The National Register. — London, England, 1816-03-24 00:00:00

were paupers or not, he would just mention a fact. A person iu mean attire presented himself to sign the petition. On beteg asked Wile was charged with the Income-tax, he replied, that Me was charnel in this way—he rented ii house, and in conse litllgleV of the tax on property his landlord had raised his rut. Now, he had reason .believe, that if the Property-Tax it as nut persevered in. he shotdd hair hiS house at the old rent. Thus for this person considered himself aggrieviid by the tax. The petition was laid on the table, Lord LASC:.:LI.E4 presented a petition from Sheffield, pray ing, that if the tax should be persevered in, it might puss in a 'monied state, considering it the best that could be adopted to raise the Supplies. The petition was laid on the table. Lord Malang stated, that it was now SG years since the county of York had bet n called together to petition on any /abject; the populousness of the comity, and the vast mass of beterogcne. , us matter emitained therein, were obstacles to call tug a gene. - al meeting. Lie hail, however, a petition to present from a tut ruing, at vs Lich perhaps eight thousand freeholders were assembled : at least he would say that upwards uf five thousand aerially met. He could state, that as in the CUMe or 1a „,. 01 „. t h.r e were at York abuse some doxen gentlemen who held up their hands agaiust the petition. The meeting was held on Friday last, and though tits. , time would not admit of sig natures sufficient to make the petition extend the length of Westminster HAI, yet it was aimed by most of tke respectable part of the county. He trustia, therefore, that alter the gote - ral expression manifested against this tax, Ministers would lis ten to the voice of the people. The petition was laid on the table. Mr. Diet wioNu presented a petition from the county of Perth in favour of the tux. wider certain modifications. He shirt that it was signed by at persons (a laugh) ; inure would have signed if time bad been allowed. The petition was ordered to lie on the table. THE CITY PETITION. dir W . c., mils said, he held in his hand a Petition from the . Merchants, Bankers, and Traders of the City of London, which had been. agreed to at a public Meeting, convened by AdvertNement ; and a more respectable Meeting had never 'Seen held, or one more determined to do that for which they mei, namely, to petition respectffilly agaiust the renewal of the Prorerty.tax. The distresses of th.: people vete so great at present that they could not support tins tax any longer. They *anted a breathtiug time. Cis e them that; and, afterwards shew them the necessity for the tax, and they would submit to it with cheerfulness. Besides which, it was necessity we should have a something in reserve, in ease we should be again threatened' m inveterate foe. Keep - the Property-tax in reserve, and here would he a war resource of 14 millions—and a war resource alone it ought to be. "Yhe Petition was them brought up anti read. Sir J. Suave bore his testimony to the respectability of the Meeting at which- this Petition had been agreed to. Mr. Alderman Amino was iu favour of the tax in a modified state, but he should be ashamed of setting himself up against the opinion of the people so generally expressed, an opinion which he t hoped would induce his light Hon. Friend to give lie measure lip. Mr. BARING bore also testimom: to the high respectability of the Meeting at which this Petition was adopted, and observed, that the House had now the united opinion of the Corporation, and of the commercial part of Londou, on this obnoxious Inca- sure. Mr. Art NAN DER declared himself in favour of the measure, though he vv:as suffering severely, as well as many of his Con stituents, from its operation. Mr. W. sistertt could not refrain from expressing his asto nishment at what hail fallen from the Hon.elentbeit who spoke lest. That lion. Member had talked of his suffering uuder the Tax, aunt the sufferings of his constituents. He believed the Hon. Member should have cottfined his last expression to the singular number. The Hon. Member was the representative rim the respectable R.orough of Old Surum,and he (Mr. S) be. lieved had one constituent.—(Jl laugh). Mr. ALEX A!4DEIt explained. By his constitnents lie meant these persons, who in his connnereial character, had entrusted him with their property.—(lfror,hron. The-Petition was then ordered to lie on the 'fable. PRISSINFRS UNDER SENTENCE OF DEATH. Mr. HENN Ell wished to know whether the Prince Regent bad lately received any 'sport front die Recorder. If lie had, how it could happen that there were at present no less than 58 persons tinder sentence of death,. iu Newgitte upon whose eases the Royal opiniog had not yet been taken- Lord CAVILEIMAGH mirk, no Report had recently been made tis his Royal. Highness; first, on account of his Royal Highness's indispre ition ; and next,on account of the diffierilty there was is assembling a proper Council at so great a distance from town. Lord lkirr..rne could mit refrain livm expressing his surprise and indignation at what bad jest fallen from the Noble Lord. Whtd he would ask, was the indisposition which kid flues shut up the course and current of Royal Mercy, the brigtest jewel isf the Crown? and what, he would ask, was the difficulty or distance which :should have prevented the assembling a Conn ed and the proper Officer of the Law at that Councils If in stead of the illustrious person who-now wielded the supreme authority of these realms huvine been at Brigkon, lie hail been • Siitherlandt, the Council ought to base been neld. Feeling ee he did-, he should move instanter for a Return of the Num ber of Persons under Sentence of Death in Newgate, together with the Dates of their several Sentences. The ATTORTI EI'AiENER /A saw no necessity fur the present emotiou.. The inconvenience of holding a Council for this pur pose, independent of the illness of his Royal Highness, would lie great, as the attendance of the great Legal Charac ter, of the kingilum woitirl he necessary; whilst little iucon sienietwe could result from the delay of holding a Commit, as, although the numbet confined was certainly great, yet few - of that number,. when reported would setter. Mr. C.IW IiNNE conceived it to be a most importent eireuni stance that no Conned should he held for receiving Ike Re cor der's report ter sa long a period. Could it be said, that keep ing these unfortunate victims of the law in suspend'. for so 10-g art interval was no evil:—Besides, sae great injury which tits Public sustained by the delay. Piiiiisliment for the sake of example !Moth' fellow quickly upon sentence. If in lung de layed, the crime Gm whiedt the of suffered was forgotten, arid half the eilvets of punishment was Wet. Tue mention was the!, agreed to. THE PROPERTY-TAX. The Hone then, u a the motioned' Mr. VA s strrAzr went into a Committee of Ways and Means. Mr. VANsgrrAgx said. it was with considerable satisfaction that he at tenth tuna(' the Haase in a 6 ituaticii and temper for receiving Isis statement ou the proposed renewal ..f the Pro perly-tax. With respect to the nece.sity of the restive, the Ihmse had, after the fullest discussion, declared itself satisfied "that the proposed Military Ditibkatilllellt was IleVittaX) THE NATIONAL REGISTER. thereby bad, to a certain extent, sanctioned an application for the ways and means to support that establishment. The st and means he was abOnt to promise a as, a inintinnaner of the Property-tax. Against this measure lie belies ed a consider able impression hail gone abroad. lie trusted, however, when the gl!hivet should have been further considers it by the House that impression would be ' ie away. lie had been repeatedly railed on to abandon tins tax, oo the grounibi of the sit ttttt .roua petitions which hail been presented to the House against it. '1 lit re petitions, howin cis, lie considered as cosset anti the *erne of only a very small proportion of ilia people.—(//sar, Ivor. , lint, even had he considered them as einitaiiiiag the st ntiments and opiiiiiius of a majority, he should still hav a thought it his ditty to bring the subject before the House, to have the delibe rate judgment of Parliament upon the ineusiire. The delilime le jrulginent the Petitioners hail out hail all opportunity of form ing. us they hail Ilia the materials before them aside!! the House had. Even the petition presented by an Hon. ,Ilderman to night (Sir W. Curtis), respectable as it was, lie did not consider as elltlVe ing the deliberate minden of the merchants, bankers, and trailers, of the City of Lontlem—t Hear, 11,x.1- Since that petition fell into the error which all the others hail done, namely, of stating that Parliament had given a pledge to the country that the tax should expire with the war. The Hon. Alderman who presented that petition, laird stated that it was at a meeting in the city that the property-tax originated. 'That nus not so. In 1700, the meeti in: in a spirit of patriotism which did them the highest honour, taking into cousidenition the distressed state of the country, recommended a VIIIIII/titry contribution, which was adopted. Mr. Pitt also the same session, feeling the necessity of rai•ieg as great a portion of the supply as possible iii the year, raised the assessed taxes to a very considerable degree. This was AMU(' to hear hard on the people, and was next session abandont if, and the pi overly tax adopted in its room. The plan of the tax dam, Isowever, was, that it should continue after the expitation of the war, for the payment ot' a certain sum. for alibi' it was mortgaged ) and thus this tax continued till the peace of Amiens, when Lord Sidatoulis determined to repeal the tax,aml, instead of it, to make a very large addition, no less than live millions per annum to the permanent taxes. At the rent nal of the war, Lord Si dr amth had again recourse to the income-fa icor. a war tax, ertaiuly; hut nu pledge was given with it; and, in itithi, it was increased to 10 per cent. upon the same principle, but it never was considered, or had he (Mr. Vansittarl) as had been as serted in another place, ever said, that the tax ass to be re peated at the end of the war. (Ilene Mr. Vansittart proceeded to read some extracts from a printed speech delivered by him at the time alluded to, and also to athert to the speech delivered by Mr. Rose at that (line.] Mr. BARING here rose and spoke to order. He did not con sider it ao regular for tr Gentleman to read hits own written or printed speech, or reports of the debates bi Parliament. Mr. VANSITTART said his speech had been alluded to in another place. 511.. CALett Art sailh that was a printed speech, corn - evil by the Right Hun. Gentleman hine.elf. The Right Hon. Gentle man was now about to read the speech 01 another Right Hon. Gentleman. Mr. Rose said, such was the usual custom. if. however, the Hon. Gentlemen opposite liked it better, they should liase a report of his speech from his own month—(a laugh.) Mr. VANSITTART then resumed. He trusted, that down to the Tenewal of the tax, in 180.7, be had proved there was no pledge given that the tax should cease with the war. Last year, on his proposing the tax, it would he in the recollection of every gentleman, that he stated it would be for future con. sideration to say, whether it would be desirable to continue the tax ;ruder certain modifications. The time for that conside. ration was now arrived; and having, as lie trusted, proved that no pledge ever was (indeed how could a pledge Le given that Parliament should not at any time receive such mem:ores US should appear beneficial to the people?) given, he should now proceed to state the necessity. In 1797, when Mr. Pitt first proposed this tax, the country was labouriog nnder the greatest pressure upon the money market : so said the wor;hy Alderman (Sir W. Curtis %. A necessity of a similar nature now existed. In 1796 and 1799, lifty-six millions had been raised by way of loan, and many commercial misfm tunes ag gravated the distresses of the count Ly. The fonds were in consequence much depressed; and Mr. Pitt, in consequence of this distress of the monied interest, determined to raise the greater part of the supplies in the year? hat was the state of the country now? In 1796, ;ind 1797 loans to the amount of 56 millions were taken; in 1814 and ISIS, no less a sum than 106 millions had been borrowed. The funds were inducd better, hut now they were only at 61, even at the conclusion of . a contest so glorious for the country. After the Treaty of Amiens, the 3 per cents. were at 57. Something therefore, it appears, must be dune tbr the money market. in the last four years, 165,000,00 had been taken in loans, and 239,000,000 of stock had been creates yet no one would regret this eir con:stance, when it was cousidered , how honourable the con test had been to Great Britain; for even when the admires of the country were alone the main spring of the operati o n s against the enemy, the machine never stood still for a moment. An Hon. Baronet, (Sir J. Shaw) had recommended the borrowing of the sum wanted; but he (Mr. V.) mold not agree to- that mode. Commerce wanted a spur, and the best mode of giving it such a spur would he to relieve the money market. He had been told, indeed. !hat taking a small Van would give life and animation to the market. This was top paradoxical for him to understand. The gentlemen who gave this advice seemed to have something of a secret feeling. They ' were persons who expected, if any loan were contracted Mr, that they would come in for a sharcond they, probably, thought it would be better to add perhaps 20 per cent. to their incomes titan pay 5 per coot. out of them. The Right Hon. Gentleman then proceeded to contend, that no tax could he propiwed which would press so lightly and so equally on all classes as the property-tax would.--( Hear, hire.)—Talcs vu cou,nuip non must always be unequal; they tell not on a moo's ;nos, but on his expenditure ; and frequently a man who had a large family, and a email income, paid more than his rieh neighbour, Mite had nu family, and a larger income. The tuxes proposed last year, though adopted, atter the best information had been sought Mr, had proved unequal in their opeadion,and unpro ductive to a certain extent. The income-tax was one w hich pressed equally ou landed and funded property, more espe cially as to funded property, where it was illyo6Sible a person could be over-charged, or under-roil:4. The system as re gargled flue ormlnee of industry was complained of; and was perhaps dekctirt; but no plan had been suggested for its ammoniac:it. But in this respect every num was charged ac cording to his own retum of profits. The Right llou. GOO tleman then proceeded to- recapitulate the proposed modiiea toms in Mvour of toe tanner, as stated by Lint on a f'ormer night, namely that tenant's tax, instead of being charged Oli Utley-Murtha of the rout was now to be taken mi one-third, any under the new regulations a vast proportion of the cultivators MARCH 241. of the land and growers of corn mould voilas within the abatement scale. In additiouto their Iht' whit+ *leek' dui. ho afforded to the farmer,lmproposed tar relieve him Avon tha tax of 7s. ntl. each on agricultural owes ; and a here the amount of pent was Jess than 100[ to exempt Irian altogether. With respect to the other rhos of penotts. ttateely, ;.'Ore whose incomes arose from the produce of ind i•try, &t. be should propose to take all returns at a hat they were last year, mid to charge 5 per cent. upon those returns. A dny to be fixed fur appealing. Where no appeal was made, the; 'tonne to be taken without further enquiry ; and in cases of al,' cal it was intended to revive the old clause, giviug to dm appellant. a righted choosing referees;. anti whero this was th eiiattl a the person appealing arts to go before the Conimis , imiers, where mic Commissioner, accompanit ti by Lite Clerk, havlite !wen first sworn to sect oey,, wins to irnrstidatt. !,..• ~A)ellatit's case, arid afier surds ilivestigneion, to destroy ors and doer. melds whutever.. The tax was to be continieu for the extra ordieary exiiences of the ear,. awl would he proposed for two wars, to which them it %vas vstitnatetk to raise 12,00V,0001. Any amendment might lie proposed in the progress of the nib. By adhering to this tax for two .years, the money. market would be relieved, and credit wood(' again look up. Without this means he (Mr. Vansittart could see no prospect but a kola slicer:4s sion of difficulties. (II•ar, hear.) The Hon. Bart (Sir W.. Curtis) had said he wished the country to hate breathing time, (lour, hear) and he only called for the tethered tax for two years, which he tbresaw would have all the effect wished for. r,e Slitting Fund would toot bear more than had been laid upon it. We were already beginitiug to feel the benefits it .adting from a reduced expenditure, but we enlist not be in too much haste ac must consider the eircitinstmices under v.hielt was placed, and lint expect to find all the benefits of peace im mediately. He then moved a string of iesolutious, that for every gus. of rent arising from lauds, tenement , , or heredita meats in England or Wales, there should lire pail the sum of Is. —on those in Berwick upon 'raced, td. iii VI pound; and in scotland :HI in the pound and all other proper 'y from annuities or Mikes Is. iu the pound. Sir W. Cc arts opposed the tax. Mr. W. SMITH objected to the tax in all it , branches, hut especially as it effected the persons who bat! trades i.e.; profes sions. 'The remedies rnentioned by the Right lion. Gent. mere not efficient to correct the evils, fur hi' Was assured that a titan in trade or commerce would sooner pay the five per ceet. than chew the Costmlissioners that they had suffered any losses. the City of London alone, there were I 3,oeu stitecharges on in come. 71ie Bight Hon. G.mt. was very willing to make a con ce.sion to the landed interest by redmeing the tenant'.. tax, but lie would advise Hon. Members not to be led away by such an insidious representation. And it' there were any Irish Mt .oubers willing to vote for this tax, lie would ask Hume, how they thought the Gentlemen of I:velum! would stiffer this tax a ith out its bring also imposed on Ireland ?—(ifear, hear.)—There was not a page of Ada i r Smith eidlich did not Walk thern tieamst agreeing to such a tax as this. The tletici.mey of ca: . :etal in the country . , he be lies eel, did not depend alone on th e racers Of' g,eueral taxation, or on the manner in whichthis tax had been collected. He contended, that capital !vet to the tmblie by way of loan would be less disadvantageous to the comitry than taking capital by way of tax, when it might have been employed. in Mai:rent ways. He contended, that Mr. Pitt net( ; intended to continue this tax in time of peace. But it' it were tiniest, as he contended it was, in its nature, it ought not to be en dined either in peace or war. There were in the papers before the House 500,000 persons whose incomes were between 50/. and 1001. a year, paying one million a Near to this tax. These, he contended, acre the poorest class of` the community. These were beyond all others those who should receive relief. He had always consider( d Mr. Pitt as a Financier,-such its Bimini parte in war. 'f lie l i near never considered how be ought to raise the money, hut what nieuey he winded to raise. 'so Moo naparte net er emisidert el how he was to raise men but by the couscriptiou ; and the Income-tit:. was a conscription on the comitry to raise money. But lie hoped. that this brat question would destroy this tax. tar ever, and co. sequently prevent the necessity of entering Mt° details on this subject. Mr. Rose defended the financial character 01.1 tr. Pitt ; and stated, that in t7S4 the emitutry was exhausted' from the Ame rican war, yet he iaid on ethheool. fresh taxes a year, which. brought up the mean, of the Coll.ltry to its expenditure, and also estaloasbed a Sitiking Fund of due year. He con tended that Mr. Pits establisaed this tax before the Ere - Motions of the A' ..Tchants and Bankers of London, by which they raised this tax ;Mtn 3,c0c,0n01. alearte ti,OOO,OOM. an unprecedented instaswe of liberality. He also contended that Air Pitt never intended this tax to be ooly imposed in time of our.—(The cries of ti.tatien! became here so loud that as, could not gather unv more of his arguments.) Mr, W. Reese wished (as fares we could hem) that this tax were laid on absolute pioperty merely. Mr. H. Davis had Malty • emoidered• this measure as net one to be supported in peace, except for tau ye ars, to pay off part of the debt contracted in time of tr.u. lit' wished to know it' the Chancellor of the Exchequer naluit to charge this tax on landholders, if they proved to the Commissioners that their tenants were unable to pay their rents. 'the continuance of this tax would give his Majesty's Minions--(a general hawk , — ' he meant Miolders, tuns' to reduce the other taxes, which Owe heavy on the comers% It would raise the farmer's prier on his produce, awl consequently the credit of the cuuntry, aide!' %youthd be a muelt emelt( r Utivalitary than removing a small tax. This was his opinion, although lie was sorry to give a vote against tle• opinion of ill large a body of his constituents. Mr. VANSiTI.XaT said, that the case of a landlord receiving I no rents, in coasequenee of tire distress or iiisulvency of his tenants, ass Oise alticli hunt occupied his attention, and would be plot ided for. i Mr. BAUINN would not occopy the Ciammittee long in the temper it then was; but he thought argitment of Meat , her for Bristol (Mr. H. Davis) would wither be very satisfac tury to the Committee nor his constituents. 'Lite Chain:CHOP Of the Exchequer hail not pledged himself to discontinue this tax for two years, but it was to be kept up for the extinction. of a war debt of l 1 millions. It would therefete be continued , as long UN Ministers could skew the tail of what they called the war elebt. If Ministers could once get this tax eat. ensiled in peace, none of 1:5 would sec the end of it ; ii r it a wild be au . easy mode of raising taxes to supply - a wastello expenelittine. 'Tile Case of 1797 was the reNCtsr present, for now a e have a rich Exchequer and a poor country. ( Thar. hear. l And that distress was not to he abet rated Ly tatsing more motley out of the pockets of the people. Lord C S rt.xtt EAGIt tad, uhc suhire t had been so tinted! dos cawed, co.t it a- be soli: 111011 s to. use any iirgtionclits al this hour of We night. But le owed it to the country to state the necessity elfish inditecd '..misters to oppose itself to the very natio al (It sire of the to get rid of the tax. Ile %%imbed ;to si.eirk with ail res;.t ei the petitioners, Wit lie did mu think that the 41clitotiaitO sy tit 51,43 so sun;. as to ieuk heyoha thie a ails of tut. House 100 st..vic,:. how to att. lie was