Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/347

 1846.] Sir Robert Peel's Administration. 333 objection being less to the principle of free trade than to the sudden change proposed by the Anti-Corn Law League. The division was again more favourable than that of the preceding year; the majority in 1843 having been 256, whilst now it was only 204, the gain being in the reduced number of Whig opponents, many of them following Russell in abstention from voting. Quite as important, in the view of the permanent settle- ment of the question, was the sign of suspicion and want of confidence on the part of some of the Tories towards the Ministry. Two cases occurred, during the session, of the relaxation of that discipline which is usually characteristic of the party. In the first instance, the principle of protection was not directly raised, but the feelings and prejudices of some of its advocates were affected. On the 5th of February Graham introduced the new Factory Bill, leaving out the education clauses, which had led to such trouble on a former occasion. The measure now submitted limited the hours of labour of children between the ages of nine and thirteen to six and a half hours a day, and that of young persons between thirteen and eighteen and women to twelve hours a day. The bill went into committee on the I5th of March, when Lord Ashley moved an amendment, declaring that the working day should close at six instead of eight o'clock. This, besides being acceptable to those who honestly desired to improve the condition of the working classes, was eagerly seized by some of the protectionists, who desired to do a bad turn to those manufacturers whom they regarded as the enemies of the landed interests. A long debate ensued, which was carried on to the next night, when, on a division, the Government was defeated, a majority of nine voting with Lord Ashley. Ministers would not accept the decision as final, but said that on another clause, when the number of working hours had to be definitely stated, they would move that the word "twelve" be inserted. On the 22nd of March this issue had to be settled, Lord Ashley moving as an amendment that the word should be "ten." An extra-