The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-06-19 00:00:00

recce or the country. Taxes upon luxuries, i•.
seemed, were curried as far as they could, and now it
seemed the Minister was about to adopt a plan, the
effect of which would be, perhaps, to increase the
revenue, but certainly to diminish the moor( el
of the country. Every order of the community
was pressed on to an excessive degree, and it
the higher orders were obliged in many cases to
reduce their establishments, it was not hecause

they were unwitting to bear a full portion of the
public burdens, but because they were utterly ur •
able to meet the demands made upon them. Tits,
object of the new plan was to create, or rather to
augment what was called on efficient sinking fund ;
now he thought it would be much better, instead if
tearing 3,000,0001. from the pockets of un tor-
',overstated people, to !tea, it where'll. now was, at
their own disposol. fructifying with their own in-
dustry, and itieteud of being sunk by the State to
accumulate by compound interest, rather accu-
mulating in the general channels of reproductive
industry, where its augmentation would far ex-
ceed the compound interest which it could acquire
in any other shape.—(Hear, hear.)—He was there-
fore decidedly agaiust the proposition for new taxes.
—(Heer.)
Mr. T. WiLson said. that In spite of the taunts
of Gentlemen opposite, he had no hesitation in
avowing that he we, ready to vote for an amount
of three millions of new taxes. He voted for this
sum that the country should be put in a coudition,
in time of peace, to meet with advantage sly
enemy (if snch should ever arise) who may
dare to trample upon it.—(Hear, hear, hear.)—
The object of the proposed measure was, to bring
the sinking fund op to a certain point. He con-
tended that the sinking found ought to be esta-
blished at 5,000,0001., and that it then could not
with safety he touched. He regretted the con.
flicting opinions of the country respecting the
proposed new taxes, and he concurred in think.
log, that a modified Property Tax would have
been the most expedient and effective course to have
taken—he meant such a Property Tax as would he
laid upon all classes who were in a condition to pay
it. If the House were ready to concur in such a
tax as that, he was willing to admit it would place
the country in a safe and proper attitude. 11 not,
he must only concur in such taxes as he thought
the necessities of the country required.—(Hear./
Alderman W AITIIM ate renewed his protest
against this attempt to add new burdens to the de-
pressed tretentrdopfrleomof
athilegcuouurinterrys.
against Pet
i
aridroessini
andasitbeeattaexes.
and yet the Minister did not hesi-
tate to propose them. The City of London had
petitioned against them, and be entirely concurred
in the prayer of their Petition. .He should never
consent to new taxes before a rigid inquiry wes in.
stituted into the national expenditure.—(Hear.)--
It was extraordinary that the Chancellor of the
Exchequer should still continue wider the delu-
sion that the bulk of the people were in a capacity
to bear three millions of fresh taxes. The Right
Hon. Gentleman had indeed said, that two mil-
lions of the amount would not be felt by the peo-
ple. This was not the least of his delusions. How
could he suppose that the poor would not feel the
effect of his new malt duties ? They would not
only feel it, but almost exclusively bear it, for
they were the chief (nearly the sole) consumers—
the rich had generally abandoned the use of malt
liquors. The Right Hon. Gentleman stated that
the tax would fall on the brewers; they said the
contrary, and it was clear, therefore, on whom it
would fall. He hail within the last two years heard
repeated motions for reduction of expenditure:
there was, to be sure, a concluding Resolution in
the Finance Resolutions, pledging the Government
to economy. Let the Right Hon. Gentleman begin
to act upon his last Resolution first, awl then let
the Haase see. after his system of retrenchment,
what steps he had taken with sincerity, and then
let the public tee whether new taxes were neer,-
sary.—(Hear.)—There was now si surplus of
2,000,0001. over and shove the expenditure of the
country. Why then cripple the interests of the
country by new imposts tot he amount of 3,000,000/.
an extent of burden which the people were, he re-
peated, in no condition to bear? Such was the
opinion of his constituents, and in that opinion he
entirely concurred.—(Hear.)
Mr. Wit. LAMB begged briefly to explain the
vote he meant to give on this occasion. He ad-
mitted the necessity of retrieving the financial state
of the country. when it appeared that even with a
surplus of 2.000,0001. above the expenditure. the
Chancellor of the Exchequer was still unable to
pledge himself to the monthly payments desired by
the Bank. This was riot a flattering state of things;
but when he looked hack for a century, he saw
that this situation of things was not without a pre-
cedent—the same result had happened at the end of
former wars. This counts), had indeed carried on
her wars on a different plan from that of many other
States—her system had uniformly been one of bor-
rowing to meet her expenditure—a system which,
if ever the country were engaged iu a new war.
would, lie trusted, be departed from.—( Hear.)—
The present state of the country was not without a
precedent. The war of the Succession, a century
ago. left the country in great emberrassment, 110
did the American war; but he recollected, at least
from what he had read of those times, that a difs
ferent course was then taken by political parties
front that pursued at present. Even at the dose of
the American war, in the midst of the political
bitterness which then prevailed, Mr. Fox, with all
that constitutional distrwst of Ministers for winch la;
was so remarkable, did not oppose the new tasty
(mare one or two) iiitroduced by Mr. Pitt in 1785, nor
did lie 179 t ; he then declared that whuever was
Minister, it was essential that the resources of 114
country should be upheld._.( Hear, hear, from the
Treasury Beaches.)—This example he (Mr. Lamb)
should be noxious to follow, if lie could see any
similarity between the present and former state of
the country. The present di/trews of the people
were very great, and the new taxes were on articles
of general use. Ac a general principle, he did not
object to taxes on such articles, but it was obvious
that their tendency must either he to localise the
price of the article, or to reduce ite quality by Ant-
teration. Either effect would be most injurious to the
poor. who are the general COMISMIM of such articles.
Besides. the feelings of the lower classes should be
consulted as much as possible in taxes affecting
them ; for every sort of exaggeration and diacoir.
tent must follow the imposition aura burdens of