The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-12-31 00:00:00

FACTS FOR THE LABOURING CLASSES RELA-
TIVE TO THE CORN LAWS.

BY A TRADEtNIAN OF MANCHESTER.
As the Titi.:l3 TRADERS are still actively engaged_in agita
ting the people against the CORN LAWS, and are doing every
thing in their power. to induce all classes .of society to unite
with them to petition Parliament ter a total renew.'* of all
duties *upon corn and articles of foreign manufacture, and
conceiving, As lAlo, that if their views were adopted, this
country would be plun,ged into the greatest misery and dis-
tress, I feel induced to endeavour, to the . utmost of my
ability, to point out to yoir the complete FALLACY of such
policy. • : : -
I will first makna few general observations, and afterwards
give you the principal reasons of the repeal advocates, and
then answer them -in- detail. -Diargig the years 1835' and
4836, this. country appeareilitdtre; to-i'errArial oli4rate'r, hi a
oery sound amiprearpernus,state. The whig journals asserted
,that it was
,entirely; owing to,, the wise and liberal policy of
their goN'erniiicilt.: and' my friends continually dinned
in My ears, that if the tbrias had been in power, we should
have been. "strangers to such a happy state"- of circum •
stances. Now, you must bear in mind, that neither the
journals nor my whig aCquaintance alluded to the corn laws.
Goods of all kinds; said they, are in great demand ; mills are
king' built in every directioti,'railway shares are a lucrative
speculation, and, as for joint-stock hanks, they will become a
mine. of wealth in the country—in fact, there is one univer-
sal burst of prosperity. But, what say this party Now ?
Why; the Morning Chronicle admits that the political, com-
mercial, and.monetary- state of the country never was more
discouraging; and what is very remarkable, we are still un-
der WHIG RULE ; but they are too liberal to have to do with
the present state of things, as such—they attribute this to
" the diabolical corn laws," and to former tory misrule V't
A prudent commercial man will confine himself within his
means, knowing that if lie trades beyond his circumstances,
he is sure to be a sufferer ; and so it is with a nation (instance
Belgium ;) for all trade being barter, it would be unwise in us
to send out our commodities to a foreign land unless we have
the means to consume the produce, namely, cotton, silk,
sugar, tea, coffee, Se.c &c., given in exchange ; and if we
procure the precious metals we ought to be in the situation
to enjoy them, as articles of use, ornament, or circulation's
neither would foreigners send us their 'commodities if We
could not absorb them ; it is our home-market alone,.there•
fore, that upholds all our domestic and external trade, and
the cause of our having been a great producing and trading
country is entirely owing 'to Our labour being better rernu-
nerated than foreign labour, which has given us an increased
power to consume. Labour has but one interest, however
varied ; for if one branch of industry suffer, it operates as a
drag upon the remainder. Many trades are so cautious of
too many being admitted into their body that they limit the
number of apprentices, and, in consequence, theyare enabled
to command better remuneration ; and such is the case with
the labour of a nation; and does not common sensetell you,
that it must be niech more to the advantage of the working
classes that they should supply the national market them-
selves ? I do most sincerely hope that you will not be led
astray by ignorant nien, who would destroy your interests by
inviting the whole world to send us their corn and manufac-
tured goods to supplant your industry in our markets. No
doubt, one class would he beriefitted by the measure. They
that have fixed incomes would be enabled, with their means,
to embrace a greater quantity 'of commodities • for you know
well that competition always reduces prices ; therefore it be-
hoves all men who have land, Mills, mines, or ships, and they
who depend upon their daily labour also, to oppose the free
traders with their whole might.
You will better understand the immense importance of the
home market when I inform you, that our export trade is not
equal to our annual taxation ; moreover, a great portion of
our exports is composed of foreign produce, namely, cotton,
silk, wool, flax, &c., &c. • besides, a great quantity of our
yarns and other steam productions are almost in a raw state
when exported, so that the manual labour employed upon them
is comparatively light; for our advantage is much greater
when we export goods, composed of British materials, than
when composed of foreign materials. A basket-maker, for
instance,:that grows his own willows, is better circumstanced
than he who has to purchase them..l
LABOUR is the poor man's CAPITAL ; he has nothing else
to depend upon, and it is by work that he is enabled to live;
so that all they who are endeavouring to induce parliament to
sanction the free importation of foreign silks, gloves, watches,
clocks, hose, lace, boots, shoes, cabinet furniture, glass,
corn, and all the rest, are doing the greatest injustice to the
community ; for it is preposterous to talk of serviny the
working man BY SUPERSEDING HIS LABOUR. Absenteeism
is admitted to be a great evil to this country : then let me
ask, what very great difference is there bet Ween our country-
men expending their money upon foreign productions at
home, or their residing abroad ?§
But if we are to have free trade, then let it be upon sound
and equitable principles; for my part, I will never sanction
any other. Is it just that government slarald tax our labour,
and at the same time allow foreign untaxed labour to com-
pete with it? Such conduct is the height of folly and op-
pression. The Right lion. C. P. Thomson, the late member
for Manchester, asserts, in his speech upon the corn laws,
page 15, that wages, in some parts of the world, are only a
halfpenny per day. Now, this remuneration is not equal to
the taxes here upon a working man's family ; and it is desir-
able that our wages should be reduced so as to compete with
such rivalry. It is impossible, I say, for us to carry out the
principles of free trade unless we reduce our taxes to the le-
vel of foreign countries, and that the intercourse with other
nations of the world should be reciprocal. But even if this
were attainable, it would still be doubtful whether we should
be acting prudently, and I will tell you why. I have already
stated that the reason we are a great trading country, is be-
cause we enjoy considerable resources, and are consequently
more wealthy than other nations ; therefore a rich country,
throwing open its markets to poor countries, would be like
Earl Fitzwilliam, the great corn law repealer (supposing him
to have a large preserve, well stored with all manner of
game), saying to his twenty neighbours, who have
_got very
poor preserves—" Gentlemen, if you will allow me to sport
over your preserves, I will give every one of you the privilege
to sport over mine." Do you not think that he would have
the worst part of the bargain ?—and such would be our lot.
The repealers say that if we Would allow the free importa-
tion of corn,' foreign nations would take in exchange our ma-
nufactured Foods, and if it had not been owing to our corn
laws, they would not have commenced manufacturing.
In answer, let me state, that if 'in favourable seasons we
almost produce a sufficiency for ourselves, is it to be expected
that all the nations of the earth will forego manufacturing,
so that each country may send us some thousand quarters of
corn annually;; Moreover„ it is notorious, that when our
harvests have ty•en defielent,.'we have been enabled 'to obtain
corn telly by export ,4f hellion,; but evgn supposing that they
mice °lmports for their Wm h it ;;Iniplf um'
mechanical for their physical productions, so that our manual
labour is damaged by the measure. •
The free traders signify that the reason the precious metals
Are exported in such abundance 'to pay for• corn is owing to
our ports being open only occasionally';' but if corn were
suffered to be imported at all times that. would not be the
case. I beg,,in answer, to say that if we have a drain offal/
'•

lion every six or seven years,,and the result is a great evil to
us, what then would be our situation if we had it constantly ?
What would you [think of, Doctor Howring saying to one of
his patients, whotn.-he had to bleed -periodicallyH—" if you
will allow me to keep open one of your veins, I shall be saved
the trouble of coming to you again," which would certainly
be so ; and you may depend upon it, if we permit a perpe-
tual import of foreign grain, that it would most assuredly ex-
haust our stack of bullion, and then what an awkward figure
we should cut in a foreign.shop..with, empty pockets.
Again. They say, why cultivate land that requires twelve
.hours' labour, while we May obtain abundance of corn 'grown
from land that only requires eight hours' labour ? I answer,
that our country is our farm, and it is our duty as well as
our interest to make the•mnst• of our means. What would
be thought of a farmer, if helvere to say, I will not work my
land, but will purchase what I need from my neighbour, be-
cause his soil is in better cowlition, than my QWII ; or, of a
shoemaker, if he were to:deelare that it is of no use in.me to
work any longer, for John Turner is a more active and pow-
erful man than I am.

The repealers assert that it is entirely a landlord's question.
The farmer and the agricultural labourer would not be da-
maged by .the change, and that rent ,alone would be dis-
paraged.

Iu answer, I ben to gate that competition invariably
affects all parties for no reduction of rent would be enter-
tained until the farmer's circumstances were impaired, and
his sinking, and, as a matter of course, the same circum-
stances would finally press upon his workmen. Who ever
heard of mill property depreciating when trade was good
on the other hand, 'if mill property became of little value,
may we not rest assured that the condition of the operative
is not satisfactory ?

Such is exactly the case with the landed interest. More-
over I am convinced that if a law were passed that tended
to reduce the value of land, the farmer's position would not
be improved ; for the landlord now only.obtains the extreme
rent, and then he would be enabled to do- the same. Let us
also bear in Mind that, although there are some hundreds of
landed proprietors possessing large estates, still there are
tens of thousands whose rentals do not exceed fifty pounds
Per annum ; so that the same law that would reduce such
persons' incomes (as Earl Fitzwilliam) to a point that would
not be felt by them, would inflict immense injury upon a
great body of landowners.
The Free Traders fix upon the silk trade as a proof of the
soundness of their views. See,. say they, how it has flourished
since the trade was thrown open. I admit that the silk manu-
facture has increased considerably. The cause of this in-
crease, I will explain to you. Previous to the silk trade
being made free, raw silk was taxed at the rate of four shil-
lings the Pound, so that silk goods being cheapened they
have superseded other fabrics:: for instance, suppose the
brandy tax were repealed, would not that tend to lessen
the consumption of other spirits? The description of silk
goods made here is mostly of a plain character. France
furnishes this market with all the choice rich goods, which
yield the most labour. For proof, let us ask, have wages in-
creased since the trade was thrown open ? I tell you, No ;
but, they have decreased to one half, and in some cases to one-
third. Now, if this be a specimen of free trade, lam sure
that we had better be without it.

* About twelve months ago, the Anti-Corn Law agitators
confined themselves to..the total repeal of the corn laws ; but
whe.n. the•Loudon...delegate,icimvu.ssed the members of par.•
liament to support their measures, they were informed that
it would not be doing justice to the landed. interest to repeal
the corn laws, and at the same time to continue protection
to'buz' manufacturers. They then saw their• one-sided posi-
tion, so that for appearance'sake they could do no other than
cry for an , entire Free Trade, or as the .Americans would
term it, "-going the whole hog." . • .
The Leeds Meretmi, of the 15th November last, stated
in its leading article,
,that the BeYgian cotton. manufacturers
had completely glutted their market, and .to afford them
relief, the Belgian government , had purchased their goods.
and were sending them to distant markets subject to a loss
qf fifteen per cent.' • It would not be surprising to hear, soon
after the meeting of parliament, that Edward Baines, Esq.,
M.P., for Leeds, should give notice that he would move for
leave to bring in a bill, to repeal the corn laws, in consequence
of foreign competition having
,shown itself in our external
markets. But what says the wise man—" Wisdom is before
him that hath understanding, but the eyes of a fool are in
the ends of the earth."

Man is constantly scheming to raise himself to a state
of independence, deeming it much more desirable than a
state of dependence, and so it ought to be with a nation ;
and, therefore, the production of food should be the first ob-
ject of consideration. I contend that it is our interest to
produce every thing that our soil and climate is capable
of. I certainly admit that it would be unwise for us to
attempt the cultivation of tea, coffee, cotton, or grapes, from
a thorn hedge, and such like ; but to produce corn, cattle,
potatoes, &c., is quite natural, and we should encourage the
same to the greatest possible extent. The next Consideration
is .clothing, &c., in regard to which the same rule should
govern us, for our productions are the bases of all our
• wealth, and it is owing to these that we are enabled to enjoy
foreign produce.
.§ Fair play is a jewel. Let me ask how it happens that
the liberal, both local and itinerant, in all their harangues
confine themselves to the free trade in corn. They are ever
ready to tell the people what a fine thing the cheap foreign
loaf would be for them, but they are as silent as church
mice respecting cheap foreign goods, &c. If it be so very
desirable that the working man should have CHEAP FOOD,
then it must be equally desirable that he should have ci-tzaP
CLOTHING, &c. I would, tberefore, recommend those advo-
cates in future, to address the operatives belonging the
various branches of industry, and show them the great ad-
vantage that they would derive in case the people of this
country would only consume foreign manufactured goods in
lieu of their own. But this, I presume, would be no
agreeable task.
This allusion to Dr. Bowring's supposed profession is
founded on error. Dr. Bowring's not an M.D. but an LL.D.