The Press. — London, England, 1853-05-28 00:00:00

MAT 28, 1853. in favour of England by the budget as it was now proposed wold be 1,040,000., while there was a Whens , against hel u aad of 413,000/. 1 ; and looking to the year ' Pule, and s upposing, the whole of the chancellor of the ExchLsmer's proposition to he curried out, and the income tax to be then nettled, the result would be a permanent remission of taxation for England to the extent of 6,71:000/.. while the remissions to Deland would be only ai,lMMu. t Homy . Hr. &WS recommended his fellow -11 ishmen to endure au equalised income tax, because they would lion have a just plea to obtain other and more valu able concessions, especially with regard to the poor rates and county cess. Mr. MAGUIRE stated the stun in plain figures. 460,000/. a year of income tax imposed, against 250,000/. of debt remitted. To call that a fair ex change, much less a good bargain , was nothing but a juggle and a trick. How could members who voted against Mr. Disraeli's proposal to levy 60,000/. in come tax in Ireland, because it was the last straw which broke the camel's back, support the present. budget, which imposed no straw but a really intolerable weight on that country ? Mr. Gladstone's heartless speech and flippant assertions about the consequences of the Union would have made him a convert to Re peal, if he had not been a Repealer before. Mr. E. BAIA. urged the necessity of applying some invigorating stimulus to Ireland, now just recovering from an almost fatal disease, instead of the process of depletion which was now prescribed for her. On dividing, the house rejected Colonel Dunne's motion for a select committee by a majority of 164 to 61-103. The committee being funned, Mr. FREWEN proposed an amendment to the first clause, by which the duration of the tax would be limited to two years. He did not think it expedient for Parliament to tie its own hands front dealing with the tax for a longer period. The CHANCELLOR of the Exeitetivint pleaded that the chief motive for taking a seven years' lease of the tax was to proeide the means whereby it might be effeetually extinguished. The committee divided — f o r the amendment, B'2 ; against, 213: majority, 141. on clause 2 an amendment was moved by Mr. Witt.roty. to distinguiali by the word "net" the pm portion of the ostensible profits of trades and profes sums on which the tax should be levied. He wished to make the tax more equitable with regard to pre carious and industrial incomes, foreseeing the time when Parliament would be asked again to renew it. Mr. GrAns - roxs objected to tints opening up the obi question of the " schedules." Government thought the tax could not be levied upon the differen tial principle, and had endeavoured to equalise the financial burden on different classes in another way. The committee divided, and the amendment was lost by 104 votes against ill. Clause 3 was then agreed to. CHURCH RATES. Leave to bring in a bill "to alter and amend the law relating to church rates" wi►s moved fur on Thursday by Mr. R. Ptum,utionE whointroduced his motion as a consistent member o f Church, and with the olkject chiefly of strengthening anti dignifying the Estab lishment. Laws, which he twist back to the Reformation, hail made it the bounden duty of ev ery parishioner to contribute to the repair anti main tenance of the parish church ; but circumstances had gradually altered, anti, with the spread of dissent and the progress of toleration, it had become neces sary to assimilate the law to the new condition of things. It. was now of great importance that the Church should make large sacrifices for the sake of peace, and it was of equal importance that the house and the dissenting community generally should know how extensive those sacrifices were. Detailing the successive lint. unsuccessful propts4itions that had been made in the Legislature to amend the law re lating to church rates, describing some of the more successful attempts matte in the country to evade it, anti tracing the complieated anti expensive course of suits growing out of church-rate tpubstions through various courts of legal arbitrement, Mr. Minimum proceeded to explain and defend his proposed mea sure. He intended simply to declare every Dis senter free from any compulsion to pay church rates. lie did not seek to defend dissent, hut. left it for eery individual to inscribe himself as a separatist who wished thereby to mold contributing to the maintenance of the Established Church "What he 'imposed was that all itissenterm should be exempted from the payment of chords rates by the simple process of stating iu writing that they were dissenters from the Church of England, and handing that statemilit to the churchwarden. 'That that statement should is; k e pt, by the churchwarden, mid a certified copy of it produced in 4101 ii should be sufficient evidence of exemption. He prop posed further that the persons who had cu declared them. selves Dissenters. and objected to support and maintain the Establiaheit Church, should have no right whatever to any church rights. or pi% or I'VrO'iiiinliCS; that they ". 1 '" 61 1 " IN , Ale to compel the clergyman to the per tortualice sot any religious service. Also he *tailed that than '11"111,1 lie a mode left them of returning to the from the church rate, .'ante to the same conclusion. He %jetted at the seine time to simplify the ease, by substituting a general resolittion—that the money re quired for repairing eltunittes should be drawn front funds belonging to the Church. Sir It. H. I sous opposed both the motion and the am endment. The former would denationelise the ; the latter throw the charge) for maintaining the outer &brie of 'inmates 1111011 a fund already pledged to the relief a n d supply of spirituel desti tution. There was no pulsing pressure no w ea . petienceil against the elniech-rate system, and the tax fell not on persons, hut on properties to whielt it had been attached from time i m memorial .• Who felt the evil? Ile defied any honourable member to produce a single instance of a taa in f avo ur o f w hi c h No ntauy petit' hwl been presented. He felt bee was jus tuiwl iu saying that the lulu-trot* the peoples were i n dentgled with the (lurch. and would gbully support it v o luntarily hr the way the law now provided. For fourteen centuries this property heal Issas devotee's to the nutititenance eel the Csiablislie , l church. It hail vier been looked upon as an sippanagi , which was essential to the existence of the witiewility of the 'hunch. This WAS an impost upon pro pull,. it WO. MVO* quibble' to say that it was a fa% upon 404411105. - Mr. A. l'El.t.srr, on behalf of the Diasenteni, de- Oared that the proposition brought forward by Mr. Phillimore would utterly fail in satisfying them. He then proceeded to argue in support of the amend uncut : that. the elinrch rate system was most unjust ; that it gave rise to feelings of animosity, and was the cause of much that wax unseemly and unchristian ; and that the voluntary system where it had been tried in the ease of the Church of England itself hail operated moat beneficially. The Church had already an amount of property which, if wisely managed, would enable bur easily to diapeniiii with ally compulsory nit". Mr. NI lAI.I. believed that it would be easy to dispense with church retes—eithstitute , or no substitute. His %enters intpportisl 17,1100 places of worship by vOltill Lary contributions, and Clittrehmen could do the saine, as they hail done during earlier sod purer ages. Mr. Wilinim refused to interfere with an arnoige mint whieli, by dawing a revenue from property, maintained a Churc r h for the poor out of the wealth of the. Sir O. linty attributed little importance to the proposition as regarded the strength and safety of . the Established Church. If church rates were extin guished forthwith, the Church would remain as firm and stelae as ever, and be as deeply rooted in the affeetione of the people. Pleading the " difficulties that sumitnileil the (lineation" as an excuse for his own inconsistency if he should now see cause to sup port any plan of aettletnent which he had opposed in yeani pest, Sir G. t irey proceeded to declare hue Cott tinned objection to Mr. l'hillineire's scheme : " 'there wens large members of Disauittera who mingled in their religious services with the professore of the ectahe fished religion, and it would be preptlicial tie the interests of that Church. and to the nutiott.taa et. of that gond feeling %Well it was desirable Amnia subsist. 114.1Weell the WM -114.n4 of every creed, that a distinction should be drawn in the ease of Dissenters, and that they should be exempted from money payments. lie believed it would draw a lino of di th st itectiiill between !monike o r% of thee Katablialted Church aud ese who hitherto ucasi many ennuis( into its forms of weenthip, which would he productive of anything hut that kindly spirit which should pervade thee members of rwry form of Christianity." respect to the amendment 1.0 had not made up his mind, and wished te tiro the proposition it con tained e mbislieil in some tittlgillie fibrin. Ineril .1. Iti•ssEt.t. concurred in believing that the Church could exist without rates. and joined also in finding much to object against the bill now pro. 11154.11. He recommended the postpon ement of any legislative act until the celebrated Braintree case, which was still before the Muse of Lords en appeal, had WWII derided, and t.ho actual state of the law regarding church rates defitiiiively laid down. On the wheelie he preferred doing iiiithi.i . • to the adoption either of the motion or the iimendnieut. Mr. nitwitr remarked upon the meonsisteneies between Lord .1. 11usseill's speech that MOIL and vu.. im previous oeciisiens. Ile sawawin why England and 'lreland slionhl be treated differently in restwct to church rates, and looted upon the voluntary principle as the most soimil atilt sate method of priniiling the funds necessary to keep churches in repair. 'lwo divisions were taken. First on the original motion, which was rejeeted by 20 votes to 1E13: majority, 22. Secondly on the amendment, which was put as a substantive question, and also negatived b v ...e2ti to 172 : majority, 4s. COMMON LODOING-HOUSES. The House of Lords passed this bill through com mittee on Thursday. The Karl of Sustorritavey stated, as a ground for antieipating much benefit from its operation, that under the imperfect act already passed there were at this time 80,00 persons living in registered houses, and in Monmouthshire alone there would very shortly be 20,000 more. The consequence was, that U THE PRESS• l'hureli which they bad slwunlonell. histances had oe eurrea of persons who front some motive of pipits had dissentetl from the Established Clud', and who wished to rettirti sheik thir irritation had subsided, awl Is hould Iw' soiTy to elose e the titan' for e‘er ago i le a them. II , p r o. posed alst• that Itissenters 011,11114 not have the rhA il it i 4 al a ppearing at vc.:try meetings, or %on oil the apprtorth of the r a te..' • Sir W. l'T.Vl* joined in esaldenllllll , 4 utterly the pre sent system of elittrch rate. It was now heroine worse than an alisinvlity, was hated by Pissenters as an intolerable 1 1014 e, and disapproved of 19. Multi Hides of Churchmen ai a taillree Of weaker.: and discredit to the t'littrelt. Yet, while feeling that to preserve the existing arrangement was to perstsverts in all the intolerance of Laud, ho holirvvsi that Mr. l'hillimore's proposition was even worse still : lu the first plats% it was only the repetition of a Holt sore r ereittealy v roposell veivetokl tlott ionise. So l ong ugti us 1K11) it was 'tonight forwitivi by Nit.% Inineembe, and s 11 " 1 "lueu tl Y bY l'itge Wood. when it % HA !OW. p o rt e d only by twenty menthers, awl resisted by Sir R. Feel, Sir li. they, and 1.0111 .1. 1111: , ..ell. buy measiire more 111j1141en81. of in:011'10M. it \W i l la he Will to vottect‘e. ItwouldWWl to excite the utmost ill met ilbleeling, the parishioners contrall:4ll . 4 11110 and compelling won to define their ulliuiuu. %% 1 1 .1, itetilaibv. pre. vionsly Ninny know than they &Were& The tit 11111 ultlleurr was tAs whs . % s' 0 1 4 Ilism'itte vs, vvictillg it its 4.611'141n conseientions objection on the ground of 11 1511• e‘informity. lint how eonttl the .Weevily of the 111.ellint• lion he asectiatinett or tested ? liotir.)nt the parish Atter a nom listl 1181511'1181511'it was he to he evelitaPti fro ? Waa the beadle II) stand la the floor to prevent 111111 WOOL entering—la laugh 1--tor if he entered was he to lie sub• jetted to it snit in the veelesitistiewl courts? Anti if he knot a flintily, wow they to be precluded front entering the church?" For his own part, he was rtsatly to NOW for tho entire abolition of church rates, even without a substitute, and would rely solely upon vi Imam) , tsontrilattion , . without ally apprehension of their pro' iug instil'- tieient Within the last twenty years more elittreltes hod sprung up Maui for costumes past, and considering the present position of the EStlll4lllllllll.lll.lid the multitude of etttwelier4 which ttbottitiletl, Ite 101 W 110 11.10.011 to 11111 i• 1411111 i. 11 lillllllg 1111 in the lAl.lillllls in IN 1114111.11 . . Si IWO 111111141 rates were refused ill 1,P1.41)4 the parish church haul been rebuilt, at an expense of Moot., and six other elittrelles unit thirty-s4.vett seliiii Its estitlitisli•.4l, il l it cost of 1110,1N101. The Itissentem, iu the , m ean tu n e. h a d ntised :1:•,(11111/. for the motto intrintso. lit the ftwe of suet' facts could then. he any doubt thst the zeal of nienthers of the Establishment would fail to supply the necessary funds tin. l %arch purposes." As others, however, might not feel his cottfillettee, ho was prepared with it substitute forthe rate if it worn abolished. 'lbis consisted of a system of pew rents, and a surplus to he derived from a better manage • ment of Church properties. With regard to the first of these sources of revenue, the people were al reedy familiarised with the plan, which would not In tl-Trille with the provision of gratuitous seats for the poor. As to the second, he cited the aultiress pre sented last year by certain prelates, members of the Privy Council, and others, iu Which they stated that, by an improved system of managing Church proistrty, not less than half a million per itillllllll could Ist oh taed within a very few years, mid applicable 10 Church purposes. Sir W. Clay concluded by moving, as an amendment, this resoluti o n : "Thoit this 1111104 , Ili, 11.SIthe INplf isitn ml 111 l *hotter ehtliTh rott•- , , Aittit.l lilt Is' 116.1114101. 11110111 tlllll 111 . 1.11141111.4 1,, 0 Welt molt roues me lit present mph cattle front pew retort, told from the Increased %aloe %Well ni ghtie% ni.thitteil liy the flown hate shilsll may to t ietivetl, under Itetter itottotgontent, from 1111114'11 iilll.lA 111141 Ow Nlr. in suppiiiiiiig the amendment. dilated upon the scandals which he said dishonoured the Church in the iserson of its highest dignitaries, and exhorted Lord .lohn Russell to become leader in a movement for Church reform. ,Ir. Comm.:it also preferred the tuntaulment. in his anxiety to get ridolthe very mums of rhumb rate.:— '• of all this taxes lovivil off the eosin 11111 l tit y. these w ere the most otbievtionstille. were ohjertitatalolo 'wettest. tito•y were levieol nista all for the iteno.fa of the few—lie. eatt ...e they were tussirtaia its to the poverty front which they were raisisl—beestote they %cry aury Naill ll% Ili the 11111114/I.leli to which they /stall Ito all itiest—aid. Issue, ti.•- 1•1111.4.• they were ciao twilit'. only ire the 414.1i-411MHeart s* , snits of this cootitary--courts whose atethool was so tuitions. o•\ • pensive, and dilatory, its to tax to the very utmost the finals Id . the suitors. loot the patients. of the public. Ho was quite in *MIMI* 111 . 1/114111,4ril of Sir W. I'luy, which 'le soul 1111111 N notiotetionee of rhoreho itiKlti the fowls which were 4,Eiginally 'loot 4441 to that istepose, and whirls otaight to lone es int iont•il to it, nrh ss he loe lieled sorb all arrangement would el.tillitee to the benefit of the isablie, hat all ti, the interests of the Ultoreli." 11r. 11%1,1. wi.he,l to 11111 1111 1.1111 I/11111! iniberable differences engendered out of the chum!' rate ipti , which emliittered this minds of all, and Were thistraelive of the charitable itilltiettees of our 441111 11111 n eilliStignit). The proposed 11111, howe%rr, 1111 thought, more likel) to it !tilt than to allay seetariatt :strife, and preferred the amendment accordingl y . :Mr. Hume, after pleatliug that, as Ireland was freed from the church cess. England ought to he exempted 1 . 4 7 114 1 1ie of any religious siirtiee. Also he stetted Ingtl ---• T tht.ry ..110111,1 p mode left thou of returning, to the from the church ee..s. mound ought to hP exernP":" "n"'