The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-02-17 00:00:00

A SCENE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

On Friday evening Mr. F. Scott was addressing the
house against the premier's commercial scheme, which,
he said, if it afforded adequate protection to native indus-
try, and dealt tenderly with important interests (cheers),
he would again have given his support to the right hon.
baronet. He believed them to be founded upon different
principles—be believed they would prove ruinous and
disastrous to the country, and therefore he must give
them his most strenuous opposition (Oh). He was ever
the opponent of a high protective duty, and had the right
hon. baronet proposed to relax in a greater degree the
law of 1842, believing that the great improvements in
agriculture would render the production of grain cheaper,
he would have been prepared to give him his vote. En-
tertaining these opinions, and feeling that the only object
of protection was to encourage an increased amount of
home growth--

[Hire Sir R. Peel, who sat on the bench immediately
below the hon. gentleman, made some observation which
did not reach the gallery.* The hon. gentleman threw
himself into his seat in a state of great excitement, ex-
claiming, "Am I to be thus questioned so by the right
hon. baronet? This gave rise to considerable confusion,
but amidst cries of "go on, go on.")
Mr. Scow (still labouring under much excitement,
and with great warmth) said, for whom do I arpear as
counsel? lam counsel for my own opinions (cheers). I
am no delegate in this house (cheers). lam free to give
my own opinions upon any question brought before the
house, and I will yield to. no man in sincerity or in
honesty of purpose (cheers). I am no party man, and
never have been a party man ; 1 seas proud to follow that
party which was so ably led by the right hon. baronet, the
party of the constitution (ch. ere). I followed the banner
of the right hon. baronet, and was proud to serve under
it, and I would have been proud to serve under it still, if
it were still unfurled (loud cheers). I have spoken too
warmly (cheers)—perhaps I m'sunderstood the question
—but to be supposed to be the purchased counsel of any
one-1 am no such thing.
Sir R. REEL again made an observation, but in too low
a tone to reach the gallery.
Mr. Score had used the word counsel by way of Mal-
trating his argument only, but a direct charge had been
brought against himself ; but probably he had been mis.
taken, and was s,rry for the warmth into which he had
been betrayed. (Cheers.) He conceived the measures
would have a most mischievous effect upon all classes,
but more particularly the labouring class, becau,e they
would be reduced to something like an equality in con-
sumption with their fellow-labourers on the Continent.
The measure proposed was nothing less in his estimation
than a breach of the constitution. ( Hear.) They had
heard at one time from that side of the house of " free
trade in the abstract;" and in another house a noble duke
(the Duke of Wellington) had asked " what was the mean-
ing of a free trade government?" They brd all heard
much of " free trade in the abstract." Many travellers,
from Mentor and Telemachus do wn to the present day, were
in favour of " free trade in the abstract." (Laughter.)
Why he himself was in favour of free trade in the ab-
stract. (Laughter.) But when hon. gentlemen insisted
upon speaking of free trade in the abstract, he should
like them also to speak of this country in the abstract.
(Hear.) If it were common sense to speak of this em-
pire, or of the world, in the abstract, then they were at
liberty to indulge themselves in eulogies upon free trade
in the abstract; but, on the other band, when their rela-
tions with foreign nations were so complicated as they
were, he defied any man to entertain the notion of apply-
ing free trade to them. Free trade, as he understood,
meant the abolition of all custom duties. Were they tlien
prepared to abandon their custom duties, and giveup
£22,000,000 per annum ; or if they were so resolved upon
free trade, would they give up £13.000,000 of excise;
for the continuance of the excise was an anomaly in
free trade country. (Hear, and cheers.) Let them con
eider the amount of taxes that must be collected every
year; and then take away £22,000,000, and .£13,000,0b0
and how were they to make up the deficiency ? Was it by
a capitation tax, or by a property tax of 30 per cent?.
They had imposed upon them a debt of £800,000,000, and
they must pay the in' erect upon that debt every year.
How were they to do so? or, having to do so, how were
they to compete with other nations, which were free front
such an encumbrance ? Were they to place in the same
lists, as champions equally marched, the man who had a
hundred weight upon his back, and the man who was free,
unencumbered, and unembarrassed ? It was unfair, un-
wise, and, he would add, impolitic, to enter both men into
the same lists, to require from each the same task, and
not to give to him on whom they placed a large burden
any counterpoise.
* The observation, as given In the Daily Xeres, was " Por
whom are you counsel now ?"

A STATEMENT OF REASONS, AND A
PUZZLING QUESTION.

On Friday night, in the House of Commons, on the
motion that the debate be adjourned,
Lord NORTHLAND rose amid cries of "divide," and
"adjourn." lie said that he felt it his imperative duty,
in consequence of certain observations which bad been
made in the course of the debate, to take the present-bp-
portunity of stating the reasons which influenced him in
the course which he intended to adopt a ith respect to the
measure bef,,re them. His opinion with respect to that
measure remained unchanged. But be agreed with the
noble lord 'he member for Liverpool, and the hon. gentle-
man the member for the city of Inverness, that they ought
to legislate with some regard for 'he future. He thought
that it must be evident to the house and to the country,
that the present corn-laws were doomed (hear, hear). The
fatal day might be forestalled, but he feared the agricul-
tural interest would not be able at a future period to make
so satisfactory an adjustment (oh,oh). The crisis bad ar-
rived, and he felt that it was for the benefit of the farmers
of England (ironical cheers and laughter), for the interest
of the landlords of Vngtand (renewed cheers and laughter),
that this momentous question should be finally settled. lie
repeated that his opinions remained unchanged (roars of
laughter). It had 'come to this, either the right hon.
baronet the First Minister of the Crown, or the noble
'ord the member for the city of London, must settle this
question. He said it with the greatest respect, but he had
no confidence in that noble lord (laughter). He had great
confidence in the right hon. baronet the First Minister of
the Crown, (renewed merriment). The right hon. baro-
net in proposing these measures was ac'uated, he knew,
by a conscientious conviction of the necessities of the
country (ironical cheers). Taking all these circumstances
into consideration (hear, hear), and seeing that the ques-
tion must be settled, he would rather it would be settles
by the right hon. baronet. (The noble lord resumed his
seat amid great laughter.)
Mr. FERRAND.—I should like to hear what confidence
the noble lord had in the right hon. baronet when he was
dragged out of the Coal-hole to vote for him on a late
occasion. (Roars c f laughter.)
Lord NORTHLAND rose from his seat, but resumed it
without making any observation.