The Express.
London, England, 1851-05-20 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—Mmehrt, Mx 19.
'ilia Loan en•Wcittn.t took his seat at five o'clock.
PETITIONS PRESENTED.
A number of petitions were presented against papal &g-
-ar the eufranchisensent of eo_py.
=7= Myiis sa agriculture ; see from BM-
flare, rubes Ise Its eleblielment of • transatlantic packet
aiellea; me hem Cork, against the importation of foreign
S and ems against the Capitula Estates Bill.
EXPENSES OF PROSECUTIONS BILL.
On the Medea of Lord Coax won= this bill was reed a
Mesa time.
PROPERTY TAX BILL.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved the mond
reeding of this bill. He was not a great admirer of
this system of direct taxation, and In shoOld he
a moot unfit person to propose the adoption.
of • system of direct instead of indirect tauticas, if such
were intended. Although he had on a former occasion
shored the seeend reeding of a similar bill, he always had
s objected to its principle; and his objections were well stated
by the late Sir Robert Peel, when parliament agreed to the
Mature as a temporary one. It was liable, u all direct
taxation must be, to an imputation of inequality, which
parliament could never dreamily remove. It was the duty
of parliament, when Imposing an immense wawa of bur.
• Jens on the isometry, to make them as palatable 'Me,
and to carry with them the feeling and coneurrene of
the people. (Hew, hear.) There were two questions to
be considered—how far, by the continuance of this burden,
they could facilitate the importation into On■ country of
that which was important to its prosperity, and to the us-
were of its manufretarci, and how far it would improves
the revenue and facilitate the means of getting rid of
the tax altogether at • future period. He would ask
them to consider whether they could think that in
the state of this country, the property tax actually
operated heavily se an impost, and prevented the develop- '
ment of the resources of the country. Had it sines 11141 '
bad the effect of crippling the commerce and prosperity of
the country ? The revenue, he thought, furnished the beta
reply ; and not only in one, but in every department of
it. He would not state to their lordships, fur it must •
be ',efficiently known, what hail lamed in the other
house ol parliament. The surplus would, they were aware,
be applied fir the purpose of liberating certain duties on
the artic:es of coffees and timber, ankh he thought had been
wisely selected, and also fertile purpeeseuf repealing • direct
' tax which pressed more heavily even than the income tax;
• and he trusted there would hr no difference of opinion be-
. tween their lordships as to how they should apply the re-
mainder of the staples, namely, to the reduction of the
national debt. The removed of the window tax would not
only remove • severe pressure generally felt, but have •
ben, tidal effect in a sanitary point of view; and by sacri-
ficing a million of revenue they would also encourage build-
ing and vine an additional impetus to manufacture", and •
notwithstanding the statements of noble lords opposite '
every branch of industry was now in a most flourishing '
Mate. (Ilear, lieu.) The former repeal of a part
of the duty on coffee gave a marvellous in
crease in the revenue from that article by the
increases! consumption; and, no doubt, • similar result
would fellow the reduction now proposed. As to timber,
he might say that since the reeolutione of the House of
Commune had been known they MI given a stimulus to
skip building. and the price of timber hurl been reduced.
To secure the continuance of the present prosperous state
• of the country, their lordships, he hoped, would assent to
. the re-enactment of this measure. there was only one
alteratem of importance iu it, which applied to the occu-
piers of land, mil by which, instead of paying upon mo-
hair of their rents, they might, if they could prove their
prelim to he le", pay the income tax on the amalleramount.
He now moved that the ball be read • sowed time. (Hear,
hear.)
Lord STANLEY said that the noble marquis had rested
the viudicatieu of the measure on two grounds; first, can •
the necesetty, in which he cordially concurred, of main-
tenting the public credit of the country, and the impossi-
bility of demensiag with the whole ansouut of the in come
tax in the present state of the revenue, at least in the pre.
seat year. 'I ho noble marques also ri.t.4 it on another roe.
sideratiun, with respect tee which he must take leave alto-
gether to dissent from the noble marquee namely, the ex-
pediency of developing and still further extending our pre-
sent commercial system, and still further facilitating the
importation of those articles of foreign produce, the me-
*MIK, earelsitant, and unchecked importeition of which has
already brought so much ruin epee the country. (Cheers.)
Ant he did not wish to take that opportunity of doecuseing
the commercial polity of her Majesty's government, be-
cause they were in that petition iu which no opties
was left t., them as to the course they should pursue.
A bill wee brought up to them ifelll the other
hies, of parliament, the pissing of which in some
shape be odrusttal to be neceinary Aw the main.
tenets, of the credit of the country. Apart from
all other consideration he wee not the person to eon-
*ad, is.,, hail he ever imateneleel, nor should he contend
that in the course of the pnawat year. sor could he honestly
my as the course of the next year would it be possible, in
his °lemon, to diepease with the coistinuaiwe of a certain
pewit. of the imam ax. (Hear, hear) And he hoped
be nei ii ma say for himself and for thine with whom he
acted, that no consideration nimbi induce them to sanction
that rule and no lams reduction of taxation which would place
the rountry in a 'tuition not to meet its engagement.. (Hear.)
Their leel-hipt were placed in reference to this question
in a position different from that of the Ileum of Commons,
• because when a bill of this kind was brought before them
they were not in • parities with regard to the privileges of
the other house of parliament to amend or alter or modify
it ise the slightest degree. The simple question which was
submitted to their lordship.' consideration was whether
they would adopt the modified elreltle US now proposed
for the Senn ..f me year, after the. other home of parlia-
ment had avowed its int. ntion of inquiring into the irreut-
Intim" and anomalies, and inner!. lawns of the income tax,
or whether they would reject the bill altogether; and
then fire reject the means of procuring • TetellUe of be-
tween Seellitatinle. and eereknefie And by this proceeding
esavert a gimlets of about 1.„400,000/. into a deficiency of an
equal amount. &Almon these two propoeitions he did out
think there could be a moment's hesitation. it, his mind
there was nose, nor slid he believe. there could he
any in the minds of any of their lordships. When
be said their lordships were debarred from con-
sidering any modification of the bill, their lordships
had • striking proof of that statement in the fact that they
were compelled to per the measure in a shape which re-
flected no credit on the blundering legislation of parliament.
The noble earl ((hey) adinittesl that a blunder had been
committed in the bill, which while it was only to be con-
filmed for a single year, contained a provision applicable to
the lan year of that term of one single year, and the noble
marquis said it was • blunder introduced by the amend-
ment of au individual member of the other house. Now he
must take lease to differ from the noble marquis on that
poiut. The blunder was coneequent on the introduction of
the amendment, but was not contained iu the amend-
ment. The blunder was committed by the government,
who having acceded to the amendment, or leaving it
forced upon them, did nut look to the contest of
the hi.l and did not take earn that the remaining clauses of
the bill were iu accordance with the amendment. (Hear,
hear.) But they mint pass the bill blundering and non-
eensical as it was or they must pm no bill at all. They
mint pass the bill or lease the country without a revenue ade-
quate to the public service. Under these circumstances he
did not feel justified in opposing the paring of the bill, and
bet wren the two ateruatives he should consent to the second
reading of the bill. Ile must also, to • certain extent,
concur in the opinion expressed by this noble marquis, that
de what they would, whatever might be the ingenuity of
committees of the other house of parliament, it would be
impossible so to modify or emend this as to do away with all
the irregularities and imperfeetionstkat mast be foam' is an
income tax. What he took the Home of Commons
to have decided was this, not that the income
tax should met be renewed in any ease at the
expiration eta not even that if it should be '
found impnetieekle to sound or remove the anomalies of
the present tax. that tea or • portion of it would not be
enstamed; bat be Milt the House of Commons to have
Ensidmi, nod as he thought decided wisely, that they would
rurel • erearierrien of this question at the expiration
of am ysee, amid that they would not leave the govern-
ment in wash a state of security with regard to a large
portion et*, femme as to induce them to proceed la a
reckless ~se of disposing of every petty surplus in such a
way as indeleitely to postpone the ported at which the tax
might be done away with altogether. (Cheers.) They
decided alas, sad as be thought decided wisely, that during
the per Ste whisk the tax was granted, they woad inquire
wrlnnthan they oral& reduce or mitigate the anomalies, the
hilaselse.madieequalities of tin. income tax as it now existed.
lie eat/ sued he mg iamb regretted the course adopted by
the Home of Osiememe Mine respect. He regretted they
did not aiept the repeal made hr a right has. friend of
, Übe* atone with plum rid of • portion
of this rejar awl apenetere tat, either by • ralliiilll et
these solerinhe writ nerd rest riaareely, ea W afro
area sedaetion of the while ef the nak He reralled they
did not begin by dig the reams end searat et
the re, ant apply to that redeetim Mk em ainevat of
Same as might be fairly spared frets the wire ream
of the elsenery, withoat attrinterelhe etiltueld &Int
the rai Wth.alear.) Ile be that wOOld have
been the mead to have pursued. Ha believed the
beet meal the of Commons emili hem takes would
haw bets to dine est at the earliest yeedlite period the
plee shwa to the people should be err nark and that this
tax elo.Y set be emlinsed fur thei=etwanblieg her
Kajestragemeamentie propose an ' verities el in-
direct tasolliele. mei thereby incorpoledne Meet trades r
a part at the peersent financial teem et_the eessory ;
at
that, the ether lead, no reduction dwell be mole sore
rapidly than was areirent with the reireseree of the
public relit. The noble marquis Id it to be
tandessemell that there was to be an indeinit•
==liras be called it, of our existing cum.
otent —an indefinite removal of indirect
InaMisas mil a sabstitutieu for it of direct taxatios—an
kibilliski sztession nod encouragement given to the freest
tempo Impertatien of bre' n produce. Now he said that,
Beth ami ' y, they had carried that in-
-Ireffeselms produce to a dangerous and mis-
dimes ere& care, bars) They were sacniciag a
mesa et mime as orally, the pusession of which
Isist
Malls Ilia te Mal with the met oppressive dr
et %Tree= whilst they were istlar a large
of *de is this reentry and their colonies,
they wawa ems tints sarrihdag their revenue , and
they was net prime in the shape of a redaction of price,
the only abesitee mid* weak eamensate fee the 100
of terms "Yoh they seetatsed. (Hear, her.) II ap-
plied this primeipie Mi the two mess whisk the :lio'
armee r--4e the pressedworries et the
tat 7 es wile mei *alai. Me Itia euseislies wee