The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-14 00:00:00

Mr. Alderman Walker moved that Mr. Peel was a
fit and proper person to represent Bury.
Mr. ELTON OPENSITAW seconded the motion.
Mr. F. PEEL came forward, and was received with
great cheering. The Hon. Gentleman was listened to
with great attention in the room, but owing to the
heat of the weather the windows had been opened at
either end, and the groans and hisses of the mob out-
side frequently interrupted the proceedings. By
some means or other the crowd without appeared to
have got intimation that their clamour was an annoy-
ance to the meeting, and they put the climax to it by
bringing a donkey under the windows, who dis-
coursed most eloquent, but certainly noCharmonious
music. Mr. Peel appeared to enjoy the joke, and
heartily joined for some moments in the irrepressible
laughter which broke forth among his friends. The
windows, however, were closed, and the annoyance
was no longer felt. The Hon. Gentleman, in the
course of his remarks, said he had no doubt the
general election would take place in a few weeks,
as the Government had promised that only measures
which were indispensable should be discussed by the
present Parliament, and that the first session of the
new Parliament should be held in autumn. He did
not believe the measures which were essential to the
government of the country could occupy Parliament
long after the Easter recess. There could not be
much doubt as to the character of the new House, for
he observed that almost every constituency had asked
their candidates whether they were in favour of free
trade, and there had now appeared among political
men a kind of hybrid Conservative, who called him-
self a Free-trade Protectionist. There was one po-
litical party who had stedfastly resisted that evidence
which to others had become perfectly conclusive in
favour of free trade. The symptoms which were
pointed to as evidences of national prosperity they
could only receive as the proofs of national exhaus-
tion and decline; and what were taken as arguments
on one side that the country was advancing in hap-
piness and in greatness, were by the other regarded
only as showing that we were making rapid strides
towards the vortex in which everything that was
worth preserving was to be swallowed up. Such
was the party who for six years was in opposition.
All argument was lost upon them. But what six
years in opposition could not do six days in office was
sufficient to effect.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.)
No sooner had they taken the reins of power, and
were charged with the responsibility of watching
over the interests of the country, than they at orce
saw that the reversal of policy fur which they had so
long been ardently labouring was out of the question.
—(Hear.) The acuteness of their vision having been
sharpened by getting a glimpse of affairs from the
heights of office, they saw that they might as well
attempt to go back to unreformed Parliaments and
penal enactments for religious opinions as endeavour
to induce the people, who had learnt what it was to
live in plenty, to put a tax upon food and starve their
families to provide a system of outdoor relief to the
owners and occupiers of land.—(Applause and
laughter.) He did not think there was any longer
the slightest fear of a reversal of free trade ; but they
were now told that there was to be a revision of taxa-
tion; that the owners and occupiers of land were
paying now more than their fair share of taxation;
and that they were to have something in the shape of
an equivalent for the losses they had sustained by the
fall of prices. He thought the meeting would agree
with him (Mr. Peel) that this was a plea for compen-
sation which could not be admitted, because the more
they magnified their losses from a fall of prices the
greater was the extent of wrong they had inflicted
on the country by appropriating to their own uses
the wages and earnings of industry.—(Hear, hear.)
If it was meant to show that they had more than an
equal burden of taxation, then he could see no objec-
tion to a fair investigation of the question ; but he
must say that he should enter on such an inquiry
with a very shrewd suspicion that they were wrong
in this impression ; for heretofore all inquiries h
gone to show that they were more lightly taxed than
other classes, and the result might be to put new
burdens upon themselves, from which they were et
present exempted, while others were liable to them.—
(Hear, hear.) It was probably known to the meet-
ing that the income-tax bad now expired, and after
the meeting of Parliament one of the earliest ques-
tions would be to consider how the 5,000,0001. here-
tofore raised from that source was to be made good.
The object of the Government for the past 10 years
had three things in view. They had sought to take
off duties as much as possible from all articles partly
raised at home and partly abroad; because they knew
that only part of the produce of such taxation went
into the Exchequer, while the other half went into
the pockets of the producers at home at the ex-
pense of the home consumer. The second was to
reduce the duty on all such articles as came entirely
from abroad and entered into the consumption of
the masses—as sugar, coffee, and (he hoped before
long would be) tea.—(Loud cheers.) So, also, he
hoped, the duty on timber, which was necessary to the
improvement of dwellings, would be reduced. And
the third class were those articles which formed the
raw materials of our manufactures—such as cotton
and wool. Now such a policy could not be carried
out without sacrifices ; and in doing this they had sa-
crificed millions and millions of revenue, and given
back to the people those millions. The vacuum had
been partly supplied by the increased consumption of
those articles on which the taxes had been reduced,
and through the expansive power and enterprise of the
country ; but those circumstances had not been suffi-
cient altogether to fill up the void, and the Government
had been obliged to raise 5,000,0001. by meaus of a
tax upon the rich—that 5,000,0001. was the income-
tax which had just expired. The question now was,
whether that 5,000,0001. should now be laid upon the
poor or again be placed upon the shoulders of the rich.
Now, he had no doubt as to how he should be ready to
meet the question. He should certainly feel no dis-
position to raise it upon those articles which entered
into the consumption of the masses of the people.—
(Cheers.) 2,000,000/. of our revenue was already
raised by taxes upon six articles—tee, coffee, sugar,
wine, spirits, and tobacco, all of which were raised upon
the energies of the people, and he was not disposed to
carry it further. He did not care how the money
was raised by the richer classes—whether by a tax
upon property and income, or whether they tested a
man's means by the size of his house, so that it was
shown to be equitable. Heretofore they had gone
upon income, and he was aware it was said to be un-
equal, because uncertain and precarious incomes were
taxed to the same amount as those which were fixed
and certain. That question, however, was under
the consideration of a Committee, and, no doubt, a
more equitabie system would be suggested if it was
feasible. The Hon. Gentleman would take an addi-
tion to the regular army in preference to the force
sought to be levied by the new Militia Bill, believing
it impossible to draw a force of 80,000 men from
the industry of the country without great de-
rangements to trade, the more especially as
the counties were to contribute in propor-
tion to their population, and Lancashire would
have to provide 8,000 or 10,000, which he believed—
where wages were good and employment so abundant
—they would not be willing to contribute for a ser-
vice so precarious and unremunerative. He was averse
to touching the Maynooth grant; thought education
e.
and intelligence, as well as property, should beo seee
cognised in the franchise ; but though anxioudst
b
bribery and corruption prevented at elections, doubted
if it would be cured by the ballot.
The resolution was carried with loud cheering.

—.......-.—..------....--- _
...----=
FIVE YEARS IN THE WEST INDIES. By Charles
W. Day, Esq. 2 Vols.—A work on the West Indies, written by
a gentleman who was five years resident in the varatious islands
makes
,
and who visited all the principal towns and estes,
its appearance most opportunely at the present moment,
when the question of West Indian interests is exciting so
, aniivaltt-
much attention. Mr. Day writes as one thoroughly con.
versant with every characteristic of the localities and people
so long the objects of his study. The book is full of
able information for the statesman, the merchant
naturalist; while the author's personal adventures, the
corded
in a pleasant and piquant style, will insure it an eager pe-
rusal from every class of readers.—Evening Paper.
COUNTY EXPENSES. -- By the Nottinghamshire
papers, it appears that several of the magistrates (ona length_
c 1 en,, discussion relative to the police force chief constable)
expressed a great deal about their anxietyp for
justices to say
the
interests of the
the rate-
payers. It is very fashionable with country
a good dear about their watchful eye over t
ratepayers; yet, with all their display of zeal
on this head,
they are never heard advocating a plan to
weight upon county purses—game-law ex remove that dead
eaten up with their varmint. Oh no ; ~ ,Penses, and crops
it !" It it mostly the case that when c 'eY never mention
some object or plan of their own to country justices have
carry
of talk takes place about their solicitude out, a vast amount
The sooner the improper powers which for the ratepayers
possess of raising and controlling the Leh county magistrates
county moneyis wrested
from them the better; and if some
upon them in their proceedings gen,QrallY' it would be a great
proper check were kept
/,bleseiag to the GemirnulitY M large,