Star.
London, England, 1820-05-09 00:00:00

PRICE SEVEN -PENCR.

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were adopted for the recovery of the cUrrency. What was capable of affording them the most assistance,
elis the consequence? That nearly one-fourth of its and then joined with the prevailing party. The cons
amount had been added by the revolution of the duct of Mr. Pitt was very different--witness the
currency to a great part of the former debt. „Taking speech of that Minister in the Commercial Treaty.
the price of gold as it was at prism to be £3. 17e, But Ministers should look at the question with the
14d. it was quite evident that a pound note now was eyes of statesmen, and come down to support some
a different thing froth what a pound note was when definitive measure. Having stated that the general
'the debt was contracted. The alteration of the cur- object of the Petition was to bring about the restora:-
rests 7 likewise aggravated the burden of the taxes,' doh of the fortner freedom of our commerce, per,
av well as the injurious effect of the Corn Laws. In , lisps it would be useful' to state some points which
short, notwithstanding the prophecies of prosperity the Petition had consideied. The first principle they
which had been so repeatedly' uttered, he believed : had to combat, was the fallacious doctrine main-
that all the apprehensions of the greatest alarmist , tained in the country, and more obstinately main-
were now realized. With respect to the Coin Lanus, rtained in that House, that we were to have an exclu-
, he should state, that neither the Petitioners bor him- I sive perfection in every article of menufactured pro-
self recommended that the system of the Corn Laws -dace, and that we were to endeavour to have, ant
should be at present disturbed. At the same time I i
own produce, articles which we could get abroad for
' he would observe, that his opinion of the policy of half what the home manufacture cost. Paw/max
those laws was never altered. He would not irritate had given different advantages to different countries,
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the minds of the people by unnecessarily diicussing and no doubt these vat ious benefits were dispersed
those topics. But he recommended to Parliament . for the great moral end of bringing mankind toge-
to consider, whether or not the Agriculturists had I they from the remotest parts of the world, and join-
' beau mistaken in their views upon this queetion, and ing them in a system of mutual accommodation. But
wheilser or not it was possible for the price of the :it was reserved for modern economists to discover,
produce of the country to be maintained at a certain ' that the only wisdom consisted in an endeavour to
amount by any Act of Parliament. He firmly be- produce articles * home at twice the expense at
heved that it could not. While admitting the im- which they could rocure them abroad. According
propriety of discussing such a topic as this, when no to these principles, the inhabitant of the North, in-
practical improvement was in contemplation, he could stead of exchanging the commodities of his climate
not help observing, that nothing was more absurd in for the produce of the South, would remain at home,
political economy than the notion of putting one part and endeavour, by scraping his own barren rocks,
• of the people in opposition to another in interests.— to see if he could not procure, at a great expense
In alluding to a recent association formed for the at home, that which he could have obtained for one
purpose of upholding the Agricultural. Interest ex- half of the expense, from some foreign nation.--
elusively, he should say nothing of the persons who He did not mean to deny that there were particular
formed it, but he was persuaded that the attempt on interests to be protected by the State upon many oce
their part to shew by statistical calculations, how casions ; but he ;maintained, that Government should'
much more important one part of the people of the ever keep in view in its general Policy, the principles
kingdom was than another, could only emanate from of freedom of commerce. Having regard then to
individuals who were capable of putting forward the these erinciples, he should like to know what answer
impudent facts upon which they founded theft ridi- the Minister would make to the proposal for a repeal
culous theory. In short, greater nonsense in politi- of the tax on wool. For his part, he thought that
cal economy than they produced, was never pre- this article could not endure the amount of taxation
seated to the attention of the Public. To suppose imposed upon it. It was not easy at any time to as-
that any one branch of society was more important certain what quantity of takes a particular commo-
and deserving of the general concern than another, dity was able to bear ; but he knew that when Go.
was as absurd as the notions that the lungs, or any vetnmein imposed a net, duty on wool, they were
other organ of the animal body, was more useful tampering with a branch of the manufacture of the
and essential than any other. The prosperity of the country, in which, if a mistake were made, it would -
country could only be expected when every branch produce the most fatal consequences—Wear, hear).
of its trade was successful; and that prosperity could lie was happy to see that this subject was in such
alone be expected from that security to property good hands as those of his Noble friend (Lord Mile
which our ancestors enjoyed, and which sprung from ton) from whom he was satisfied it would receive
the constitutional freedom of the people. The free- every justice. But an injury given to cemmeice uid
dom of trade was another great point; to which the not affect commerce alone. They were to take into
petitioners addressed themselves. Without security consideration the fact, that since the imposition of
to property distress must increase. It was this secu- the duty on wool, the home produce of that comma.
Pity which brought the country to such a pitch of dity was depressed in price, and if it turned out at
wealth and commercial greatness, as she now en- any time that wool could not 'endure the quantity of
joyed. But there was no sort of insecurity worse tax laid upon it, the result must be, that it would
than that which arose from insubordination. There- experience a proportionate fall in price. The conse.
fore, it became the duty of the Legislature to enlighten quence of this duty would be, that this country would
the distressed, when this unhappy spit it prevailed, and be beat out of the foreign market, and if that were
to make them feel, that if they did not contribute to the case the evil resulting to the counts y would be
maintain those establishments which gave them their difficult to be calculated. This country had the
bread, no improvement could be expected in the greatest proportional growth of wool in the world ;
country. He regretted much to see, t hat a good indeed no other country had the one-third of that pro-
many families were withdrawing from Paisley in con- duce ; and if the principles of the old times were
sequence of their apprehensions of violence to their acted upon, times in which this was a great exporting
property. It was quite impossible that any man country, a considerable portion of that growth should
would think of risking his capital in any branch of go out of the country. He confessed that he telt
trade, unless where a respect for the laws was main- strongly upon the impolicy of this tax, so strongly
tained. Manufacturers always avoided those places that he was extremely surprised when he heard such
where they. could not expect to proceed with secu- a tax had been proposed, and carried into effect with-
rity to their property ; and it was remarkable, that out any information having been received upon the
in Ireland manufactures were to be found carrying on subject by his Majesty's Ministers. The manufactur-
only in a little spot where disturbances had never taken ing part of the community laboured at present under
place. Recurring then to the Petition, he repeated the greatest disadvantages, and ought lather to meet
that the country must, in order to expect any im- with everything to encourage them under their dif-
nrovement in her commerce, return to the principles ficulties. But rite case had been otherwise, as was
of freedom of trade. We had to contend against manifested in the imposition of this tax, which was
the rival exertions of foreign nations, whose rulers done contrary to all the former principles and prac-
were bestowing the utmost attention to the promo- rice of this country. It was one of his objects, in
Lion of commerce is their respective States, and following up this Petition, to obtain a revision of the
therefore the utmost care and watchfulness should be Revenue Laws, to see upon what motives these ob-
employed upon our part. In those countries to which jectionable duties were founded, and unless motives
he alluded, trade was left entirely free. The constant were extremely cogent, to have them repealed.—
complaint that the American merchants met us in Therewas one principle which should be totally given
every market, arose out of the freedom of the coin-. up, that of endeavouring tp grow everything within
metre of the United States. In France also, the im- . ourselves, and in this view he thought the prohibi-
proviug condition of the people promised to render tory duties upon foreign timber peculiarly objection-
her competitions with us of a formidable extent.— able. They not only dimiuished our trade in that
He held in his hand a letter *bleb he had received article, but the restriction upon the importation of it
that day from a correspondent in Paris—a Gentleman tended to excite more enmity against us abroad, es-
intimately acquainted with the state of France in its pecially in Russia, than any calm restriction what-
various relations. This Gentleman stated,, that the ever. Not that he meant by enmity, an excitation
political agitators of the country had no effect What- of hostile feeling, but that disposition to jealousy
ever on the mass of the people—that they found which retaliated upon our own produce and mar 1-
more employment now than they hitherto had, and factures with as many prohibitions as could be crew-
that on the whole, the suffering of the people was ted against them. To him it was a clear and obvious
confined to a very small extent. He (Mr. Baring) proposition that every protection which could be af-
begged to enforce upon the House, in the language forded to our own industry should be given to it, but
of the Petition, that the trade of the country was in that ehould not be to the extent which would resider
that state, that we could not expect to support any it unwelcome in the foreign market. The pi-ohibi.
longer a competition with other nations, unless by a tory and restrictive system, though originally de-
return to the old principles of a free commerce. Yet vised for the purposes of revenue, had really an in.
he was prepared to say, that the petitioners by no jurious effect, as was evident from the comparative
means intended to ask for any sudden alteration; produce of the Customs, in which there st as a falling
they demanded, and he accorded with them, that off last year of a million and a half—(Hear, hear)
Parliament should proceed upon the conviction that That loss, however, and more than that, might be
something was necessary to be done. The question recovered by the removal of these prohibitions, psr-
was not a party question—it was one in which many ticularly those which were directed against certain
political opponents concurred, and it was but justice articles of luxury. The very prohibition of then'
to state, that there was no Member of the House tended only, with which sex he would not say, to
who was more anxious to see the prlncipli sof this increase the desire of having them. Silks, gloves,
I Petition carried into practice than a Right Hon. Gen- and other articles of that description, wet e to be had
tleman opposite (Mt. Robinson). lt became the lin Paris for twenty-five pet cent. less than they could
House to attend to this question as statesmen, and be obtained hele, and the practical exclusion of them
not go on from year to year, as upon the state of from the home market, -Only held out a temptation
i finance, putting off some definite measure. One to resort to the foreign one. He merely alluded to
thing which the petitioners would have to contend these articles as furnishing a familiar instance ef she
with was, the determination which Government acted expediency of removing the restriction upon them„
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upon. When there were two parties contending i The same principle might be more generally applied.
. against each other, Government waited to see which iAs to the Navigation Laws, he thought that iley