The National Register.
London, England, 1815-02-19 00:00:00

FEB. 19.

Major Cartwright then addressed the Meeting. He said, that whets
an individual stepped forward to complain of and I. stela a torrent of
corruption so powerful and overwlielmitag as that which now ravaged
this country, it was necessary he should guard himself aoainst the mis-
representation of the venal tongues and venal pens which the suppor-
ters of this corruption never failed to keep in their pay. Far that pur-
pose, he would wish, with the leave of the Meet:lig, to follow the
example of a gentleman of high rank and great popularity, and request
their permission to read his speech, which would have the further good
effect of saving their time, as lie could by that means deliver himself
with greater facility and speed than if lie were to do so from memory
alone. lie then proceeded to read his speech at great length, in which
he endeavoured le shew from the most celebrated authorities that no
tax in this country could be imposed which was oppressive, but it man,
on that Recount, be unconstitutional/. This, he argued, was peculiarly
the case with respect to the Property Tax ; and such an engine of or-
-I,jarary power, in n country said to be free, could not have operated so
lons_ as a scourge on the people if they had been fairly represented.
The grand remedy, therefore, for this and every oilier evil of the kind,
was a reform in the Commons Horse of Parliament, without which,
though this odious tax should now be done away, it would ere long be
brought forward is some other shape. After drawing an awful picture
of the situation of this country at the present moment, from this neces
tar, reform not having taken place in the vent 1790, when a petition
for that purpose had been presented to Parliament and disregarded,—
from which disregard sprung the unticeessnro war, that caused the ex-
penditure which gave birth to the odious tyranny ofohe Preperty Mr.—
he congratuleted the Meeting on the awakening state of the public
mind, from which lie ventured to hope, that the foul repot's.' of selfish-
ness and faction--that the dense mists of ignorance, frivolity, and pre•
jarlice, by the joint effect of all which, the political atmosphere had
been rendered as unwholesome as a Walcheren, might, by God's provi-
dence, suddenly melt and vanish, and our Comm:anima burst•forila in j
fill splendour, enlightening all minds, cheering all heurts, ta`rtitiror nil
wills. Then, gentlemen, said lie, hut not till then. shall you see hurled.
down from their lefty pedestals, those abominable reptiles, monster,,
and demons, the gods of corruption, whose images, like the pleenet
of
.Egript, !int, every where blast our light ; whose pandemonian tern•
ides are seen in every rotten borough, and whose tottering cathedral,
once a Christian chapel, stands near the treasury. Having thus trail-
bled you with my sentiments on your evil and its remedy, your bane
and its antidote, with yaur leave, I will move the ,Resolutions 1 have!
to offer. He then read the Resolutions thron2liont, which were rely 1,1
long, and which, from the first to the eighth, formed verbatim the pe- !;
tition to be presented to the Howe of Commons on this subject, which
petition concluded with the following prayer, viz. " that the present jl
unconstitutional Property Tax may wholly cease on the sth of April
next, and that your Honuurahle House will without delay turn yanor
feriotts thoueles In a full restoration of those sacred rights of the people,
in the constant violation of which, legislation and taxation arc at present
unconstitutionally exercised ; a course which heath already been pro
lific of countless celatnitiea, and which, as it appears to your peti-
tioners, hash hitherto directly led, and so 10ng..-as persevered in must
continue directly to It ad, to the erecting of a settled tyranny on the
ruins of public liberty,—an experiment of the most gloomy and horrid
aspect, and pregnant with nought but the direct evils to our deeply in•
Jared and unhappy country."
Mr. Bentley, at great length, seconded the Resolutions.
Mr. Mellish said, there was such a mixture in the Petition, that he
could not Epee to it. It had fur its objects the repeal of the Property
'fax, and Parliamentary Reform, without which the Petitioners stated
tloy would pay no more taxes He had, therefore, to complain that
the notice for calling the Meeting did nut contain an intimation that
part of its object was to petition for a Reform in Parliament. It would
then have done their cause more honour, by being done more openly.
) Major Cartwright said, it was impossible to argue the case without
leaving that Parliamentary Reform was the only remedy for the evil
of unconstitutional taxation.

Mr. Byng said, he had always been, and was still, favourable to Par-
liamentary Reform, and to the abolition of the Property Tax. At the
same time, he must confess, that lie could have wished for a specific
manta' on each of those points separately. He would, however, always
support any Reform that would make the peoples' burdens lighter.
The Resolutions and the Petition being agreed to, Maw Cartwright
moved, that as this was a Comity Court, the Sheriffs should countersign
the petition. This motion was carried in the affirmative, and Mr.
She Leigh made no objection to it. Mr. SberitT Remy said, that as
he could nut approve of the objects of the Petition, lie must decline
signing it, unless he found that he was required by bis official situation
"0
.10 do.—Thanka were then voted to the Sheriff, and Major Cart.
and the Meeting broke up.