I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 50

Became a Hidden Power in the British Empire 50

“I’ll take that.”

“To explain in order, one of the three bills has nothing to do with the public opinion of the home country, another has far more support, and the last one is a matter where pros and cons clash quite seriously. Which one should I explain first?”

“It’s better to brace for the worst, so let’s hear about the bill that will have the most extreme pros and cons. Of course, I trust you know that if opinions are so fiercely divided regarding Ireland, I have no choice but to prioritize the home country.”

“Don’t worry. Ireland will be greatly affected, but this isn’t a problem limited to Ireland. In fact, strictly speaking, it would be more accurate to say that it’s about repealing an existing law rather than passing a new one.”

“…Repeal?”

He seemed curious about what I was trying to say by laying the groundwork like this, but this was a really big deal.

“Yes, please repeal the Corn Laws. If it’s too much right now, I would like to ask you to gradually ease them over a period of about two years and then abolish them.”

“I had a hunch, but are you really telling me to touch the Corn Laws? More than that, why would Ireland… No. Irish landowners are likely to have such thoughts? No, but repealing the Corn Laws… Hmm…”

As expected, Robert Peel sighed heavily with a face that seemed to embody difficulty.

It may not seem like much just by the name, but the Corn Laws were laws that had a huge impact on all aspects of 19th-century British society, politics, and economy.

The content is really simple.

During the Napoleonic Wars and rapid industrialization, food prices in Britain soared, and landowners made huge profits.

But of course, such a boom could not last forever.

When the war ended, demand decreased and supply increased due to the development of agricultural technology, so food prices naturally stabilized.

Then, the British Parliament, the majority of whom were landowners at the time, passed the absurd law: “Foreign wheat will not be imported until 1 quarter [a unit of measurement for grain] of wheat reaches 80 shillings” to prevent their profits from decreasing.

Of course, it is common even in modern times to impose tariffs on foreign goods to protect domestic food.

The problem is that the price of 80 shillings per quarter has never been reached as of 1835.

This was practically the same as saying that foreign flour would be completely banned from import so that British landowners could reap huge profits.

The public opinion was so bad that the bill was slightly revised a few years ago, but even that was just a trick, and people’s opinions were growing more resentful day by day.

“Right now, the only people who support the Corn Laws are a small number of landowners. Of course, many of them are in the House of Lords or belong to our party, so they cannot be abolished easily. But in other words, it also means that if the Prime Minister is in power now, the Corn Laws can be touched.”

“I agree that the Corn Laws are unjust laws that should be abolished. But you must know that if we do it wrong, our party may fall into internal strife because of this? Even the Whig Party, which was a super-giant ruling party, lost power due to internal strife, so this is too…”

“That’s why we have to push it through at the beginning of the term. Even if some conflict arises, the next election will be at least two or three years away. By then, it can be sufficiently resolved. The increase in approval ratings gained from the repeal of the Corn Laws can be taken as a bonus.”

In the original history, the Corn Laws were abolished by Robert Peel about 10 years from now.

Robert Peel was a person who supported free trade and believed that protectionist policies were harmful to the national economy.

So, if I keep fanning the flames from the side, he will have no choice but to go in a similar direction to the original history.

Above all, this Corn Law must be abolished as quickly as possible in order to implement the plan I am preparing.

“And strictly speaking, these Corn Laws only have a negative impact on maintaining the privileges of the aristocracy in the long run. Supporting this for the sake of short-term profits is just a short-sighted attitude that does not look to the distant future. Opposition within the party can be persuaded by highlighting these points.”

“Will it limit the privileges of the aristocracy? Why? It is understandable that public opinion will not improve as it is a law that guarantees the interests of the aristocracy, but…”

The Corn Laws were not only notorious among workers.

Simply put, the fact that workers have to buy bread at a high price also means that capitalists cannot pay wages below that.

Even people who only see people as machines to squeeze money out of, or rather, even more so, cannot pay wages that are not enough to buy bread.

If the workers really starve to death, there will be no one to turn the factory machines.

In an era where there is no minimum wage, this food cost plays the role of a kind of minimum wage.

In other words, it can be said to be a very unique case where the interests of capitalists and workers align.

“That’s right. What will happen if public opinion doesn’t continue to improve? If you just go out on the street and ask 100 workers what law should be abolished right now, at least 90 of them will say the Corn Laws. But the workers have no means to abolish the Corn Laws because they don’t have the right to vote.”

“So the workers will ask for the right to vote for themselves?”

“At least it will be a strong catalyst for forming such a consensus. Even though the criteria for granting voting rights based on property have recently been adjusted, there will be even more people thinking that way. In terms of political engineering, a well-fed dog does not think of biting its owner. The landowners must realize that they are undermining their own position.”

“…That makes sense. The opposition from the House of Lords can be neutralized by gradually persuading them in that way. I learned something this time. Your political skills are really extraordinary.”

“I came to this conclusion after receiving advice from people around me. If we neutralize the opposition from the landowners in this way, the only forces left to oppose will be the protectionists [those who advocate for tariffs and trade barriers]. I have a paper in the works that gathers the opinions of various scholars on this part, so I will be able to refute it sufficiently.”

If the Corn Laws can be abolished while minimizing the opposition from the landowners, the Conservative Party will be able to receive the best possible evaluation.

In particular, Robert Peel will be able to further solidify his political position by being seen as having shown excellent skills suitable for the Prime Minister.

Not missing the opportunity when his mood visibly improved, I presented the contents of the second and third bills.

“The second content will rather receive more favorable reviews in the provinces. I would like to ask you to apply the Local Government Reform Act, which is currently scheduled to be applied only to Wales and England, to Ireland and Scotland as well. It’s okay if the investigation isn’t complete yet; it will be enough to just announce that an investigation committee will be formed.”

“That wouldn’t be a big problem. Rather, it seems like it would help appease public sentiment in Ireland and Scotland. Those who are exploiting the provinces will oppose it, but the more they do, the better our party’s image will be.”

“Yes, if it is promoted along with the easing of tithes [taxes paid to the church], the Irish will be able to clearly feel the effectiveness of giving votes to the Conservative Party.”

In addition, if the system is reorganized into a structure that more accurately reflects local opinions, my and O’Connell’s influence will be strengthened accordingly.

It is a win-win result of showing off while also solidifying our internal affairs.

“Then what is the last bill? I think you said this would not affect domestic public opinion.”

“Yes. Please add some exceptions to the laws regarding resource mining and farmland development in the plains near the Great Lakes in Canada.”

“Crown Lands Act, Seigneurial Tenure [feudal land system]. Are you saying to fix these two? Why are you suddenly interested in this area, given your focus on Ireland?”

At that time, Canada was divided into two colonies: Upper Canada, corresponding to modern-day Ontario, and Lower Canada, corresponding to Quebec.

Of course, there were systems in place to regulate the management of natural resources and land use in the colonies, and the two most representative were the two mentioned above.

“If the Corn Laws are abolished, there will be changes in the agricultural structure not only in England but also throughout Ireland. In addition, the population of Ireland is constantly increasing, but the current level of Ireland cannot handle the increasing population at all. There is also the problem of living standards.”

“That’s right. The majority of people will be living on potatoes and milk.”

“But the population will continue to increase in the future, and the production volume is limited, so as a result, the standard of living per person will continue to decline. This is not a good phenomenon for either the Prime Minister or me, or for the leaders of Northern Ireland who support me.”

“But what does that have to do with Canada… Ah, is that so? Are you going to immigrate the surplus population to Canada and actively develop that side?”

I have no choice but to cover it up like that right now, but this is also insurance in case the potato famine hits Ireland.

No matter how thoroughly prepared we are, we cannot stop potato farming in Ireland right now, so damage will inevitably occur.

Even if we abolish the Corn Laws and import wheat cheaply from here and there, Ireland is originally a poor area, so it will be impossible to feed all 8 million people.

Inevitably, we will have to promote immigration, and we had to somehow prevent these people from escaping to the United States as in the original history.

So, from now on, I am trying to secure as much farmland as possible in Canada and create an environment where they can work.

This will allow us to settle the surplus population of Ireland in Canada relatively stably.

“Yes. Isn’t the government currently considering encouraging immigration policies to increase the population of Canada? Among the landowners in Northern Ireland, there are many people who think of this as a new business opportunity.”

“Even now, there are often opinions that we need to increase the size of Canada in order to curb the rapid expansion of the United States. But because there is such a perception that it is a remote backwater, it is not as efficient as I thought, but if you guys do it, there will be no reason for the parliament to refuse. The Whig Party will probably agree without saying anything, so this can be passed right away this year.”

Good, as expected, the current British Empire does not properly understand exactly how much the value of Canada and the Great Lakes area is.

Of course, they are aware of it to some extent, but the current British colonial administration is focused on agriculture, trade, and settlement development.

They were just beginning to take an interest in the natural resources needed for industrialization, and the rapid industrialization centered on the Great Lakes was still decades away.

Of course, the reason is that they are not yet in a position to do so, but if appropriate population and capital are invested, it is possible to take a considerable profit from about 10 years later.

In particular, if we attract companies from the United States, which have just started industrializing around the Great Lakes, we can save a significant portion of the initial investment costs.

Of course, the key is how to attract them, but fortunately, a large event that will allow us to do so is about to happen, so there is no problem here either.

If we monopolize the industrialization of Canada and secure farmland, it will be much easier for Irish people to settle when they immigrate on a large scale.

Then Canada’s power will grow even more, and unlike the original history, Irish immigrants will make up the majority in Canada, so naturally my influence will extend to Canada.

The current population of Canada is only 400,000 in Upper Canada and less than 1 million in Lower Canada.

If we consider everything from dealing with the famine in the short term to the future 30 or 40 years from now, we can clearly see how this snowball will roll.

“Thank you, Prime Minister. This will be of great help to me and my uncle in managing local public opinion. We will do our best to support the Prime Minister, so please feel free to tell us if you need anything.”

“Hahaha, yes. If you continue to show such capable performance in the future, my expectations for our Earl Aaron will deepen even further. Then I will understand that the deal between us has been firmly established, so I hope you will take care of O’Connell and Ireland to support our party… no, to support me well.”

“Yes. I will show you the results without saying much.”

In the end, the meeting ended in a very warm atmosphere.

Robert Peel and I were all able to part with bright smiles, fully satisfied.

With this, all preparations for the take-off were completed.

Now, all that remains is to wait for the wind to blow me far away.

* * *

The Prime Minister immediately granted my request as promised.

An investigation committee was formed to pass the Local Government Reform Act in Ireland and Scotland, and a clause was added to the Canadian Natural Resources Management Act that allowed us to get involved.

I wondered if someone might find fault with it, but as expected, the Corn Law abolition debate consumed all the attention, and no one paid attention to the above two bills.

“Honorable members! How long do we have to hold on to this outdated bill called the Corn Law? It is becoming clear that this product of the old era is only becoming more and more harmful to the economy of our great nation and the lives of our citizens! Protectionism, which imposes high tariffs on grain, does not ultimately help the economy of our Great British Empire!”

“Honorable Member Wellesley’s words are also valid, but that argument is only an unverified theory. If we do not maintain grain prices through tariffs, the countryside is at risk of collapsing, and our food security will be severely compromised.”

“That’s because it’s just an old theory from the old era. In this regard, I recommend that you read the paper written by Aaron, Earl of Killeen Gore, an Eton College student. He has compiled Ricardo’s concept of comparative advantage [the ability to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than another producer] in detail by linking it to actual trade trends. In fact, professors at Oxford and Cambridge also recognized the value of this paper, and even Member Disraeli, a famous protectionist in our party, read this paper carefully and changed his opinion that tariffs should not be maintained only for the Corn Laws.”

It’s just a paper written by a child who is only fifteen years old this year, but this theory is not something I created anyway.

It was closer to supplementary data with undeniable real-world examples attached to the international division of labor theory already established by David Ricardo, an outstanding economist born in England.

In the original history, Ricardo’s theory of comparative advantage was not recognized because it was an unfamiliar concept, but it was re-emphasized in conjunction with the Corn Law abolition debate and was incorporated into the mainstream of academia.

I only laid the groundwork so that this theory could be highlighted about 10 years earlier than that.

But even so, it is inevitable that a 15-year-old child writing a paper of this level will attract attention.

Thanks to this, I was able to watch the process of the Corn Law abolition debate as an expert on the spot, and I also made sure to imprint the name Killeen Gore in the minds of people in the political and business world.

Since the first impression was that he was a talented economist rather than a political hopeful, this can also be said to be a considerable achievement.

“The actual data in this paper says it all! Our country should not impose tariffs on grain in a stingy way but should focus more on the thriving manufacturing and woolen industries. In particular, if we improve the power problem of textile machines, we will be able to obtain even greater profits.”

“Then what about the farmers who lost their jobs? Should we let them starve to death?”

“One job disappears, but three or four or more jobs are created instead. The state can provide support measures so that farmers can transition to those new roles!”

In theory and in actual data, our argument was dominant, but the Corn Law debate, which had been rooted in inertia for a long time, did not subside easily.

It was fortunate that the opposition from the landowners had been minimized in advance; otherwise, even the opinions within the party would not have been properly integrated.

After a debate that lasted nearly a year, the Corn Law Abolition Act barely passed Parliament, and it was already close to the end of the year when it was actually implemented.

In the midst of such fierce debate and changes in social structure, the new year of 1837 was gradually approaching the Great British Empire.

Thanks to this, the newspaper companies, which were still noisily writing articles about the implementation of the Corn Laws, took a break for a while and began to pay close attention to the movements of Kensington and Buckingham.

1837. The year when the next Queen of England finally comes of age is approaching.