Page:History of the Anti corn law league - Volume 2.pdf/328

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LARD ADMITTED.

'No,' he asked, 'What is it then you do want?') What a plight had the landed interest placed themselves in by their recent conduct in that house! He was going down to Lancashire, and he was sure that he would be stopped at the corner of every street with exclamations as to the pitiable exhibition of the great landed interest. He besought them to look at it themselves: all their whining and entreaties could not induce the Prime Minister to get up and defend them; and surely it was not worth their while to endure all this obloquy for any benefit they reaped from it. For his part, nothing could bribe him to submit to similar taunts and obloquy. After some remarks from Mr. Darby, Sir Robert Peel regretted to see personal feeling mixing itself in the discussion. He defended members on his side of the house in making motions respecting matters in which their constituents were interested. Good arose from all these discussions, as they brought out explanations. Lord John Russell admitted the propriety of this, but what was applicable to lard was equally applicable to every other article of protected agricultural produce. If the representatives of the agricultural interest wished to act honestly, they should either surrender the principle of protection to native industry, or resolutely stand by it in and out of Parliament. Mr. Gladstone would not worry the agricultural interest with nibbling changes in order to obtain infinitesimal degrees of cheapness in articles of food. But he looked on lard as a raw material in trade and manufactures, as it might be made a substitute for sperm oil, the supply of which was diminishing, as well as other oils used for machinery, in the manufacture of soap, and so forth. Mr. Grogan withdrew his opposition, and lard was added to the articles to be admitted duty free."