The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-15 00:00:00

THE INCOME TAX AGITATION.

We are glad to perceive that the few brief re-
marks which we made on Saturday respecting the
imperative necessity for obtaining an immediate
repeal of that unpopular impost, the income tax,
has taken root, and that a merchant of standing
and celebrity has come forward to second the
idea which we put forth of having a town's
meeting upon the subject. To the able letter of
" a Merchant," which will be found in another
column, we would refer our readers, and call upon
them to " read, mark, learn, and inwardly
digest" its able and- convincing statements.
This is, without a doubt, a ' topic far
niore pressing, and far more interesting,
because it goes home to the pockets, the comforts,
and the domestic happiness of a far greater number
of the community, than do the doctrines of the
Currency Reformers, of which so much has been
said in these columns of late. But, as in currency,
so also in financial reform, the public mind must
be enlightened ere we can expect that the nation
shall rise as one man, and in a voice of thtinder,
not pray, nor beseech, but demand of Parliament
a thorough and efficient reform in the iMposition,
the collections, and the expenditure of qur national
taxes This is a question for our great financial
reformers to take up aad agitate,. and
,we
should be glad to see our local associations
step forth and act as the worthy pioneers of, so
great and so good a cause.. The income tax is not
only a pressing but imminent • topic, yet, strange
to say, little more is as yet'priaposed beyond the
expedient of reducing the amount. It is not so
much the amount as the principles on which it is
levied, to which we object; for, no matter what
may be said to the contrary, direct taxation hath
advantages over indirect which no one can dispu'e
or gainsay. In the case of the former, the contri-
butor knows the exact amount which he pays, and
that he • actually does i pay, but such is
not the case with reference to indirect
taxes, unless, indeed, that he kept an
accurate and detailed journal of every 'telt of
taxable commodities, which he consumed through-
out the twelve months.' A' task
,which hardly any
one of any class of the population would undertake,
much less, perform with accuracy. But we have
said, it is more the principles of imposition and
Collection, than the tax itself, to which we object
The letter of " A Merchant" touches upon the
former of these. He depicts the injustice of im-
posing, without distinction, the tax upon incomes
—derived from precarious and permanent means, i.e.
merchants who may one year be
_extensive gainers,
and the next as great, if not greater losers, and those
whose incomes are derivable from a permanent and
uuvariable source—landed property, house pro-
perty, the funds, &c., &c. But constituted as society
has been—aristocracy being the ruling element of
our past system of government, and the landed
interest the chief portion of 'our law makers—we
cannot wonder that they who concocted the tax
upon incomes should have remembeted and legis-
lated for the benefit of the order to which they
belong, and therefore throw upon industry and-
commerce the burdens which they themselves
should chiefly bear. At present this is the
main point in the discussion. Indirect tax-
ation, wherein every one of the community con
tributes at present fully three-fourths of the entire
amount of the national income, the balance is
made up by the income and property taxes.
Tobacco and spirits bring in a large revenue to
the exchequer, and it would require no arithmetical
prodigy to demonstrate upon what class of the
community that tax falls heaviest. We know that
every pipe of tobacco we whiff off—every glass of
spirits, be it whisky, gin, or rum, ay, or even
beer which is consumed, contributes its share ;
yea, more, every cup of tea or coffee which the poor
imbibe, and the very sugar with which it is
sweetened, all are under the exacting supervision
of the excise and customs' departments, whose
eagle-eyed officials, like the taskmasters of Egypt,
are most unrelenting in the discharge of their
duties, and, Shylock-like, demand the last farthing,
or whet their legal knife to exact the pound of
flesh. Again, who pays the greater part of that
tax upon knowledge? the paper duty,—the timber
duty, and several other taxes upon general con-
sumption, which the Chancellor of the Exchequer
numerates and estimates with precision when de-
livering to the pliant House of Commons his
annual financial statement—who, but the people ;
they who are engaged in trade and commerce—
the artizans of all classes—the very labouring
population of the United Kingdom. From
these considerations, it is higlr time that
the taxes of the country should be readjusted,
so that landed property and invested capital
should 'contribute fully and fairly to the revenues
of the country. As things Row are, this is not the
case. The poor and industrious are ground down
• with taxation, f4e that, my Lord This and Squire
That may enjoy and revel in untaxed luxuries,
spread the produce of their broad domains in
continental cities and towns; whilst the manufac-
turer, the agriculturist, the artizan, and the
labourer, together with the mental capital of the
country, must pay up far beyond the legitimate
quota to that fund which has, along with the
prowess of her arms and an invincible navy,
rendered us the greatest nation on the, earth.
We hope, and earnestly too, to see the movement
become universal and earnest.

BURGLARY BY A POLICE OFFICER.

On Friday, John Compton, a police officer of the D
division of the London force, was brought before Mr. Long,
at the Marylebone police court, charged with burglariously
stealing, in the dwelling house of Messrs. Benham, 19,
Wigmore-street, between ten o'clock on the night of
Wednesday, and four o'clock on the morning of Thursday,
gold and silver, about £34 in sovereigns and half soves
reigns, a crown coin, and some florins. Mr. Hughes,
superintendent of the division, attended to watch and
conduct the inquiry on the part of the commissioners,
and Mr. Lewis, junior, was engaged for the prisoner.
Mr. James Frederick Benham, wholesale ironmonger, said
that about four o'clock on Thursday morning he was
alarmed by hearing a loud ringing of the street door bell.
He got up immediately, when he saw the prisoner, who had
on his police dress, at the door, and there was another
constable. near him. Before he reached the door, the
prisoner said he had found the street door open. The
prisoner observed to the other constable "Don't you go, or
I will report you." He and the prisoner went over the
house, and down stairs. After that they went into the lamp-
room. The prosecutor said to the prisoner, Ido not think
they have taken anything." He was about to let
the prisoner go, when he said, " Let us look here."
Prosecutor did so, and he then saw that a
drawer had been forced open, and there was a
quantity of paper in confusion. There was an office
adjoining. They proceeded there, and found a
desk had been forced open, and the papers in it, in a
state of confusion. There was also another desk forced
open. A knife was by the side of it, which he believed had
been used to break open the desk. On further examining
the place he found a drawer had been opened. Sergeant
Knight. D 19, said that about three o'clock on Thursday
morning he visited the prisoner, as was his duty. He asked
him for a penny, which he (witness) wanted on account of
a deceased constable. Prisoner at first said he did not think
he had any money. He afterwards said that he had plenty
of silver—as much as £3 or £4. He then offered witness
2s. 6d. to drink. Witness said, "I do not want your
money. Witness was leaving the prisoner, when he
put a half crown in his great coat pocket. Witness took
it out of his pocket and flung it on the pavement. About
four o'clock the same morning he saw the prisoner at the
corner of Welbeck street and Wigmore street, when he
informed witness that he had found the door of Mr.
Benham's house open. Witness directed him to make a
report to the station. Prisoner was very much agitaled. lie
was scarcely able to stand, and could not tell him (witness)
what had occurred. He took the prisoner with him to
Inspector Mackreil, and he stated what had been referred
to by Mr. Benham. About eight o'clock witness stated his
suspicions to Mr. Mackrell about the prisoner. He and the
inspector then went to the prisoner's lodgings. The pri-
soner was not at home, but he came in soon after, when
witness was in his room making a search. The inspector
told him his suspicions about him, and he was asked what
he had done with the silver seen in his possession by him
(witness). The pris ner said he bad got- it changed at
Mr. Carruther's for a£s note. lie observed that be gave
Mr. Carruthers £2 in silver, and three sovereigns. Ile was
in the evening charged with the robbery. Several other
officers of the police force gave similar evidence, and the
prisoner was remanded,