ABSTRACT
But the price of bread rose in spite of the new Corn Law, an apt but melancholy illustration of the falsehood of the pretensions under which it was passed, as a measure of relief. " The famine was sore in the land." In June, authentic and heart-rending details were published of deep distress in Manchester, Huddersfield, Accrington, Stroud, Longtown, Prescott, Walsall, Ilkeston, Darlaston, Glasgow,
Paisley, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Birmingham, Mansfield, the Potteries, Holmfirth, Cork, Nottingham, Sheffield, Dudley, Todmorden, Beaminster, Edinburgh, Halifax, Mirfield, Burnley, Stalybridge, Nantwich, Knaresborough, Haslingden, Bradford, Dundee, Stockport, Ennis, Colne, Westbury, Carlisle, Belper, Wolverhampton, Oldham, Hyde, Bolton, Leicester, Forfar, and a great number of other places in the United Kingdom, agricultural as well as commercial and manufacturing. The council of the League, fully aware of the danger that might arise out of the great amount of unrelieved, but, by honest legislation, easily relievable distress, thus earnestly called for a meeting of deputies in London, again to represent to Parliament the deplorable condition of the country :—
Previous to the meeting of deputies, Mr. Hamer Stansfield, of Leeds ; Mr. William Eawson, of Manchester; the Rev. William Eoaf, of Wigan ; Mr. James Lees, of Saddleworth ; Mr. John Bright, of Eochdale; the Eev. C. Baker,
of Stockport, and Mr. Dixon, of Accrington, proceeded to London, and made strong representations to ministers and to a number of leading ministerial members, in berth Houses of Parliament of the appalling distress in their respective localities, and used urgent entreaties that some remedy might be applied before the prorogation of Parliament, and on the 24th, issued a letter, containing some of the more prominent facts stated in their private interviews, to be addressed to every member of Parliament, feeling, as they stated, that if they were to permit a siligle member to remain uninformed on so momentous a subject, they would be abandoning their duty, and incurring a heavy responsibility. In this letter they said :—
On Friday, July 1st, Mr. Wallace moved in the House of Commons resolutions, of which he had given notice, to the effect, that the labouring and industrious classes had been suffering many privations and severe distress-that the distress was increasing-that the alterations in the Corn Laws and the duties on imports and exports, coupled with an Income Tax, which would add four millions to the burthens of the people, were not calculated to afford relief, and that the house ought not to separate until a diligent and searching inquiry had been instituted into the
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unprecedented distress existing throughout the country, and an effectual remedy applied. This gave rise to a two nights' debate, in the course of which several members gave most distressing accounts of the state of the country. No division was come to, the second adjournment being to Thursday, when motions having preference over orders, the house proceeded to consider Mr, Bannerman's motion, to invest ministers with power to permit, during the recess of Parliament, the free admission of corn; which was negatived, there being 176 votes against, and 113 for it. Sir Robert Peel, in arguing against power being given to himself temporarily to relieve the distress of the country, said that if prices continued to rise, the duty on imported com would fall to nothing. This was certainly true ; but as the price of wheat must have risen l i s . before the duty came to nothing, it was obvious that the consumers would have to pay l i s . and the holders would receive l is . more before the duty was nothing.
