The National Register. — London, England, 1814-12-18 00:00:00

8:;0 TIT NATION the tale agnin4 it had been clearly made out, and hoped the Hall would be unanimous avainst it. Mr. PERKING regretted that the subject of the American war had been brought forward, as it might•distneb the unanimity which would otherwise have prevailed. The American war, it would he ' recolieeted, had been tnrced upon us ( applause, and cries of no, no !). It was the general feeling that the Americans had taken advantage of a time when we were embarrassed with another war, to step for ward against us; and with respect to this contest we sheuld not be kidded by ideas of trade and commerce, but by the wish of !Hinging it to an honourable issue (some applause). If the cauntry WAS de termined to support the war. it was of coutsc necessary to provide the Government with the means of etlvetually cart ying it on (walks of disapprobation). Mr. Iles r, of Bristol. said he should not have intruded urn the notice of the meeting, after the able numocr in which the *mitten' had been brought lomat and seconded. hut that be thought a few topics ought to have come under discuspio.o, that day, which had not beta touched upon. It had been said that the war with America was a popular war ; and be was afraid that it was so. It had also been said in another place, that in objecting to an unjust and hwl sitorial tax, it was not incumbent on those who made snch ( ) hire. bon, to point out any other tax in its room. But the 14 millions which the Property Tax yielded, could not so easily be made op by any other tax (expression of disapprobation). He wished them not Ti) mistake him ; no man more abhorred the Property Tax than he did ; and if they would patiently listen to him, be would point out the means of effecting Fuel' a saving as would render this tax unne cessary. One of the chief iavings would arise from the abolition of sinecure places. and pensions. He would read a short list of a few pensions, to them. which he had made out last night .from the Pen /lion List; awl in this list he had included some of both patties iu dine country, 11'higs and Tories, as they are called (cries of read. rcad). In this list would be found, the Duke of Grafton, the Duke of Richmond, the Marquis of Rockingham, Lord Gren ville. the Earl of Buck inghanishire. ImO Bathurst, Lords Robert and Hugh Spencer. Lord Arden, lady Grenville, Mr. Addington, Mr. Bragge Bathurst, Lord Erskine, amid Mr. Ponsonby. He had made a short calculation of l‘hat was paid to about '2O individuals, which was little sh-rt of '200,0001 The sins drawn by these great slave '• or State %lonia support 5000 families the year round, at 154. a s eek each. 'the wet with America seas only a pretence for couti nuiug the Property Tax. Time se as at present slot fewer than 150 000 soldiers, and 300 vessels kept tip in consequence of this American scar. It was not only oucessary to surround the Ameri can coast, but also to keep up a large fleet along the coast of Nova Scotia and the West Indiers. If it It not for this war, there might be a stsfficient saving to prevent any more money being drawn front the pockets of the people.. He wished to put them in miaduf Dr. Johnson's well knot n definition of a pensioner, a State hireling, paid fur betraying his country : " In Britain's Senate he a seat obtains, " And one more pensioner St. Stephen gains.' List year oil:: expenditure amounted to 115 ; our national deist, whirls, at the bugisming of the war amounted to two bombed millions., was now a thonsand millions. They had it in their power to give a tone to the ft clings of the country ; and he had no doubt that petitions would be poured in from all parts against this unequal tax. Thu v had heard a good deal of the maritime sights of the c o untry, but they ought to take case that these rights were not made into wrongs. If they gave Moistens a power to eoutione the war, it was in. vain to think this tax could be abolished. To spew them that of the two great parties in this country, niek:samed lchigs and Tories, the mac set were as ready to grasp at the money of the country as the other, he would merely mention that the Whig Minislry increased the Property Tax from six and a half to ten per cent. They were more to blame than the other party, because the Whigs had always told them that the Tax was unjust, whereas their opponents said that it was a proper tax, and here they were isudoebtedlv the more honest of the two. When this T,!x was first proposed, Mr. George Tierney stood up in Isis place in Parliament, Ant: said it W3l so nojust and uoconstatutional, that the people of Esigiand woold be juststied in taking up arms in resisting it. But what did the same Gentleman say what he was Treasurer of the Navy ? lie then made au able, but not quite so animated a speech, in die defence of the same Tax, its which he thought fit to declare, that those who lived the first floor ought to remove to the second ; t'sose who were in the becond, into the garret ; and the last of all, into the street. Why, the Whigs granted more pensions in one year than their opponents in seven. (Call of Question). Mr. HARVEY, of Colchester , said, it' he had not known the par. titular sentime . ots of the Geutiewau who last addressed thew, tic L REGISTER. should have thought that his intention was to lead them from a stilt jest on which they - were all agreed, to one on which it was inpos• sible they could be unanimous; fur no question could he more calcu lated to divick the sentiments of any assembly of men than that of merits or demerits of the ditleient parties of this centitry. The question before them bad nothing to do with the merits or demerit* of any class of men in power or out of power; they Nt ere assembled together for the Willie into consideration the propriety of Within leg Parliament thr the repent of a disgraceful and oppressive Act, unjust in itself, and destructive of the beat principles of the British Constitution (Applause). The question was, wkethei they would give their sanction to continue an Act of Parliatrent founded on principles which were 8;1 express violation of the topstitution; or whether snub Act onekt to he discontinued? It was one of the best principles of our Constitution that our s ludges were hide. pendent. By our Constitution they were placed be3ond the reach of the influence of the Crown. But what were the Judges who pie %Med over and dispOsed of our properties at pleasure? Their salaries were unceitaie, and their offices were held during pleasure ? We could travel from cur judges, to the representatives of the people, to the bet editary jitifees of the land, and even to 0:e throne; but the sentence - of the Commissioners of the Property Tax was tvithout ap. peal. 'I hey possessed a power or enforcing and reetianie evidence without oath ; they constituted both judges and jut y, there were 00 bounds to their power, there was en appeal from tee it d ec i s i on (applause). lie would not enter into any hieg catalogete of sellerieg under this oppressive tax, because it was to the principles of the Hill that their attention ought to be directed. They opposed the Bill because they loved the British Constitution; they detested its prin ciple, because it went to establish a system of tyranny lirolighout every town and every village of the kingdom they detested ii be cause it was hostile to freedom, and accustomed men to the gradual innovations of 1111)41-4iy pewee (applause). Though it was perhaps irrelevant to the question, he would say that he prided himself mu the appellation of a Wrhig, according to the principles 'of that great man, Mr. Fox. Many of the names on the List of Pensions read by the preceding speaker, ought not to have been introduced under that title. One man was named, whose voice had often resounded in their cars, in defence of the rights aud liberin s • f Evelishnicu. Who could forget the noble and manly stand rat idle by . Mr. Erskine, when all the vengeance of power was directed against those who stood up for the rights and liberties of their country ? Let not the proud ornament of the English bar, the defender of the invite; and liberties of his country, he ever put in the same list with those who sold them. Was it Ctir thet the recompense granted to hint when ousted from his situatioW, a ECCOMUCEICC 1111101 smaller in amount than what he &lived from the fair exer:ion of his prolessioeid talents, should receive the name of pension (A polio:sea? '1) rawly in every shape and in every stage he detested. Winelier it assented the gigantic stride of an overwhelming power which mocked t esist mice and trampled on the necks of its uefortimate ‘icliois, er !:n -pealed in the less formidable, bnt not less dangerous iorin of pet! y encroachments and innovations, iii all its shapes, it was equally. de restable to an Euelishman ; and the tax in que•tion was v• xations and tyrannical in its opetation, and iseconstitutiunal in its priuciple (Loud applause). The dilkient Ite-a - iltitions were then proposed and carried unanimously. Mr. NVAITO MAN then Mlle forward with the draft of' a petition t• Parliament, in cotiCermity to the Resolutions. He wished to make a few observations on what had fallen f. - om some of the preceding speakers. They would du him the justice to say, it:at in alluding to the American win-, he did not enter into the consideration of its origin. There was mesh: difference of opinion en that subject; but whatever its °Heim the war was now chang ed to a war of revenge ; and, thought it *night be jut in its origin, it iecame nejust in its cot thmation. He thought the present was not the most proper occa sion for the ietroduction of the merits of Whigs and Turks. He conkd not but think that there were plenty of ways for supplying the deficiency 10601 would he occasioved b y the loss of the Property Tax, by refornation and retrenchnnent. Although he had an •ob jection to mix these things with the present question, as the subject had.been introduced, it would not be deeied but that he bad often called their attention to places and pensions, and pointed out the infa my of having such a load under the present circumstances of the cuun try. It seemed, however, as it the election of names made by a F t - ceding Speaker; was 'Weeded to bring the heads of all parties ado equal contempt. Many of them had fought a „great battle against this inquisitorial tax ; and it was their business now to bring togetiu r all the individuals who could lend them any support in their endea -1 yours to get rid of it (Applause!). He belonged to no party—this Was perhaps owing to his insignificance ; but he was the first !man DEC. IS.