The Statesman. — London, England, 1819-02-10 00:00:00

THE Si' eVIESMA*,' e -- •a: a irily from the landholder, and that, lois wiihnot benefiting the lower orders. An flonnorablo Gem. 'lnman opposite (the Member for Wincheises) had promised. lest sear, to institute sommomosore (ee etliiiiting the Poor Rates, whkh he regretted Mi l d tint yet hoes broeght foretold by him. That Hon. Gentleman had not been a Member of the lam year's Committee; and he was smiles. to know if his Geo. refitted asd•porsoits 'sold allow him to alkyd - Ms •teiMastas at the Commitiste._ahmlig_lop ratted for the preened Miaow" orPerfeament. pow his moving, that • keret Consaaitee be -appoisted to -take into their cotelderstiow the several Laiis Peovisions for the Poor,: and to repeat therm from airman time s Mr. CUR WRN rote. under the impression, ha said, of ronsiderable feeling of pain s -as he felt him. self called upon to oppose the preseet motion. Ile was spinet' the re-appointment of the Committee, because he was of orioles, that oho Ilene, from the votheinoes Reports of former 'Committees' bed 1 owfficiesecy Isf details before them. The business at present; he thought, was not to collect more details, bet to tale en enlarged and general view of the sub ject in its meat ostensive Wirings, for the purposes of speedy and aeries! !restrain. And this could set be more effectually done by any persons than it could by the C overflown t of the country, who had the whole infoanatien.fully within their reach. From the very ninety of she system itself, it was manifest that the yells of lb* Poor Laws had I en greatly in crested. And safely it did nit require mach sage city to see that those who are sure of being pro. tided for al the 'spree, authors, will not take touch tree' le In providing for themselves. Though there were early proofs of the demoralizing tendency of the system, yet these proofs, sad the evils to which they /elated, had been at least quadrupled within the lase 23 years. Of this event s there were three great causes. viz. 'semen tension, • greet depreciation of money, and consequent rise le the prices of all She necessaries of life. To attempt to remove the evils of the present system of the Poor Laws, witti est removing or lessening these three great evils, would be huts sure mockery of legislatiors.—Ulcor, bear!)- As the Government bad the whole situation of the country before them. it was they that were celled upon to act with energy le this business. — Within the last twenty-five years, the paces of swages had i I only ese.founk, while the prices of she necessaries of life had intoned sue. third.—[//tor, hoar[ —Thy tens epee salt, leather; soap, and cosh, were the heaviest burden on the shoulders of the 'shouting poor. What be bad to pay on these accounts alone, amestited to, at least, one-isinth of the labourer's iacente.—[flear, hear 9, If the Ilises• were armless that the country - shoold• preset,e its proud situation, they ehoetl nut theme selves to raise and better Ike condition of the work fog orders. Though be could not concur in the ter, littering statements of the prosperity of the country, which he understood to have been made by the No ble Jest night, be would say, that it was in cumbent upon all, even from the Prince down to the lowest individual, to make considerable sacri fices in the present condition of the country. la sted of having decreased, the sem for the main. tease co of the poor bad been progressively increasing. Aud though the farmers complained, that they were most heavily lased for the maintenance of the poet, yet lie mast slim, that they paid only nominally, whilst the payments came ultimately from the pickets of the great proprietors. Weald it not be better, at sore, sad directly, to lighten the ber• dens on the People, and to place thews upon real property ? He was persuaded, if the present system was allowed to continue, that the whole mass of the People would be ultimately pauperised.—(h ear!) — acknowledged that the astkly potatoes was one of the greatest blissiegs which Provideoce bad *Wooded I to the poor, bat be deprecated It as a staple stational food, because it cootribeted w lamely to the loans' of population. The abide policy of Administration as to the Poor Laws, was contracted sod etsjest.— It recognised principles which, when they were acted an, produced the worst of consequences. The pittance to each individual who was the object of re lief saes regulated according to the standard waste of the sumarried man, and the result of this system he nested not them detail. Ile agreed with the Noble Lord that it was bolter to employ the People in some way or other, if it were only in digging clay out of • ditch and throwing it beak again, thin to lease them without employment, sod coeseqrseutly with out soy wages. list the nosegays to which 'grin!. feral labourers were subject, hail been always so peculiar, that it became imperative on Parliament to take them under its protection. The tascourage wets to combination met with his decided con sent, because they more painterly applied to • class of labourers whose services could oat be dis pensed with, and therefore their caprices should be guarded aniest—he meant the manufacturing la . boerers.—[Cries of War, hear, hear I—Bot the egliceiteral laboerer was escieded from all nobles lion. He was too distant, too disconnected from all those who might be able to @lndia* with him, and, at worst, he was at the mercy of his master, who, could easily do without him for many months in the 'ref.—(llear, hear!)—There would be, therefore, greet wisdom and justire io Wag the wages of the latter class of labourers. In those of manufactures, it was utterly impossible to mkt • wooden!, because the proprietor was at all times to be governed by so massy foreign eiteninsioneee in the payment of his men. The Bill introduced by the lion. Gentleman contained several classes worthy of approbation. There was one law included is this Bill, to which he wished particularly to draw the attention of the Douse, namely, the law relative to satlensents.— ( Hoar, bear!)—Bet in effectoehat was the object of the Bill after all ? Emplaning even that every thing it contemplated was put effectually into esecution, still noshing would be gained. It avoided, besides its other deficiencies a most serious greinoce, tamely, bastards. lie would state witboot fear of contradiction, that net of nineteen millions of the population of the country, sir and a half were bastards. The total itiadeqsacy of the law to protect the public feed, as sell as to provide te. dress to the injured parties, amounted to a very cis,' oppression. 'rue Committee had new eat foe toe years, sod the result of their labours leas been but very slightly felt as yet. Nothings in short, could seemly depot evil 'kick of cemplaiued of f bat the removal Wow:emoriboos tonisiest, Thd Committee tyre In eltopstelis rat:prolog, soy swellototlto of • 'bps Wrlesporo, bls.s. lbry had net sulfi egirt primes* so to the root of thew. They wore unable to ori. &nolo any 11110111114111 of themselves, sod their Mawr oo OW account west always prove abortive. The groat owl.ollistool 'boredom wield oleos be wade by ttoso Is whim power it was to amend the finance *tom .of the ariteitry ; end motets they shooght _proper ti rose iheward sad Wafer, to the necessary extent, all hope from soy other eyesore, er any other glories, was chiroesiest.—( Hear!) Lord CASTLEREAGH °Norwell, that, in his 'epistle., the preposltio• of his Hon. Friend by no meeni tool to a general discussion of the Peer Lein. (near 1)If those laws were lobe circumstantially considered by the Hesse. the proper time for sects a discussion ups when the Bill "meld be introduced be. foci Partiament.—(Heor!)—lt contained eight or eine cites's, embracing the whole beptortent part of ' the Poor Lows, and when theseshoold be propounded a very fair opportunity opened for observation upon them. 11. Word the lion. Gentleman who spoke last at all times with pleasure, bet he most say that the remarks which hod Wes from him Were calm hued rather to give the House an isles that it was the Finance System, sod not the Poor Less, that he. mete the 'object of his considetatio(//ear 1)- - If the Hoe Gentleman thought he dricovered • plan of amelioration, by remmelog the burdens of taxation from one part of the commewity to the' ilietAdess of soother, it was a secret in political economy with which Ministers were totally enargosinted, and be fore hit Majesty's Government should be called upon to adopt the Uon. Gentlentass's suggestion, it was but reasonable to expect that he should communicate the chasm by which it could be elected.—[//earl] Ministers, it was tree, had not taken up the subject j of the Poor Laws, sad they were accused of supine ness on that account. Bat he ( Lord C.) protested against such animadtersions. Ministers were satiate% to avoid outrunning the Committee or the Haase.— They apprehended that, if they originated any mes tere upon thaw questions, it would be less accept. able to the country, merely because it might be look ed upon as a boon ; whereas, hiving waited to identify themselves with the House, and tote,. only the pert •f individuals in any proposed messes', they would obviate all the jealousies and soplessant feelings with which, as a t: sent measure, It might have born reativell.—[Hear, heir I] —Th. Committee had prodoced great improvement isr the riser!' admini stration of the Poor Laws, although they found that it *as impossible to makes more extended one, With. out involving an injury to these personal rights which the poor sight have esteemed as their unalienable property. It was unfair to ingest that Government had been guilty of remissuess upon this occasion, since, if their interference was required, the Commit. lee would not have failed to demand it.—`Meer!] With respect to the state of the country, he was fully bore, out by facts is toe prosperous view he had taken of it ;• and the esti:trace of distress among the poor was not to be considered es injuring the troth of those statements, since it could not be denied that there never was a moment in the most brilliant pe. clod of our history, when distress could not be found in seine quarter or another.—[llear!)—There newer was a coontrythet an speedilyemereed from depression las this, altogether. The Committee were proceeding In I their taboo's, sad there was nothing that experience, I talent, and assiduity could •Irord, that might not be *sleeted, from the Committee. It was formed of individuals whose characters spoke for themselves, and among whom ate patty-iuterest was salered to prevail—[/lcer I]] Mr. W. BURRELL stated, Shut in the parish of West Grinstead, the propostims helve., the ability !of the inhabitauthaed the nec..ssary supply for the Ipoor was oppressive its the esteems. A .umber of the labs:meth were employed et six-pence a day in stone quarries, and the deficiency was made up to them out of the poor fend. This state of thine, es ' isted mot only on this parish, bat throughout Sestet and its vicinity. The most part of the young single men were placed he the workhouse of that latish fur want of employment. A MEMBER said it would be a delusion to the country, to say that Government could ever arc. molly remove the injuries arising from the pretest citudition of the Poor Laos, otherwise then by a disainetion of oases. While the dreadful load of tales continued, the landlord was compelled to keep up his rent, the Waal kept down his wagers, and the lebeeriag poor were in reality the only self . In the West of Engleod, where the distreu of proprie tors was a bar to all employees% the condition of the poor 'forded a useful lesson to blieisters. The' reverse of the picture which now presented iteell, must take place ; the labourer meat be fed and kept, not by charity, bat by the wholesome product of his own industry. Mr. LONG WELLESLEY opposed the selection of. Committee. Nothing was more nineties, than the distreu of the poor of lie 'edilisirsi v ;and nothing was more certain than that the molt espiellllloo means of antelieratieg their showiest were necessary. —He did not agree with an lion. Grottoes's' (Mr. Curium), that the potato. was to be deprecated ass staple article of food. Stich were his Irish predilec. lions, because it was favourable to the growth of population. Let population thrive, bet the only means to primes' the i knee of it, would be to peocvre employment for Shots who were able and willing to labour. The Execetive Government should originate the salutary measures that were to be adopted on this occuien. How could they be more gloriously employed than in relieving the distresses of the poor ?—[lktor, hear !] Mr. Alderman WA urn m AN said, he did not in tend to detain the Howse long. Ile apprehended that be did not uoderstaod the subject so well as thou lion. Geotlemen who had spoken before him ; but ha thoeght himself called on to mention a few facts which would disprove the statement of the No ble Lord. He could not believe that the country was its so flourishing a situation as had been repre sented by the Noble laud, bevies.- he had the testimony of his eyes and ears to the contrary. In the parish in which be resided whets in the countly, there was en increase of distress and of the number of poor. The want of gardens attached to their col leges, was • great misfortene to many poor peo ple. la his parish there were about two baudred cottages, sod oat one of then had a bit of groubd. In this case, alien 'Ake' , eeksit entirely on potatoes, 'Misers no growled tosiOsititre for ibibmseltes, Irbil could fourths them from conimistingdepredstions on neighbouring pots toe-fields? Ile Assorted, that from the number of Enclosure Bills which passed shrank that noose, proprietors of land were more desirous to le& their grounds in parks, titan to accommodate the poor wish cottages and isformi. The Ward which he repre sented contained use parishes, and he had occasion to know, that the pressure of the Poor Rites in all those parishes was most were. Ile presided at the Board by which the People were summoned for their Poor Rates • and he had known caste in which numbers had be en summoned ewer and over again, is cense (wrote of their inability to pay : it required, in fact, continued efforts to keep them cut of the workhouses. He most have something better than Castors-hoes, hooks, to coeliac@ him that the country was in a Nourishing condition ; for when that was asserted, he understood it to imply the general diffusion of com fort and happiness. As to the mestere now proposed, he was convinced that it was impossible to give any real relief to the poor, bet by altering the present system, and reducing the sates which oppressed the country. That was the object to which he should ' with to sea the stionoion of Parliament directed. Colonel WOOD had heard many observations in the coarse of the debate, which he thoeght nook' be worthy of the consideration of the Committee; but he had not heard any evident reason assigned why the Committee 'boatel not be appointed. lie wished to make now observation, relative to the calmly which he represented. It bad been said, that in the MI which was to be proposed, • residence of three years was to constitute a settlement, bet although he had no objection to the principle, he was swore that this Outdoes of the law of settlement would be ruining, in that county. It was distressing indeed in reflect nn the creel manner in which the lA. of Settlement was enforced; end be thought they would do better to go back to the original eats. Withstood of the Law in gams Elizabeth's time. A MEMBER, whose name we could not learn, wee eosins• to see the Committee of last year revival. lle had always teen the greatest gratitude expressed by the poor who had been sired from crime and want, by the protection of the Pee► laws, and there fore he viewed with apprehension any Snowier' in the east* state of these laws. lle remarked, that in the county in which be acted sea Magistrate, land had in tome cows risen roe-third is valor, in the vicinity of aaaufaeinriee. Another 11 EMBER, whom we did not know, spoke in favour of the re-appfletment of she Com mittee. The gentian, that the Committee be op. pointed was then pet and unanimously agreed to. After a few oh...readout from Mr. S. BOUIVIE, OD the necessity of altering twee of the names in the ' former Committee, the See Mt% read over the names, end the Committee was sppoisted. ABOLITION or TRAL fly WAGER OF BATTLE. The ATTORN EY-G EN EKAl.wes aware, when he submitted that subject to the consideration of the House, that it had at different times bees mode the subject of public discussion. I. believed, however, that it had wiser been submitted to the Howe to consider whether the %Yager of Battle should be also. lished. It had appeared to him, that those discus sions had always taken place when circeinstences oc curred that inflamed the passions of the Public. The appeal of murder was a very ancient proceeding. He did not say that that was any reason for abolishing it but it was interwoven with an @bawdily ; for as it stood at present, it violated one of the principles of justice, namely, that a man acquitted by a com petent Jury, cannot be Oriel again for the U.S. crime. This applied to an appeal for word's only. (The Hon. end Learned Gent. then entered into a detailed account of the law as it now stands.) His attention and that of the Public had been first at. ',acted to this subject by a case which occurred last yea►. It then struck him that the law should be mewled by abolishing the appeal for warder alto ;tether. As to the appeal for rubbery awl rape, ha believed they hail never been acted open ; at least, he recollected no case in which rubbery had. In the eau of rape. if the ravisher refused to marry the per• son violated, the neat of hie to the violated had the privilege of appeal. Among other anomalies to which this law gave rise, was that which deprised the King of the ;sewer to pardon the person found guilty. At Common Law, the King had the power of mercy ; but here the life of the appellee is at the mercy of a sirs. dicrive appellee. In short, it seemed impossible that justice could be done in any case of appeal. So much for that breach of this law of appeal Ile caw* now to the other pert of the law, which related to trial by battle in writs of right ; and he was con. vinced that the absurdity of the practice in this Me was so apparent to every Member of the linos,— hear!]— that it was unnecessary for him to detain them with any further observations.— [Hear, hesr!)-1161 *Wield therefore conclude with moving frav4eavo to bring in a 11111 to abolish the pro iseediog of appeal of death, felony, or mayhem ; and all wager of battle, joining issue by battle, and trial of battle in writs of right. bIr.DENN AN said, that it would be presompt eon, in him to go over the ground. so ably gone over by his Hon. and Learned Friend. He rote therefore for no purpose of discussion, bet merely In rate how cordially he concurred in every thing that had been maid, and to express abope that the great re. form contemplated would be adopted by the animi sm.% twee the House. The appeal of murder, •hich ass proposed to be abolished, was always an appeal from a Jury that decided without prejudice to one which mast of necessity be prejudiced. This would have been particolarly the co., with the appeal which had suggested this elope in the old la w,shere be was sure an impartial Jury could not have -been found. The same was the me in the last appeal for the riots in SI. George't-fields, where a per. son was tried at the instance of the widow of the de. ceased, whose abandonasesst of the prosecution was I purchased at 5001. Ile ►erended the motion most I cordially, and hoped that the spirit of the age, which made this reform necessary, weekd not stop here, hot follow up the principle of improvement iu other parts of our criminal adositristration which required revision sod reform. Mr. BERNAL!. owed in the modes, bindweed that the 'mai of haunts, in easel %here it was committed be}ood seas, which be believed was still in flittenre~ 111.4111 in loser been incleded in the Hill. 'l be AT FORNEY-GENERAL said, that he be. Hosed there nal ion appeal in cam of treason. Mr. bEitNAI.I. persisted in sa)iog, that be be. tiered the appeal sea rot abolished in cases of t mien beyond seas; and his only objoct in rising nar y that ►very remnant of this barbaross law should be abolished by one act. • 14PI We IP i;s granted to bring in lb. 1141, which the Attnroey.Genersi soon afterwards did.. It •os road • arm time, and ordered to be read a sigma time on Friday nest. Sir J. NEWPORT mused, that the returns frail thy Coorisuf Justice iu Ireland should be printed.--+ Ordered. The other orders were then reed ; sod the House adjoaroad at Nine n•Clock. FRENCII PIPERS. PART. FEN 4.—Yevorday, the King transectod business in his Cabinet. In the above.. be received the Marquis Denali's. The Central Cooedition of the Chamber of Depe• tin, charged with the easmitisties of the Project w no the reopemyibility of bliololtts, Is completed, by the appnintornt, as a Meshes, of M. Leine, Minister of the Interior. Lat►ly, says the Journal de Seine-e!•Oise, ma Euatislaasa interred the streets of Versailles in a vehicle, draw• with greet difficulty by a boy nit wore than ten years old. These who saw the child's visage dripping with perspiration, were indac►d to ask whether it was in England alone that the Etta livh respect t►e tights of hassuity.—(Journal Jt Paris ) L. Ge:eite de France asserts, an the aathority of the survivor, that the &lel in which M. St. Matafilin fell, originated in a trilling q I, without the 'twat dfltant reference to politico. French Fandv.—Feb. s.—Fits per Cents. 71f.; Bonk Stock, 1,350 f. PITZUSURGN, JAN. I!.—The Court went into mourning on the 10th inst. oat the occasion of that devise of the Qeoes 9f England, and that of t►e Grand Duke of Uadea. PRICE OF RTOCKS THIS .MV AT ORR O'CLOCK. Bask !leek 26Re 1 5 per COIL NUT IA 3 per 1 out_ 1te..771 ledia Ileroir 77 71l 3 peg C. 1.1. C.n....1.i6i 1 Lime A... 101 Xl6 Alper Lela. 66i I Exchequer IlkU. 10 16 I .......I. for Arr. 76i : Osmium I per Cest. SSi THE STATESMAN. LONDON: WEDNESDAY. YEIRUARY 10, 1819. Iff the reflections which we thew oat yesterday in our leading article, with respect to the sal-adelais tratios of public affairs, stood in need of any aid duly to impress upon the minds of all rooks of people, the debates in the Home of Commons last /sight af ford it amply. The picture of the State of the Coon try, as painted by Mr. STURGES Minim in his no tion for the re-appolotmest of the Committee en the Poor Laws, cosh: not fail to wring the moat callous heart. What avails it, if, as Lord cAvrixitAcii affirmed, that the present Revenue of the country covered or exceeded its expeodittare--(thotagh, by the-bye, that circumstance implied the consuming all that was presided for susteining the Sinkleg Fend, sad conseqoently the National Debt remain ' ing stationary)—what avails it, therefore, we ask, that a highly-toloored gloss is thrown Deer the really sad figures which are sees under it ? We ammo. for the ninety-ninth time, perhaps, that 13 or 14 millions of additional income is required to feed the cormor-ot mouth which Ministers have enlarged to 'so frightful a degree. This, however, Is sot the full rosiest of the financial evil. As the interim' system of finaorkting has been radially wrong, in the wn- as . consfitrtional way, for an we will all it, of selling the Land Taz to raise monoy—i• sugar laneuage, " eating the c.lf in the cow's belly," an has the sys tem of taset,nn extended to the rejoins degree of preventing Ilse manufacturers from producing their larizles for raportation, at a price to undersell oar foreign competitors. It is in vain, therefore, that our ingenious men , our BASKEZ%U.XES,AIIf WATTS'', our WEDGEWOODS, our CLAYS, stsC. SEC invest new utensils and toys, and that oar ASILWRIGHTS, oar C•ISTRRIGHT I I, &c. discover new machinery far expediting the fabrication of them, the greedy, the woracions maw of Of sultana of legation awaltow• up all its produce. Them aeleotific or ingenious I i persons illustrate their names 'tie troy, and the ma ti on derives credit for its sagacity and activity ; bet there the matter ends: the People are not benefited lby the opplicetims of the Weals of those who wield be their benefactors ;on the contrary, by the wick- • eel neglect of Ministers to discover means of em playing the wilting hand, which moles to be re gaited by that improved sped*. of manufacture in which human labour is spored by the invention of machinery, that very band le compulsorily tomtit against the blameless manufacturer, or employed la robbing a neighbour of a part of that property which, by a more fortunate lot in life, he has been la,ing by for the solace of old age. This slate of thine Can not, will not, last. Th. Legislature has no time to los.. Ministers will never consent to pr ! .rscrunre a of sentence tivon themselves. They rennet e'en 'co. newly' but upon the must pitiful t•cale : they 41P afraid of Insiug the rns:lest portion of Their plower in this respect keeps them isi place—ii H to this that " crismity cites its long life." The ad ministration tsi a Revenue of fifiy or silly italics-, Per annum would curt urt the nos! sirteoet rim .is time. 11.. ta.st fr.! to t: e ou'g. , ;togg to i I