Ontario Public School History of England : Authorized by the Minister of Education for Ontario for Use in Forms IV and V of the Public Schools . e century a strong agtalion had been carried on to repealthe duties imposed on theimportation of grain, or corn,as it is called in GreatBritain. These duties press-ed very heavily on the poorpeople who worked in thefactories and mines, and whohad to buy their bread. Itwas feared, however, that ifthe duties were removed,the revenues of the countrywould decline, and all at-tempts to remove them hadhitherto failed. The land-owners were all-powerful inPar
Ontario Public School History of England : Authorized by the Minister of Education for Ontario for Use in Forms IV and V of the Public Schools . e century a strong agtalion had been carried on to repealthe duties imposed on theimportation of grain, or corn,as it is called in GreatBritain. These duties press-ed very heavily on the poorpeople who worked in thefactories and mines, and whohad to buy their bread. Itwas feared, however, that ifthe duties were removed,the revenues of the countrywould decline, and all at-tempts to remove them hadhitherto failed. The land-owners were all-powerful inParliament, and they werecertain that such a stepwould ruin them. In 1838 the Anti-Corn LawLeague was organized withRichard Cobden, a calico-printer of Manchester, at its him were associated John Bright and Richard members of the league pledged themselves to work forthe abolition of all duties on grain. Little by little fair-minded men came to see how selfish it was to starve theworking millions in order that a few thousand land-ownersmight become rich. It was only a question of time when theCom Laws would be Sir Robert Peel 272 HISTORY OP ENGLAND [1845-49 The death blow to the Corn Laws came from a famine inIreland, The Irish peasants cultivated small plots ofground, and their chief food was the potato. Thousandsgrew to be men and women scarcely knowing the taste ofmeat; even bread was a luxury. In 1845 a long season ofrain and cloud caused a blight to attack the potatoes. Thestaple food of the people was gone, and they crowded intothe cities, where thousands died of starvation or diseasearising from the lack of proper food. The famine and theemigration that followed reduced the population of Irelandfrom eight to six millions. Sir Robert Peel saw that cheap food must be provided atonce, even more for Ireland than for England and Scotland,and pressed upon his associates in the ministry the necessityfor repealing the duties on grain. They refused,
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