comfort, and to become satisfied with his condition. Nevertheless, there was still a party of great weight in the legislature, which insisted that without protection certain branches of industry could not be maintained. To such persons he said, "Let us either protect all branches of industry, whether manufacturing or agricultural, or else let us abandon the system of protection as vicious and unsound." The tendency of this system was, in his opinion, to impair the efficiency of labour, and they had. now arrived at that period when they must maintain the protection laws in their full power, or abandon them as vicious and unsound.. Parliament had no right to interfere with the choice of a man as to the cheapest or dearest market for his labour or produce; but, in removing restrictive laws, it was manifestly unjust to apply free-trade principles to one class and not to another:—
"Now, I must say that to introduce change and excite alarm among these men—even upon sound principles—is hardly fair, unless you introduce measures founded upon the same principles that shall be applicable to other classes—(cheers)—not making them applicable to men earning a guinea and five and twenty shillings a week, but to men who are represented by peers of ancient descent—men of hereditary honours, of great wealth, and possessing vast power to resist your proposal. It is not just that, with regard to the first class—the labouring class—we should be called upon to be guided by the principles and authority of Adam Smith and Mr. Ricardo, while with regard to the second, the wealthy, the titled, and the powerful, we should be required to be governed by the principles of protection, and should be called upon to maintain for that class these protective laws. The right hon. gentleman who was last year the President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Gladstone) has shown the effect of these reductions in so far as manufactures are concerned."
The noble lord then referred to the origin of the Corn Laws, and the fluctuations that had taken place in the scale, and contended that the result of the system haul been to create speculation and enhance the price to the consumers, without benefiting the revenue. Even at pre. sent, the owners and occupiers of land, with a protection
