160 Histcry of the Radical Party in Parliament. [1820- maintained his friendship with the Radicals ; and Russell made a material advance in his proposals on behalf of reform. The one change which ministers were willing to make was to increase the stringency of the corn laws. There had been much agricultural distress, and there was no doubt that relief of some kind was required by the farmers, either a decrease of their payment in rent and taxes, or a rise in the price of their commodities. The Government adopted the latter alternative as the one to be aimed at, and introduced resolu- tions accordingly. Their first proposal was to make an advance out of the national revenue for loans to farmers on the security of corn placed in bonded warehouses ; but this was laughed out of the House and withdrawn. The main resolution was to reduce the price at which the importation of foreign wheat was to be prohibited from eighty to seventy shillings per quarter, insuring a tax on the consumer of a corresponding amount. This was fought at every stage ; Huskisson, the great friend and colleague of Canning, join- ing with Ricardo the Radical in supporting an amendment. Of course all opposition was futile, for Whig as well as Tory landowners were anxious for protection. At first ministers proposed that corn which had been previously imported might be ground in this country for re-exportation ; but there was a fear that some of it might get into English markets, and the resolution was withdrawn ; Canning, who moved it when ministers abandoned it, obtaining only twenty-one votes, most of those being given by Radicals. The position of Canning was even now of importance, and was soon to become of the very greatest consequence. It has been said that he represented the Liberal section of the Tories, but it must be remembered that he did this because he remained a Tory. He opposed all constitutional change, all reforms, political or social, with as much earnestness as Sidmouth ; and in this session, when Russell moved his reform resolution, the House would not be content until Canning had brought the weight of his eloquence to bear against it. Yet he gave strong evidence in the course of
