The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-16 00:00:00

THE FARMERS.

A new agitation has arisen, not giving itself voice
in articulate speech, not even embodying an argu-
ment in thought shaped and formed for after expres-
sions when it shall have the necessary organs, but
finding vent in a low growl of discontent. The
farmers begin to find that they have been deceived ;
that every promise made to sustain them in the
artificial condition which they held during the war
has been falsified, that the law of 1815, which was
to guarantee them 80s. for their wheat, was only a
law to sustain rent; that the law of Ig2B, which was
to give them steady prices at about 725., was only a
law to sustain rent ; and that Peel's Bill of 1842, to
keep prices at or about 555., is as great a deception as
the others. True, they have now a protection to the
amount of 20s. a quarter, a protection of 3/. an acre
on ordinary, and Si. an acre on good, well-farmed
land; but with all this protection the fact that wheat
has fallen to 48s. staggers their belief in the power
of the Legislature to keep up prices ; and they now
begin to discover that in every election since they
have enjoyed the privilege of a vote, they have been
dragged to the poll that laws might he made to
oppress. them without doing themselves any good, and
which not only have done them no good, but, by
holding out the false 'lope of high prices, have in-
duced them to offer rents which they now find them-
selves totally unable to pay. They have as yet but a
faint glimmering of the truth; but the light begins
to break upon them. They begin to see that all this
legislation has done them no good, and they have a
faint apprehension that it has done them some harm ;
but the landlords have hitherto been their thought-
proxies, and they cannot, all at once, think for them-
selves. But they are in the way towards their
emancipation—the low grumble is heard, indicative
of a deep discontent. which, by-and-bye, will find
eloquent voice. A friend furnishes us with the fol-
lowing dialogue between himself and a fat bullet-
headed Cheshire farmer' whom he met the other day
" Well ; how is cheese selling?
" Selling'! Why, next to nought. I got 745. last
year, and I cannot get 60s. this.
" What do you think is the cause of this reduction ?
" Nay, I cannot tell; but I think we cannot get
better prices till trade be better.
" And what, do you think, would make trade better ?
" Nay, I cannot tell; but if towns-folks cannot
peay a good price for cheese, I cannot peay my pre-
sent rent.

" Has the Corn-law done you no good ?
" D—n the Corn-law ! Nought does us good,
man ; we are all as bad as can be.

" Well, since it has done you no good, and injured
your customers so much that they cannot buy your
cheese, should it nit be repealed?
Nat; Maste4.,, T canifot tell ; but thisT; know, if
to wn's'folls' cannot'pec4-inn more I
must peak less. yent.'',
There 'eleinfrit of tlionglit in these inhrticu-.
late, gioi74o.
‘; g,town'S t olk Cannot' " pnl:,,y," high
prices ftr cannot "144 y" high Tents, is icatiejti-
.s,iqr; out orVtiCli will gre*gel4,aigument.:Paiiiiers
will listen now and talk ere long.
Sir Robert Peel's position is far from being an en-
viable one. lie has put down the Chartist leaders
only to give impulse to the Sturge movement ; he has
altered the Corn-law expressly to put down the League,
and has only given it increased energy; he has al-
lowed the importation of salted beef and pork, and
has thus, without satisfying the trading part of the
community, alarmed the agricultural • and he has
tried to eke out a deficient revenue by the imposition
of a new tax., odious alike to his friends and his op-
ponents. His has been the era of the great UNSET-
TLEMENT. He has set the stone a-rolling, and it
is beyond his power to arrest its progress. We wish
him joy of his position.—MaitchesterTimes.