Star.
London, England, 1826-05-02 00:00:00

COlttki LAWS.

Lord KING presented a Petition from• the Weavers
and other Inhabitants of Manchester, praying for an
alteration its the Corn Laws. Hii Lordship observed,
that under the peculiar ci:cumstances of the time,
the Petition was entitled to the best consideration of
their Lordships, particularly as it was may ked with good
sense and moderation. The Petitioners Awed that they
entirely disapproved of the outrages which were corn
witted in the manufacturing districts, and that they
considered the burning of machinery as most unpolitic,
as well as mischievous. It was not 'to the improvement
in machinery that the present suffering of the country
was owing. The Petitioners stated, and hi, Lordship
agreed with them, that the present distress of the manu-
facturers was to be traced to the Corn Laws, and to the consequent
high price of food. The tendency of Corn Laws was twofold. In
the, first place, in directly preventing the importation of foreign corn,
and consequently the supply of food; and in the next place, the
Corn Laws prevented the exportation of our manufactures, as
foreigners could not purchase them unless torn was received in re-
turn. His Lordship gave credit to the Noble Earl at the head of
the Treasury for his declaration of last year when he said that a
revision of those laws was necessary, in which opinion he was sure
the Noble Earl was quite sincere.
The Marquis or LANSDOWN did not wish to make
any observatioa
.that would lead to any difference of
opinion, nor would he touch upon controversial ground ;
but he wished to advert to circumstances which were
known to their Lordships ; be meant the present
distress and disturbances which prevailed in the coun-
try. It was p,enerully understood that a dissolution
of Parliament wauld shortly Wee pace, and he hoped
,they would not separate without taking some step
to relieve the distress which existed in the manufac-
turing dist, icts. He was anxious not to let that op-
portunity pasi without urging ups n their Lirdslioa.
the necessity of adopting some measure not only to
relieve the distress, but to. allay the alarm which
prevailed. His Lordship would acknow'edge that the
subject was one of considerable. difficulty ; but he also
thought that the circumstances of the present case took
it out of the range of common accidents; it was im-
possible for Parliament to alleviate all the difficulties
that occur in .t commeicial community, or to controul
the vicissitudes of supply and demand to which this
country must be always subject. During the last year
an artificial stimulus was given to trade, which led to
speculations beyond the knowledge as well as the con-
troul of the unfortunate individuals who were now suf-
fering from a stagnation of that trade, and although
much had been done to restrain those irregularities,
and his Lordship had approved of those measures, still
he must say, that by them a temporary check was
given to commerce, which tended to impose an addi-
tional check upon commerce. Under all circumstances
of-the-case, he thought a case was made out to call for
the effectual interference of the Government, but he
also thought there was a necessity for vigorous and
vigilant, if not severe measures, for the protection of
property, as well for the sake of the unfortunate indi-
viduals who were committing the outrages as On ac-
count of the persons whose property was exposed to
danger. At the same time he could not forget a senti-
ment of Mr. Burke's, that when a man was starving he
was taken out of the ordinary rules of commerce as
well as of justice, but he then came within the jurisdic-
tion of mercy. His Lordship was of opinion that Par-
liament must have recourse to temporary remedy to
meet the present distress ; this might be done, either by
placing funds at the disposal of the Government, or by an
address to the Crown, pledging Parliament to make good
any advanc .s which it might be thought necessary to
make, for the purpose of relieving the wants of the
sufferers. Although a public subscription might be suf-
ficient to alleviate ordinary distress, and although it was
in most instances an adequate as well as the safest mode
of administering relief, yet he thought that in the pie-
sent instance it would be insufficient. His Lordship did
not forget that when distress prevailed in Spitalfields,
it was alleviated by a public subscription, and by the
benevolence of individuals; but when he read the
various accounts, and heard the reports from different
'parts of the country, .e was anxious to avoid the great
expense which must be incurred by any mode of_quell-
ing the disturbances in any other way than by relieving
the sufferers. It had been said that relief might be derived front
a reduction of taxation. Looking at the distressing accounts with
which the Newspapers were filled, and the improbability of speedy
relief, be was convinced of the necessity which existed for granting
some temporary assistance, either by a vote of money, or by some
ether means; and he called upon their Lordships to take the cue
into their most serious coosideration without delay.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL felt himself called upon,
not only by the speech of the Noble Marquis, but by the
importance of the subject itself, to state his views and
those of his Majesty's Ministers to the House. He did
not wonder at the appeal of the Noble Lord, but be
trusted that that Noble 'Lord would give him credit for
feeling, in common with every man in the House, for
the unfortunate state in which some of the manufactur-
ing d•shicts were placed. No one could read the
accounts which were received without being appalled
at the distress which prevailed, and experiencing the
deepest regret as to the course of those sufferings.—

With respect to the remedies to be supplied, the subj ct
deserved the most serious attention. If Parliament Isere
ao interfere, it would be the first instance, excepting she
case of Ireland, in which public money choold. have,
been voted for relieving such distresses. It might be,
more advisable and effective to tike advantage of the
le:is:in:a system of the Poor Laws, for through it relief
might be administered without coming
.directly out of
the public purse. If money were voted in one instance,
he conjured their Lordships to consider how often ap-
plications might be renewed, and how difficult it would
be to discriminate between the real and apparent neces-
sities of the case. They would recollect that when the
agricultural interest was suffering ckeply some years
[ago, endeavours had been m ide to obtain relief in the
manner now propose ', but on coming to the ApplipAtion
of the principle, they had fe and thealsAves compelled
to abandon it. With respect to Ireland, the c reit in-
stances of the case were widely cliff rea. Ireland hod
no system of Poor Laws to resort to, and the sta e of the
country al'owed of the money raised being employed in
public works, roads, and other objects, which were not
.wanted inthis country. Belot e P.olia.nent should for the
'first time draw a drat t on dr politic pure, which if once
lo•girri, no one could tell ts'han the practice viopltf end, it'
was proper that every other expedient should be tried 7
fie could not but look with moth confidence to the
voluntary exertions of individuals in aid of the rates
which were raised. In :he case of Ireland, the amount
of private contributions exceeded 300,0001. He
expected and hoped that a similar effort would now be
made to afford relief. This would be far more crw
sistent with principle and easy of execution. Relief
might be administered by a body like their Lordships,
or by a Committee, but could not by the Executive
Government, without greater objections than applied
to any other mode. It was impossible not to admit
that the existing evils rendered a revision of our situa-
tion with respect to the price of food, even at this late,
period of the Session, absolutely necessary. He had
said early in the present year, that though he felt the
necessity of an alteration in the Corn Laws, yet that
was not t'ie period when the subject could be discussed.
Independently of the ordinary objections t, such a ,
discussion, the circumstances of the present moment,
furnished additional ones to Parliament taking ir,tei
consideration what should be the permanent system of,
the Corn Laws. But at the same time Parliament'
ought not to separate without releasing the bonded corn
at a re tsonahle duty, and throwing it into the general,
mass of . public consumption ; or wi.hout investing in
the King and Council a power, to last till six weeks
after the next meeting of Parliament, of admitting other
'supplies of foreign grain on payment lila certain duty,
as necessity might require. Such a power was one
with which no Government would 'wish to be invested. lie ap-
pealed to his own conduct to prove the truth of this assertion.—
When the last Corn Bill had been framed, a clause to that effect
bad bent introduced, which he had opposed, and which the House
Lad rejected, on the ground that such a power ought not to form
part or a general system of law. There were special circumstances
in which exceptions might be made, and the present was a case iu
which it wig the duty of Parliament to malts cage.
Lord MA LAI ESBUILY said, no one could feel more
for the distressed state of the manulactarers than he did,
but whilst lie felt fur them, he regretted' that they
should atttibute the:r distress to the Corn Laws. Mr.
Jacob's Report, which gave the price of corn for the
last three years, stated it to he, upon an average, under
the produce of Foreign Countries. He deeply regretted the in-
fatuation under which the poor people were now acting, in destroy-
ing machinery. He would ask, then, who it was that bought the
reduce of that machinery; why the land-owners, and if they con-
tinued their present conduct, where there had been one poor man,
they would find three. He was convinced that, by encouraging
the Landed Interest, the country would obtain a steady supply.
Lord GROSVENOIt folly concurred in the expediency of
obtaining speedy relief for the suffering classes of the community.
It was one of the most urgent caws that ever came before them.
•The Earl of LAUDERDALE raid that common'
prudence would dictate the propriety of an inquiry into
the causes of the present distresses, to ascertain whether
they were produced by the high price of corn before
that opinion was proclaimed' to the world as that of
their Lordships, which must be the case if the proposed
measures were adopted. He would inquire further,
whether there was or was not a demand from abroad
for the ',iodate of our manufactures ? If he were
rightly informed there was a demand, but it was
hampered by other causes. Ile would ask the manu-
facturers whether the alarm created by the Banking
measures were not the cause of the distress? And he
would ask his Majesty's Ministers whether they were
not satisfied with the existing sufferings, and whether
they would extend the alarm to the Agriculturalists, the
only class now in a state or prosperity ? He knew of
no more rash proceeding than at the close of a-Session;
Mien there was no opportunity for enquiry, for Minis-
ters of the Crown to come down with a measure
sure to create as much alarm, and to inflict as great'
calamities amongst the Agricultural labourers, as
they had inftcted on the manufacturing ones.—
The power which the Ministers claimed was a very serious one,
and if they persisted in demanding it, he trusted that they would
accompany it with an obligation upon themselves to call Parliament
at a certain period to consider the situation of the country. He
had no objection to the admission of the Bonded Corn, but as to
the faculty of introducing foreign wheat, according to his own
judgment, he thought that the Noble Earl bad asked too much of
the ecocide:nee of Parliament, when the price of grain had, in reality,
Ind Abet whatever on the distresses of the country.
Bari HA RDWICKE coincided with the measures proposed by
his Majesty's Ministers.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL agreed that those who
ascribed the present distresses to the Corn Laws must
be blind to all that bad taken place in the country
during the last tea months. But whether the Cora
Laws were right or wrong, he should never shrink from
the discussion of the subject. He had already-stated his
opinion that some alteration was necessary, and some of
the alternatives which it would be necessary to adopt.
He should now repeat that circumstances made the pre-
sent moment most unfit to consider a permanent system
of Corn La ws. The Noble Earl opposite (Lauderdale)
said, that the existing 'distresses did not arise from a want
of demand ; if so, they would be easily cured, and could
not continue. . If men wanted coats or shoes, they might
put off having them, but they musOhave them, in time.
But if overtrading in one year had led to overproduc-
tion, and cessation of die demand in the next left the
warehouses encumbered with goods, distress must ensue.

This was the present case. and was that any argumert
'against affording immediate relief ? As to the question of the Noble

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Eat I GREY had been particularly desirous of leaving
the discussion to the h inds of those who were most`able
to do justice to the subject. He could not, however,
refraio from soliciting the" attention of their ',tonsils%
for a few minutes. He would not arrogate to himself
&feeling of sympAy tbitatds the 'distresseirmiintifac.
tdieri sueibrioitoohat of any otlike, for it sViiiisiposlible
to see the sufferings which were every day revtinaled,
without a sickening of the heart. A part of 9dr p",pu-
lation werelitetally dying of hunger, and the first duty
of the Hojse was to proffer them succour. It was' said
that this population was deluded; and it was Isi4 too
true Chit its feelings had been directed to the destruc-
tion of that property, from which it would. ultimately
suffer. That delusion was to be combated by argu-
ment—that violence to be restrained by the vigourous
use of authority and the strength of the I iws ; but
whilst punishing excesses, Ministers had an imp- rious
duty to perform. They had to relieve that distress
which had occasioned those excesses, and they had to
relieve it in a prompt and immediate manner. And
having performed this duty they had to inquire into the
causes of the present state of the country, in order to
provide permanent remedies against the teturn of
similar sufferings. Indeed, both Houses of Parlia-
ment would be guilty of a direliction of duty if
tkey did not exercise the power which they •pos-
sessed to enforce upon Ministers the necessity of con-
tinuing the Session until all dde inquiries had been mad-.
Parliament could not be allowed to disperse as it
'was reported to be on the eve of doing, at a time which
would justify it for declaring its sioings.permanenr.
In a situation where acts of violence were committed
which were not imputed to disaffection or discontent, -
but to absolute famine; when authority was set it
nought, and property destroyed, from which the de-
stroyers would have procured subsistence; in a state of
such danger the law had furnished the Kiog wi h power
to convene Parliament at a :boa notice. and ye:-this
was the time_choseft for dismissing it, nay possibly for
dissoleing it! It was the duty of the Ministers to
advise the Crown, and if they n-g!ected that duty it
was for the House to Address the Torone not to allow
Parliament to separate without hav:ng dist provided
immediate relief, and by investigation and mole ex-
tended legislation, having secured the country ao,ainst
a renewal of its present calam ties. This oi-;iniou was
confirmed by what had fallen from the N ,hle Esti
opposite. * Far from hailing with sati-faction the mea-
sures which had been announced, his alarm was in-
creased by their proposal. The Noble Earl had depre-
cated the idea that the- Corn Laws were the cause of the
existing distresses. This was a subject so likely to excite
the passions, that it ought to be approrched only with the
deliberative wisdom of the Legislature, acting, for the
community at large, without attempting to force a parti-
cular opinion on the House by means of an infl immatory
nature. He would ask the N 'isle Earl whether he had ab-
stained altogether from inflammation ? The Corn Laws
might want revision, though looking at the averages for
the last three years the price of coin had evidently no-
thing to do with the present sufferings, but the subject
ought to be treated with care and caution. It was not
the part of wisdom to denounce a system which bad not
operated prejudicially to the country, and the-greatest
evil of which would be to be kept in -a state of fluctua-
tion. Never, therefore, was there a moreimpitident or
more ill-advised proceeding'. than when his Majesty's
Ministers gave notice last Session of their intention to
alter the Corn Laws. From this declaration c f theirs
bad all the subsequent clamour arisen. They had
taught the country to look at those laws as vicious
—they were considered as having pledge,' themselves
alter them, and much of the present dissat sfaction
proceeded from their refusal to redeem that pledge.
The alteeation in the currency was also another
cause of confusion, because admitting that foreign corn
should be admitted at a fixed duty, it was necessary
to know in what currency that duty was to be paid.—
A Government seriou•ly attending to its own situation
and to what was due to its own character would have
abstained from saying anything, till it had made up
its mind to what ought to be done and the period at
which it ought to he carried into effect. He therefore
did not think the Noble Earl quite guiltless of having
contributed to aggravate the existing distresses. Hinds
had been the result 'of his conduct last Session, what was
likely to be that of what he now proposed ? It could have
no other effect than to encrease alarm. It was pro-
posed as a measure of relief which it was the duty
of Parliament to pass. How was it a measure of relic ?
—by lowering the price of corn. Did it not follow that
Ministers must consider the price of corn as the cause
of the distress to be relieved ? For if Le high price of
corn had nothing to do with that distress, why intro•
duce the measure? By this very act Mi; isters increased
the clamour and confusion which they wished to coun-
teract. What would be the effect on the agricultural
interest, when land owners should see the Noble Lord
aggravating every evil by proposing such a measure as
a measure of relief? As to the other measure, it was
impossible that it should be adopted without much
discussion and inquiry. The Noble Earl said;- that it
was not one of immediate relief, but to prevent corn
from reaching a famine price. What was the pctuliar
necessity of such a precaution at -this moment? What
-information had the Noble Earl acquired as to the
nature of the supply in the country ? Had he ally
reason to fear that corn would reach a famine price, or

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