place, and getting into that place them-land; that Sir JOHN CAMPBELL, the selves. The present was quite another Whig Attorney-general; that Sir JAMES matter; if this tax were repealed, they GRAHAM, the Whig First Lord of the would have many millions less to handle Admiralty; that Lord EBRINGTON, who if they got into place; and therefore, with is regarded as the grandfather, father, a degree of earnestness, of anxiety, and and godfather of the Whigs; that Lord of bitterness, hardly describable, THEY MORPETH, the mover of the Whig amendOPPOSED THE REPEAL OF THIS ment to the Address; that Lord HowICK, TAX; and thereby made good all the son of Lord GREY, and a Whig Underaccusations that I have ever preferred Secretary of State: I know that all these against them during the thirty years that voted against the repeal of the malt-tax; I have been engaged, in great part of my and that they were accompanied in their time, in exposing the greediness, the vote by all the underlings that had behard-heartedness, and all the hateful qua- longed to their administration. What lities of this depraved political faction. base men must those be, then, who would make us believe that the King has done wrong, in turning out this faction; and what foolish men must those real friends of the people have been, who voted with them, in order to give them their two majorities over the Tory Minister! Those two majorities would have turned the Tory Minister out of his place; but he knew well, that the moment the repeal of the malt-tax was proposed, he might object to it, if he liked; that he was sure, in such a case, to have these Whigs at his back; and that, after that, no man of common sense would ever stir hand, foot, or tongue, to turn him out, and to Lists of the NAMES of those who voted in the majority and in the minority have been published in some of the newspapers; but these lists not having been published in a manner sufficiently correct for me to rely upon, I can give only the NUMBERS; but I can at the same time assert that one hundred and one of those persons who notoriously belong to the Whigfaction, and who voted against the repeal on this occasion. If they had voted for the repeal, instead of against it, there would have been for the repeal two hundred and ninety-three; against it, two hundred and forty nine; and of course there would have been a majority for the put those Whigs in his place. Events repeal of forty-four. Therefore, my friends, remember, that this decision against the industrious classes of the community has been occasioned solely by the faction called the Whigs; a fact which ought to be recollected by every honest and sensible man in the kingdom. I shall, doubtless, obtain hereafter a correct list of the names, both of the majority and the minority; but it is quite sufficient for us to know, that the principal speakers against the repeal, the most loud, the most vehement, the most strenuous, in évery respect, were, Mr. Wood, late Whig Secretary of the Treasury, Member It is a curious fact, and one that you for HALIFAX, and son-in-law of Lord ought to bear in mind, that this odious GREY; Mr. SPRING RICE, a Whig Secre- and most cruel tax was first laid on by tary of State, and Mr. POULETT THOMSON, the Whigs, in the year 1701, to support Whig President of the Board of Trade. the Whig king, whom they had brought I know, also, that Lord JoHN RUSSELL from Holland; but that, so strenuous (the now-leader of the Whigs, and late were the efforts of the Tories against the Whig paymaster of the forces); that Mr. Whig-faction, they would not suffer the LITTLETON, the Whig Secretary for Ire-tax to be granted except for a year; have already verified his opinion. The Whigs threatened to stop the Supplies. Mr. HUME, taking them to be sincere, gave notice of a motion to that effect, for Friday last; but he discovered that the majority was gone! The friends of the people, who had supported the Whigs, and given them their majority, were not such wretched fools as to give them another majority after their conduct on the malt-tax; and there they now are, a faction without the smallest degree of power, acting towards the Tories just the part that the Tories acted towards them before! At last, however, after this vote on the malt-tax, it has become ASHAMED OF ITS NAME. Its vile hireling newspapers besides which permission was retained for private persons to make malt for the consumption of their own families, by compounding at a very moderate rate. in London have dropped the use of the This was a great mitigation of the seve- word " WHIG"; and have given to the rity; because then the farmer prevented faction the name of " REFORMERS"! that destruction of his barley, which now Curious reformers, to vote against the takes place for want of the same power; repeal of the malt-tax. However, I have and it enabled him to give beer in plenty here said quite enough to show you who to his family, and to his working men. it is that has defeated us upon this occaThis permission continued until the year sion; and with this knowledge in your 1783; when, at the close of the American minds you will, I trust, not in future be war, the DEADLY WHIGS got into easily deceived by the hirelings of this facpower again; and then they took away tion; and having done this, I have only this permission, having discovered at the to add my hope, that every friend of mine end of eighty-three years, that the per-will give as wide a circulation as possible mission was not a proper thing! From to this little paper. And I remain your that day to this places of public resort for friend and most obedient servant, drinking have increased twenty-fold; and all the crimes and miseries attendant on the haunting of such places have gone on prodigiously increasing. The farmer could not sell his malt; could not burter it; ΤΟ WM. COBBETT. SIR ROBERT PEEL, could not give it in payment for labour, On his Speech against the Repeal of the Malt-Tax. Normandy Farm, 16. March, 1835. to be carried away in malt from his house; but he could brew abundantly for his people, at his house, and in his fields. His beer, which came to him so cheap, formed SIR, The House of Commons will part of his means of carrying on his farm, remember, that I attempted to answer and a large part of those means too: it you; but that I was so very hoarse that caused plenty of good drink to be always I could not make myself understood at in the farm-house; and was one great six feet from the spot where I was standcause of that harmony amongst landlords, ing. My answer would have no effect in farmers, and labourers, which existed the House, but it would have had an effect fifty years ago. In a fatal hour for Eng-out of the House; and every day I beland, the ALL-DESTROYING WHIGS come more and more thoroughly congot possession of the fiscal powers again; vinced, that there is no hope of a resto and by the Act 23rd George the Third, ration of freedom and of good living in chapter 64, they laid the foundation of England, except in the pressure from all the misery, all the crimes, all the hos-without." Having been unable to do tile and deadly feeling of the poor towards what I wished in the House, I am now the rich, which now disfigure and disgrace in this manner about to make up, as far this once most admirably happy agricul- as I can, for that want of ability. tural community. Townspeople then I will not dwell here on the extraordiused to go to the country, in order to be nary opening of your speech: except, for sure to meet with good ale and strong a little, on that part of it which was an beer at farm-houses. Now all has been open encouragement, and an attempt to swept away by this ruthless faction; and justify members of Parliament assuming we see, in the instance before us, that the high character of "Conservatives,' length of time, prosperity, adversity, pub-in breaking their pledges, most solemnly lic danger, even to themselves; that no-given to those who had elected them, and thing can change the nature of this faction; but that, like the serpent, it hands down its poison from generation to generation. who had elected them on the ground of those pledges, and on no other grounds Whether it be right or wrong to give pledges at all is quite another matter; man. upon and a matter that does not come into" Conservative" party, and then there consideration here; but there is no man will be sincerity and sense in your conwho has any pretensions to moral honesty duct at any rate. who will not condemn the breaking of a Now as to the topics of the speech. pledge after it has been solemnly given You first began by stating the amount of If this be justifiable there is an end to all the tax, the gross proceeds of which, for faith, all confidence, between man and 1834, you stated at five millions one When a gentleman has got the hundred and fifty thousand pounds; and promises of votes at an election, he looks the net-payments into the Exchequer at those electors as base wretches who four millions six hundred and seventy break their promises to him. How many thousand pounds. Here then the cost of humble men have said to me at PRESTON collecting this tax is four hundred and and at COVENTRY: "I should like to vote eighty thousand pounds a year; and yet "for you, Mr. COBBETT, but I have pro-you twisted the thing about, one way and "mised my vote to the other party." the other way, till you came to an asserThis has happened to me in a thousand tion, unsupported by any fact, that the colinstances; and in all the thousand not one lection of the tax costs only a hundred man will say, that I ever asked him to and fifty thousand pounds a year. An break his promise. And upon what honest committee of the House of Comground did you so strenuously encourage mons would bring proof upon the table, and urge this pledge-breaking? Upon that the malt-tax costs five-sixths of the the ground of the interest of the parties expenses of the whole of the excise. breaking their pledges. You varnished Your next assertion was, that if the this over, indeed, with "public good," malt-tax were taken off it would cause public safety," ""national faith"; the price of beer to be only a halfpenny that your reasoning to make this ground a pot cheaper than it now is. This good was not worth a straw, I am about monstrous assertion you copied from the to show; but if your reasoning had been Times newspaper. It is as clear as figures good, instead of being good for nothing, can make it, that malt would be at the we are come to a fine pass indeed, if the same price that barley would be, bushel breach of promises made by the repre- for bushel; even if made by a maltster for sentatives to their constituents, could find sale; because eight bushels of barley make a justification in any thing; it must have nine bushels of malt; and the increase of been a tremendous public evil indeed, bulk amply pays for the expenses of the which could have been in amount equal malting. Now then, when barley is from to the blasting of the character of a ma- twenty-five to thirty shillings a quarter, jority of the House of Commons; and but fix it at thirty, malt to the domestic well indeed was it observed by the noble consumer is nine shillings a bushel. So marquis who made the motion, "that, that, supposing that the repeal of the though he deeply lamented the loss of his malt-tax would leave all the malt to be "motion, that though he lamented still made by maltsters for sale, a quarter of "more the determination of the House malt would cost me thirty shillings in"to consummate the ruin of the farmer, stead of the seventy-two shillings that it "still in the end these would be nothing must now cost me; and yet you tell us, "compared with the loss of the character that it would reduce my beer in price only "of the House." He might have said, a halfpenny a pot. You seem to think, the loss of character of those who have that all beer is to be made for sale, even assumed the sublime character of "Con-after the repeal of the malt-tax; but did servatives," and who have given to the you make the 66 PLEDGE-BREAKERS" besincere part of their opponents the name lieve, that even the public brewers (who of "Destructives." Yours is destruc- we will suppose now to sell beer on an tion, sir; I do not know one of those average at fourpence a pot) would take "Destructives" who would have broken off only an eighth part of the price, when his pledge. Take at once the name of the malt should cost less than half the "pledge-breaking" party, instead of sum that it costs now? This would hardly be believed by PLEDGE BREAKERS ;lings; and I had stated it only at nine-- and certainly not be pretended to be be- teen shillings, even at buying it at a relieved by any other of God's creatures. tail, as I myself bought it. So that, inHowever, you not only called in ques- stead of your five shillings and fourtion, but contradicted, my statement of pence, it is eighteen shillings of monopolast year, relative to the amount of the ly-charge, occasioned by the tax. But, monopoly by maltsters, and dealers in sir, it is not to MARK-LANE that we go, malt, arising out of this tax; and you to purchase hundreds and thousands of said that, considering the natural effects quarters of malt at a time. We go to of competition, it was impossible for buy a quarter, a sack, or a bushel; and you to believe, that maltsters made such that malt which sells at MARK-LANE for immense profits; and that, to ascertain sixty-six shillings, we have to give at the the fact, you had just been to MARK-rate of between seventy and eighty shilLANE, where you had found the price of lings for. It was delightful to hear Sir barley to be from thirty-six to forty shil- JAMES GRAHAM, once the proposer of a lings the quarter; and the price of malt deduction of thirty per cent. from the to be sixty-six shillings the quarter. So interest of the debt, now so strenuous an that the barley costing forty shillings, advocate for the support of "public creand the duty twenty shillings and eight- dit" by the means of the malt-tax. He, pence, left the maltster only five-and- too, in rivalship with Mr. SPRING RICE, fourpence profit upon a quarter of malt. backed your opinion as to my mis-stateThe "Wife of Bath," just before she ment of the last year; and said that, as a gives her spouse a pair of black eyes, ex-clear proof of the great correctness of your claims, "All this thou sayest, and all statement, relative to the profits of maltthou sayest are lies." Not lies of yours;ing, he knew that where barley had been but lies put into your mouth by villanous sent to a malt-house to be malted, and monopolists, who are the darling children to be taken back again in malt, five shilof the father of lies. The price of barley at MARK-LANE, on that very day, or the day before, stood thus: Barley, English grinding.. Distilling Malting. Chevalier ... .... 26s. to 28s. 28s. to 32s. 32s. to 35s. lings a quarter was the price paid for malting. But the sublime baronet, in his haste to corroborate your statement, and to pay his court to what he deemed the rising sun, forgot that there was some little difference between malting another man's barley, for which the maltster had paid no money, and for which he wanted no customer; and the malting of barley, first purchased by himself, and then sold to, to be paid for by, customers. He forgot to tell us besides, that in such case the maltster returns bushel for bushel, and keeps the ninth bushel of malt for himself. Now, sir, if you had understood any of these matters you would not have made the statement which you have made. The Chevalier barley is, as yet, a matter of curiosity, rather than of general sale. The price of malting barley was, then, from thirty-two to thirty-five shillings; that is to say, thirty-three shillings and But, sir, are all the world liars, except sixpence. Add the duty; and the cost you and Sir JAMES GRAHAM and Mr. to the maltster is fifty-four shillings and SPRING RICE, and the faithful band of twopence. Here, then, according to Conservatives placed at your back? Beyour own statement of the price of malt, fore the Beer-house Committee of last is a gain of twelve shillings a quarter, year, Mr. GOODLAKE, a magistrate of even upon the Mark-lane prices; but Berkshire, gave the reasons why the you must add to this, the gain of one great brewers supplanted those who bushel upon eight; that is to say, six brewed their beer at the beer-shops. And shillings, leaving out the duty; so that he told the committee, that the poor pub-here, according to your Mark-lane af-lican was compelled to give mine and fair, there arises a monopolist's charge sixpence a bushel for his malt, when the upon a quarter of malt, of eighteen shil-brewer, who made his own malt, got it at about six and threepence the bushel. [favoured by the Government in EngMr. EDWARD GREEN, a maltster, of WAR-land. GRAVE, in Berkshire, said, "I could now Besides these considerations, there is "furnish malt at six and threepence a another species of competition, wherever "bushel; and our poor people, if they there is a tax and penalties; namely, a "go to buy malt retail of a maltster are competition in bribery. It is not a com"charged eight and sixpence a bushel." petition in mere industry, a competition And this, sir, is the point to look at in skill, nor even a competition in capital ; it is the injury which the monopoly does but there is a competition in bribery; to private persons; and it is manifest and there must be such competition. To that this monopoly arises solely out of hundreds of men in Lancashire it is well the tax. known, that a particular individual, who But this word " competition" is a fa- accumulated a large fortune as a bleacher, vourite word; competition will correct has, a thousand times, openly boasted, things, where all is free, where there is that he owed the principal part of his no force, no penalties, no licenses, no fortune to the bribing of excisemen. I restraints; but where there are these, have heard him so boast, at any rate; competition is an empty sound. The and that, too, before scores of persons at reason of the heavy weight of the mono- different times. In the bleach-works, it poly is the vast injury and intolerable seems that a great deal of salt is used. vexation created by the tax. Maltsters While the salt-tax existed, it amounted are exposed to great loss by the restraints to the enormous sum of fifteen shillings imposed by the Excise. No man likes the bushel. A drawback of fifteen shillings another man to come into his house, at a bushel was therefore allowed by the Goall hours of the day and night when he vernment on the salt used in the bleachpleases nothing but a base passive obe-works; and this bleacher, for several dience-monger will, contentedly, put up years, drew from the Government imwith the intrusion and the menaces of mense sums for the drawback on salt, excisemen. Whole crowds of maltsters which salt he never had; but which salt are frequently in attendance at an excise- the excisemen certified him to have had. sitting, to obtain a mitigated sentence of I do not name the party, but I dare say, ruin; and frequently from the mere that every one of the Lancashire Members errors or from the malignity of servants. knows that such was the boast of this There is nobody, hardly, that will con-bleacher. His defence of his conduct tentedly submit to this sort of life, except was this: that if he did not have the those sleek children of Mammon, who money, the Government would squander care for nothing but the getting of money, it away upon the villanous pensioners and who are favourites with every vil- and sinecure-people; and that it was lanous government under the sun; and better, even in a moral point of view, for to whom, to his eternal honour, General him to take this much of it, for him to WASHINGTON addressed himself thus, make provision for his family. As to the when they came with their fawning ad- false oaths which he and the excisemen dress to him, after their cunning loyalty were compelled to take, I leave the mohad failed: "I have always admired the rality of them to be estimated by you and "sober and industrious habits of your the "Conservative pledge-breakers." "society, and should esteem you citizens, So that here is this great competition in equal in value to any other religious bribery, competition in fraud, competition denomination, were it not for your in false swearing; and the competition principles of passive obedience and is all on the side of the great monopo"non-resistance, which, to whatever list; he having ample means always at degree they exist in any community, his command, and having a thousand "must tend to degrade and enslave such channels to work through, which must be "community." For precisely that very wanting to the small maltster. reason, these monopolizing sons of Mam mon have always been cherished and " I was surprised to hear you point out the benefits to the barley-sellers, arising |