The Express.
London, England, 1849-11-24 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING. NOVEMBER 24, 1849.

peessot spasm of Walks was natured. And sow bow
ban *Cloy dealt witb theassivos ? The revenue from arm
hail, babe paha . doss not affect then. Tile
some of in the nutter fist lb*
gross sum 14.1"47.101,,
to the Eseheynee. The Pest Jidizealt Parnemiliey
from land, it awes from the millions. Income and yeeleirty
tax is sestet/Med alike by all, more largely, per by the
owners of precarious income from trade sad pro oleo,
then by these of Seel income from property. Stamps are
no yeesliarbirden on land. They are imposed on all deeds
of whatever kind, on probate of wills, bills of exchange
helms' mete; rteeele, marine and fire iiieurances, licenses
and esetileatts, newspaper., medicine, legacies end idea-
dements. The Customs and Excise do not furnish taxes on
land, though they tax most unmercifully some of its prod nets,
seek as bops, bricks, and malt, but these fall on the ocest-
tzof land, and nehnetely on the consumers of its leo-
There is then left but one head of taxation, namely,
*,lead sod Alarm d Taxes," the gross amount of which,
Iscretber, is four millions and a kale and out of this how
area de yes suppose the land contributes ? Why, the
my mart sum of 1,160,0001. ; while houses alone are
taxed in the shape of window duty in
is, for light and air
more
—half a million ore than all the land n the country put
together. Call you not this taking care of themselves, im-
posing 67.000,0001. taxes on the country, and only coatribute
log one fifty-seventh part themselves, and yet themselves
spending the whole 67,000,0C01., and spending, too, a very
Lerma proportion of it upon themselves? Am I net right in
selling it a selfish system ? (" Yes.") But how have they
treated you—you who have no land, but only your labour
for your in: eritance ? Hove they taxed that? Yes; bat
only indirectly. Bat to what amount? Listen. To the
amount of thirty-seven millions and a half. How?
Through custom-noose and excise-offices. On what ? Om
nearly every article of necessity, whether for had,'
shelter, health, or education. Having at eonsidttable length
specified the sa-ious articles, and the amount of revenues I
yielded by each, together with the several ills resulting
Mem amen such tax, the speaker went on to say :
The destructive tendencies of this system on industry
ere. therefore, apparent. How, but by their iodate
by, are the great messes of the people of this
essaay to live? lede.d, it is only by the industry of
the mares that any elwe of the community are exempted
from the necessity of toil ; for what is rent or intenst
capital but a portion of the gains of toil, given up by
these who labour to ileae who poems either the land is
the capital. The freer, therefore, labour is to work, the
amuse security both for tent and interest. (Cheese.)
Now, we mrintain that the present system interferes with
this freedom of labour, by imposing such requirements
on its exercise as are beyond the means of the great
bulk of the people ; the consequence of which is,
that leers numbers are altogether idle, and fathom a
burden en the few who can labour, thereby reducing the
fund out of which rent and interest are provided. But
idleness is not the only evil of the system. If people
are not employed profitably, and for good, they will be
employed unprofitably, and for evil. Strictly speskthg,
there can be no such thing as idleness to men, as man.
its spirit is ever active. It is the law of Li. me ure.
If by its activity it cannot rise to good it will sick to evil ;
and bowmen it be expected that the moral part o! man should
be otherwise than elected, if not formed, by his outward cir-
eamstanem and external condition ? If he sees that labour,
his only inheritance, is di efroyed by tie artificial laws and
meals:dons of his fellow man, placed above him in the scale
of society by birth, and perhaps by education, how can we
wonder if be refuses his homage to the wisdom of the one
or his hearty acquiescence in the requiremenfe of the other ?
In eouclusioo, I will only remark, that this unjust
ey-tier bus been eatublieneel and matured by violence to
the genius of our cunstitution. Its boasted feature is, that
taxatiun and representation go together. We have seen t
night, that the possessors of laud have held exclusive row' r
in the legislature while this system has been matured, au t
I. at they hive spared the we.vee, while they have teatil
those who are unrepresented. We know that they have re.
fused, and continue to refuse to admit, ties vexed to their
lair share in the represeatation, and thus in practice they
give the lie to what in theory they extol. We now give
teem their choice, and it is, to give every man a vote who in
any shops pays a tax, or to exempt from the payment of any
tax every man who has no vote. Of the two they ma) take
their choice, but they must select either the one or tee
other. (I. sad cheers )
Colonel WILLIAMS then came forward, and was
warmly received. Ho made a very humorous and Wee.
live speech. From the exposures, he mid, which they had
ceaid that Light, as welt as those at former eseetiiim,
they must be aware of the importance of the Financial
Moor= Associntion. (Loud applause.) The meeting s:iould
itcolket too, that it had orutinated amongst themselves,
the community of Liverpool; but it had extended all over
me country, and they ought to be proud of it, and come
leeward and support it. (Chem.) The gallant Colonel
proceeded —New, gentlemen, you have heard a good dell
about taxation new I want to give you an instance, per,
haps more than one, of the way in which they deal with
these taxes when they get possession of them. We have
First Lards of the Treasury, and hales-dozen smaller meu
lords;—we have a Chencellor of the Exchequer, and en
immerse phalanx of underlings, whose business it is to
receive this money, keep an account of it, nail then give
that account to the public. For five end thirty years, teem
1792 to 1826, these valuable offifiels never furnished any
account at all. (Lsughter ) They comfortably received
title quarter's salaries, but never took accounts into their
vulgar consideration ; they left that to men of buoinees.
(Laughter.) At length tome honest fellow in the House of
Commons called attention to the arrears ; so they set to
work, and it took them five yewa to being up threw thirty
i five years. (Laughter.) And how do you think they did
it ? They meet scielpulously, with the most precise forms of
business, brought up year alter year the income mad expen-
diture, and were so matidious aheut it, that they mei-, every
yeses account balance 'o a tanning. (Loud laughter.) Not
only s s, but they made a great display of the farthing—that
was to let you see and make you believe Vst
they had done aoserethins correctly. (Lsughtet.) Well,
at the end of thirty-five tear., and those five years nesides, a
very shrewd man, of the name of Marshall, thought that hs
would orsrhaul those recounts. He went through theta,
and found, notwithstanding the feathino, that they had
wide bland. rs to the amount of forty-four millions, (Cries
of " Hear, hear," and roan of laughter.) Now, I wrote to
' Mfr. Cioulburn not long tyro, to see if he knew aught about
it. (Laughter.) Mr. Marshall en:deflate this laborious
toile of going through the whole, and by taking some sums
from the debtor side, and putting them to the creditor, in
one way or another tie c intrived to extricate much of he
perplexity ; but at last found that there had been a defaleo
eon of twenty.four or twenty five millions. (Loud cries of
" Hear, hear.") Now, I want to know how that was?
There were actually twentyfour millions of money missing;
sod when you consider the hands that it went through, you
can readily imagine that some of it would stick. (Laughter
and applause.) A very valuable work has been published
lately, called ' The Characters of the Stock Exchange,"
which I would recommend you to read. Talking of
frauds, the author, Mr. Fraucis, has proved that, in
every loan with which the loan jobbers had been
connected with the Chanceller of the Exchequer, to
enable the government to carry on their ware, there
have been gross frauds. (Hear, hear) 1 mean to fish
out some of them, and to make them public. (Loud
spplouve.) Col. Williams next ably descanted on the mode
in which, under the Hanoverian dynasty, an enercuous
national debt had accumulated, and the constitutional dura-
tion of parliament had been infemous:y. extended to 5 years.
(Hear.) He said When the Septennial motion lest session
was moved by Mr. Hume, I took the liberty of petitioning
the hon. house on that occasion, and let them knew I
thought that all that error of 24 millions originated in the
Septennial Bill. (Applause.) I do not think it pos4ble
that any such monstrous frauds could have been carried for-
ward, and such an ereasive system of plunder exist under a
three years' puliain nt. ("Hear, hear," and applause.)
You are all now enlightened on that point-3, it know that
even in a septennial parliament members are very well boo
hared just as they are going out of oflice—(laughter)—and
if they had two years of bad behaviour and one of good, it
would be better than having six years of bad behaviour
and one of good. (Lauehter and applause.) The gallant
colonel' then expressed great admiration of the Financial
Reform Association, and of those conflicted with it.
Toe speaker amplified the various topics he had brought
before the meeting, and concluded by urging upon them
the necessity of supporting the great movement in favour
of financial reform. (Cheers )
Mr. BOULT maid he had few words to add after what had
been so ably said by Mr. Broadribb, except in the way of
application. He agreed with him that no people could I e
co,.sidired free who were not free to earn a living in the
b.st way they could. He thought that was the foundation
of all freedom, and it was idle to talk of liberty until they
had mowed it. They had no more right to tie a ma's
hands and tell him to labour than to ssal his lips, and invite
him to speak forth the thoughts of his mind or the feelings
of his heart. He concluded by showing the advantage of unre-
stricted commerce with nation' as a means of giving lull
employment to the labourer, and he hoped the question
would shortly be taken up by mom government able to
grapple with it. (Cheers.)
Mr. J. FINCH then addressed the meeting, showing,
more particularly, the necessity for unrestricted trade fa
ir la, by which there would be an increased demand, whisk
would have the lefrEct of employing a• larger number of
workmen, and at higher wages, than they at present °h-
auled.
After a vote of thanks to the Chairman, the meeting broke
up shortly before ten o'clock.—Liverpool Mercury.

THE MILITARY INSUBORDINATES AT LOUGH-
BOROUGH AND NOTTINOHAIL—Yesterday morning MIDOI,
General Thorne went to Nottingham, by a special tato
from Colonel Lord Cathcart, and inspected a mounted
parade of the regiment, and the soldiers having formed into
a square, he addressed them at some length, calling to their
mines that they had gained considerable military renowa
under his command at the battles of Vittoria, Talavera, &e.,
but he regretted that by their late insubordinate conduct
they had tarnished their lamb, although he did not doubt
that should occasion require they would again prove
themselves valiant and brave soldiers. He informed
them that he had received instructions to refuse passes or
furloughs to any of the men or damn, itionsatimioced and
non•commissioned, until they had retrieceu their good name
He further stated that general courts menial would be held
over the three prisoners (who were present) for insubordi.
nate conduct at Loughborough on Thursday last. He had
received further Instructions to remove the regiment from
Nottingham to Bhellisld, which town would in future be
the place for head-quarters ; end be ordered the regiment to
he in readiness to march there on Monday. The sentences
upon Hum, Butterworth, and Ball, who were tried by
general courts-martial a fortnight since, an expected to
UM. in Nottingham every day.

RAILWAYS.

• Total, including Mang and Exeter, 16,1011.
t Paslusivo Id Heading, OaAd/ord, and lteigata receipts,

MIDLAND ORNAT WISTERN.-011 Monday last a portion
of the above r-eilway work, between this town and Bat.
linerloe, in the parish of Drum, was commenced. In con-
nezinn with the gratifying fact of its commencement, we
regret to see that the mann, yin which it w, s opened crewed
very great dimttisfaetion in the anlettbnurhood. and nearly
occasioned a riot, whit a, but for the speedy iuterprattion of
the police, might have proved of a serious character. It
appean that a number of men, belonging to the ore.-
tractor, Mr. Derwin who were strangers in the locality, were
sent to open the work. The labourers about the pace, feel.
tog that they ought to be employed on the work near their
own homes, felt greatly disappointed at seeing strangers
where they considered they ought to be. A great number of
them, accordingly. went on the work, and demanded em-
pb yment, which, on bang refused by Mr. liargan's men,
they insisted on obta,nint, and to confirm their determine-
' tion, took up some pick-axes and other impleme Ms, which
were lying shunt the place, and commenced wurleing. The
polies were then sent for, and by their timely interference
succeeded in preventim a bream' of the peace, and restoring
quitters. After a good deal of remonstrance, the people
were reconciled to thrir daappointnient in not procuring
employment, on being told by Mr. Dugan's principal agent,
that they would he emp:oyed when the works aulit ba more
extensively :opened, and when the manner of perfuming
railway labour war shown to them by those acquainted with
such employment.—Athlone Sentinel.