N O T E S ON THE — ANTI CORN LA W STRUGGLE. Q A N D R E W B I S SE T . 9 W A S A N D RG ILLI M NO ATE , 14 HEN RIE TT STREET C VEN T G RDEN LON DON , A , O A , ; A N D 20 S U TH FREDERICK STREE T EDIN BU RG H . , O , 1884 . CON TEN T S. INTRO DU CTION H R C A PTE I . W A S THE RE PEAL OF THE COEN LAWS THE E FFECT OF O RATOR! ? CHA PTER II . THOMAS PE RRON ET THOMPSON CHAPTER III . CHA RLE S PELHAM VILLI E RS CHA PTER IV . THE LANDLORDS R CHAPTE V . — F I . PEASANT LI E —A N G IS I G I 1844 - 5 2 . EN L H V LLA E N — CO ISH I G I N 1855 3 . A S TT V LLA E CHAPTER VI . F REE TRADE AND THE CHANNEL T UNNEL NOTES ON THE AN TI-CORN LA W STRUGGLE N TR I ODUCTION . I N revising my MS o f N otes o n the A nti C n Law St u l stru ck w t the f t or r gg e , I am i h ac that o ne - third o r more o f the b o o k is the wo rk o f him who was throughout the whole o f the Struggle the advocate in Parliament o f the Repeal o f the Corn Laws and is no w the only survivor o f a group o f contemporaries among whom Si mea f in u sit n l t t n tu n ama Obsc ro , obi i a e ac mag i di e ” c u meo u i n n aflicient n l . or m , q omi i , me co so er I will state shortly what led me to become o ne o f the labourers in the work o f repealing the Corn On th 1 7th o f nu 184 2 L w . e a s Ja ary, , I received n t n A S tt t t n t t the w t a o e sig ed dam co , s a i g ha ri er had been requested to commu nicate with me o n 1 L N otes o n the A nti Corn aw Struggle . lf o f the A nt - C n Law L A o r beha i or eagu e . day A " two ft . S tt ll o n at a er, Mr dam co ca ed me my ’ in St n uil in L n ln I nn and chambers o e B d gs, i co s , informed me that the matter on which the Council o f the A nti - Corn Law League were desirou s o f n ul w h L n - a A f co s ting me as t e a d T x . ter some correspondence and several conferences I received fr S tt l tt 1 7 1 842 . d t om Mr co a e er, a ed March , , t n to sta i g that Mr . Cobden had requested him an n n f r h f ll n n make appoi tme t o t e o owi g day . O he 18 h o f 4 n t t 1 8 2 . C n a d . March, , Mr obde Mr S tt ll t t tw n l n and tw lv co ca ed oge her , be ee e eve e e ’ l at o c ock , my chambers . In 184 2 and the following three years the prospects o f those who laboured fo r the repeal Of n the Corn Laws were not very good . Whe members o f the Leagu e went into the agricultu ral districts the farmers did no t give them a friendly i n I witn of the f t recept o . have heard esses ac Speak of the farmers o n o ne occasion bringing the Mr m a h r f tw e m . a Sc t w s t e au t o o a a ets Ad o t ho bl p phl , - ent e n Com Law ract . 1 . P ea for the ta itl d A ti T , No A l to l and mmediate re ea o f the rn aw s wit rem ar s o n i p l Co L , h k ” “ the an - Tax frau n n 1842 and n - rn Law L d d , Lo do , ; A ti Co ’ rac . 2 . Sir R e r e e s ur ens o n an n n T t, No ob t P l B d L d , Lo do , 1842 . I ntm d action . 3 hose o f a fire- engine to bear upon the Free Trad e T who w t ll n t u the speaker . hose ere rave i g hro gh country to endeavou r to diffu se some knowledge o f political economy had to encounter no t only ' n u r m b lz u o t l ns b t the a umentu acu n m. h s i e opi io , g One o f those lecturers told me that ( at Dor O h t t nk it was t lw t c es er , I hi ) he observed a s a ar man in the front ro w o f the audience with a large c udgel o f which he appeared to make rather an t nt ti u no t to n n l . os e a o s , say me aci g, disp ay Of the argument which I drew up in the case submitted to me professionally o n behalf o f the C un l o f the A nt - C n L aw L u the C un l o ci i or eag e , o ci printed at the time two thou sand copies fo r distri l n b u i n t of P . C d n t o o Members ar iame t . Mr ob e was t dl lie to fo r and fe repea e y app d copies , he re rred l A n t t app icants to me . mo g hose who no iced my argument o n the Land - Tax was a critic in a weekly u l t n who u nt t t o f p b ica io , described my arg me as ha ’ ” “ o f l d w t . t an it a ri er Mr Brigh s schoo , said , was with universal assent that all the tenures were at the Restoration simplified into the form ” f and o f ree common socage . So far was it from universal assent that the resolution by which the excis e was substituted fo r the feudal d ues was only carried by a majority o f 1 3? ° 4 t nt o rn r N otes on he A z C L aw St uggle . two in a House o f three hundred Members— o ne hundred and fifty- o ne to o ne hundred and forty — nine many Members u rging in the strongest " terms the inj ustice o f the measure fi “ T i i o n to s a : If t his cr t c goes y Mr . Brigh had been then alive he might fairly have urged the j ustice O f commuting an obsolete bu rden fo r a t l nd - tax b ut the l tt t w modera e a ; a er impos , hich till i t un t t n m fu n an l s ex s s der ha a e , r ishes amp e equivalent fo r one Of the least productive revenues l o h wn which be onged t t e Cro . The answer to this is that a question which all u h n o f i thro gh t e reig James I . occup ed very mu ch o f the time and attention o f the Parliament was Of n rid o f f u the mode getti g the e dal tenures . The same hand which dr ew the Petition of Right drew up an account o f a motion made at the Parliament in the eighteenth year Of the reign o f fo r ut n th f u l n James I . comm i g e e da te u res and “ nt nt t nt l nt to payme s i o a compe e year y re , be u to his t i and u s ass red Majes y , his he rs , s cce sors n 02 T i m ti n 4 t . 2 C t ( I s , , h s o o oke s amps “ wit his t n in t at so h approba io , hop g h good a — ar iamentar s t r . 148 149. Comm . P l y Hi o y, vol iv , pp , - Jam m 2 1 1660 . , Nov . , I ntroduction. 5 m ti n w ll t o r t aut t o f o o i some ime o her, by hori y P lia nt o ne wa o r t ta ff t and ar me , y o her, ke e ec be t l The unt o f the - es ab ished .