Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-03-19

ct Utb Dttt 70 ETeoeHt E1g0TLt0hs
The first authority I shafI adduce, coyeTir
the ground, both of principle and experience,
that Of Hume, certainly one Of Che clearssE head
dueed He says (H "a III)fa Eneiando wa
sdected withA gris15ds fsnliIs- during severa
lyoars Of tbs reign. Perpetual rains and eoh
westhef not only destroyed she harvest bJs
bred mortality gnoag the cattle, and raised
every B5nd Of 4ood to an enormous prfcsl- Thc
Parliament in+l 81 8 endeaVorsd to-fx more mode
rGse rates to cOnsROdibiesa a,-not sensible tha
such an attempt vas ,imprsetilsble, aad thsi
were it possible to reduce the price of pFOYis-
IONS byaRy othar expedient.than hg introducing
pleutY, nothing could be mege perBieious and
des trdciiye othe pn6lie. Where the produee
Of 3 yeaTa for instance, falls SO far short as
i to afford full subsistence only for nine months,
/ the only expedient for Masking It last all the
+ twelve Is to raise the prices, TO pat the people
BY that means on short allowance taRd Oblge
them ta gave their f0ed til a more plentiful sea-
son. But in reality, the increase of pFieesis 8
/ necessary consequences Of scarcity, and laws,
instead of preventing Is, only aggraVate ,.the
evil by restraining and cEalnping commerea.
Ihs' Pa AEliamant, -aee1Ldingly, in the, ensuiag
1 yesr, rebesled their ordinance, which they had
4 found useless aud burdeusome" Hers we have
tho true principle enuhciatsd with ibghlarelear-
ness and Illustrated By the misclhevots effects
shown t) have been occasIOted by the false.
How was 1t IN Frane5f In '92, the-Gohstitu-
t ent ASSEMBLY, sgaed its famous e1rneneY--the
/ sssignaB. They were issued lin alEasst fabulous
4 amoUuts DspTseissioH followed. Confidence
ia them Totally failed. % Hence p says Lamar
-tinei A' sewers laws against those who rsSlSed
I them. Hence depression of e0mmarce, suspen-
/ sion Of exchanges, cessation. Of lahor dsstitu7
tion Of Fogkmens. The wealthy lived on what
4 they raised, or On thsiT money, Of which they
/ expended with sparing hand only, Whist suf-
/ feed for their necessities The fields were III
! cultivstfd-no houses vera built-no cosehss
/ were seea--tLe dress Of the people indicated
/ wretcaepnsss and wsnt-whiie expenditures be
rig limited to bare neceSsaTles, deprived labor Of
/ ti1e employment it formerly owed to the fac
/ tious wants Of society, Eegi0ns Of women
I who earned their ifviug by washing the linen
4 of large city. esTno 70 call on the Conven-
4 ton TO fedUce' the price Of sespief oil ofcsn-
4 dies and fuel Specal latious, ,rhe continues, is.
I the s0ultof commerce. Cemmeres, subjected. to
IIRq0isltaTial intervention, Woald cease to pro-
vision HFaRce-weuld receive its death blow
These tneasures- producsd in the supplies of
! provisions for Paris, aud in The relations be-
l.tweeE tha merchants and citizens, the very
trouble and scarcity which they were designed
20 prevent" At later day - the convention
decreed 8 maEimum-that is to say an arbitrary
.
wine, Goals, wsod, soap, oil, sugar, non, hides,
tobacco and stuffj, eeuld b. sold Il fixed ike
wise the f3aLjadm Of iodges. 1t was mskihg
itself master Of all freedom in commerciat
transactions, ih speculation ard empl0ymsuts--
which exist eniyin stats Of TibaTty It was
putting tze hAnd-of the Ssssei On all buyers all
sellers, all lsboreTs all prePTieioTs. Saeh law
could but oeessi0n the eeneealnent Of capital,
tbs cessation of work. anguoF, of circulation,
I Z Al. e. T. Al
stances which fixes. the price of provisions Of
prime necessity; it is not the law. The mari
mum brought forth It's fruit BY Tepressing in
every lection The circulation of ready, money,
loans anH provisions"
This baneful experiment culmiasted In tie
" Reign OF Terror - the decree of 8a armed
force to execute everywhere the revolutionary
laws and the measures of public safety decreed
by the national convention Terror and Dssth
were ihenceforwsrd the the order Of the day.
for long and dreadful years for Francs, and can
hardly be said TO have been finally queled, till
eneounleIed and subdusd By the yet more terri
bic artillery of B3Hap&rts.
Hs would nav direct attention to, the exam
pie Of England in 1850, and 70 ths opinions of
the great statesmen who then -gaided her eoun-s
sells. Il was a time Of scarcity and high pri-
ces. Economy of consumption and importa-
ton Of provisions aad increase of production
were the measures recommended in ap able re-
port By tins. commons oammittee, A Mr. Bird
said-iust what We hear now the people ex>
peeted some efeetual measures Of relief hOm an
artificial Hearth attributable clone TO monopoly
and exioftion." 4 maximum increase was an
idea be had not reliGquished" etc.
8lr Pitt, the great minister, "saw nothing in
thegen1eman's suggestions which could tend in
the slightest degree to diminish the difficulties
around them, Il was 2 msebieYoas idea that it
was ia the power Of Parliament to make every
deficiency disappear, and at once pro-
duee abundance and cheapRess Limitation Of
p7ice and maximum had been hihted az. Such
measure would necessarily put an end to
transportation Of grain from places where it was
I in exees8 OF consumption. Artiicisl cheapness
might afford nomentary- consolation, but would
produce more fatal consequences than artificial
dcsTness+-beeause, in s-tms- Of seercity, what
leads to indiscreebe consumption must end in final
ruin. Where increase of price depended on
tbe asassnd being greater than the supply, he
goes en- sTgHs, that the fEs5 object was to in
crease the supply and, diminish the demand,
then to ebonoInise consumption and to resort to
impoF tatiOn
Mr. Grey (tbe celebrated Lord Grey) leader
OF toe opposition, 'concurred in the liberal and
enlighted principles laid down by the chancellor
of the exchequer, Mr. Pitt. He trustsd that no
attempt Iweuld be made to regulate conmeTes
I BY penal statu.esi thst the utmost freedom
would be given 10 speculation and enterprise,
end that the COMMITTEES would never loss sight
of the famous words Of the statute of Edward
respecting the necessity OF giving the utmost
/ latitude to commercial transactions, and assur-
/ fug 70 every one the fruits Of his la5OTs,
Afr Pit remarked, that though he recognized
ne freedom Of trade, in its fuiesteKten., hs-did
] not III Gu TO say that no regulation might 5bs.
necessary in the present siiuatiGn. Of the e9un-
/ try. If unfair means had been used TO eHhsneA
the pricel he did not mean to saY that it would
not Rbs proper to infict punishment on those
convicted Of such criminal practices. But stu,
If the punishment of unfair dealings would in
terfere with tie course of trade, partial evils
ought rather 70 pass wholly unpublished, than
that their punishment should give riss to Op-
prsssive general regulations. This, in my opih-
ion, stst4s the true doctrine with the proper
limitation.
Nj. Wilbsrforce said "some believed Parlis-
Tnent had the power 70 fix a 1lsxhnatn. In one
sense Parliament was Omnipotent, bat its power
did.nat extend to the alterstiOn of the course Of
natute-it would be in vain to sHdeavor t0 COM
pei peop!a to sell atany given tiraaor at any
gwen price; besides, buyer and seller might
agree together and defeat any regulations which
could be aade--the attempt would be. in effect,
q eompendious receipt for fraud and deception.
Ia France, he understood that the details Of the
law, when ths naximum was AXed there, were
such that it took up two large volumes in octave
Fhe evils and distress which that ls 2 occasion
ed were 30 great that the government which
passed It was detected en- that sccouht, and the
only shift was to SPREAD q rum0r that it had
been adopted from the influence Of the En-
eIish Chancellor of the EEehequer. Il was
heaven which gave the fruits of the earth, and
It was the business Of PaEliaaent to protect in
dividuals in the fruits Of their industry. He
hoped the people would reflect on these things
and distinguish their bast friends from those
who pretended to b9 sGch-who were, IN
deed their deadly enemies" Lord Holland
a. .-..aa ri....,t.ii.r o.o..r-ad H.