—(Hear.)
n,e Iloilo:treble Gentleman had stated that he had
submitted all his measures to the House, and there
Zas, therefore, not a more fitting opportunity than
e present for going into the inquiry. Was the
Z'onvenience of detaining a few Members in town to
compared with the wants of the millions ? The coming
harvest according to all accounts would not be an average
e xte• There was nothing to plead against inquiry, but
the
lateness of the session, and that plea had no foun-
dation.--(Hear, hear.) Parliament was bound .to in-
quire into the distresses of the people, and Government
Would incur an awful responsibility if they allowed Par-
tament to separate without doing something to alleviate
'ae distresses of the people.—(Hear.) He could not
Conceive that the House would do its duty unless it re-
solved itself into a Committee of Inquiry. The days of
the Corn-laWs were numbered, and the time was at hand
When the Corn-laws would be erased from the statute
°lc, and it would be a wonder that such disgraceful
if the laws were ever allowed to exist.—(Hear.) He believed
manufacturers had only full scope, the country
Would have . tu:ll prosperity, and the landlords would
'ensure a greater rental.
Dr. BOWRING. seconded the motion. It was ob-
`vious that all that heel been done by the Right Hon. Ba-
, Zilnetet had had no effect in alleviating the distresses of
was
ttillicartt
the Country. All that ivies required by the industrious
assethat the markets of the world should be
thrownledpen to them. It was his belief that the distress
itself to the •CI
in, the lower classes was ex-
tending) ng ones, and it was the
country,
d. uty of the uOll5O
suffering that existed
the
endeavour
consider the
the countur;u
that He believed
misery as at the much burdened with
ndeaeour to' relieve it.
was never so .
present inomenx't
conceive how Hon. con, Hon. mid he could not
ld retire to their
homes, and consider that they hat: discharged their
. duty ein voting certain supplies., when they had
altogether passed by the wants of the .people.,—(Hear,
hear.) When thousands of-human beings were ste'rving,
,uld it be said that the Howe of Commons had don e its
erui!,.tY, unless it took their case into consideration !11:
;1/4,4'; r, hear.) In conclusion, he trusted that the Howe
~,111 agree to the motion.
"'aPta. inBERKELEY hail never 'shown an improper
Lot
felt feelieg towards the present Gerninent,
be ae bound to vote for the present motion.
'ras sorry that the able and powerful speech they
d
ohOuit heard is as not delivered on another occasion.
he came into that Hnuse, he made up his mind not
v,7tte for the motion of the Hon. Member, but when
hN"l4rd the speeelt of the Hose Gentleman, he owneel
th"ceae staggered in his determination. He did not think.
ea!, lion. Gentlemen was doing any good to his own
e,"s°. There was a great deal of necessary business to
le; Yet done, and he thought it would be better to leave
en* responsibility with the Government of rejecting all
weaciaresfor their relief.—( Hear, hear.) He thought it
lePtlitt be wiser to do as the Irish coachman did, when
fintr horses ran Away with his coach for ten miles,
41.a8
ti;4 lee was not able to stop them, he threw the reins on
ierses back, and said, " Take the responsibility
Th; gat you, I have nothing more to say."--(Laughter.)
tio° coach, to be sure, was upset. And though he
" niat wish that anything should occur to the coach-
Ite"'L:nard, or cad, of the Right lion. Baronet's coach,
?iced to see the coach itself upset.—(Laughter.)
qr". EASTROPE felt with the Hon. Member for
4uet ?ster the inconvenience of interrupting the public
the is ; but very extraordinary circumstances justified
(if ation from the common and customary course.--
P" Sae, hear.) The simple question was, whether the
thr'sttet• state of the rountry was such as to demand from
e Ater% ihers who represented suffering districts a tlevia-
-411 frO.vi that course which, in other cases, they should
ee°,Pt. A-le did not believe that the indomitable deter-
.e.
NI!, !eon ,of the Hon. Member for Stockport—that all the
Ivoel,age a ud energy he bad shown in these debates,
fee',',(A be se ifficient to carryon the discussion, were it not
ved'ie gen, seal and very stringent distress which per-
the eel entry.--(Hear, hear.) It would be impossi-
*i „for hire, discouraged and discountenanced as he was
thin the les u s of that House, to carry on the discus-
th,e were he a tot aided by a pressure from without, that
out "Ire arising • from distress unparalleled, misery with-
•
ark; example;set 'eich threatened the disorganisation of
tik,,tY, and hela' forth to them calatnities which they
Sot meet, e end the consequences of which they
aded.—(Hea.r, bt sier,) He thought a great deal might
fejaid in excuse of ti rose representatives of large manu-
`tiling places foe pressing this motion beyond what
ht! usually and ordlinin ily done.—(Hear.) They retired
ato amusements, to i telaxation from labours, with the
le,sure and delight which usually follows attentive
keutirs, but they went to the abodes of misery and sue-
iteng, which they could t' ot contemplate without feel-
le! of commiseration ant sentiments of pain, at their
bability to iteevi ate theta, —(Hear. hear.) They did
C"me before tl to Hone' '. vitit topics of oratorical
4 de-
thation, but witl e a painful detail of distressing misery
suffering wretchedness. hOd himself the honour
.4'l
We said the honeitr—he mien say the misery—of re-
e-°senting a largo • constituency, who teere.suffer did not
g tsf,
der
litho he could , not deecribe, but icla
if he
aeai the Hoi Ise, before the close of the' Session,
Iflid be an abani liniment of his duty. The Righ: lion.
•t
4r,..lYet told thet a that Government, had done at, 1,
stlliti• He gave theen credit for imagining they he,.
c:
,'ne all they could do Many of the supporters of the
th"ernment'thought t hat too much had been done, but
eq, on his sideof the aouse, who, notwithstanding their
teZn-law and their taris-T, were pressed eith the misery of
..410 se whom they represent ed, felt that very littletital been
eetl° te mit; r nee' the wide-spread distress of the country.
li ear.) The people, too,. say that they can have but
whie depenOenee on a House of Commons that tell., them,
l e
1e in ,heir present condition, that all has been done
•
suetan be done. It had been said that the increase of
,•_tile 'fled houses was a proof of the thriving condition of
,ht
es WAS st,'°lllltry. He wished t
the last two years, instead of
tbust ten. The number of inhabitable houses in the
ie
11 of Leicester was I'l,ooo, and of these 1,600 were
41110ocupied, rather m ore than one in seven.—(Hear.)
feet ‘,O were 4,000 fraine:3 etnplo‘ ed in the staple menu-
wee :1e of the place. Ono-half was now laid by. Houses
sal,,„ '4epreciated from 30 to 35 per cent. in value, and no
Nuld be effected even at that reduct(Hear.)
er' \rake of machinery had fallen 40 per cent., and those
wS°ll,s vtho subsisted by the hiring out of property
ee e
‘'ailitar The pone-rates for the first quarter of the
seat • sired with those of 1940. were
onbi , year, its comp.
184 eu.—(liear:) In 1840 the rate was 2,745/. in
' it was ; in the present year s,l2ol.—(Hear,
It•
c.) When such was, tie state of things in the towns,
d the agricultural districts remain long unaffected by
;,,same distress ? Vrithin the last two days ho met
Pconstituentof his at time last
ers,on who was a
tr• I°l3, who described himself and his family to be in
vitt° & reatest misery and distress. He did not, he said,
beg, but he t les sired he might be admitted into
h 0 )ital, as he had not eaten bread from the previous
tnO—lni•-• He went into the hospital, and he was now
onone to' •,ap;ricultural ,employment.—(Hear.) That was
bee tree but he had no doubt that many more might
adduced when the population of the towns went to the
I.,ptry eek relief by competing with the agricultu-
eessabourer s who wete not themselves a bit too well off.—
eee'ear,
inst ear,)- So tb at it WAS likely that rural districts,
eeb;:ead of bei 'n/e- the fanciful resorts of delight and gaiety
as je" they see Ira described, would be soon as unseemly
eatoue° wretches I towns which were now se much depre-
• The lion.
heal;) He would repeat the question of
tb; Meeeb, ern- Manchester, and ask whether every
will% that ouh, . to be done had been done ?—(Hear.)
thou
at had been•
o,:ai in the way of emigration ? He
e
ght that the ft eets of the country might be benefi-
poo'Y employee: in care:ying out to richer localities the
me r of this 'con ntry ;who could not obtain employ-
ilt at hot ne. The Honourable Baronet then
"t 1 to wh: et :had been &lie by the Uon. Xember

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