The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-03-17 00:00:00

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

The politioal topic of tha mai to, of coons, the
debate in the House of Coulson! upon Mr.
klaguire's motion reepeating Ina IPloyan°ll ; not,
however, becomes people out bring tbarneslves to
wade through all the long-clnitrn-out on a
subject which souvoly gives mope for ZnilulitteraDoe
oi as original idea, but became everybody is more
or loss interested in what is or is not going to be
done for lreland, and is consequently anxious to No
what will some oat of the greatest chaos of opinions
and argtunente that has been put before tbe publio
for • loos Ulna. The man who shall be able to
construct a satisfactory national policy out of snob •
chaos moat indeed bays the highest creative
faculties of politioal genius. The greatest diderenose
on the Reform question were unanimity itenlf in so
many Biros? 4;odowsei. !empanel with the diver-
gences of opinion on tressed Talking evidently
will not NNW the question, aolce law that
before they had read much of •a
Wbkoh like • wounded soaks drags ite slow kainbelamig.
sad the oitiN Wand has akkoliod to agoogjadom
on MN voliac—whotior lir. Magnin would at
weld ass oury his whim iymissi ths Wakihry—

whether the c,000.m of tha lattar would be
vinotal7 or the Home would simply
mattrive to popoo. the question to • more 00.1*
venlaut oppertnlty. Following Mr. Hosea Bigloer's
advise,
Dou't ever prophesy unless you know,
we shall not bawd an opialowoin the whim! at the
preesut m i
oment, using that n all probability the
result will be known moon after our present is.. is
in the hands of our readers.
-

If American politics were not as diseppointang m
they its Peculiar, we might anticipete the gravest
results from the formal impeachment of the AMA-
dent, which hes now been carried into effect by the
Home of Representatives. We do not know
however, what ulterior views may be influencing tha
opposing parties. As far as the President is con-
cerned, we may imsipirs, considering the approach.
ing termination of his rule, that he has not much to
Ice. by the policy he is pursuing. Appearanore,
iDgesd, are not wasting to inchoate that he has
something to pin by it. Recent intelligesoe
forme us, that while the plot Must Mr. Stanton
was hatching, the Democrats it/ ed in considerable
numbers to the neighbourhood of the White House.
U, besides this fact, we bear in mind that the states-
man intended to supplant the present Secretary of
War is • peinoarst, we cannot be far from the truth

in -inspecting that. Andrew Johnson is playing a
game for re-election. This supposition, moreover,
will help us to s'oomprehension of the tactics of the
opposite side. WINO Mr. Stanton was hesitating
whether he could constitutionally refuse to give place
to Omen' Moans, Charles Sumner—that Republi.
can of Republicans—wrote and advised him to
' "stick." The excitement, too, which was caused
throughout the States goes to prove that the Cabinet
quarrel has something more in it than the mere
substitution of one Minister for another. In
Pennsylvania the greatest excitement prevailed—
pm being tendered for service in all directions;
while from Missouri special memages were sent en-
treating Congress to stand firm. Nor did the capital
itself escape alarm. A double (ores of guards was
stationed at the War Department, and all the
Federal troop in Washington were placed under
&MIL Such • collision between the Preident and
Congress is mpreoedented : it would bring a scandal
on free government altogether, if it were not for the
Important interests (which perhaps ft 'nay be taken
as an outward and visible sign. The fool is sin-
gular enough that there should mid any doubt res.
pemm the power of the President to remove an
,0- linooss Minister. Such power, Mr. Johnson
I tratende, is vested in him 1,7 the Constitution,
, whilst Mr. Stanton shelters himself behind what is
lathed the "Tenure of Office Act," which, he
Imagines, prevents the President from removing
him without the concurrence of the Senate. In spite
of the President's orders, to use Mr. Sumner's
word, the War Secretary "stick.." In vain did
Gamma Thomas demand the seals of office
—in vain did he remonstrate : Stanton
was in possesedon and this he domed
something more thin nine, points of the law.
General Thomas, persevering as he is, felt himself
Obliged at last to ' cave in,', and leave his rival to
, carry on the department. In this state, most
, likely, things will remain until the period arrives
, for prosecuting the impeachment against the Pre-
, ardent; but we do not know that much alarm need
be felt. Although the phantom of civil war again
' raises up its head, the merit may be easily laid this
time. Impeachment may possibly be defeated by a
previous decision of the Supreme Court on the un-
constitutional character of the Tenure of Office dot
—• decision which Mr. Johnson is endeavouring to
, obtain by • writ of Quo warrant° against Mr.
, Stanton, but even if the President should be proved
' to bays technical right on his side, he is not likely
to pin much favour with the American public, for
making the present time of national difficulty an
occasios for testing and straining the constitutional
1 right of the President. America wants just now at
, her head, not • violent partisan like Mr. Johnson,
1 but • more neutral ruler—not a leader of party so
, much u • calm dispenser of power. Where is he to
be found.
The Equalization of Taxes, which was the webfoot
that recently occupied the attention of the Oor.
cheater Farmers' Club, is one of great importance
and also of great difficulty. It requires long and
careful oonsideration. Any hasty legislation on
the subject might bring the most ardent supporter'
of the contemplated Maw where they never
expected or wished to find themselves. The Union
Chargeability Bill has made a greet change in the
operation of the Poor Law; it ;has taken away the
responsibility of the individual Guardian, to the
ratepayers of their several parishes, and has trans-
formed the majority from Guardians of the Parish
Estes into Guardians of the Poor, and consequently
there has been great increase of the expeditors, to
the manifest advantage of the poor themselves.
So far, so good; but in the meantime the local
burdens have been largely increased; the Highway.
rate< and the Poor-rates together form • burden
that proems very heavily on the tenant farmer, who,
, of oourse, is the first to suffer, especially if he has •
I Isms, and therefore, he is the first to cry out. The
1 idea of • national rate is objectionable, beano.s it
will do away with local management, and open the
way to endless jobbery and abase. Is there then no
way of making those who drew their thousands
every year from the Public Funds contribute to
thee" taxes, without the on-English plan of
oentralization? We think there is. Why should
not • pcor-rate be deducted from the dividends.
, just as the income tax is, and the proceeds he divided
among the several Coloas in the land, according to
population? or according to the average number of
pauper.? or according to the amount of poor-rate
annually raised? Here we should have what we
want—relief without revolution; whilst the Govern-
ment might with great propriety pay ail the ex•
penses of the Militia force, which is essentially •
national and not a local force, as far as the benefit of
it is concerned. It is only local as far so regards its
organisation—it is national so far as regards its
object—to protect the country, not the county ; and
the fact that the county furnishes men, is in itself a
MASA why the county should furnish expenses, such
as barracks, lth. The whole subject was well dis-
cussed by our Farmer's Club, and the dissuasion does
great credit to those who took pert in it. Our
member, Mr. Floyer, was, as usual, averse to any
hasty change, while quite approving of the matter
being well ventilated. Once show that there is •
real grievance, and we have no doubt that a remedy
will be found. Convinced as we are that the tenant
farmers at the premed time are burdened out of
proportion to the rest of the community, we feel
confident that if they keep the matter constantly
before the public by discamions, and pamphlet.,
and meetings, especially if they do so in • calm and
reasonable manner, as the one was stated at the
Club the other evening, it will be tam up by those
who now take no interest in the matter, and it will
be brought under the notice, of Parliament, in • way
that will commend the attention of the legislature,
and then justice will be done.
Fora long tune past the desirability and propriety
of establishing County Financial Boards have in-
orimingly impressed themselves upon the otrupiers
of land throughout the country. The feeling which
has arisen in the minds of many was pointedly
expressed by Mr. Levi Groves, the Vice-Chairmen
of the Dorchester Board of Guardians, at the late
meeting of the Dorchester Farmers' Club. He
said :
" Redid not dispute but what the polio(' were useful,
but he could not see why the occupiers of the land
should have to pay three-fourths of that expenditure,
besides having to build their houses, which became the
property of the freeholders, and they, who paid for
them, had no right in them. More than that, they
had no voice in oiling how they should be built, and
were not allowed to open their mouth, in the Court of
Quarter Sessions. They could go in there it was true,
but it was only like sheep before their &hearers to be
fleeced !—(loud laughter). He was told the other day
by Lori l'ortman that he could go into the Court to
hear the erguments, hot he repkied, "What was the
use of that? what was the good of hear/lag arguments if
he had no right to speak r As he said before, all they
could get by going In was to know they were going to
be fleeced."
This is clearly • violation of the political axiom that
taxation and representation should be co-existent,
and forme, in an especial sense, • tenant farmer's
grievance, for they have to provide three-fourths of
the funds expended. To Mange this state of things,
Mr. Wyld, of map-publishing renown seldom of the
numbers for Eodmin, has obtained leave to
Introduce • Bill into the House of Commons to
establish County Financial Boards, for the assessing
of musty rates, and for the administration of county
expeditors in England and Wales. The effect of
such a measure would be to place ratepayers in
counties in a similar position to ratepayers in
boroughs, in respect to the right of choosing local
✓opreesatatives. It would, indeed, give the rate-
payers that control over the rat...speeders which is
now withheld from them, thus making the latter
responsible to the former. At present (as our
readers are aware), • number of gentleman have the
power of levying rates and managing county business
without any reform°e to the wishes or opinions of
the persons from whose pockets they take the
money expended. This, it most be admitted, is
• relnarkable anomaly in then days of household
suffrage, and,one Mikis our Farmers' Clubs would do
well to expose, and, also, to the utmost of their
power, to anise Mr. Wyld in his endeavour to
obtain for the taxpayers • mine in the levying and
expending of the taxes.