CORN LAWS. (Hansard, 27 May 1814)

§ Sir Frederick Flood
, in support of this petition, said, that a great part of the agitation out of doors had been excited by the speeches of a right hon. Gentleman whom he had in his eye (Mr. Rose); which he would find, however much he intended it, were not likely to add to his popularity—(a laugh.) He had consulted, he said, others more knowing than himself on the subject; and he found, that those gentlemen who opposed the measure did 1029 not really understand it He complained of an impudent paragraph in some of the papers, denying that Ireland was entitled to a preference; but the interests of Ireland, he contended, were closely connected with this country. Ireland had produced our first general and soldiers, and had contributed, in a very large proportion, to the defence and glory of this country. Was that country, then, not to be encouraged, in preference to foreigners, particularly as the two countries now formed one united empire, and were one in strength and in interests? The object of this, and of every other country, ought to be, to be independent of foreigners in the great articles of subsistence. We ought to promote our own agriculture and industry; and such, he contended, was the object of the measure. In proportion as they encouraged the agriculture of Ireland, they would diminish the price of the quartern leaf.

§ Mr. John Smith
presented a petition from the town of Nottingham, signed by 10,000 persons, against the proposed alteration of the corn laws; which was also ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Moore
presented a petition to the same effect from the town of Coventry; setting forth the sacrifices and sufferings of the manufacturing part of the community for several years past; to which they patiently submitted, in the hope that the return of peace would remove all their difficulties. He said, that the petition was signed by 9,000 of the inhabitants, convened at a public meeting, to consider the Bills on this subject before parliament. He begged to assure the House, and particularly those gentlemen who had lately schooled an hon. member for holding communication with his constituents on this subject, that this petition from Coventry did not proceed from any previous suggestions of his; but was the direct and natural emanation of their own just feelings, to which he unreservedly subscribed, lest the price of bread, the first necessary of life, should be increased; and of this, his opinions had been testified to the House, by the uniform opposition which he had given to the measure. Mr. Moore entreated the attention of the House to the very reasonable, respectful, and dispassionate petition, which he held in his hand, and which, however vitally important to the wants and relief of the people, 1030 only prayed the temporary postponement of legislative interference, until another session, in order to give a breathing time, as it were, for the benign influence of peace on the markets; and, he said, this prayer would be found the more reasonable, when the House adverted to the long and manifold sacrifices which the people had made for upwards of 20 years, on the fair hope and reasonable expectation, which the House itself had uniformly and constantly held out to the people, that the approach of peace would relieve them from taxes, and ameliorate their condition in every other respect. Mr. Moore said, if the House now proceeded to the adoption of these measures, which had produced such universal alarm throughout the country, he feared the people would feel at once disappointed of all their fair expectation of relief to themselves and their families, and resign themselves to despair. Their burthens, he said, had been very great; but their resignation and cheerfulness, which the world had witnessed, had been most exemplary, believing all these burthens to be indispensably necessary for the honour, the security, and the defence of the empire;—but now, only one short month, under the benign influence of restored peace, had elapsed to reduce the price of the first necessary of life, and a proceeding was instituted again to raise the price to the war-rate! Whether this was correctly so or not, the people believed it: and their apprehensions could not fail so to influence his feelings, as pointedly to deprecate all further interference.—No class of his Majesty's subjects, Mr. Moore said, had undergone greater privations and made greater sacrifices during the war, than his constituents, believing them to be necessary and unavoidable—but, the season of promised relief being arrived, he trusted the House would realise the full measure of all their assurances to the people, by that solid and substantial diminution of their pecuniary burthens, for which the public faith and honour had been so long, so solemnly, and so unequivocally pledged.