Richard Cobden (1804-1865) was a British member of Parliament who championed free commerce, the repeal of the Corn Legal guidelines, and a laissez-faire financial system.
[A speech delivered in Manchester, England, January 15, 1846]
I shall start the few remarks which I’ve to supply to this assembly by proposing, opposite to my regular customized, a decision; and it’s, “That the retailers, producers, and different members of the Nationwide Anti-Corn-Regulation League declare no safety no matter for the manufactured merchandise of this nation, and want to see obliterated endlessly the few nominally protecting duties in opposition to international producers, which nonetheless stay upon our statute books.”
Gents, if any of you will have taken the pains to wade via the experiences of the Protectionist conferences, as they’re referred to as, which have been held recently, you’ll see that our opponents, on the finish of seven years of our agitation, have discovered their mistake, and are abandoning the Corn Legal guidelines; and now, like unskilful blunderers, as they’re, they wish to take up a brand new place, simply as we had been going to realize the victory. Then they’ve been telling one thing very like fibs, once they claimed the Corn Legal guidelines as compensation for peculiar burdens. They are saying now that they need merely safety in frequent with all different pursuits, they usually now name themselves the advocates of safety to native business in all its branches; and, by means of making the enchantment to the less-informed portion of the neighborhood, they are saying that the Anti-Corn-Regulation League are merely the advocates of Free Commerce in Corn, however that we wish to protect a monopoly in manufactures.
Now, the decision which I’ve to undergo you, and which we’ll put to this assembly to-night – the most important by far that Iever noticed on this room, and comprising males of each class and of each calling on this district – let that decision determine, as soon as and endlessly, whether or not our opponents can with reality lay that to our cost henceforth. There’s nothing new on this proposition, for on the very starting of this agitation – on the assembly of the Chamber of Commerce – when that faint voice was raised in that small room in King Avenue in December 1838, for the entire and quick repeal of the Corn Legal guidelines – when that ball was set in movement which has been accumulating in energy and velocity ever since, why, the petition said pretty that this neighborhood needed no safety for its personal business. I’ll learn the conclusion of that admirable petition. It’s as follows:
“Holding one of many ideas of everlasting justice to be inalienable proper of each man freely to alternate the results of his labour for the productions of different folks, and sustaining the apply of defending one a part of the neighborhood on the expense of all different lessons to be unsound and unjustifiable, your petitioners earnestly implore your honourable Home to repeal all legal guidelines regarding the importation of international corn and different international articles of subsistence, and to hold out to the fullest extent, each as impacts agriculture and manufactures, the true and peaceable ideas of Free Commerce, by eradicating all present obstacles to the unrestricted employment of business and capital.“
We’ve got handed related resolutions in any respect our nice combination conferences of delegates in London ever since that was issued.
I don’t put this decision as an argument or as an enchantment to fulfill the appeals made within the safety societies’ conferences. I imagine that the boys who now, on this seventh 12 months of our dialogue, can come forth earlier than their nation, and discuss as these males have achieved – I imagine that you just may as effectively preach to the deaf adder. You can’t persuade them. I doubt whether or not they haven’t been dwelling of their shells, like oysters; I doubt whether or not they know such a factor is in existence as a railroad, or as penny postage. They’re in profound ignorance of all the pieces, and incapable of being taught. We don’t enchantment to them, however to a really giant portion of this neighborhood, who don’t take a really outstanding half on this dialogue – who could also be thought-about as essential lookers-on. Many have been misled by the reiterated assertions of our opponents; and it’s at this eleventh hour to persuade these males, and to provide them a chance of becoming a member of our ranks, as they’ll do, that I provide this proof of disinterestedness and the equity of our proposals. I don’t intend to enter an argument to persuade any man right here that safety to all should be safety to none. It takes from one man’s pocket, and permits him to compensate himself by taking an equal from one other man’s pocket, and if that goes on in a circle via the entire neighborhood, it is just a careless technique of robbing all to counterpoint none, and easily has this impact, that it ties up the fingers of business in all instructions. I needn’t provide one phrase to persuade you of that. The one motive that I’ve for saying a phrase is, that what I say right here might persuade others elsewhere – the boys who meet in safety societies. However the arguments I ought to adduce to an clever viewers like this, can be spoken in useless to the Members of Parliament who at the moment are the advocates of safety. I shall meet them in lower than per week in London, and there I’ll train the A B C of this safety. It’s of no use attempting to show kids phrases of 5 syllables, once they haven’t acquired out of the alphabet.
Nicely, what exhibitions these protectionists have been making of themselves! Judging from the size of their speeches, as you may see them reported, you may fancy the entire neighborhood was in movement. Sadly for us, and for the fame of our countrymen, the boys who can utter the drivelling nonsense which we now have had flaunted to the world recently, and the boys who can take heed to it, are only a few in quantity. I doubt exceedingly whether or not all the boys who’ve attended all of the safety conferences, over the last month, may not very comfortably be put into this corridor. However these safety societies haven’t solely modified their ideas, but it surely appears they’ve resolved to vary their ways. They’ve now, on the eleventh hour, once more resolved that they’ll make their physique political, and take care of the registration. What simpletons they will need to have been to have thought that they might have achieved any good with out that! In order that they have resolved that their societies shall spend their cash in exactly the identical approach that the League have been expending theirs. They’ve hitherto been telling us, in all their conferences and in all their newspapers, that the League is an unconstitutional physique; that it’s an infernal membership which goals at corrupting, at vitiating, and at swamping the registrations; and now, forsooth, when no good can probably come of it – once they most definitely ought to have correctly abstained from imitating it, since they can not do any good, and have saved up the pressure they previously had of calling the League an unconstitutional physique, they resolve to rescind their decision, and to observe his Grace, the Duke of Richmond’s recommendation, and combat us with our personal weapons. Now I presume, we’re a constitutional physique. It’s a lucky factor that we now have not acquired nice dukes to steer us. However, now, of what drive is that this decision? Like all the pieces they do, it’s farcical – it’s unreal. The safety societies, from the start, have been nothing however phantoms. They aren’t realities. And what’s their decision – what does it quantity to? They resolve that they’ll take care of the registration. Everyone knows that they’ve achieved their worst in that approach already. Everyone knows that these landlords might actually make their acres a sort of electioneering property. We all know proper effectively that their land-agents are their electioneering brokers. We all know that their rent-rolls have been made their muster-rolls for preventing the battle of safety. These poor drivelling folks say that we purchase {qualifications}, and current them to our mates; that we bind them all the way down to vote as we please. We’ve got by no means purchased a vote, and we by no means intend to purchase a vote or to provide one. Ought to we not be blockheads to purchase votes and provides them, when we now have ten thousand individuals prepared to purchase them at our request?
However I believe that our protectionist mates have a notion that there’s some plan – some secret, sinister plan – by which they will put fictitious votes on the register. Now I encourage to inform them that the League just isn’t extra highly effective to create votes than it’s to detect the issues within the unhealthy votes of our opponents; they usually might rely on it, in the event that they try to put fictitious voters on the register, that we now have our ferrets in each county, and that they’ll discover out the issues; and when the registration time comes, we’ll have an objection registered in opposition to each one in all their fictitious {qualifications}, and make them produce their title-deeds, and present that they haven’t paid for them. Nicely, we now have our protectionist opponents; however how we might congratulate ourselves on the place which they’ve given to this query by the dialogue that has been raised in every single place throughout the previous few months! We can not enter a steamboat or a railroad carriage – nay, we can not even go into an omnibus, however the very first thing that any man does, nearly earlier than he has deposited his umbrella, is to ask, “Nicely, what’s the final information concerning the Corn Legal guidelines?” Now, we, who keep in mind how troublesome it was, initially of our agitation, to carry males’s minds to the dialogue of this query, once we suppose that each newspaper is now filled with it – the identical broad sheet containing, maybe, a report of this assembly, and of the depressing drivelling of some hole-and-corner agricultural gathering – and once we suppose that the entire neighborhood is engaged in studying the dialogue and pondering on the a number of arguments, we will want no extra. The League may shut its doorways to-morrow, and its work could be thought-about as achieved the second it compels or induces folks to debate the query.
However the feeling I’ve alluded to is spreading past our personal nation. I’m glad to listen to that in Eire the query is attracting consideration. You will have in all probability heard that my good friend Mr. Shiny and I’ve acquired a requisition signed by retailers and producers of each grade and social gathering in Belfast, soliciting us to go there and handle them; and I deeply remorse that we can not put our ft on Irish floor to advocate this query. To-day I’ve acquired a replica of a requisition to the mayor of Drogheda, calling a gathering for subsequent Monday, to petition for the entire and quick repeal of the Corn Legal guidelines, and I’m glad to note on the head of that requisition the title of the Catholic Primate, Physician Croly, a person eminent for studying, piety, and moderation; and that additionally it is headed by the remainder of the Catholic clergy of that borough. I hope that these examples is not going to be with out their due impact, in one other quarter. We’ve got, I imagine, the vast majority of each non secular denomination with us – I imply the dissenting denominations; we now have them nearly en masse, each ministers and laymen; and I imagine the one physique, the one non secular physique, which we might not say we now have with us as a physique, are the members of the Church of England. On this level I’ll simply provide this comment: The clergy of the Church of England have been positioned in a most invidious, and, I feel, an unlucky place, by the mode by which their tithe commutation cost was fastened some years in the past. My good friend Colonel Thompson will recall it, for he was in Parliament on the time, and protested in opposition to the best way by which the tithe commutation rent-charge was fastened. He stated, with the nice foresight he has at all times proven within the wrestle for the repeal of the Corn Legal guidelines, that it could make the clergy of the Church of England events to the current Corn Regulation by fixing their tithe at a set amount of corn, fluctuating in keeping with the value of the final seven years. Let or not it’s borne in thoughts, that each different class of the neighborhood could also be immediately compensated for the repeal of the Corn Legal guidelines – I imply each class linked with agriculture – besides the clergy. The landlords could also be compensated, if costs fall, by an elevated amount of produce; so additionally might the farmer and the labourer; however the clergy of the Church of England obtain a given variety of quarts of wheat for his or her tithe, regardless of the value could also be. I feel, nevertheless, we might draw a beneficial conclusion, below all of the circumstances, from the truth that I imagine there has not been one clergyman of the Church off England in any respect eminent for rank, piety, or studying, who has come out, however the sturdy temptation of private curiosity, to advocate the present Corn Regulation. I feel, that we might take this as a proof of the very sturdy enchantment to justice which this query makes, and maybe auger additionally that there’s a sturdy feeling among the many nice physique of the members of the Church of England in favour of Free Commerce in corn.
Nicely, there’s one different quarter by which we now have seen the progress of sound ideas – I allude to America. We’ve got acquired the American President’s message; we now have had additionally the report of the Secretary of the Treasury, and each President Polk and Mr. Secretary Walker have been taking my good friend Colonel Thompson’s activity out of his fingers, and lecturing the folks of America with regards to Free Commerce. I’ve by no means learn a greater digest of the arguments in favour of Free Commerce than that put forth by Mr. Secretary Walker, and addressed to the Congress of that nation. I auger from all this stuff that our query is making fast progress throughput the world, and that we’re coming to the consummation of our labours. We’re verging now in direction of the session of Parliament, and I predict that the query will both obtain its quietus, or that it’ll result in the dissolution of this Parliament; after which the subsequent will definitely relieve us of our burden.
Now, many individuals are discovered to take a position on what Sir Robert Peel might do within the approaching session of Parliament. It’s a very hazardous factor, contemplating that in a single week solely you may be as sensible as I shall, to enterprise to make a prediction on this topic. You might be very anxious, little doubt. Nicely, allow us to see if we will speculate just a little on futurity, and relieve our anxiousness. There are three programs open to Sir Robert Peel. He might hold the regulation as it’s; he might completely repeal it; or he might do one thing between the 2 by tinkering his scale once more, or giving us a set responsibility. Now, I predict that Sir Robert Peel will both hold the regulation as it’s, or he’ll suggest completely to abolish it. And I floor my prediction on this, as a result of these are the one two issues that anyone within the nation needs him to do. There are some that wish to hold safety as it’s; others wish to do away with it; however no person needs something between the 2. He has his option to make, and I’ve this opinion of his sagacity, that, if he change in any respect, he’ll change for whole repeal. However the query is, “Will he suggest whole and quick repeal?” Now, there, in case you please, I’ll forbear to supply a prediction. However I’ll enterprise to provide you a motive or two why I feel he should take whole and quick repeal. I don’t suppose that any class is a lot inquisitive about having the Corn Regulation completely and instantly repealed because the farming class. I imagine that it’s off extra significance to the farmers to have the repeal instantaneous, as a substitute of gradual, than to some other class of the neighborhood. In actual fact, I observe, within the report of a latest Oxfordshire safety assembly, given in to-day’s paper, that when Lord Norreys was alluding to the chance of Sir Robert Peel abolishing the Corn Legal guidelines regularly, a farmer by the title of Gillatt cried out, “We had higher be drowned outright than ducked to dying.” Gents, I used to make use of one other simile – a really humble one, I admit. I used to say that an previous farmer had advised me, that if he had been going to chop off his sheep-dog’s tail, it could be way more humane to chop it off unexpectedly than a bit on daily basis within the week. However now I feel that the farmer’s simile in Oxford is the latest and the very best that we will use. Nothing could possibly be less difficult than to show that it’s the true curiosity of farmers, if the Corn Regulation is to be abolished, to have it abolished immediately. If the Corn Regulation had been abolished to-morrow, my agency perception is, that as a substitute off wheat falling, it could tend to rise. That’s my agency perception, as a result of hypothesis has already anticipated Sir Robert Peel, and wheat has fallen in consequence of that apprehension. I imagine that, owing to the shortage in every single place, – I imply in all elements of Europe, – you could possibly not, in case you prayed for it, in case you had your personal wishing-cap on, and will make your personal time and circumstances – I imagine, I say, that you could possibly by no means discover such a chance for abolishing the Corn Legal guidelines completely and instantly as if it had been achieved subsequent week; for it so occurs that the very nations from which, in peculiar occasions, we now have been equipped, have been , like ourselves, with shortage – that the nations of Europe are competing with us for the very small surplus present in America. They’ve, the truth is, anticipated us in that market, they usually have left the world’s markets so naked of corn, that, no matter your requirements could also be, I defy you to have apart from excessive costs of corn throughout the subsequent twelve months, although the Corn Regulation was abolished to-morrow.
European nations are struggling as we’re from the identical evil. They’re affected by shortage now, owing to the absurd laws respecting the article of corn. Europe altogether has been corrupted by the vicious instance of England in her industrial laws. There they’re, all through the continent of Europe, with a inhabitants growing on the charge of 4 or 5 hundreds of thousands a 12 months; but they make it their enterprise, like ourselves, to place obstacles in the best way of a sufficiency of meals to fulfill the demand of an growing inhabitants.
I imagine that in case you abolish the Corn Regulation truthfully, and undertake Free Commerce in its simplicity, there is not going to be a tariff in Europe that won’t be modified in lower than 5 years to observe your instance. Nicely, gents, suppose the Corn Regulation be not abolished instantly, however that Sir Robert Peel herald a measure supplying you with an obligation of 5 shillings, six shillings, and even seven shillings, and taking place one shilling a 12 months for 4 or 5 years, until the entire responsibility is abolished, what can be the impact on international nations? They’ll then exaggerate the significance of this market when the responsibility is wholly off. They’ll go on elevating provides, calculating that, when the responsibility is wholly off, they’ll have a marketplace for their produce, and excessive costs to remunerate them; and if, as could be very doubtless and per our expertise, we should always have a return to plentiful seasons, these huge importations might be poured upon our markets, in all probability simply on the time when our costs are low; and they’d come right here, as a result of they’d haven’t any different market, to swamp our markets, and deprive the farmer of the sale of his produce at a remunerating value. However, quite the opposite, let the Corn Regulation be abolished immediately; let foreigners see what the English market is in its pure state, after which they’ll be capable of decide from 12 months to 12 months and from season to season what would be the future demand from this nation for international corn. There might be no extravagant estimate of what we wish – no contingency of unhealthy harvests to take a position upon. The provision might be regulated by the demand, and can attain that state which would be the greatest safety in opposition to each gluts and famine. Due to this fact, for the farmer’s sake, I plead for the quick abolition of this regulation. A farmer by no means can have a good and equitable understanding or adjustment together with his landlord, whether or not as respects lease, tenure, or sport, till this regulation is wholly eliminated out of his approach. Let the repeal be gradual, and the owner will say to the farmer, via the land-agent, “Oh, the responsibility might be seven shillings subsequent 12 months; you haven’t had greater than twelve months’ expertise of the workings of the system but”; and the farmer goes away with none settlement having been come to. One other 12 months passes over, and when the farmer presents himself, he’s advised, “Oh, the responsibility might be 5 shillings this 12 months; I can not but inform what the impact might be; you could cease awhile.” The subsequent 12 months the identical factor is repeated, and the top is, that there is no such thing as a adjustment of any type between the owner and tenant. However put it without delay on a pure footing, abolish all restrictions, and the owner and tenant might be dropped at a immediate settlement; they are going to be positioned exactly on the identical footing as you might be in your manufactures.
Nicely, I’ve now spoken on what could also be achieved. I’ve advised you, too, what I ought to advocate; however I need to say, that no matter is proposed by Sir Robert Peel, we, as free Merchants, have however one course to pursue. If he suggest a complete and quick and unconditional repeal, we will throw up our caps for Sir Robert Peel. If he suggest the rest, then Mr. Villiers might be prepared, as he has been on former events, to maneuver his modification for a complete and quick repeal of the Corn Legal guidelines. We’re not accountable for what ministers might do; we’re however accountable for the efficiency of our responsibility. We don’t provide to do impossibilities; however we’ll do our utmost to hold out our ideas. However, gents, I let you know truthfully, I feel much less of what this Parliament might do – I care much less for his or her opinions, much less for the intentions of the Prime Minister and the Cupboard, than what often is the opinion of a gathering like this and of the folks outdoor. This query is not going to be carried by ministers or by the current Parliament; will probably be carried, when it’s carried, by the desire of the nation. We are going to do nothing that may take away us a hair’s breadth from the rock which we now have stood upon with a lot security for the final seven years. All different events have been on a quicksand, and floated about by each wave, by each tide, and by each wind – some floating to us; others, like fragments scattered over the ocean, with out rudder or compass; while we’re upon strong floor, and no temptation, whether or not of events or of ministers, shall ever make us swerve a hair’s breadth. I’m anxious to listen to now, on the final assembly earlier than we go to Parliament – earlier than we enter that area to which all males’s minds might be turned throughout the subsequent week – I’m anxious, not merely that we should always all of us perceive one another on this query, however that we needs to be thought-about as occupying as impartial and remoted a place as we did on the first second of the formation of this League. We’ve got nothing to do with Whigs or Tories; we’re stronger than both of them; if we keep on with our ideas, we will, if essential, beat each. And I hope we completely perceive now, that we now have not, within the advocacy of this nice query, a single object in view however that which we now have truthfully avowed from the start. Our opponents might cost us with designs to do different issues. No, gents, I’ve by no means inspired that. A few of my mates have stated, “When this work is finished you’ll have some affect within the nation; you could achieve this and so.” I stated then, as I say now, “Each new political precept will need to have its particular advocates, simply as each new religion has its martyrs.” It’s a mistake to suppose that this organisation might be turned to different functions. It’s a mistake to suppose that males, outstanding within the advocacy of the ideas of Free Commerce, can with the identical drive and impact establish themselves with some other precept hereafter. It is going to be sufficient if the League accomplish the triumph of the precept we now have earlier than us. I’ve by no means taken a restricted view of the thing or scope of this nice precept. I’ve by no means advocated this query very a lot as a dealer.
However I’ve been accused of trying an excessive amount of to materials pursuits. However, I can say that I’ve taken as giant and nice a view of the consequences of this mighty precept as ever did any man who dreamt over it in his personal research. I imagine that the bodily acquire would be the smallest acquire to humanity from the success of this precept. I look farther; I see within the Free Commerce precept that which shall act on the ethical world because the precept of gravitation within the universe, – drawing males collectively, thrusting apart the antagonism of race and creed and language, and uniting us within the bonds of everlasting peace. I’ve seemed even farther. I’ve speculated, and doubtless dreamt, within the dim future – aye, a thousand years therefore – I’ve speculated on what the impact of the triumph of this precept could also be. I imagine that the impact might be to vary the face of the world, in order to introduce a system of presidency solely distinct from that which now prevails. I imagine that the will and the motive for big and mighty empires – for gigantic armies and nice navies – for these supplies that are used for the destruction of life and the desolation of the rewards of labour – will die away; I imagine that such issues will stop to be essential, or for use, when man turns into one household and freely exchanges the fruits of his labour together with his brother man. I imagine that, if we could possibly be allowed to reappear on this sublunary scene, we should always see, at a far distant interval, the governing system of this world revert to one thing just like the municipal system; and I imagine that the speculative thinker of a thousand years therefore will date the best revolution that ever occurred on the planet’s historical past from the triumph of the precept which we now have met right here to advocate. I imagine this stuff; however, no matter might have been my desires and speculations, I’ve by no means obtruded them upon others. I’ve by no means acted upon private or motives on this query; I search no alliance with events or favour from events, and I’ll take none – however, having the sensation I’ve of the sacredness of the precept, I say that I can by no means comply with tamper with it. I, no less than, won’t ever be suspected of doing in any other case than pursuing it disinterestedly, truthfully, and resolutely.