Wages a week. Bushel of wheat. Poor rates. POUNDS! (See Paper against in 1750 as they were in TULL'S Gold, Letter I. page 12, new time, that is in 1743. Let us edition.) But, a war came on divide the whole time, from 1743 before 1760; and that brought to 1815, into ages, distinguished out notes so low as FIFTEEN, by the amount of the lowest Bank and, afterwards, TEN POUNDS. Notes that were issued. Prices, therefore, rose; but, you see, the labourer's wages, though they rose a shilling in the 17 years, did not keep pace with the rise in the price of food. Now, mind again, when Pitt's BurkeWar began, out came notes to the amount of FIVE POUNDS, country-banks having begun to grow up in the meanwhile. Here was another pull at the labourer, and, accordingly, the poor-rates began Was not this a matter that to rise in an unusual degree. Lawyer SCARLETT ought to have Mark this well. Then, in seven taken into view before he proyears afterwards, came the ONE posed an act to prevent the laPOUND NOTES, and, by 1815, bourers from marrying! His went the poor-rates to SIX MIL- bill, he said, was not a thing LIONS, from the SIX HUN." hastily taken up." It had been DRED THOUSAND POUNDS, the subject of his meditations for that they were at in the time of years! Bless his head! And is TULL! this all he could hatch in all that up 201. note age 101. note age 6 L. 689,963 1,530,804 2,437,963 51. and 11. note age 10 12 6,129,000 66 σε This is what Lawyer SCARLETT time? Could he not find a moshould not have omitted. This ment to look after the cause of the is what а man having any evil? Nay, could he not see it, thing to do with making laws when it stared him so directly in should have gone, upon such an the face? When it came and occasion, very fully into. This stood right before him, and said, should, with such a man, have" look at me, lawyer!" Strange been subject of inquiry, before perverseness of mental vision! he brought in a bill to check mar- Did cause and effect ever so obviriage amongst amongst the labouring ously appear? Was cause ever classes; a bill in direct violation so visible before? And did effect of the laws of God, as explained ever so clearly follow cause? For by the Liturgy of our Church; a the ten-pound note age I have no bill so harsh in its tone, and so sure source to get at prices of full of violence. wages; but, we see the poor-rates keep pace with the note; that is to say, we see the note lowered, we see that more paper-money get out, and we see the poor-rates rise. The wages, observe, are taken for the common labourer in husbandry, and that, too, in the The Lawyer states, and, I suppose, correctly, the amount of the poor-rates. But, he says nothing about the deduction from wages. Let us see, now, how the matter stands. I shall suppose, that the poor-rates were about the same western counties The wages prices have ruined and starved were sometimes higher of late in the labourer? Listen, then, Lawmore populous parts; but there yer SCARLETT, gentle, amiable rents and every thing else were Scarlett, pray listen One withigher in proportion. TULL's ness has told GAFFER GOOCH'S county was Berkshire, on the committee, that the servants in borders of Wiltshire; and there, husbandry were turned out of the for that very Wiltshire, Mr. BEN- houses when the high prices. be NET, before quoted, has furnished gan. Another has told the com us with the labourer's bill of fare mittee, that, forty years ago, in the glorious times of high prices: every labourer in the parish brew"A GALLON LOAF AND ed his own beer, and that, now, "THREE PENCE A WEEK none do it. A third has told the "FOR EACH PERSON IN A committee, that, in Somersetshire, "LABOURER'S FAMILY!" the labourers eat little, or none, -That is to say, about 18 ounces even of bread; and that they of bread a day, no meat, and no- carry cold potatoes to the field to thing else of food, and THREE eat! God Almighty! Again, I PENCE to find drink, clothing, ask, is this England! Is this the washing, fire, light, and lodging country of roast beef! Is this for the week! Gracious God! that same nation that used to And is this England! And was laugh at the frog-eaters of France! this what was allowed by English And shall we have another promagistrates to English Labourers position for making corn dear, in husbandry! And, at this very whether by corn-bills or new ismoment, was Mr. WILBERFORCE sues of paper-money? If we do receiving incessant plaudits for his humane exertions in favour of the black slaves in the colonies! And, did he never utter one word in behalf of the poor creatures, the wretched human beings of such a miserable thing as his bill ? Wiltshire, who did, and do, boil Seeing that the evil had arisen the tea-kettle at each other's from causes such as I have proved houses alternately, not being able it to have arisen from, would he to get fuel even for that misera- have thought of putting a stop to ble purpose each in his own it by checking the marriage of lahouse! What an "Englishman's bourers? We call the nation castle" that must be where the "rich" and "great" we hear kettle is not boiled! Talk of se- everlasting boasts of prosperity; curity; talk of freedom; talk of and, at the same time, we have rights and liberties; talk of glo- propositions before us seriously rious constitution to a people in made, to check the increase, acthis state! It is the grossest tually to check the breeding of mockery, the basest insult, that the people! Nations have hiever was offered to the mind of therto boasted of their increase of population; and good ground of man. but I dare not utter what my heart suggests. If Lawyer SCARLETT had taken this view of the matter, would he have talked, or thought, of But, have we no other recent boast it is, when all are well fed undeniable proofs, that the high and well clad out of their earn . ings. Something, therefore, must | mansions, the luxurious furnibe radically wrong, when any ture, the rich attire, and "grand man, not absolutely a fool or mad " dinners," of the gainers! fellow, can talk, and be heard With them all was prosperous. talk, too, about the necessity of With them the system was a checking population. And this blessing. The paper - money becomes tenfold more outrageous, enabled them to extract profits when, at the same time, the go- as well as taxes from the lavernment boasts, and the nation bourer's bones. itself boasts of prosperity. We have had thirty years of prosperity and glory; and, at the close of the thirty years, there is a man found to bring in a bill to check the breeding of the labourers, lest the land should not yield enough to feed them. We are now, my good friend, come to the proof of all this. Gold is come. It will soon get about the country. The labourer is about to be paid in true money. Well, and come. The labourer is now paid in a true money. And, what do we hear? Why, that the Landlords, the Farmers, the Loom-lords, and the Anvil Lords, are ruined! They have that It was not prosperity: it was not national wealth. It was a tricky, showy, false thing altogether. It was means of happi- now begun to discover, ness taken from the Labouring economy and retrenchment are classes to enrich the other classes. wanted. They now begin to disIt was a stripping and gutting of cover, that the taxes are too high. the Labourer's dwelling, and They now begin to think and to keeping him in a state of half say, that the fund-lords have too starvation, to enable the others much! We heard of none of to build fine houses and live these complaints as long as the sumptuously. This is what it vile paper-money enabled them was; and this was effected by to deduct the taxes and their the means of a false-money, in own immense gains into the barwhich the wages were paid. Na- gain out of the wages of labour ! tional wealth it was not. Aug-All was then right, according to mentation of capital it was not. them; and every man who said That which made a show in the that it was not right was hunted hands of the thousands had been out of existence. deducted from the Labour of the millions. The Labourer's clock was gone; his feather-bed was gone; his beer-barrel and his bacon were gone; his Sunday-coat was gone; even his bread was gone, and as it is in evidence and makes his heart glad! It before the Committee of GAFFER was not augmentation of capital. Gоосн, he was eating cold It was a deduction from the wages of labour; and that deduction, if Peel's Bill be persevered in, is now put an end to; and, therefore it is, that that Bill is ruining 66 potatoes in the field." But, these were not gone out of the kingdom. Assuming new shapes they appeared in the splendid Is it not a curious thing to behold: the Landlord, the Farmer, the Loom-Lord, the ShipLord, the Bank-Lord ruined by the very measure that fills the labourer's belly, clothes his back, all the descriptions of persons to the sufferings of the most just mentioned. But, mark the numerous class; and we have punishment now falling upon the only to look at TULL and at Mr. heads of those who have thriven BAVERSTOCK's table of the efby this deduction from the wages fects of the paper-money to see of labour. Mark this. Immense what was the 'cause of those sufsums were borrowed. No matter |ferings. And here let us stop a to them; for, as I have shown, moment to remark on the Lawthe interest came out of the bones yer's observation as to the want of the labouring classes, by the of judgment in the sufferers. necessary operation of a false What did they ask for? Why, money. But now, who is to pay a reform of the parliament, and the interest? The labourer, in such a reform as would put it in his taxes, will still pay his full their power to choose persons to share; but he will get his just speak their wishes; to make laws wages; and will pay no more for their good. They were laughthan his share. Then, there is ed at, and asked, whether voting a great army and great half-pay, at elections would give them more and monstrous establishments of food and better clothes. They barracks and the like. What answered, yes; and, well they did these arise out of? Why, might; for, is it to be supposed, out of the discontents of the peo- that men chosen by themselves ple? This is notorious. It has, would have enacted the combia thousand times over, been as-nation-law or have suffered the serted in parliament, and Lawyer SCARLETT himself, in his speech against the poor silly Rump tool at Lancaster, the other day, said that " a larger army than for“merly was necessary." He said that, during seasons of public "distress and calamity, it too "often happened, that those "who were not the best judges, though they were the most numerous and severe sufferers, adopted opinions which led to "consequences most dangerous. "It became necessary, under "such circumstances, to check "the measures which these per 66 66 66 combination-law to remain in force? Is it to be supposed, that men chosen by themselves would not have put a stop to a system that was deducting half their wages from them, making them bear all the expences of the war and of the loans, and reducing them to cold potatoes and to rags ? Faith their judgment" sound enough, Lawyer SCARLETT, and this has been now most amply proved by events. . 66 was But, to return the approach to real money and the consequent check to the deduction from the Labourer's wages are placing the sons might be pursuing. Oc- saddle upon the right horse; and "casional symptoms of discon-how this lately high-mettled stud "tent might require the presence 66 of the military." What do we want more than this confession? Here is the great standing army, in a time of profound peace, traced, at once, whinces and capers and jibs it is quite curious and diverting to behold! He pranced about gaily before, and snorted, as if in afright, when the poor, plodding, U bare-boned cart or pack horse (begun to make their appearance came near him, approaching by in print. stealth to pick up the orts from This is a thing well worthy of under his rack and manger. But particular attention. It is a striknow, that gold is bringing things ing corroboration of the correctto rights again; now, that the ness of my statements and reapayment of the army is coming, soning. Indeed, what can be in fair proportions, on the shoul- more striking than the fact, that ders of all the community, it will those very Yeomanry Cavalry, soon be discovered, that the army who were quite pleased with a is too large. And, observe, that state of things, in which they the soldier and sailor gain along paid much heavier taxes than they with the Labourer from the rise in pay now, and which state of the value of money. They are things enabled them to deduct the sons and the brothers of the half the wages of labour, are Labourers. It is impossible, that become raving mad, and even the soldier and sailor should, in threaten the government, when this way, be benefited, without they see danger of being no longer that benefit being felt by their able to make that deduction! The kindred and friends. So that, as publication which I more immethe paper-system worked in all diately allude to, is one by the sorts of ways against the La-Younger John Ellman, a big bouring Classes, the gold system, farmer in Sussex and son-in-law the honest system, the truly loyal of another big fellow of the name system, will work in all sorts of of BOYCE, whom PITT used, they ways for those same classes. say, actually to associate with Even the gallant yeomanry caval- during his WALMER excursions. ry will soon be found to be un- This ELLMAN, about three weeks necessary; for now the expence ago, addressed a letter, in print, of maintaining them will not to LORD LIVERPOOL, which, after come out of the sums deducted a long and senseless heap of stuff from the wages of labour. This in favour of another and more burden amongst others will fall efficient Corn-Bill, he concludes upon all classes alike, except the in the following words: class of Fund-lords and others who live on the taxes; and though the labourer will bear his full share, still that will not much hurt him. The gallant yeomanry will have nobody to keep down, if the honest gold-system be persevered in. Nay, it is quite within the compass of possibility, that the government will have to rely on the Labouring Classes for the means of being able to set the gallant yeomanry's threats at defiance, which threats have actually 1 "My Lord, there is also another touch on; but a sense of duty compels subject, which is a delicate one to me to remind your Lordship, how frequently we see the most loyal of men, driven by loss of property (even though into despair, and attributing all their occasioned by their own imprudence), misfortunes to the Government of the country. If then, my Lord, we see such daily the case, where misfortunes it not to be feared that many of the yeomanry, whom ruin, not chargeable on themselves, must overwhelm, unless relief be given, will charge their ruin on the Government? Can your Lordship suppose that the yeomanry have arisen from a man's own acts, is |