The Descent of the Landlords. 4 1 9 



"Whigs, refused to accept what he considered so inadequate a 

 remedy. On the other hand, the Tories, headed by the Duke 

 of Buckingham, loudly expressed their alarm at what they 

 termed Peel's surrender of principles. The Premier, however, 

 was able to count on a large majority whenever his proposals 

 came to a division, and thus encouraged, he set about the 

 reform of the entire fiscal tariff in so energetic a manner that 

 he began to be suspected of a resolve to ultimately bring 

 about free trade in all productions, both agricultural and 

 manufacturing. As each measure tending to limit protection 

 came into force, the distress in the manufacturing districts 

 decreased, and for a moment the hopes of the Landed Interest 

 rose as they saw the agitation outside abating. 



But the fact that a partial reduction of protective duties had 

 effected this improvement, onl}^ prompted the Radicals to re- 

 double their efforts. All their powers were now concentrated 

 on educating the Whigs to their views, and the work of con- 

 version progressed rapidly. Melbourne no longer thought it 

 "the wildest and maddest thing to think of leaving the agricul- 

 turists without protection," and Russell went so far as to say 

 " protection is not the support, but the bane of agriculture." ^ 

 " Behold," exclaimed another of these perverts (Lord Howick) 

 to a startled House, quoting the words of Scripture, " the hire 

 of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of 

 you kept back by fraud, crieth : and the cries of them which 

 have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth." 

 By the country squires, however, who had been mainly instru- 

 mental in returning a Protectionist Ministry to power, this 

 kind of language on the part of members, on whose neutrality, 

 if not support, they had counted, was viewed with the greatest 

 disgust. Disraeli pointed out to the House that if any further 

 steps towards a policy of free trade were contemplated, they 

 should be left for the decision of the constituencies, who had 

 not at present had an opportunity of expressing their views 

 on a situation newly created by the altered policy of the 

 Grovernment.- 



^ Hist, of the Radical Party in l'(uiiaine)it, p. 339. W. Harris. 

 ^ Hist, of the League, p. 311. A. Prentice. 



