The National Register.
London, England, 1817-04-14 00:00:00

Ett

No. 479.—V0t. X.

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.

THE TAXES NOT THE CAVSE OP OUR PRESENT

ENIIIIIZRASSMLNTi.

IT is a lamentable fact, that distresses to a very great
extent prevail over a great part of the United King-
dom ; but it is, perhaps, as much to be lamented, that
the most false accounts are every day published of the
causes of those distresses. The enemies of the present
Administration are perpetually brawling out, " the
Taxes! the Tuxes! These are the cause of the public
embarrassments, the scarcity of money, the depression
of trade, the sufferings of the working classes." These
exclamations proceed also from many well-meaning
men, as well as from many more who are not very well-
meaning. No doubt, however, can exist, that the taxes
are heavy, nor that every practicable method should
be adopted to lessen their burthen. The public em-
barrassments existed fifteen months ago ; but since that
period, a vary sensible diminution in the general system
of taxation has taken place, and numerous plans of re-
trenchment of the public expenditure have been adopted,
to which should be added, the unprecedented extent of
charitable assistanco that the poor have received. Yet
eur embarrassments generally are not lessened, but ra-
ther increased, since that time. Now, if the taxes alone
were the true cause of oar present distresses, we should
have faund those distresses diminish in proportion to
the diminution of taxation. It is said that the revenue
has fallen short many millions. If this is indeed the
ease, then so many millions of taxation have not been
paid—yet are the bar rheas of the poor at all lightened
by this circumstance ? It was said that the war, by
keeping up the price of provisions, almost incapacitated
the working classes from procuring the common ne-
cessaries of life ; and those who said so were very
loud, very clamourous, and very impatient for
pc.lee—we then should have joy and plenty—
peace would do every thing for us—our halcyon days
would bear date with the signing of the " Definitive
Treaty"—Oh ! " blessed peace !" Oh ! " meek-eyed
maid !"—Oh ! the olive branch of amity ! hencefiwth
it should bend with the luxuriant fruits and flowers
of national riches, and individual happiness. Well,
Peace came ; but her lazy sister, Plenty, it seems, lags
behind ; and now it is discovered that it was not so
much the war, as the war-minister, that was produc-
tive of misery ; and still the taxes—the taxes—not the
war-taxes—but still the taxes are the robbers of
our p'nperty, the causes of our difficulties; and the
Reformers are almost prepared to petition Parliament
for war, with as much earnestness as they before did
for peace. The grand secret, after all, is this: that
peace has not been procured by the means which those
short-sighted politicians preferred. There wants the
talismanic touch of '• Buonaparte, by the grace of God."
" The Great Captain" was no party to the peace ; and
what could possibly succeed that had not the sanction
of him who held " the desrinics of Europe" in his right
hand?

We have before shewn that the grand cause of our
emlrarrassments was the system of Country Banking.;
and we arc borne out in our opinion by facts, and the
following ob►ervations of a very respectable contem-
porary:—

" Six or eight years ago, the prospect of payment in
specie by the Bank of England king apparently re-
mote, and suspicion king east upon Bank of England
notes in the country, where they had l.wt I:ttle circu-
lation, country bankers thought they could securely
issue their paper to any extent at the legal interest.
They and the attornies knew which firrners and ttades-
men were thriving, who of the landed gentry possessed
property.; they could calculate what every man was
worth, and on that, as a security, they would lend him
three or four times the amount. The hankers suggest-