The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-11-30 00:00:00

THURSDAY, Nov. 25

Petitions were presented cqmplaining of the elections at
Liverpool, Finsbury, and Middlesex
THE

FREE TRADE RESOLUTIONS

Sir W. CLAY asked whether the Chancellor of the
Exchequer would withdraw his amendment, upon the
understanding that the house would acquiesce in the reso-
lution moved by Lord Palmerston ; and whether Mr. Vil-
liers.on a like understanding, would withdraw his motion.

Sir J. GRAHAM stated the share he had taken in
framing the original resolutions moved by Mr. Villiers,
and narrated the communications he had had with Lord
Aberdeen and Lord J. Russell respecting the wording of
the resolutions and the changes they underwent, in which
he had sought to retain certain words with the view of
traversing a presumption arising upon the Queen's speech,
that the question of compensation would be enter-
tained, and he had inserted the words " without inflicting
injury on any important interest," expressly to bar that
question. He could be no party to any compromise if
those words were omitted ; but if they were adopted he
should entreat Mr. Villiers to withdraw his motion.
After some discussion Lord PALMERSTON said he had
no objection to the words proposed by Sir J. Graham, if
they wete confined to the future.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he had
waited for an expression of the views of Mr. Villiers
before he replied to the questions of Sir W. Clay. He
then detailed the course which had been taken by the
government with reference to the resolutions. He should
resist, he said, the motion of Mr. Villiers as unjust and
unwise, and as containing epithets that were odious.
With regard to Lord Palmerston's resolution, he did not
feel it his duty to oppose the reneral feeling of the house,
though it contained expressions to which he might demur.
_ _

Lord Jolts RUSSELL said he had advised the insertion
in the resolution of the words " wise and just." The
amendment of the government appeared to him equivocal,
leaving it doubtful whether the law of 1846 might not be
characterised as an act of injustice and folly, which should
be reversed. Although Mr. Disraeli had denied it, the
question at issue really was, free trade or prote^lion ;
whether the great system of commercial policy com-
menced by Sir R. Peel in 1842 ought to be persevered in.
All those who were of that opinion should unite, if pos-
sible, in a vote to that effect. He recommended Mr.
Villiers, however, that, as Mr. Disraeli had declared his
willingness to substitute for his amendment that of Lord
Palmerston, he should declare his willingness to adopt
that resolution.

Mr. COBDEN warned members on the other side that,
if they raised the question of compensation in the shape of
taxation, they would cause another struggle as disastrous
for them as the last. He was anxious that the house
should bring the question to a test, whether, after a disso-
lution, they stood, in respect to this matter, in as good a
position as before. He therefore entreated Mr. Villiers
not to shrink from dividing the house.

After a few remarks froin Mr. NEWDEGATE,
Mr. VILLIERS vind;cated the course he had taken, and
declined to withdraw his motion.

The amendment of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
having been withdrawn, and that of Lord Palmerston
moved in its stead,
Mr. OSBORNE amused the house for some time with
extracts from Protecionibt speeches, with the view of
refuting Mr. Disraeli's assertion that no attempt bad been
made to reverse the policy of free trade. Although, he
observed, Mr. Disraeli had not made a direct motion to
overthrow that policy, he bad taken advantage of the
motions of others ; and Lord Derby had done all he could,
both in and out of Parliament, to reverse free trade.
Mr. BALL controsertesi some of the economical maxims
of the Freetraders, denying, in particular, that cheapness
was a desideratum. It was to practise a delusion upon the
poor, he said, to persuade them that cheapness was a
blessing. After the appeal made to the country, he was
bound, as one of the minority, to bow to its decision ;
but he never would be a party to any resolution which
declared that the happiness of the people and the prospe-
rity of the country had been the results of free trade.

Sir W. PAGE WOOD spoke in favour of the original
resolution, as a compromise would lead the country to
suspect that the house was not sincere on the subject of
free trade.

Sir J. PAXINGTON said it appeared to him, after what
had taken place, there was no question before the house,
and that the discussion should not have been prolonged—
a discussion which, he thought, was not creditable to the
house.,

The debate was again adjourned

IRISH TENANT• RIGHT

Mr. Serjeant SURE obtained leave to bring in a bill to
provide for the better securing and regulating the custom
of tenant-right as practised in the province of Ulster, and
to secure compensation to improving tenants who may not
make claim under the said custom, and to limit the power
of eviction in certain cases.

FRIDAY, Nov. 26

NEW WRITS

On the motion of Mr. MACKENZIE, new writs were
ordered for Abingdon, in the room of General Caulfield,
deceased ; for Bury St. Edmund's, in the room of the
Hon. Sir. John Stuart, now Vice Chancellor; and for
Oldhain, in the room of John Duncuft, Esq., deceased.
On the motion of Mr. HATTER, a new writ was
ordered for Peterborough, in the room of the Hon. R,
Watson, deceased. PETITIONS.
Mr

. MACKENZIE presented a petition, sighed by 20,000
ladies of Liverpool, praying for the suppression of nun-

neries

Mr. BRIGHT presented a petition from the Co'mmercial
Association of Manchester, praying the house to with-
draw all protective duties from the silk manufacture of
the country.