The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-10-27 00:00:00

E.V8.91112.135.VE.V1* 4 .11PRCE. Aldo
GE.VElt.lt ST.ITE OF THE COUNTRIt•
To what extraordinary chenges in our domestic na-
tional economy, an,l in the situation of every tuan in
the country, the adoption of those principles of free-
dont of trade which have recently ftiunti such unex-
pected advocates may lead, it may lie difficult to tar—
great they will he, no doubt. Their effect will he like
laying the ass to the root of the tree ; for, the late
Lord Orford observed, " In all lathers we have the
Mercantile spirit of monopoly. Merit is useless :it is
interest alone that ran push a man forward. Hy dint
of interest,uite of me coach-horsis might become poet-
'antra, and the other phy,-iriatt to the liouseholel.—
They might appoide &reties, ill was dome its Mr
Reirmey Goalie 'tr." And yet, though impeded by
restriction at ',very step sue take, and in every turn,
we make;—hreak through then& we most ; foe the Bret'
principles of political economy !secpOf>• longer to kit
sinned against with impunity. •
However productive of partial evil may be our ad.
ranee in liberal principles, stationary we cannot re-.
maim and to retrogade is equally impossible. But
what in 1164 dilemma, say Mose. rf over mei.fhhomis,
bankers and sellers, who signed, under Tome one deno-
mination of their numerous avorations in trade, the
surreptitious Petition for still continuing in the Bank
of England the monopoly of making paper- ttttt ney,
without the obligation of paving it ? Are these gen-
tlemen (whose names, few in number. will be recol-
lected as itliont enumeration) become consistent advo-
cates for the now fashionable dortrine of unrestricted
trade? In the pursuit of these snore extended mist
more liberal ideas, it becomes us, however, to look
well to their operation as well as to their principle.
It is not because my Lord Liverpool, in his ast •shing
speech, has now first disrovered the justness of those
great principles In politic al econmay 'skid, Adam
Smith demonstrated more than fortv years ago, that
therefore these principles should be applicable to the
present circittostances of the Country : it is not because
they Sr, demonstrably just, that tic, refute they should
be practicable. Lord Livery° 41 and colleagues,'
and predecessors of the same school, have been labour•
ing liord all their live. lung, to guilt the t'oomery for
the practical erception of these doctrines; they have
built np oeitintinsied a system composed of monopolies,
preferences, anal exclusions, which must he touched with
tenderness, or the whole fabric falls to the ground : anal
before this necessary evil takes place, the country must
be prepared for it in a way that it would shock reusai ea-
ing prejudices but to Idol at. Yet, nevertheless, i:sis
too must come ; and, come when it mill, it is not those
who only totkostit to the necessity who ought to he
hbuirJ, bin those On have erentcg thnt
-People may expatiate on freedom of biale, but nTTrM
there he such freedom of trade in Cori as !HI admit of
the great poptilatioo of the eosintry being fed nearly as
ebraply as oar neighbours, who are now rsinning or trim
are preparing tic run with ns the race of ritalryin trade.
it is all fercical ; it ran be neither correct in principle,
nor beneficial in rractice. Anal if bread is to be sold
here at the same price, or nearly, as on the Conlineet of
Europe, what becomes of the cultivator of the soil at
home, who cannot afford to sell his wheat at ern double
the price whim s the foreigner obtains? Freedom 0/
Trwle• wit! eYreedoem from oppressive Three would do
nothing for the country at large; it might in the way
of shifting property from the banal!ands of those who alo
not deserve to lose, to those of persons who are not
jastly ewigesl to gain it, he a worthy siteceslanesou to
the notable invention of paper-money not payahlr on
dean Ind hut it ivoold produce partial evil, without
pronsot jug general go ad. For whilAft.ll.4tiall continues
to take, as has been recently, and, for aught we ran slis.
cover, correctly stated, filif. I:e. nal. out of pass, IMP. of
every man's income, the country must submit to high
prices ; and high prices ran only be ensured h 7 restric-
tions aiss trade, and by the most ontragerois violation ut
the principle' of a free and liberal plicy.
It will be seen in the debate, in the (louse of Lonls
on the Report of the C ' tee of the House of Lords
on the Trade and Co 11111 l erre of the Country, that
though the Noble lteporter, Lord laesatowne, decline!'
entering into any particular exposition of the objects
of the Committee, It is evident his views of the sulliert
are much in unison with thaw we hare expressed. And
the Marquis adverts also to the parammint necessity of
relieving " Ttlt BRITIrin CONSI'MER Z" all C1343e4 of
which, excepting the over-grown Capitalist, and the
man of great landed income, are living Ironic down by
a weight of taxation, without ruilistantial relief from
Stich, it will he much the same thing in the end *lselin.,
the trade of the country is relieved from other resins--
lions anal drawbacks or net.
And is it of a country, in such a deplorably, nnprerr-
dentedly, hopeless state, that the Minister conbl win!.
inglv ask, in the House of Lords, " What now wonl,f
have been the situation and prospects of t!..• Cosintry,
if the rounsels of Earl they and Isis frieads Issal
been followed ?" In what worse situation terstof the
' Countess, be, than that which would justify the act.
mission of Lon' Liverpool himself, when (after
having by his errors pluneed the empire into such
ass abyss sal misery.) he said, on the Alarspiis of Lam.-
&vine's late motion, that lie knew of DO remealy, sa•ept
thew anal patience?" What could Lord Liver! I loins-
*elf rontemplate as snore hopeless., th.an that which
admits not of renando That situation in whirls, as
Air. Owen tells him. in his rouse, " vim have aslanirahly
succeeded in paralixing industry ; nn ollurinisbing wealth;
in opposing time interests of 311siinfartisers to Agrieultorei.
and of Agriculture to Mansfactere4. without knowing
bow fit recowrile then); its imiulverieliing and degrading
the working-elasses ; in general ng lord venial alloy:strut;
iu usaaltipivitag the most frightful crimes, anal in the
adopt' Of measures which lint the empire to i 111 l isinsosx
heranl." lint, we wristlet ask, what jaocikeation amis.
rule is it. to retorter it with the essoweni misestle wr
others? What consolation to a cosintry reclarma
misery and bronchi to the brick of perditien,to istsinnate
Ctistin; 111Ornano, ----"
t••• ('loll
that it might have been worse.—worse than '•nide.
111' Tribut l von reniedv. rxrr sting frmin time and patieuer '." Hitt
sal of -ti4vrio. in Corsica, was assassinated-when.re• this is the obi !rirk, the old and hitherto too stieressfail
turning from Hestia, where be hail been inlairing into expedientsof responsibility, sod of aleloaling the
cam' of double ination. He was at the ti Ise rosintry by reritement of partr-froliorti•mi by rousing'
'lroned by four piss d•areses,. anal aecompsnied by "t.rart"'rein.tires. lot it however never Ise toreottctss
No cis of . • that 111-e Administriii which lewd laverpol itiormirsl
13 mart. He was struck lot two Oftlll., i a 'a iv /al have referred 10, was rnatt
Stud in L
.;mu an I ur is the , !OtPS`tt
tii.tt has ra Magistrate .I•chirliv of his west jeolitieal friends, anal flair Earl
hfen, ammiultit Ajectio. 11.0., sestina tarry and the Whigs were nose's op on th at so ca-
ste tot takes. ssiulf Kith' The Sitituttuths, and the thrill ilies, asel