The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-25

part OF tho potato crop which appeared Sound
before Christmas would have continued 80; but h'
had found he was In enor--the greater part wa
now obliged TO be given 20 pigs and cattle, TO save
the owners |, ON total less Sir David added-"No
DOUBT Tor six or seven weeks, while the remains oil
the potatoes last destmtioN will not be general, bu
pray you, sir, look to II in time" The next letter
contained the result Of very minute investigation
made by Mr. w. w. Hemsworth, sub-inspeetor Of
police, stationed at Stradbsly @ seems county, iRto
the condition OF one hundred and ninety families v
Tag IN that neighborhood. In his inquiries, the Off
Ger was accompanied by the Rev Mr. Emerson, the
minister OF the parish. The result Is thus stated
I"Msny families whom we visited, and who had
planted sufficient for their ordinary wants including
the seed necessary for the ensuing season. have moi
had potato ofany kind for the last month" ["ob-
serve" exclaimed Sir Robert Peel, "this is IN the
month OF February-fye months at least before
there can be any supply from the natural bounty OF
Providence" "Ohers have lost nearly all; and the
few that still remain totally unfit for human food,
In every instance where we saw potatoes in pits in
the helds, we had them examined, and with scarcely
an exception, we found them to be a mass Of putre-
faction, perfectly disgusting to look at" The
third letter was from Lord Smart de Decies, the
lord lieutenant of the county Of Waterford. Among
other Particulars mentioned this; "That in two
districts alone Of the union In question there are
even at this early period Of tho year. no less than
three hundred persons whose stores Of provisions
are upon the point Of becoming exhausted" Lord
Stuart suggested, "thst much good might be effected
IN keeping down prices by the establishment of gov
eminent eorn'sores, from which grain night be pur-
chased at hrst.cost price, The fourth letter was
from Mr.. Thomas Dillon, Of Cahirciv,en, a resident
magistrate it stated, that having gone round his dis
trct within the last ten days he had opportunities
not only Of hearing but Of Witnessing the destruc-
ton which had been committed, and which was
gazing ground rapidly. Mr. Dillon added, that he
almost felt confounded at the difficulty that must ex-
n aufhcienrU If a.1 n. a.
suing crop. Sir Robert quoted an official return
from the highest authority, embracing particulara
from every electoral district with the exception of
ninety nine. The facts were-that Sin four electoral
divisions the less Of potatoes has been nearly nine
tenths Of the whole crop; in 49, between seyentenhs
and elghttenths; in one hundred and twenty-five,
the loss approaches 10 seven-tenths Of the whole
crop; m sixteen, approaches to six-tenths; in FIVE
hundred and nnety-slX, nearly one-half Of the crop
- entirely destroyed: and in FIVE hundred and
eghty-two divisions nearly four-enths Of the crop
are entirely destroyed" Government had acted
upon the suggestions made to them: stores OF corn
should be established to be disposed of at low
prices, or given in return for labor.
Member. alt will he wanted for seed"
Sir Robert Peel. Yes To get seed from for
eign countries for the ensuing year is next TO i'm
possible. An eighth Of the whole crop Ia required
for seed; each acre of potatoes requires nearly a
ton--three-fourths or ton, at leastfor seed take
the tonnage which il would require to bring in
10000 tons of potatoes from any part OF Europe
where potatoes may still abound; II is almost i'm
possible to supply the deficiency. You must look
for seed to the accumulation by making savings
from the existing crop. Il may be necessary for
you to form that saving. When the pressure OF
famine is severe, the immediate want will be sup
ped-the danger Of next year will be forgotten
The government must interfere for the purpose of
encouraging the saving in sufficient quantities, in
order to secure supply Of seed for next year
How do thiaD whv h,r ths a,,ha
tion ] suppose, Of some other articles of pro-
vision, to be given under wise regulations for the
purpose OF preventing waste and Of getting these
seed-potatoes in exchange. ask you, then, If in
May next we had to come down here proposing
large votes Of public money, and If we were en-
couragng the clergy Of the established church, and
the clergy Of the Roman Catholic persuasion, and
telling them, individual charity in your localities
must supply more than the government can supply;
you must give corn in exchange for these potatoes
or for the sustenance Of human life," could have
stood here proposing votes Of goo 900 or $500 000
and encouraging the charity of those who had little
to dispense in charity and would il have been toler-
ated that at the same moment we should have been
retaining duty Of lis on the introduction Of corn
suppose famine should ensue: do you believe that it
would be for the credit and honor of the landed
arstocracy of this country to say, we throw upon
the government the responsibility Of taking security
but not one letter of the existing corn-law shall
be abandonedr Would that be fidelity to the landed
interest! No; believe that whatever might have
been the seeming consistency, that proposal would
have been the real 'treachery' which you impue to
me, because have thought it for your interest and
the interests Of all, to relieve ourselves from the
odium Of STIMULATING for these restrictions in such
moment Of pressure" Repeated cheersl Parlia-
ment would have tainted him with the example of
Holland and Belgium, where, though the pressure
was less severe measures Of precauton have been
adopted. Under similar circumstances to the pre-
sent, what had been the course taken by English
Parliaments deeply interested in the welfare of ag-
ricuture? There have been times before when there
has been the apprehension Of scarcity in this
country! what has been the remedy that the heart
of every man suggested What has been the reme-
dy that the legislative wisdom Took Why, in eve.
ry case, without exception, the removal for time
of the duties upon corn. Cheers and counter
cheers. A member-"What at the end Of the
time'"l | will come to that Immediately. rejoice
in the cheer which met from that quarter look
ing to the protection benches what is it bu, an as
sent, apparently an unanimous assent ["No"] -
at any rate, very general assent, that period of
impending famine the proper precauton to be taken
is to encourage the free importation Of food Ihave
right to infer, that if that had been the proposal
namely, that existing duties upon corn and other
articles Of provision should be suspended, that pro-
posa would have met with general assent. [Cheers.
Then, if that be so, ask you to expedite the pass
ing Of this bill-[aughter and cheers or to move
as an amendment, that the duties upon all articles
VI pTOFisIOH sHuH IOTHWltn DC SUSPENDED Re-
newed cheers.l The opponents of the government
plans seemed to say that they would consent to a
suspension Of the law till next harvest; and he was
glad Of the admission thereby implied, that it would
not be wise to spulate for the present that no rice
or oats, or maize should be admitted and that the
duty on wheat should be maintained Mt It's Sir
Robert Peel quoted some of the instances in which
the ports had been opened--n l756, 1857, 1871,
1893, 1885, 1896 1899 Had the ports been opened in
November last, the supplies might have been more
ample; but there was still the command of six
months. Parliament must now make its choice
1t must either maintain the existing law, or
make some proposal for facilitating the intro.
duction Of foreign food. Then came the further
question. "Aher the Suspension of the existing law
and the admission Of foreign importation for period
Of eight months, what do you propose to do with
The existing cornlawsi That is Of course the oues.
lion which any man would have to consider who
advised the suspension Of the oorn-laws. Well,
my conviction il so strong that it would be utterly
impossible, after establishing perfect freedom Of
trade for period Of eight months, to permit the ex-
Istlng corn-sw to come into operation at the end Of
tiny conviction ia strong that it would he i'm
practicable and impolitie, that could not entertain
such an idea " Ii might be said Hpive n. amman