The Express.
London, England, 1853-04-30 00:00:00

deal on fancy and conjecture. But he would stem sub-
stantial and sufficient reasons why a te timer:ay tax etiould
not be imposed on Ireland under her present eireunistaree se
In the first place he weuid state—not at present as a matte:
of controversy, but as a matter of tact—that Ireland was
paying for two separate churches, one which you
Imposed on her and made her support, because
it was yours, and another, which she supported
for herself and for her own spiritual necessities. (Hear,
hear.) That that state of things might be temporary—that
it might be changed or modified More seven years—ho
hoped and partially believed. lint for his present object, it
was a legaimate argument as a matter of tact and finance,
that Ireland did support two churches. (Hear, hear.) The
other fact which he wished to impress on the hou-e, wee the
present state of the poor law in Ireland. (Hear, hear.) He
was not now speaking of the permanent poor law in Ire-
land, but of that additimel poor law burden which the
famine imposed upon them, and which it would take them
some years yet to get rid of and absorb. (Rear, hear.)
If the iseome tax was propossd as a permanent
tax, his argument would nut have the same weight ;
but as it was proposed only as a temporary burden, there
was neither political wisdom nor financial justice in extend-
ing it to a country which was already burdened with the
additional temporary burden of its own. (11. ar, hear.) But
there was another circumstance above ana beyond ail these
to which lie wished to call attention, and that was to set
before the house the reasons assigned for this tax when it
was first imposed, and the reasons assigned far maintaining
et. (Rear.) Sir R. Peel, in le42' propescd this tax, on
tese distinct ground that it would enable them to carry
ma a reform of their financial system, that was
ee to enable him to repeal the corn law.
The I>Lt use of Cummous had pronounced that policy to be
wise,
t, and beneficial ; and no doubt it has been bene-
ficial .. 13, tit must be admitted that it was not equally
beneficial to all, and certaiely Ireland, up to the present
moment, hat.reaped the gentlest share of the blessings it
procured. Ye t the Irish liberal members had, by their
support, advents. 'dthe question of free trade by many years.
If they had joint... ' the uppoeitiou in 1816, the corn law might
continue to exist for many years; but notwithstanding
their conduct on that occasion, the hon. member for
the West Riding, with an ingratitude that could
scarcely be expressea by human lips, told them
that they never at a. 'Y
time showed the slightest
sympathy with the Ere: elish people. (Hear, hear.)
He would ask that him
curable gentleman to point
out, if he could, any measure which was calculated to ex-
tend the rights and liberties of t.
people in pro-
meeting which the liberal Irish ms where did not assist with
an earnestness that put the apathy o. • the people of England
to shame. (Hear, hear.) But there 'ere some hearts so
Perhaps
callous that they never knew the value of
gth:.:tifermiensandsoutciuh
a lesson, and bring him to his knees, as they had before
they lost them. (Hear, hear, and " ash,
the Irish members might yet ad the Mee
,brought
people manyof
better
r oneede r
th, s heapeden. ( h ear, hear.)
England and P
w enjoying
were
tap abundance which the salt • sacrifice e f the
Irish representatives procured for them, and now the
Irish people were struggling out of difficulties, which the
great boon they procured for England did not tend to lees 'Ts
the hon. member for the West Riding seised them to &sell
the already bitter cup of suffering, mixed with the dregs'
and lees of others. (hfear, hear.) The question, as he had
put it, he would not hesitate to leave to any jury of hosour-
atee and generous Esgliahmen, who were not influenced by
a fear of dissolution, and nut prepared to support a budget
as a whole. But Irishmen were going to decide upon
this question, which was of such importance to their
country, and it was with regret and shame that
he must admit that if Ireland was to be roasted
before the financial grate of the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, it was Irishmen, as usual, who would turn the spit.
(Cheers.) The bon. 'number fur Carlow wee one of the
brat to distinguish himself by an industry and cowrage of
an enduring kind. There was a Scotch saying, which
spoke of a clan that never deserted in chiefs, whether they
were right or wrong, and in that chivelry of et:nitwit the
hon. member fur Cerluw certainly won Lis spurs. (" Hear,
hear," and "Oh.") But his courage wee semewhat ill-
timed, when he ventured to express a suspicion of the
motives of others, after tl.e melancholy exposure which ho
made of himself but a few nights ago, wiisu the question
of the advertisement duty was before the house. (Rear.)
It was a somewhat unwise thing to suppose that they had
forgotten the stolid bravery with which on that occasion,
he announced that he came down to the house prepared to
support the motion of the right hon. member for Man-
chester, but that be had altered his opinion—no—not his
opinion, but his vote—(cheers)—because the right hon.
gentleman the member fur Backs. presumed to vote for the
motion. (Hoar, hear.) Bat the reasons which the hon.
member had given for his swpicious were only calculated
to raise them with regard to himself. The hen. gentleman
said he saw certain members who were not competent to
decide on the question of the South Sea Annuities, and yet
he natured to record his own vote on that question. Ito
respected and admired the hon. gentleman's estimate
of his own ability, but what he had ever done,
or said, or written, that could entitle him to
look down on the intellectual capacity of others, was
what be (Mr. Moore) woo entirely ignorant of. (Rear,
hear.) Ile doubted whether the hon. gentleman was wise
in speaking as he had done of the hon. and learned member
for Kilkenny (Mr. Serjeant Shce) who was at the head of a
profession in which the hon. gentleman blushed unseen—
(hear, hear " oh, oh.")—or in speaking ia he had done of
the hon. member for Meath (Mr. Lucas) and the hon.
member for llungumen (Mr. Maguire) men, who by their
own talents and their own energy had carved their way
through the hard world without depending on time-
serving either on their own parts or ou that of others.
(Hear bear, and " oh.") If it were true that the loss of
this question involved a dissolution, the hon. gentleman
and many of those who went with him were wise enough in
their generation in trying to keep the government in office,
and like the "busy bee" in " employing each shining hour."
(Laughter.) Those hen.gentlernen belonged to that distressed
class of students who would inflict a tax of 400,0001. on
their country fur the sake of saving lid. iu the pound. But
he warned them not to eousuminate such a calculation.
(Hear, hear.) It was said that the proposition. of the go-
vernment would be • saving to the farmers in Ireland.
That was a great delusion. The only persons who would
save would be the landlords. Ile had spoken to the Irish
farmers on the subject of the Consolidated Annuities; he
frequently touched that chord, but it never vibrated.
And why ? The hon. member for the West Riding knew
perfectly well, for when he was discussing the question of'
the burdens on land he was in the habit of telling the far-
mers that it was a question of rent—that the burdens were
returned to the land in the shape of rent. (Hear, hear.)
The Irish people did not care about their Consolidated An-
nuities, and, at all events, they would never permit their
national rights and interests to be bartered away in this
manner. (Hear, hear.) They were now watching the con-
duct of their representatives, whom they sent to parliament
to take care of those rights and interests ; and if, on the
present occasion, they disregarded their duties, he was sure
this would be the last parliament in which they would be
permitted to palter with them. (Cheers )
Mr. BALL rose to explain, amidst loud cries of " Spoke,
spoke." He would not occupy the time of the house for
more than a minute. lie did not think it would redound to
the credit of his countrymen that whenever one of them
gave an opinion different from others, those others thought
it necessary to indulge in personal insinuations and im-
putations. (Hear, hear.) lie, too, if he thought fit,
might possibly have invented imputations. (" Hear, hear,"
and "oh! ') It was true he was unknown to the great
majority of the house, but he relied upon the future.
(Cheers, and " Oh!") But though unknown, he thought
the House of Commons would permit even the humblest
the opportunity of defending himself from personal charges.
(Hear, hear.) But ho was known in Ireland, and he
would permit the hon. gentleman's speech to go there, rest-
ing satisfied that it would not have any effect; and to show
that be said this in perfect sincerity, he would not say a
word mon on the subject. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. M'GREGOR said that he wished to address a
few words to the house on the subject which was
really before it—the conti,nuance of an ipeome
tax till the year 1860. (Rear, hear.) Ile considered
that the income tax was aa agent for effecting much good ;
and if any country ought to be grateful for the effect of the
income tax it was Ireland. Ile admitted that the income
tax was not fairly or equitably levied ; but, to make it a
perfectly fair ancla equitable tax, would require an inquisi-
torial searching which the people of this country would
never endure. (Hear, bear.) The only part of the pro-
position of the right hon. gentleman with which he found
fault was that which related to the excise, forhe was of opi-
nion that it was vicious in principle to reduce excise duties,
instead of abolishing them ahogether. ,Hear, hear.)
Colonel HARCOURT wished to state briefly the reasons
why he could not support the amendment. (Minieterial
cheers.) He might sum up those reasons by saying that,
looking back to the last 16 years, and the enormousbenefit
conferred on the country through the medium of he im-
position of the income tax, and looking forward to the
next seven years in connexion with the enoremes benefit
which it was to be hoped would be gained through the con-
tinuance of that tan,. he could net bring Memel: to think
that the continuaino of it would be impolitic sad unjust,
Mr. H. HERLRIAT was not going to keep up the ine-
tation which had been caused by the attack of the hum
member for Mayo on his boa. friend the member for Car-
low, but would merely add to tee classihcation of Irish
members given by the former gentlemaa one more, and that
was the desaepointed class. (Hear, hear.) lie believed
that the preposition of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
would have the approval of the tenant farmers of Ireland,
because never had a more just or meltable one been pro-
posed, in as far as that suffering class was concerned.
(Hear.) He could not therefore vete against that proposi-
tion, and thereby defeat a government which had at its
head. a nobleman who had distinguished bin self above
all other in the etand he had made in favour o/
religious toleration.
Mr. MOItGAN, was understood to complain that the
government had made no attempt to equalise the burtheu
of the income tax. If this budget should pass, as he hoped
it would not, be trusted at least that MAIN attempt naiad
be made to facilitate the transfer of land. With regard to
the advertisement duty, it was to be regretted that the
Chancellor of the Exchequer had not attended to the vote
of the house and repealed the tax altogether. The removal,
of the stamp on newspaper supplements was undentoed to
be for the purpose of facilitating the publication of adver-
tisements, but in some country newspapers the supplements
contained news as wet', as advertisements. The proposition
for extending the legacy duty to 'and in Irele nd he consi-
dered especially ire expedient at the present remain: t.
Mr. C. FORS:. Elt tendered ,his cordial eapport to the pro-
position of the. Chancellor of the Exche• Luer. He confessed
that had the re-imposition of the tax been proposed
under the same conditions and ci' curnstanCel as existed in
ISIS, he should havo objected t`a it on account of the un-
equal rate of assessment. Ivat the circumstances were not
t/le °am' The charadt". of the tax bad now changed, and