The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-01-27 00:00:00

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went of this mighty empire, was found, in 1846,
proposing the admission of foreign grain duty free ;
but sensible men, in this generation, cannot marvel
at all. We ourselves were perfectly prepared for it.
Long ago we prepared our readers for it. Friends
without number told us we were wrong—we were
treachery like this could not be
in a statesman, or in man. We spoke, however, of
the Sir Robert Peel of 1829—0 f the man who broke
bis pledges to support his religion and his Pro-
testant Church—and we telt that we were justified
in anticipating from him the further betrayal of the
agricultural interest, as soon as ever the pressure
from without should reach and incommode him.
Whatever, therefore, may be the case with the
public, Sir Robert Peel has not deceived us.
The circumstances which have driven Sir Robert
-Peel to the adoption of the policy which he is
about to propose to P,rliament are stated by him-
self with sufficient clearness, and involve some most

haritab

illogical conclusions. The tone, indeed, of the
eptire speech in which they are conveyed—now of
pleading to former supporters and now threatening
—betray a confusion of mind and of purpose most
unworthy of the vigour of intellect which we look for
in a great statesman. The failure of the potato
crop was the first thing which brought to him a
conviction of the necessity of prompt action with
respect to the Corn-laws. He had, however, for
the last three year,,,, been watching the effect of the
reductions made by his Tariff Act ; and " experi-
ence," he says, has convinced him that all the
policy of his past- statesmanship has been based
upon error

" he says, " have been modified by the
xperience of the at three years. I have
ring the results which have
years from that principle
ting for some years past—

pinions,

reFtult of ti
had the ON
followed di
upon whict

the three las
have been a

namely, the

I have had a

industry

adual re

~,,eetion on domestic
portunity of comparing the
Jmparati, ely low prices with
pT ices (cheers) ; and I am
usion that the main grounds of public po-

periods or aoutua
periods of scarcit
led to the co

lice on val

h protection has been defe

led are not tenable;

at least I cannot maintain them." (Cheers.)
He has discovered, from the experience of these
years, that a low price of food does not necessarily
imply a !ow rate of wages. Amazing discovery for
a statesman who has held office under four sove-
reigns ! as Sir Robert Peel boasts of having done.
" During the three years that preceded the month of
October last. prices were complratively low. There was
comparative cheapness and plenty, and yet at no period
were the wages of labour higher than during that period.
(Cheers ) It you take the three preceding years, you will
find high prices, and co-exi,ten: uith high prices you will
-find low wages. (Cheers.) Well, then, I have six years ;
I have during the first three years Ugh prices and low
wages; I have during the last three years low prices and
high wages (cheers); and I cannot resist the conclusion
that wages do not vary with the price of provisions."
But what has this to do with the " conclusion"
to which he ' as arrived, that protection is to be
withdrawn from the industry of the country?
We shall not trouble ourselves to follow him
through his lame attempt to vindicate his conver-
sion—his pompous repetition of the stale fallacies of
the Anti-Corn-law League—but come- at once to
the real cause of his change of opinion, which will
be hest understood by giving that portion of his
speech in which he details the course taken by him
when he had determined to effect an alteration in
the Corn-laws. Referring to the commission which
was issued to inquire into the state of the potato
and wheat crops, he says—

ssuing of these instructions to
_
the com mi,sion without reservingon my own part the power
to propose to parliament some measure of immediate re-
lief. The instructions were issued, and again I brought
under the consideration of the cabinet what I had pressed
on them on the Ist of November—namely, the suspen-
sion of the restrictions upon imprtation, either by means

" could not consent to

of orders in council or by calling parliament together.
But at that period my own position, I admit, was entirely
ohanged. The hose of time, the increase of agitation,
and other circumstances had occurred materially affect-
ing my own position. I had been overruled in the
cabinet. The noble lord opposite had in the interval
written his letter (a laugh); and, giving him credit for
the best intentions, 1 muvt say, it. was a letter which,
after what had occurred in the cabinet did most materi-
ally affect my positiou. The right hon. baronet was here
very indistinctly heard for about a minute. He then pro-
ceeded Rs :follows :—We were taking, as it appeared to
me, a natural and reasonable provision, not merely against
a great disaster, but agains'. a great calamity, and it was
Impossible for me, or those who gave advice to me that
the potatoes would fail, to avoid taking such precautions
as would justify us in the eyes of the conntry. I felt,
therefore, on the 26th of November, that nothing but
support of an united government—after the letter of the
noble lord (hear, hear)—would give a chance to me to
pass such a measure as I thought advisable. After that
letter I should have appeared to be adopting the proposi-
tion of the noble lord Oil the 22nd of November his
letter appeared, and that act of mine on the 26th of No-
vember, would have appeared to be a servile acquiescence
in bis views."

Here we have the secret of ;he sudden conversion
let out. " Agitation " was impelling the minister
towards ultra Free Trade policy. Already he was
engaged in the task of bringing round his colleagues
to his own opinions, when—oh, that unfortunate
" Letter of the noble Lord ! " It told the aspiring
artist, whilst on the very point of completing the
great work which was to astonish the world with its
boldness of design and beauty of detail, that he was
but a copyist after all ; and, in despair, he threw
away brush and pallette and prepared to follow
the more original author. Sir Robert Peel threw
down the reins of Government—submitted the
country to a long interregnum—inflicted upon every
branch of commerce and of industry uneasiness
and injury, because, although prepared to carry out
Free Trade to its fullest extent, " after that letter
tie would have APPEARED to be adopting the pro..