The Express.
London, England, 1849-01-11 00:00:00

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(Applause.)
ptip°aPT:s;corsa.lrr' dNplisa/i
I meet give this amegally •• very satiefactory report of the
proceedings of het swift of parliament. T• say we did
nothing, perhaps, wadi teehe Me. We passed 133 acts of
paritanhat—(a laugh)selins amesiget theme 133, there is bat
ooli solitary law tee the air--- at of thou prineiplee of
cosomercial freedom he whisk deo tuber Mushester and in
whictt the country at large is ee deeply interested. The achy
right warp we took was the abolition of the duties me floppes
• wbbn we also took a Net of retrograde step is ngasd to
Übe goiter Cutlet. (Hear, bear) I shalt it was ea nowise
pYto make in tie mot of 1848, to extend the
fee Ike equalisation of the sugar duties.
asbut whettiag the appetite of the body
ce west ladles prombesee foe num proesetioe,
without enalernng e e Mum any relief or any mateeial mi-
-1 vantage WNW:ever ; fold I believe that if them same
„amity Genii, mid* has ..me ia under the present law
' had mime in media the taw of 1818, it would lave gives a
large revenue to the st ate, with an equal rim to the nor.
It hgratzht, as I,belifive, and se will be found at the end of
the year, a small sum to the revenue, and it manoot
be denied that it has conferred no advantage on the con-
sumer. I voted with my hoe. friend and colleague against
say attendee in the set of 1846, benteme I felt convinced it
was an unwise sad lejudidons champ?, and was calculated to
give some' further regegnidon to the doctrines of protection,
*ohm wedge we have exerted ourselves se mush. (Hear.)
I have been told is Ludas and in variom parts of the cone.
try that there le some reeetiou on the quake of tree trade
—that the maanheturen, the comemeercial world are tired of
free trade. Now, as we are all assembled here, let me ask you
- Is there say reaction ?" (Loud erica of "No.") Are
you determined se ever to luny out these principles
of freedom whisk you have odopted in reference, to
corn and the other interests of the country? (Yes.)
Well, it is set hae there is an reaction.
(No.) A gentleman writes a letter in to-day's Moyne
ing Chronsels—a Mr. Young, who has diem:geisha/
himself by his advocacy of the navigation laws who says be
does not call on the free traders to retrace their steps, but
wishes them to pause in ;heir career. Now that I think
especially to the aaggrrii
ceiredirthewal:larmitiaso:beriadt"Pated:l4. v:iiefosietignal:tedtltitsombleitt:ysintebliarie:inuystigiltes-wel:ce:nihotoigiotuletwatbmalyl What ! pau.e in our
counties to u emo-
m,
mulcted competition with the proeucers of grain throughout
wads which you have take& for the rest of the emotry ?
Wine, a great shipowser, and he has knead oat, jut se the
navigation laws are going to be reposed, that we ought to
ones ia our career of applying thus principles to the skip-
muter, to have him the benefit of his woo-
ry. I cannot 'amnion any each doctrines as these. e, true, as my hon. friend Mr. Cobden has said, we are the
tenure' friends. I, for ow, whi was proud to co-operate
for the total repeal of the wire laws,—l felt soy ante
enmity to the &MA farmer. I knew the protection which
he enjoyed, or was said to enjoy, was fallacious' and con- i
ferred on hien no real or permanent advantage. And now,
as my hoe. friend has said, he has come forward with a
proposal to the agricultural bay which is clearly and eel.
dently for their advantage. We must not leave the farmers
in • cart of parenthesis, exposed to the competition of foreign
whom, and not carry out the principle of tree trade, u als
to wive the greatest possible relict from the burdens of the
taxation of the country. (Applause.) Now Mr. Cobden
has given us &budget, and Mr. hi•Oregor, a gentleman very
.ietimguiand Le his talents sad for his industry, and well
known in the country for his commercial knowledge, has
produced another budget. My hon. friend Mr. Cobden
proposes to reduce expenditure ten millions, and Mr.
fil'Oregor proposes to reduce it five millions. I
was asked in London by a gentleman whether I really
meet to go Mr. Cobden's length, or to try Mr. M'Ciregor's
first. " Try five millions," be said, " and don't go so far as
C ,bden." Why, I said, would you have me take two bites
at a cherry ?—no. (Laughter and applause.) Let us 10014
into Mr. Co den's budget—let us see whether we can reason-
ably support it—let us see whether it is founded en mull
geut argument—because we have got Mr. bl•Oregor'e budget
in the inside of Mr. Cobden's ; if we get ten millions an-
Dually we will certainly get Mr. M'Oregoe's five. Perhaps,
as the agricultural body, or 1 should rather Bay, the ogee
don body represented by the " Central Society fur the Pro-
tretion of British Agriculture," are going to have • meet-
ing at 17, Bond-street-1a laugh)—on the 16th February—
perhaps the president of that society may produce a budget ;
wee knows But you will ay to the farmers, that unless
the pr. 'dent of that society has something better to propose
than my hon friend Mr. C .blen I do not think the farmer
can be much blamed if they are more inclined to take Mr.
Cobden's leadership, than the leadership of that distinguished
nobleman. (Hear.) Sir filbert Peel bad tried Mr. Cob-
den, Lord John Resell had tried him, they had all tried
him, and the farmen might my "let us try him too
(applause)—he talks of a repeal of the melt tax—a reduction
act ten milieus of taxation—the hop dads. are to be taken
uff—tea will be cheaper, with • variety of other a tvantages."
Toe farmers will say "Have you got anything better for us?
Mr. Cobden has been a great adviser—the greatest statesmen
have oomplieteuted him in the National Asembly—we have
alt heard si memo of Cobden that non, as he ha, come for-
ward, we will see whether, after all, it may not be for our
advantage—so we'll try." (Applause) I will not blame
the lumen for such • course ; nobody could. I think they
have good reasons to suspect those friends who bare so often
mislid them, as to what would be the legislative policy of the
country, ant what its effects would be on their interests.
But the question is, Mr. Cobden proposes to redeem
the expenditure 10 million., and also to get a million and a
half of additional revenue by extending the protium and
legacy duties. (Hear and applause) That, in fact, is his
budget. He creates a surplus of 11 millions, and applies
teat surplus by the repeal of the different taxes which he has
enumerat d in his letter. Now, with regard to the exult-
'ion of the duty on personal property to real estate, I for one
will give it my mullet -upport. (Hear.) I think it •
most unjust exception from the taxee—that one species of
propeme should be 'olio-et to it sod another should be to-I
tally Neropt. Nuthiug, I think, as is well known to the
country, and to every sou who reflect on the beet interests
of his country—nothing can be more likely to create dissatis-
faction to the government under which we live—nothing
more likely to create discontent amongst all clams of society,
titan the very idea that any particular clam should be fa-
voured above the rest of the country by exemption from
tuition. (Applause.) But now comes the question of the
saving of the 10 millions How I. that to be done? Now, cm the
broad lace of the thing, I at first should say that any man
who reflects how liege • portion of the internal government
of Zeeland—how much of what is necomary for our comfort
and social welfare, is paid for by local taxation—any man
I say, who reflects on that, must COMO to the conclusion that
the general taxation of this country mould be the cheapest
and leut of any country in Europe. (Hear, hear.) Tnere
is no country in the world, perhaps, that carries on so much
of its government by local taxation; therefore thins is no
country in the world that is more entitled to have the
mailed mount of taxation than the community in England.
(Applause.) Why, what is the amount of our local taxa.
• ? Add up our highway rates, our metal rates, our
p or rates, our church raw—(dissoprobstion)—our toll.,
..ur fees of various kinds to various officers in different locali-
bee, our port dues, our navigation dues, our light
dues—all of which are taxes for the purpose of
geverning the country, end giving us the comforts
of soc at exie enoe—add up all these, and you have
the amount es:cording to the report of the Commissioners
of Local Taxation to 1841 of no fess than 12 millions sterling.
Wby, when you consider that amount, it is I .rger titan
mate y of the chief countries of Mumps have got for their
whole general and local taxation. ( Hem. hear) I state
that Moon the authority of those commimioners; therefore
I say, on the very face of it, we have a right hi presume that
where the general taxation of the country amounts to a sum,
exclusive of the interest of the debt, of something like 20
millions annually, and shows a tend. nay to increue—(hear,
hear,l—ere have a right to consider whether the time is not
come for us to look namely into these things, and see who
tier the people are sot taxed and their money taken from
them without any just return being mode. (Applause.) My
hon friend alluded to the special services of men of war.
Nothing could be more true or just than his remarks. When
the oco .an for the augment-Men of the forces has passed
away, they never will, if they can, allow the force to be paid
tit but keep it as an addit on to the permanent
estobl-hinent, and • sum is also asked, as an addi.ion to this
bomb of our expenditure. I have gone through for some
pars rack the different amounts that have been ask- d for
be tee government from time to time, and I find that
namat to be something like 7 millions sterling. This me
Willy is for a less period
Ithan from 1835, and, I believe, if
I had gone beck to 1836, should have found that the whele
10 millions my hon. friend propme to eke off would have
been voted for special eervittee. Sias' 1838 there have been
y millions voted proems this ; The
Chancellor of
.ef;rrpeoltbsaPlifitilliltrue.iirvierd.
fanorardtbks—ientihpliset hys Liafi.ayemNairtiotht7eimtsufmmgguree in the u
said of it, and the expenditure for the next year is the
whole sum plus the sum for the special services. So it has
' gone on from year to vear,till you have added sines 1835 this
enormous sum to the national expenditure of the country.
During the period of the insurrection in Canada
there were ten millions granted for its summon
sion—very nearly the whole value of our exports
to Canada for a year. This is how our expenditure
has grown up. My hon. friend has dwelt on the sub
feet w.tb much ability, and his entered into detail., further
confirming my *pintos on the subject of armament. We
have got at present in Canada 9,000 men, and before the ia-
surreem I believe we had only 2,000. Now, I quite agree
with my hon. friend in the statement he has expressed, that
you 0•11 do nothing with thus armaments without going M-
u the extent of the forces. It is • delusion if you think the
meant he promises to save can be used, When we keep up the
prevent amount of forces. A gentleman had admitted to
him, that there was great lavishness and great extravagehm,
but he said it was in the dock-yard ; and another says it is
is another department, but the reduction must be mad" in
the amount of the forces. If thew dock yards—if the bar-
racks, and there vest establishments have • clear distinct
relation to the amount of the forces, it is as necessary that
they should be maintained as the permanent establishment.
(Hear, hear.) Now, I have observed that, wh his
quetion of face is brim.% before the House cf Commons,
toe o ioister saes, "Oh, we 011/1113% enter into that—it is •
question of confidence ; we cannot go into the questa oft of
tmling you why 26 hips and 6,000 men are required in the
Mediterranean. You must vote this number of men to be
necessary, and then you are at liberty, it you please, to go
into the hest mode of keeping the force when von have
allowed us to set up this estahl aliment " S. come toes
were appointed last session, but those committees were see
Inhibited from inquiring into the only quest free womb
insoiriag into—notely, what are the permute and distinct
iasket said to be obtained by our . resent amount of lam t
It was the play of Hamlet, with the pat of Honitet
out (Applause.) Tutu gentleness were to be allowed to
Inquire into mattes is way* it was imp weible they could
seas to 'jag dodge without pe.gesitad skill of Feder