The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-27 00:00:00

MR. W. WILLIAMS ON PARLIAt4B
AND FINANCIAL REFORM.

The late member for 03ventry ban published a
well-timed address to the eleetors and nocideotore
the United Kingdom. It dmoryes the versant stteo-
ticm of every reasoning and independent member of
the oonuonnity. We submit a few specimens to oar
readers, confident that they will excite a desire to see
more of this very instructive tract.
After gleaning at the financial doings of the Duke
of Wellington's ministry in 1828, Mr. Williams pro-
mods to glanceet times of the reform parliament,
rye:ling as with en edifying sketch boon the life
eye-witness.
We now eater nadir the belay shade of the Reform Par-
spriaging ken the people and sysapethisieg with
the people-- whisk was premised Would keep a tight hold
of the national perosestrisp, and, is the teems of Kielp
Edward's law, " from hostel*** take so meaner of aide,
Wks, nor prime [tams], but by the COMMOII swot of the
realm, and far the Gomm prolit thereof." The first ante
mates of expenditure, presented by Earl Grey's govarameat
so the reformed parliessat, is 1833, wore, is animal,
49,168,00 W., and for 1834, 49,713,0001. Towards the latter
mid et that year, Kiag William turned the whips est
of odes, and a new ministry was formed wader Me pee-
ssiership of Sir Robert Peel, who framed the estimates far
1836, which were partly voted before their resignation of
calm in the mouth et Marsh of that year, sad were adopted
mattered by their eneresers, Lwa lialboarse's admiais.
trades. The sweat albs expenditere, ander those OW
mates, was 48,787,0001., whion combined the ematemis
efforts of both tortes sad whip, and were the se pies %lbw
of vetresehmest by " reformed" parliaments, befog
2,120,0001 lees than the estimates voted by the lam rates-
borough parliament, in the last year of its existent*. This
is dm fulfilment of the "cheap and *good prensnmat,"
which it was promised the Reform Act would prodoos;
but even this " tight hold of the nation's pureseetrbep " was
bat shortelived, The whip economical ministry, eliding R.
self Nuked by a "safe working majority" in the second
crformed Rums of Commons. in the next year (1836), in.
eased the expenditure to 50,819,0001., or within a fowl
pounds of that of the beecouth-mongers of old ; and that,
too, when there was not a ruille—" not even a cloud of the
sine of a man's band "—visible within the whole circle of
the political horizon, either domestic, colonial, or foreign.
I well remember this increase of more than 2,000,0001. of
the public money being voted by lees *an forty members—
the required nua.ber to form c house—end that, too, without
opposition or comment frost anyons burp* faithful guardian
of the people's money—Mr. Hume. I hal been, then, too'
short a tins. a member to amble me to render him very effi-
cient @Misuse'.
A remarkable Beene is presented in the " reformed" house
ea a motion fee going into cententtee of supply ; a gen►
rslinled and dispersion takes place, a corps is remit' of
uo
aad expectant' being kept at Bellasy's dining-
rooms, ready to defeat a motion to " count out " the house
or to answer the " division bell ;" all being thus made safe,
the " supply nights," when the people's money is voted
away by millioss, are devoted to dinner-parties and other
free.froweare enjoyments.
It wit. Mr. Williams who, in 1844, obtained, with
great difficulty, a return of all salaries, &c., exceeding
1,0001. a year. To this edifying document he adverts
in the following terms :
is 1t44 1 moved for, and obtained with difficulty, a return
of the amount of all satisfies, peados% and other emoluments
derived from the public exceeding 1,0001. a year, with the
asses and offices of the recipients. Amongst the host of
placentae and pensioner wets 164 persons. wao received, in
salaries and pension. (oft* both) 1,000,6071. a year, a great
many of whom holding two, three, and even tour atipoint-
ments ; such, for example, as the following cases, which, as
an illustration, may be isteresting, without giving the names,
which, as so many are alike, may appear invidious :
A Year.
Clerk of the Council in Landes £2,000
Who is she Seentary sad Clerk of the Enrolments
in the island of Jamaica

£4,200

Clerk of the Treasury end Auditor of the Treasury
Accounts E1,350
And also Agent aed Paymaster of the Chelsea
750
Pensioners
And compensation allowance es Ceinansioner of
150
Lotteries

£1,500
wader Secretary of cub3,ooo
And penaion

£4,600

Pi trait ay Pension out of the Excise revenue .. • . £7,200
And heutary iss whoa oat of the Poet.oftlee revenue 3.384

£10,684

Lord of the Admiralty £l,ooo 0
Also Admiral of tits Red 766 10
And Maj .r-Oenoral of Radar 1,037 5

£2,803 15

Colonel of the 2rd Begitnent of Me Osage £l,Boo
Also Govatnor of Hull
1,788
And pension al late anaertader

These are not selections, but merely a sample. .8, large
number of the 161 received from 6,0001. to 10,0001. • year,
and some • much larger amount ; and I find some have
omitted to return the whole of their esnolumen's, and others
are omitted altogether; amongst the latter ere the pensions
of four late taxingonsten in the C,ort of Chancery,
•be together to 27 .OISJ„ or nearly 7,0001. • year each,
to be paid during their lives, and 2,5001. •• yea each to be
paid for seven years after their deaths. This gressjob was I
perpetrated by Lord Chancellor Lyndhurst, who brought
is
• bill, which was cent from the Lords to the House of Com-
mns only • few days before the termination of the maim
oto 1842, la which he invested himself with power to Moe
penned, these men, as well as many others, fei and
se lemlegise
ur
the emoluments of office—the compensations
provided by this bill amount to 77,07 U. a year. I etrsessiese**
objected to pass such • bill at so late • period of the s
but aa mettranos was given that the amount of the
comren-
cation would not, in any of the cases, exceed from
to 7001 a year. Several motions for committees to inquire
into this public fraud were made, with great ability, by Mr.
Watson, Queen's couneel (late member for Kinsale), but
were rejected by the " Reformed" house, by large majorities.
Mr. Williams, after a withering analysis of our
taxation, and the manner in which it is expended,
points to striking language to the demoralising effects
of the excessive burdeus upon industry :
We us, as • consequence of thieves% abstraction flora the
fruits of industry, the great strides which pauperism and
crime am making ; end, as we. proclaimed at • church melt-
ing by the lion. Sidney Herbert—" We see wealth at one
end enormously on the morose., and poverty as rapidly in•
creasing at the other • the rich becoming still richer, and the
.
poor becoming everyday more numerous and more poor ;
the cause had bathed the sagacity of the most acute philo
eopttera, and goes on in defiance of human skill and foresight.
Whatever the cause, this was a moat danyerout stale of
society." Is this a foreboding of what Sir James Graham
mid in his celebrated pamphlet 1—" henW this country
presents the spectacle of indlions supplicating for breed, then
willthe people sweep away titles, pension', and honours." No
reflecting man can look at the prosiest position of the country,
and witness the annual eshaustion of its resource a after so long •
riod of pries without the moat fearful apprehensions.
There must, indeed, be something palp•bly rotten is the
Btate " when such an enormous amount of money ie ex-
acted from the people—not for the requirements of the
public service, but to be lavished upon almost countless
melees phonon, ainecuriste, and pensioners, and in main-
taining an enormous en nary establishment ; and that,
icient
too,
in the face of the rennue being year after year insuff
for this prodigal expenditure, and also of the memorable
declaration of Sir Robert Peel in the House of Commons
when he proposed the imposition of the Income-tax in
these ominous won's :—" I cannot consent to any proposal
fir increasing taxation on the great articles of corsumption
can
by the labouring classes of soty. I uy, moreover, I
give you conclusive proofs that you have arrived at the
limits ef taxation on articles of consamption." In
cowltimi of his 'mutton, the right honourable
W ima
est* referred to the effect produced by Lou:
Melbourne's ministry ailing five per cent, to the
customs and excise (Wise in 1839, which amounted to
87,000,0001, and which ought tokens produted 1,860,0001.;
but whiith realised little or nothing, as the LIICTelle of the
tax necesearilylncreased the pries of the articles, thereby
causing • diminution of consumption; for example! • peer
ns • certain gam.
man could only spare into his scanty gai
my for Me, which, before the five per cent. was added to thel
duty, would buy three and a quarter ounces; but at the In-
creased price sawed by the additional date, it would only
buy three miners. Thus the great firsancier proved thee.
as regards using the wattages of life of the power
flames, " the orange had been sucked dry :" in other wade,
beck." "the last thinker had Men put upon the earners
bath." AU the previously available sources of taxation had,
in short, been dried up, sad the only remaining reemsres
(and that, too, that an only be available in case of war/—
property and income—Was put under contribution te again
the ("tithing earthen.
Prom taxation ?dr. Williams tarns to consider the
great taxing machine, the lianas of Commons. The
following picture is not exactly flatteriag, but it is
faithful, and that is of more couequenos
The dsfoessity either system, mearladonsly rolled • " re-
presentation of the peovle " may be exhibited in various
phases; tor example: "Yalu (says the Timm Journal) the