'" Of course it was, and he had made up his mind to apply one which
he knew was distasteful to most of his colleagues; but time was
pressing, and he must bring it forward, so making a clean breast of it,
he states his remedy in a bold clear sentence to the Protectionist Lord
Lieutenant of Ireland. "The remedy," he writes, "is the removal _of all
impediments_ to the import of all kinds of human food--that is the total
and absolute repeal for ever of all duties on all articles of
subsistence."[77] Sir Robert Peel seldom penned so clear a sentence, but
its very clearness had an object, for he seems to desire to shut out
discussion on any of the other remedies which were put forward in
Ireland. He then goes on to join the _temporary_ relief of Irish
distress with the _permanent_ arrangement of the Corn Law question. "You
might," he says, "remit nominally for one year; but who will
re-establish the Corn Laws once abrogated, though from a casual and
temporary pressure? I have good ground therefore for stating that the
application of a temporary remedy to a temporary evil does in this
particular case involve considerations of the utmost and most lasting
importance.
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