Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-10-28
Abolition of thc Corn Laws n Free
Trade Measure.

TRADE measure
The abolition OF the Corn Laws in England announced
oil the journals of that great empire with flourish Of
uumpes which heard this side OF the Allan
tic has teen loudly claimed Free Trade measure by
every Journal in the interest Of loeoocoism from Msise TO
Florida. We daily called admire the hberality
Of Great Btsinto notice her entire emancipation from
the contracted notions by which she has hitherto been
-anedto applaud her Or having repudHied the system
Of Protection; system, told, worthy only of the
dark ages!
For from abandoning the system Of Protection, Great
Britain hes never yet made abatement Of one penny
upon imports without view especially TO this principle,
or without fret ascerning that she would get than
an equivalent Ia exchange for her apparent beray In
Is45 duty of half penny pound on raw cotton was
removed by the British Parliament, For whs, reason .
Was through any idea Of reciprocy-any desire 10 re-
turn Anniversary sudden emancipation from old habits
and old opinions Not at all Our Tariff OF 1912 had
raised up such powerful rivals in this part Of tho world
that she was a fair way Of being driven out OF the mar
kets. Germany, too, by similar system, had created
number OF manufactures which were teatuiy curtaing
her trade on the continent Some step was necessary to
enable her compete with us, and was evident that as
long AZ we obtained the raw material for nothing, it
impossible to do So This nducomen, and this alone, not
any taoreca love for actual approach to, Free Trade
led to the remission of alipenny. BY the operation,
England lost an uncomfortable TO her revenue while
she saved millions her manufacturers To this step she
was literally compelled by the Tariff Of ~, which raised
I'D manufactures here considerable, 10 her in
finite alarm. Had then lived under the influence Of
the tariff of 46-had system been OF declared hos
nifty TO the manuHcurcs-had not our policy been such
as TO make us dreaded in point most tender OF all Others
q, ENGLAND does any man suppose che would have
mitted this duty Friend Free Trade she is said to
be has she yet RENTED arlhng Of the enormous duty
tobacco
Mr. Clay said twenty FIVE years ago that the only way
10 bring England was to force her into them
The tariff ls42 persevered IN for only three years ei
fectusly accomplished that end which thousand years
of free trade could have brought about thus afford
inr singular instance OF the sssaoy by which this
Statesman is dis above all the Of his sge and
country.
This instance OF the depth which projection engraftcd
on the policy Of England il tar from being solitary Our read
er. many least doubtless wei remember the oe-
cuenecs which took place in the year 1854 when the
Trade, Unian created such disturbance among the munuac
turers Of the North OF England and the whole fabric Of
nuacuring prosperity threatened by general strike for
HIGHER wages among the operatives ln order TO
act the effects Of these movements arrangements were
made with the Poor Law Commissioners TO remove ten
thousand p,uper, from tho South Of England. supply
the place of the strikers and Trades Union men.
or such great and paramount importance is the manu-
featuring interest Great Britain She has been ready al
u times to sacrifice every thing for its protection. 1t is
League and that they never from the beginning to the
end lost sight Of it, To this great interest all minor ones
arc readily sacrificed. To the protection OF this interest
and the still farther obecto keep down wages, we owe
the rcpcal OF the Corn-Laws. The very same men, all
manufacturers who engaged IN 1884 IN dragging the
reched psupes from South Of England, sorey against
their inclination and examining thern in the Northern
nuscosiss been prominent leaders IN This Corn-La~
LeaRue-ths approach free trade, as 1t is adcrousy
called Sir Robert Peel, whose enormous foriune was
made by and who has in every Of his
life manifested the devotion to the class from which
his wealth was derived, IL hailed by Free Traders
as free trade His policy throughout has been
that Of a great Statesman, and he has worked the
system gradually on until he has established II on basis
which cannot easily be shaken. His first step was 10
put down tie strikers in 1884, and thereby keep down
wages; his next was to take of the duty of hafpenny
on The raw material the last has BEEN furnish the
uacturers with the Of feeding their hands cheaPy
as possible. Those who better acquainted with the
policy OF the English manufacturers than We predict that
IN less then year the wages OF the miserable operatives
will be still farther down. the eheoPnes OF food being
alleged a pretext
This then is the boosted free trade to which told
Great Britain has come The Minister finding that the
manufactures could not go unless the Corn Laws
altered aud that absolutely Necessary TO destroy
or other wisely fell upon that the victim which was
least valuable the Government and this is free trade
The British Government does all in ITS power TO protect
the British manufactohes-by keeping down wages-by
furnishing the material free Of duy-snd by furnish
ing food cheap--aud this again is free trade!
TO our apprehension oil this is the direct reverse Of free
tfade 1t is all intended afford to nation such ad
vantares that another by any possibility compete
with her IN the great which she particularly dosire
to protect n Great Britain really means Free Trade e
her of the duty Tobacco, artclo which she
does not raise and which she solely for the purpose
f raising revenue. Let her not eonfne herself to those
articles which she IL absolutely obliged have in order
enable her manufacturers to furnish their articles at the
cheapest rates