The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1807-02-20 00:00:00

There is nn possible line to be drawn, as to "here our liberality is to stop. But Mr. Malthus him self has proposed the only other plan tnr the gra dual abolition of this system ; namely, that we sheikh promulgate an edit% declaring. that no per. son, within a year after the promulgation, should be entitled to any parochial relief, and thereby be would mean to esdnemish the Poor Rates altogether. We should by Ibis plan wee clashing of contending interests. and the community perpetually warring tad jarring with each other. What then would be oral situation, when all relief was totally to cease? A Right Hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Rose), who has given ranch attention to this subjeel, has told us, fairly and properly, that we would be left is wetly the same situation we were in before these laws were enefted. From the time that the Feudal System had ceased in this country, the poor began to he known amongst us. At that time, very few eneelments were known as applcable to vagabonds and beggars ; they Were accustomed, from necessity; to beg for alms, and Monasteries occasionally afforded relief. Valiant and sturdy beggars gra dually sprung up, and were a great nuisance and offence to the State; 'they went about even to force alms from thoie who were weak, and it became necessary to Inflitt the most severe penalties and pnaishments upon them. After the dissoluton rif ti. Monasterie , this serf of mendicity beceme more and more prevalent and distressing. The only mode of prevention was cruelty and severity, and at last enaftments were made. in the reign of Edward the 6th, it was stetuted. that if any man was found going theta the entre! y, without waking for three d .ys, he was to cnntinue afterwards as a slave, to be fed upon bread and water, and compelled to do any work, however vile; and if he escaped from ten ponishment, he was to be deemed gulty of fe!oey, and if emelt/ended might be put to death. That statute however did not exist long ; but others re oast severity will prey/tiled. till the letter end of the reign nI when these cruel laws as to beggars Und vegahonds ceestel. Every experiment was cried, before recourse w is had to the pte ent system. From tie fife , to the forty-third year of the Long and wise reign of El aebeth. was en:- phryed in the censideretion of this subjelt, and it was thought that the p!an was matured in the lees ail pasted ektierg that period upon this vila. Were these to be no relief or redress by all those hors being done away entirely. a vast number of prefligates and begears. uncentretiled by law, would be thrown up an the community. The poor would then, say to their fellow-countrymen, • If yea do not aff ard me relief, i must seek for redress by my own eeettioas ; I will a:sert the right of nature ; I have a right to eccuey peaceably the of the earth. and to cultivate it for my own maintenance.' That, surely, is a state of society into which I may venture es sae, that, on refleaion, pe man would wish to see this happyy country plunged. If, thee, it be neither wise nor politic to propose the total and immediate abrogation of them Poor Leers whi:h exist, what remains to he done ? I: rat be doubted that a knowledge of those "tinciples which render these laws humane in their operations, should teed us so far to nio dify them, as to remedy many of their evils, and render them less oejediainable. Such is the objeft which I have in yi:w. I beg to say, teat I am no wild enthusiast upon the cubjed. I am one who believes, that • Man is born to trruble. as the sparks Re upward ;' and that it is impassible that a community can exist, without in numerable gee latiens in rank existing in society. Those who thiek th at all men should be well eltehal, well ft 3. and well lodged. will ulti mately fi t:wir scee.ntes, to effect these de sirable nerent, per:telly enegintry and fallacious. There was a wish expressed by ore of the most able Monarchs that ever live.], J mean King Henry 4th, who thought it wee! • extremely de sirable that every peesert ..:;egnom could have a pullet in his pot This however, was only say ing, that every men c ra sleeve those advantages which nature does not permit. I remember to have read, in Catims's .1-. none rrl Nett, Ssurir Wales, that some of the convene who were transported to that countey, were told, e a: thtre was another ceuntry, at a great distance, where every thing was produzel without labour, that those men set off to obtain these imegioery comforts, but they perished in the wilderness, ate! necerne* prey to wild beasts and tottraltures. Upon these principle:, then, any politi cian who coule %ey, that there ihk):.;j be plenty, without toil. would only 11:6.'1e-A the minds of the commenity, in the war in which these unhappy persnns were misled. The objenl I have in view, tren, is so to modify, to regulate. and, in some in iterates, to add to tie leaflets and enadmente al. reedy existing upon this stilt& ; sn as, in process of dote, to ameliorate the situatian of the poor, and to treader these very laws ohsolete, by a co-operation et principles. 14e enhe to aka at muskies the chore:ler of the labouring community, so as to snake them ashamed of the relief that we would give them, and to decline acquiring a liveli hood, by the assistance of their cm:laymen.— 'Ms would afford them the strongest ties to become gond members of society ; and (should propose to give a greater freedom to laboer, be:, at the same our:, to discriminate, if tnsible. the criminal !tom the nicer:icons. I have felt it necessary to he par ticularly cautions against any thing like ireinvetion iron oar peewit stature, to open a awn new leteetieet in our Cearts of Law. or to alter in any d- ;roe the ancient been e lariet of the country. The first &left which I have it) say, the ex- Action of the charader of the labourer, and for this Pligr's's every person most think that educa tion must come in wisely. It has been said, that this Hulse ha; been Areti,torrke.l to open its doors wide to Petitions frosts the suejee, upon whatever • ape they may ehoom to start to na ; I may say, Ova it is the true cluareeier of wisdom, to open t ae doers wid r to trne understanding and to the introdellinn of knowledge. Is there any thing interior to the brute? It is uninstructed man. Aa unenlightened undersaandiog in the human TACP, operates with the greatest violence towards their own destruaien, and that of their fellow creatures. I should propose that the whole of the repletion of the country should hove the M 2141 of ?elevation. altholigh I keno, teat some pre indite% have existed a l ainst enlight-iting the mind: of tee vulgar. But ° I trust tilVme principles have • , " n a .Is...bets,' env such arguments will be used. Look at tl.e unenlightened mob, and compare it with•ast enlightened assembly. I woul d ask, whethet, in Atlknis, any thing would have happened, as to the . Isaaisliment of Aristides, thit Orttl &dually take place, had it not leen owing to thrtondu& of an unenlightened mob ? I would ask, whether an enlightened populace; in Holland, Could have torn De Witt to pieces? and whether the conduct of the mob, under Lord George Gordon. bespoke an enlightened populace in this couirry ? Look, Sir, at the situation of tictgland : What is their superiority ow ing to, but to the elre!l of so psricr edu. cation ? A misconception has gone forth, that Scotland is not subject to Poor Laws, in the same way as England is. The statutes, upon this i eubjea, may be there, at all times, resorted to. The decisions of the Court of Session have, on various occasions, confirmed those statutes, and have de:er mined, that the steijetis of Scotlailil ate as much en titled to relief as in England. Tlusse laws, how ever, are now almost obsolete, being, for the rrs sons 1 have alluded to, rendeted unnecessary. The situation of the Poor Laws in Scotland ought to be 11.:41 up as an example to other countries. Mr. Fletcher in his work says, that in there were in Scotland 00,000 poor families, in such a situ I don as to be begging from door to door. were great burdens to any country : tout now the ,4* ASP is completely altered, by means of their en lightened sate. 4 Q.iornm simul alloa . ll3lltil, Stella refuliit Dcfluit text, nue°. humor." The plucky of crimes had now become rem in that country, w ach was also attrietttahle to their being more and more enligetened, and in the same proportion did their misery decrease. This surely is etiough to enrage,: the necessity of national educa aint The expenee atteudiag it is nothing, when compared with its advantager. It wculd soon re pay ten told in hard money. Of all reforms, I, who hay bees, and still am, a friend to reformation, be• lieve in my conscience. the instreining of every man voimehout the country would be the most etfonual The next plan I have in view, ter exalting tire cha. rater of the labouring poor, is that when was for merly proposed hp Mr Pitt, and which met with the approbation of many great charadivrs, and a mongsr others, the Right Hon. Gentleman oppo site (Mr. Rose). I mean to regul.te the law with regard to settlements, as that has occasioned much litigation, and b, eta piadative of many evil effeas. In early times we find. that all beggars and vaga bonds were sent Irani iliac's they had visited, ;ci where they were born, or %entre they bad last re sided for the space at three years. The Statute et Charles the Second m tele such persons rrmova able to where they were last settlea, and hence has arisen many evils. The law of Scotland is, that a parish is obliged to maintain the poor who have been resident for three years wallow interruption ; and by the law of Mr. Pitt, a person residing fi ve years was to be deemed a residenter, as a householder. providing he did not revere alms. This last plan is what I propose to adopt, and 1 should not give any person use advantage of this, if he has been conviaed of any clime. I w 04.4 give power to the overseers of the poor tti inquire into the situation of every man who came to live amongst them, as it is re. y nrressary that a parish should know what persons beftng to them, in case of sickness or death attacking them. I should also propose, as a stimulus to labourers, t' at the Quarter Sessions should have the power of giv ing rewards generdly, whereas that power was at present very much confiued. The charaaer of the labourer has been hitherto depressed, so that he is forced to seek that relief which formerly he would have scorned, and been ashamed to receive. I would encourage those Friendly Societies which have heen established under the auspices of the Rieft Hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Rose). I also approve of what art called Agricultural Societies, who have held out rewards to those persons who have rested the greatest winner of cnildren without pa• rochia! relief. I should wish to make these in some degree national, which have been only the etre& of individual exertion and henevolcuce. Another ad vantage I would propose towards the poor, would be to enable them to secure that portion of property which they have acquired by their own t-idu.try. Many Friendly Societies have been instituted for this purpose, and they have bean found to operate beneficially towards the Community. It has been proposed to make one general Friendly Society throughout the kingdom, and to compel every person, under certain circumstancrs, to subscribe ; but this, I think, would be destructive of the prin ciple; I w not cime near the posse labourer with any sue' enactment. till such time as he himself should come near me.—l would not in• terfere with his gains, nor with his house nor cloth ing, till he ioked me to do so. Many poor persons know best how to manage with the greatest advantage, while others spend their means is ale houses, or, for want of a proper place to pie it, repose it to risk, and are robbed of it. Others again lend their money on what is called a mort gage. As a remedy, Mr. Malthus has proposed, that Country ainks should be estahlished ; but I cannot help Woking, that the division into a variety would tee injurious. and that there is but one means of affording them security, and even profit 13r their money; I mean one grand national eau:ern for the purpose. This might be instituted without much expense. If it were to fail, nothing would be lost, and if it socceu.d, it would be attended with local, salable advan tages. I would propose, that there be establohed in the Metropolis a fund, what may be called the Poor's Fund. that dime who subsist by their labour should have the privilege of subscribing not less than nor more than 51. and that he should, on no occasion, deposit more than 2001. That interest should be regularly paid him ; that there should be exemptions from postage and stamp duties. No persons to receive their dividends till it should amount to 10 ; and in certain cases, if it amounted to more than that, it should be invested. Now, Sir, these are the leading pro. posieiont which I hare to submit to the consideratioe of the House. As to that concerning education, I may observe, that were Ito propose that alone, it mieht he even looked upon as bring sufficient, be e:moo the enlightening of the people will tend to supplant the necessity of the other propositions. lot giving of rewards itod the granting 44 seen •:•;s. h 'is-oast/a be Vet ? ad iantneoull in promoting the oljnas 1 have in o sting evils sting may in :sough time , remedy all Abe in the present Poor Laws. 13at, lir, there yet re ..n mains a good de.il to be door, mules mast still be raised for the purpose of securing those poor who may stand in need of immediate assistenct. It he-, comes us, therefore, n sw, when we have th's great matter under consideration, to reded whether it would not be possible to adopt a mote era able dis trilerion of the funds than that which now exists. I would, therefore, follow tin the Statute of Elisa beth, which, when raising t!:e t Ate for the relief of the poor. says, that it shall he levied upon every de scription of property and person. It even says, that where a parish • could not raise a sittfitiency for its own poor, other rates should be levied from other parishes. This is the principle, but the practice is so odious and difficult, that it has been very tardy put into vox:lrian. Blackstone, Ashton. and Lord Kenyon, have proposed their views upon this subjed. The distribution of districts has been said to be a great deal too limited, and that the rate of relief ought to be national. If that were the case, there would be no end to misapplication of the money in answering the deorran2s made upon it. There are, indeed, ninny peculiar eases of distress, which any law that could be made) may not he staciently able to reach. There are in the parishes of Spit il- Gelds, and Mile-End, cases where it would he im passible to refuse affording relief. In that latter pArish, the situation of the poor is peculiarly a r gravated, by there being no opulent householders whatever; the poor are living upon the poor. What the poor man pins by labour, is extorted from him by his own benevolence, in order to afford relief to a fellow creature, who is perhaps dying fo; want, and in doing this, the benefador runs the rink of dying of hunger also. I would propose, that a general return should be Made at the General Quarter Ses sions, by all the overseers in the• country, of the amount of the rates levied within the last 7 years, and if it should be found that any parish was in particular distress, and had conducted its finances wi:h economy, they should receive relief from the whole ; I mean, that if they can prove that they have spent more than the average county roe or the country, for relief of the poor, they should have an additional relief, by having douhie the average r ire. Tne county rate was axed in the time of Kii , g \Viliiam, upon the general rental; but since that time, grievances had arisen in particular counties to a very great extent. I should propose, that an average upon the rental should be taken every seven years.—The description of property upon which the rate is levied, has not been properly attended to. As the law now stands, it only falls to be levied upon landed property; whereas, I would propose to include personal property also. Another itahjed, upon which Mr. Malthus has touched, is . relative to the habitations of the Poor. I should propose, that a certain number of cottages should be built for the reception of a certain number of Poor, in each parish, placed under certain regula tions. This leads me also to observe, that some regulations would also become necessay for the better ccraititution of the Vestries, which are ge nerally tumultuous and disorderly meetings. I have I believe gone through most of the °birds of the 1311 am wishing to introduce. As to .he mode of administering relief to the poor, I have to observe, that the relief ought to be given in all eases so as not to be maintaining them in a big! er situation than what they can possibly maintain 'hernial/es in by their utmost possible degreeof industry. It would only tend t t encourage idleness, arid instead of dimi nishing the no mber of poor, would materially increase them, were the public to support them in a higher style, than that which their real distress entitled them to demand from the public benevolence. I confess that I am no friend to the Work-houses, nor airs I a friend to any kind of compulsory labour to be ad: pted towards the poor. That kind of sys tem originated in the Reign of George the Ist, and has continued ever since to be delusive and fallAcieus. Though I am not disposed to refine on those general principles which have almost universally been ad mitted by speculative men, who have dire9cd their attention to the Pour Laws, and am perf*'hiy aware that in speculation the hest of men may differ, yet a recourse m general principles most be had. It can not, and it might not to be coocealed, that Parish Ollcers do not discharge their ditty with that fide lity which is so much to be delis ed. This, how ever, cannot in all cases be ascribed to those persoes who are engaged to discharge that office. The error is not in the individuals. the system itself is erro neous, .It was a difficult task to point out all the different rniaute alterations which sound policy ought to adopt. IVhAtever my own opinion may be, I heartily concur with the sentiments of those who think the system erroneous, and that work houses ought to be abolished. 'lle introduction of new measures generally excited alarm in the minds of those who did not fully comprehend the nature aid extent of what wits proposed. I am come quently of opinion that no new workhouses should be ereded. Many beneficial consequences would ec:rue from the young, and even the old and infirm, being boarded with their own friends. They would be more attentively waited on, and what is, without the exclusion of the other, .-sore particularly under my present view, economy would most ce.tenly prevail to a far greater extent than what it now does." After apologizing to the House for detain ing them so long, Mr. ‘Vhithread then stated the dif ference which existed with resped to the average ex pence of individuals who resided in towns, from those who lived in the count: y. 'rite former amounted to 181. a head, and children in the count: y o ere 31 only. " I have nothing new," said Mr. W. " to propose in the plans, which, on the foundation of this Motion, I shall lay before the House. The shape may to some appear novel, but it is not so in reality ; and even the novelty of the plan which I have attempted to describe, and which I intend to follow up with a Bill, shall not deter me from adopt ing those measures which are calculated to promote so essentially the interests of a very numerous body of the community s And if it oniy accomplish what I have in view, I am satisfied. What can be of more importance to the interests of mankind, than educa tion ? It could not be denied, that this was ne girded. to a very great degree, in this country. But, if it had been lung negledett, this was no reason that we should continue pertinaciously in the same system. Education is intimately con. nefleil with morals; anJ without morality, theft can be na eery • ity. rrugatity was nes t le a g ed ,. , .berth ; ar.l, I el::1 4eld to see. that it is improssyt e ' for on e In exe.t cethout all. The plan which ( have to propose, appear: to me greatly stiprrio r is any on: vs which I have ever direeted my 2t . tea:ion. 'The fitosidation of my plan is to p e ,,, vide labenr„ where it is teqeired. I am hold to mt . that the grand secret of off r .!i ng effaelual rela _l 6 the /yew, can only be ohstained by those mans, and this w.s the ohj-ei which the men early s e s . aces w:th regard to the pour, not infirm, 114 vi e w. Ido not propose to enter upon the cor, t i x very minutely, ea whom do taxes fall. in a ceni i i seose, it may be said, that the burdens hell o~ arm equally. •I -hey, in some instances, fall on those We n are ben able to pay them, and those who do sq , contribute to the convenience and comfort of fellow rive errs. After the most mature etrbilcrs. Lion, I do think the workhouse system a bad It pretends to have justice in view ; brat this the case. It is altogether impossible, iu the t course of things, to distinguish between the sitou , . and those who are not so. I aga-n enc.; iodulgenre of the House, and beg leave to mera,,,'. that 1 propene that the Bill which I mean to ire,. dude should go into a Committee after the lielyitee, and, if possible, be decided on in this Session of liament. Foreigners and others tell us rt . e :r Nationel Debt ; but our Poet Laws mutt tie2- er e., every intelligent pesters as a greater Inad than in thing else of which we have to cnaripl is. I not e that leave be given to bring in a Bill tor prometieg the contort of the poor," &c. Mr. G. ROSE observed, that he seas someiq n afraid of the efficiency of s-me of the mea.ures which the Honourable Gentleman proposed. It was his opinion, that the obje.ct he had in view c.et!" not be effeefed in every part of the kingdom. Mr great ohjeet WAS, that the poor should have it in on r power to support thetas:4ra, and without this, nothing could aff Id them soy real sell -. The county of Lincoln, he said, did chat never en done any where else, and the measures there adoptce, were such as he would recommend to other parts of the country. Unless this was the case, it %wild/ be found to be a losing game. He was of opinias, that though it was easy to &vie theobjeet.k oegte nevertheless to go out to the country, and it might afterwards be found necessary to ..sake some Awe tion is the resolutions that might he adopted. Mr. ELLI3ON cautioned the House not to . 1 . peel toe much. Mr. W. had, no doubt, thrnwa much light on the subject, yet it might sec liappe-, that, by some minute regulations, the poor might be placed in a worse situation than they already were in. The great cause of the hardships under which the poor laboured, appeared to him to aria from an inattention to the statute of Queen Lim beth. Mr. SPF.NCER STANHOPE agreed in mei. ment with what had been expressed ; Lot were he to give way to what were his own feelings, lie w:oll be disposed to split it into valions Bills. It rright be put into one, two, or thice Bills. Lord HOWICK did not wish that this messtm should he pressed forward too much. Wham wee* n.) doubt, evils to be correfied. and which he mist solamnly was desirous to see correEled ; but, on a matter of so great importance, the utmost caunaa and deliberation were necessary. The observances of his Hon. Friend, who had introduced the mo tion, with so much ability; had his approbation; and, he hoped. ~--. that smut effednal resututioa would be foutifed, on what would, no 4164 be laid' before the House. He hoped the 113 Mr. W. proposed to intzoduce, wauld be ptintel before the holydays. This would give every Mon ber an opportunity of considering it with anere Son. He d'd not, at present, deliver any opinioa upon such parts at have been submitted to the House this evening. He agreed, however, on the whole, with what had been advanced, though, is some particulars, be might stiffer. Mr. S. BOURNE and Mr. WHITBREAD made a- few observe-ions. • • Sir JOHN NEWPORT approved of the pin which hal been so ably detailed to the House. la Ireland, there was certainly great occasion for re lot m ; but, to his personal knowledge, from the bad cffailts the Poor Laws had produced in &grand. it was the feeling tbrouihout the country, to view them with great relitElance. There were many houses ce industry in Ireland, and besides the ti • tim-my of others, Mr. Howard had given them his approoation. The administration of those en t charities called for the approbation of cry g 0.1 man. Those charities were certainly susurpoble of a great deal 0f term m ; yet, it is a tact well as certained, that the average of the maintenance it ideots and lunatics was only 71. per annum. This slim must be admitted to be very small. Mr. BATHU 116 wished that the Bill should be print-Li early in the next month. It was in some is snots necessary. that the whole bill should be sub mitted, and if any parts of it were found to be be neficial, they would then be adopted. Mr. WHITBREAD consented to print any one part, as he judgment of the House might direct. AufoultNED DER ITE UN THE FINANCE RErog7. Sir JAMES PUL TEN EY thought, that sore bounds ought to be set to the Sinking Fund, ar: l totally dOmiaproved of the War Taxes. He ir . .• tempted to give a history of the progress of " Simi r, Fund. Mr. H. THORN CON observed, that the stiliPt deserved very considerable attention. The n:** speculations of Administration were apparently std• vantageous. He was in the House when the Sins-- Mg Fund was proposed, hut he thought it dangetoc• to touch it. It was small at first. There were three plans, he said, which had been proposed. and c'" those he commented at consiueraide Under the present circumstances of the Coutinint. and the immediate relations of this country. ague was no greater enemy to our prosperity, than c,t.a em•nsive principle of funding carried-car in this country. There were intimations given to the -lir, that no increase o r a ddition of tarition wou a. under any circumstance. take place, fur the spice of the ensuing three years. This hope, b*" . ' ever pleasing it may appear, Or sedisla: ,,, l on the first suggestion. did ant appear to it'ff so ultimately innefictal. He should prefer intciruediate taxes, for the purpose of e xirica . ing the country horn the in:oscine pressure klt'ut which had sad was accumulating. TI -debt was a great and awful sc :ight upon • I