Thursday's Times contains a very striking and important protest against
Mr. Chaplin's proposed duty on corn by a Conservative Member of Parliament, Sir Francis Powell (Wigan). "Such a suggestion, if made, will," he declares, "create the most widespread alarm among supporters of the Government who represent manufacturing and mining districts." He himself would resist to the uttermost any duty whatever on the corn "supplied to my hard-working constituents, and sincerely hope that the Government will take a warning in time, and will not submit so fatal a pro- posal to the House of Commons." Sir Francis ends his most timely protest by theldeclaration, "There must be no duty, no Custom House officer between the corn at the ports of Liverpool and Manchester and the Lancashire population." No better confirmation could be found for the anxiety we have expressed elsewhere in regard to Mr. Chaplin's reckless and unfortunate scheme for a renewal of the Corn-laws, and we most sincerely hope that the next member of the Cabinet who speaks in public will reassure Unionist opinion by repudiating all idea of a tax on corn, however small.
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