The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-07-04 00:00:00

STATE OF TILE COUNTRY.

The Whistling letter was published in the Chester
I:I/ordains of the tlOth last, anoilymotitilr, and has
1...-11 attire transmitted In the Editor of THE BOrrasa
iraf:SS by the professed writer, with his signature :a--
TO THE EDITOR.
Slit—The debate on the motion of Mr. ll'estern, reaper,-
teethe 'Bill for the resumption of cash pymenre, commonly
ruled Peers Ism, is interestieg only as it stereo the half.
measures to which many of the country gentlemen, who
are termed the moderate party in the House of Commute,
may be sometimes induced to lead themselves. The re•
•iimption of cash psymeote is, In itself, a great national
benefit; and hoer las it been rendered otherwise? 'Surely,
by keening op the tax?' to their paper denomiumioss. The
taxes mire be reduced to their 'etiolated value in cash,
which et the lowest ostentation is full fite-and twenty per
'cent. bttow their nominal 'mown; It is not by t•king of
use or moonier Me, and by partial alleviations of the pres-
sure itrai.•ny rood r•n be effected, bat by • general deltic.
limn afire and firmly per real. on the Nieves of •II debts
coli.rtretorl elnetror the p per currency, including the na-
tional debt. This must he the tins step. A similar redue,.
Non in salaries must ily follows ayd, indeed, etch
• redneion will not then be felt as a grl ranee. Measures
of this sort oneht to have aceompanierl the Resumption
Pill; her it required both Tonnage and rectitude to pro-
pose them, awl for this reason the return to cash pay-
melts became the cease of 'lmre,. All this would
be tenon set In r'glils by a Parliament slut really reprevet-
cal the imererts of the country ; but what are we to expert
from "tear who, g Ily speaking, are the repeesentatives
of debt sad Government inflame*? I ant lint sorry that
the motion of Mr. Western was loot; and, indeed, the de-
cided manner in which it was more than simple rejected,
is pea% ells the best thing that, next to the Wit itself, ever
proceeded from this Administration. The question is ma-
tted ; the kepes qj Aitrh priest ors at an end ; the country
item lemen now must make up their minds to the that which
they ought to have doge keg ago; there can be no loom
any 'modality° ; they must come to the point—the only
poi•t where they may lind safety : they must denoted a
general reduction of iat ea that portion of the mt.
lions, debt contracted in paper nessey, sad on all bonds
sad other dehts incurred during the depreciation of bank
paper. Mestere have left them no other resource but
this. But, at the same time, I du nut think they will
obtain this demand of these Xlinisters or of this Parlia-
ment. They must look to Steens; and to a great
thee,e in the government of she cowry. What ran
they possibly have to fear is • change? A reformed Par.
linnets; with a polestar Admininration, t deprive
them of 'Their estate* half so rapidly as the present system ;
• the contrary, they can have no longer sny hope but in a
refermed Parliament. This present Administretioo, ailed
by its influence is • corrupt Peshawar, carried the paper
money system to its moat extravagant extent, sod at the
conduction of the war they found that their paper money,
by creating enormous prices at horn-, ruined oar trade and
our commercial importance abroad. The country was
sinkiag in the scale of kiiiplume—the foreign Meerut.'
of our Government was diet g. To remedy this they
diminished their paper ninety. but they did this without
diminishing the dept which hail her n raised in that same
paper money. By this plan tlu.y now draw from The country,
even with their preceded repeal of a few millions of
Tattoo, more money (estimating money in the value of
labour and produce.) than they did during the war, by at
least five•and•tweary or thirty per cent. And who Soils
this labour and produce—who but the tenant of the land-
holder? And yet the country gestlesnen have bees look*
throughout this Session for a remedy to the very amerce of
the evil. The present Ministers consult aid them rffeetwelly
without pulling to hazard the very influence on which their
awn power I, bunt. They have acknowledeed this repeat-
edly. They have detailed the most paltry placemen—their
double Postmasters Gs neral, and their supernumerary Lords
of the Admiralty, openly, upon the pretence that their
morkine cannot work at all without such welt oiled springs
and levers. Even in repealing • tax, they must contrive to
preserve the petty machinery of ingeeace employed in its
collection. The landed Wriest Is every way made their
dare. If the country gent).men continue to snppoit such
•u Administration, or to resist the refuter now es absolutely
necessary iu the parliamentary representation of the interests
of the country, they will have to oedema sufferings tenfold
termer than their present sufferings, and will repent of their
•biliied confidence when repentance will avail them nothing.
'I he qnertion of obtaining high pri, es by ms ens of an ex.
tended paper currency is settled. The next step must err.
islets: he that of diatialslsed expense. Now, in tine, how far
is the question of national credit mad the diminnltun of the
ortional debt to be comprehended? You. Sir, have stropped
many hints relative to the necessity of considering this
baring of the subject is time, end most have perceived
that alt , during the present Session, public credit
mid reduction of the interest of the did, have been men-
tinned in the Honourable Wane, there has been more de.
I:esey than derision among the Hun. Menthe's. The mat.
ter most sooner or later come fumed in the shape of a di-
r,•et debate can this subj. rt. Ott Friday last it came
Infnell Fest prematurely into discussion. Towards the
those of the Kent meeting, Mr. Cobbett intredneed •
sort of rider to the l'etitiou for Reform, praying that
tee reformed f Palliamerst might be iesirocted to reduce
the interest is the national Mist. This proposition
was carried by • very great majority. On the 14th
torten', Mr. Hoeywood, the Whig Megabit. fur Kent, in
presenting this Petition to the House of Commons, dig.
'Torrid this clans., in the name of the leading Whig Gee.
th men who had called the county meting and presided der.
ii• g the deliberations. HI. apology was mil by the sarcasms
or his Tory Culkagae, Sir E. Kosichbull, and gradually the
principal Members on kot h sides of the House were drawn, re.
I :ctant ly enough, into the discussion. I cannot but say that
I rejoice in the circumstance, for it elicited some alliterations
which I have lung lookt.: for sills anxiety. Lord J. Russell, fur
whose earnest labours in the llefuni of Parliament I entertain
tile most si tepee', appeared earnest to clear the question
et Parliamentary improvement from all suspicion of its ten-
deucy to to reprehensib'e • measure as that implied in
the surreptitious clause of the petition. His Lurdabip,
ni
vertheless, silmitted that a mumest of necresity might
arrive is which he might be impelled to give his commit to
smile rissole of composition with the public creditor. The
Marquis of Loodoeslerry shuddered at the word content
t bin Lordship admitted the possibility of a calls, when,
with a poputd me oppressed with the weight of the public
berAeos, sad a thresteeteg ebony without, it might be
absolyhtly Recvssery to cousider the claims of the peblie
ei editor as secondary to the immediate safety of the State;
but st the same time he deprecated any suggestiou of etch
•
it on points, so in this iustauce I cannot but think that hie
view of the subject was any thing but that of a Statesman,
or eve• of an honest mac. What I would say on this im-
portant subject enemata, in fit, words. to this: that it is
more honourable for this insulveut and distressed natiou to
come to • composition at once with its creditors, than to go
ou in • train of mean expedients until the day cones at last
when it may (and nuked suit) be in • situation to be abso-
lutely compelled to say to the public creditor, we can pay you
mot:tug. His Lordship cries out—" Oh, for Heaves.% sake !
do not speak of the possible coosequences of our d. btu : let
us put on a fair outside; Impoverish our farmers, ruin our
merchants sad manufacturer; and it will be time, when sot
soother peony cgs he obtained in any quarter, to tutu round
and say to the public creditor, we are unable to pay you
any longer." This is rot call. d (sir dealing in private life;
•..d the debtor, who, oadre such circumstances, should
come at last to claim the besefit of the losolveut Act,
amok( he justly sent by the Vice-Chineellor to improve his
roolaks by twelve months' Mearceration in the Fleet prison.
While the nation has something to offer, let it *Bee
that something. We csunut but think, nutwillistand.
tug the strain of high toned declamation is which the
subject was handled, that this is busiest as well as po-
litic. Section, let the fundliolder emisider the question
fairly. While be is getting more—mach mere—than the
fate interest or what he lent, he is so impoverishing the
country, that he is hasteoing that Imperative crisis which
The Noble Marquis is so fearful of aaticipatieg, even in
idea. Whatever the fendholder thinks, with sore, of