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

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TUESDAY, Nov. 23

Returns were ordered with reference to the Clergy Re-
serves in Canada, and also of the troops employed at the
Cape, and the other colonies.

THE NAVY,

In answer to a question, Mr. Stafford said, it was not
the intention of the government to introduce any bill for
the regulation of ports and harbours.

FREE TRADE

Mr. VILLIERS moved a series of resolutions to the
effect, " that the improved condition of the country is
mainly the result of recent commercial legislation, and
especially of the act of 1546; that that act was a wise,
just, and beneficial measure; that the maintenance and
further extension of the policy of Free Trade, as opposed
to that of Protection, will best enable the property and
industry of the nation to bear the burdens to which they
are exposed, and will most contribute to the general
prosperity, welfare, and contentment of the people; and
that this House is ready to take into its consideration
any measures consistent with the principles of these re-
solutions which may be laid before it by Her Majesty's
Ministers." He stated as his reason for proposing the.
resolutions, the ambiguity of the Queen's speech on the
subject of Free-trade. " There," said he, " where all
persons expected to find something distinct and dear
with respect to the opinion of the Government, they
found that nothing was decidedly asserted, but that some-
thing was implied which was very questionable, and that
the paragraph concluded in terms which I venture to say
not a man in the house but considered were used pur-
posely not to be respectful. (Cries of Oh ! from the
Ministerial side.) I say that most advisedly. (Hear,
hear, and Oh, oh.) I do not believe that at least the
modern history of Parliament would show that such a
paragraph had ever before been penned and presented to
the house by any Minister of the Crown. We all know
what the reference to the ' wisdom of Parliament' meant.
(Hear, and a laugh.) What, I ask, is the cant sort of
sarcastic and satirical phrase sometimes made use of with
respect to the character of this house ? When any one
wants to satirise this house, he refers in a sneering tone
to its ' wisdom.' (Laughter, and cries of " Hear.")
Whether that be just or not, every one, both in and out
of the house, recognised in the terms employed in the
Queen's speech the usual phrase of irony." Repelling
the charge of faction, Mr. Villiers appealed to the speeches
of supporters of the Government to show how little de-
pendence could he placed on their present promises.
Not that he wished to oust the Government; "at the
same time," he continued, "as gentlemen opposite do
not seem satisfied with what I say, I will add that, were
that displacement to occur, I should be quite reconciled
to the event. (Laughter.) If, however, I might offer
a little advice to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it
would be that he do no such thing as go out—(laughter)
—but rather that, if this motion be carried against him,
he accept it with thankfulness—(!iughter)—and make use
of it in pursuing the course which he apparently wishes to
pursue. He seems to be, at last, willing to enter on a
career of usefulness, and I would entreat him not to be
deterred by the novelty of the thing from pursuing it.
(Hear, hear, and laughter.) The right hon. gentleman
takes very much the same views with regard to the finan-
cial policy of the country that those whom he used to
assail took before him ; and, with his talents, which
seem to be available for any purpose—(hear, hear, and
laughter)-1 should be really quite sorry to see him re-
moved from office by my motion. (Laughter.) I am
still more hopeful of the course likely to be pursued by
him from what be has shadowed forth in his amendment."
Insisting on the great prosperity of the country, he de-
clared that he did not wish to disgrace the present Mi-
nisters or to make it a test of confidence, but to obtain a
more distinct expression of the views of the Government,
and to pledge the present Parliament to a settlement of
this great question.

The motion having been seconded by Mr. EWART, the
CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER moved as an amend-
ment, "That this house acknowledgeswith satisfaction that
the cheapnessofprovisions, occasioned by recent legislation,
has mainly contributed to improve the condition and in-
crease the comforts of the working classes ; and that un-
restricted competition having been adopted, after due de-
liberation, as the principle of our commercial system,
this house is of opinion that it is the duty of the Govern-
ment unreservedly to adhere to that policy—(laughter
from the Opposition)—in those measures of financial and
administrative reform which, under the circumstances of
the country, they may deem it their duty to introduce."
He claimed for himself and Lord Darby to have accepted
Free-trade since 1846, and complimented Lord Palmer-
ston as one of the most distinguished statesmen of the day; '
and next eulogised' the eloquent voice of the principal
organ of the able, experienced, and powerful debaters,
the followers of Sir R. Peel, that distinguished statesman
and accomplished leader, Mr. Gladstone. The question
at issue was not whether Protection or Free-trade should
prevail, but whether Government had fulfilled its pledges
to Parlament, and deserved its confidence. Tracing the
conduct of his party during the last six years, he con-
tended they had made no attempt to re-impose Protection,
but only to give relief to suffering interests. A com-
mittee, chiefly of Free-traders, had resolved there ought
to be a differential duty of Ios. between foreign and colo-
nial sugar. And in respect to the shipping interest, Lord
Derby had declared that to retrace our steps was im-
possible. In 1551, when a change of Government was
imminent, he (Mr. Disraeli) had given notice of a motion
not to restore Protection, but to relieve the cultivators
from local burdens • and when the present Ministers ac-
ceded to office—which was gained by no economical
pledges—Lord Derby made up his mind that nothing
could justify a return to protection but the suffering of
the working classes. Having, he said, shown that, from the
moment when the three great Free-trade measures bad been
carried, the members of theexistingGovernmtnt, although
sympathising with the suffering classes, they had pro-
posed some remedial plans, had never attempted to dis-
turb those measures—he proceeded to inquire what had
been the conduct of the united sections now banded
against the present Ministry, and he undertook to
show that they had perpetrated mischief as enormous
as had been laid to the charge of the party in power.
" The party of Sir R. Peel" he said, " sanctioned and
approved the course which he and his friends had pursued,
and Lord J. Russell himself had recommended the Sove-
reign to acknowledge the continued depression of the agri-
cultural interest, and had introduced a bill to prolong
Protection to the sugar interest. If these suffering classes
were thus sympathised with,the present Ministers, against
whom those sections were now banded, could not be in-
culpated for desiring to mitigate their distress. They had
appealed to the country with the impression that there ex-
isted a strong party in favour of Protection. There had
been a -fair contest, and the beaten party was not ashamed
to acknowledge their defeat. The Ministers had con-
sidered that under the country's verdict they had only one
course—frankly to acknowledge and unreservedly to act
upon it. The resolutions proposed by Mr. Villiers were
unprecedented, impolitic, and unwise; the practice of
requiring a recantation of opinions would render Par-
liamentary Government impossible in this country.
Sir Robert Peel had not been reouired to recant his
opinions respecting Parliamentary reform, nor could
his followers, if they took office to-morrow—not im-
possible—be called upon to declare the Ecclesiastical
Titles Bill, which they had opposed, ' a wise, just, and
benefical measure.' Ministers bad fulfilled all their
pledges—among them that of obedience to the will of the
country—and had prepared measures founded upon the
assumption that unrestricted competition is to be in future
the principle of our commercial legislation. Believing
that they had a policy which would conduce to the welfare
of the country, it was no unworthy ambition to desire to
submit it to the country ; he would not, therefore, yield
without a struggle to an unfair attack, and he appealed to
the new members not to become the tools and victims of
an exhausted faction and obsolete politics."
Mr. BRIGHT accused Mr. Disraeli of losing sight of
the real question in dispute between him and Mr. Villiers.
He admitted that the amendment was far in advance of
any former proposition of the Ministers, but the original
resolutions involved something essential to the interests
of the country, and upon which the country expected a
decision ; and the question was, whether the verdict
should be drawn up by an enemy or a friend of free trade.
He ransacked the hustings' speeches of Ministers and
their supporters at the genernl election to show they were
not Free-traders, making thirty-two quotations in favour
of Protection. One was by Mr. Ball, insisting that " Free-
trade was a curse to the country ;'' and the hon. member
raised a shout of laughter by declaring that he was of the
same opinion still. Mr. Bright contended, therefore, that
Government were not Free-traders, and asked :—How,
then, could the country depend upon the present Minis-
ters to guard the citadel of Free-trade ? Ni man could,
therefore, doubt the wisdom of the course pursued by
Mr. Villiers. The adoption of his motion would not only
satisfy this country, but wouli operate upon the policy
of other nations. Mr. Bright upbraided the Protectionist
party with their treatment of the late Sir R. Peel, whose
conduct be contrasted with that of Lord Derby ; and in
conclusion, he called upon the house to sanction its own
policy irrevocably by its vote upon this motion.
Mr. K. SEFMER declared he should support the amend-
ment, for be thought her Majesty's Ministers had been
sufficiently explicit as to what was to be the future com-
mercial policy of the count, y, and party spirit alone would
render it unintelligible to any hon. member of the house.
Mr. F. PEEL, in a dull speech, intimated the reason
why he preferred the original motion was that—" Although
hs gave the Goverenmant credit for a desire heartily to
Aide by the principle of Free-trade in any measures of
financial and administrative reforms they might submit
to the house, he was not content with this ; he thought
there was nothing unreasonable in exacting from them
some test of the sincerity of their convictions and inten-
tions; that, as they had abandoned their policy only at
the last moment, they should recant once for all their false
doctrines. Some reparation was likewise due for the past;
those who had heaped obloquy upon the authors of the
Act of 1846 should have the candour now to acknowledge
that it was a wise, just, and beneficial measure."

LORD PALMERSTON declared his concurrence in even
word of the original motion, yet thought it not fair to the
large Party who had honourably yielded their conviction!

to what was the overt
declared, amidst mud

the resolution propose

d by tl

f coma

Id not s,

)nt that r

how any one vrhO v

meat could back out of his vote by

for the amen

heltering himself