The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-10 00:00:00

THE StrN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 10, 1863.

that form which is the least costly and inconvenient to the
public.
whichl say
thed vin
the
abstract,advocacy
°yof
abstract I k know all
principlethe
givesad-
vantage v
Excise
sto
duties
andsubjection.
other
indi-
rect taxes are more costly in collection than a direct
levy of taxation, and nobody who has examined the
practical
and
subject can doubt that they obstruct commerce, impede
manufacturers, and check the production of wealth. If a
proof of this be required, compare the progress of a free port
like Hamburg with a Custom-bound place like Havre. As
to the difficulty of instituting direct for indirect taxation,
that is a tax for statesmen to accomplish. Once convince
the public of the soundness of your principles, and you will
soon have a Huskisson, Peel, and Gladstone ready to put
them into practice. The local legislation of our town-
councils has already shown the way. The municipal go-
vernments of our cities contrive to raise their funds by a
direct tax, instead of an octroi, which is considered an im-
possible achievement by the towns of the Continent. Now,
what are the taxes on tea, sugar, coffee, &c., levied at our
Custom-houses but so many octroi dues on a large scale ?
How impossible it would be to put up barriers at the entrance
to Edinburgh or Manchester to collect the municipal rates
in the clumsy form of a duty on the daily supplies of those
cities ; and lam as firmly convinced as of my existence
that if we could have for a few years that experience of all
the advantages which an abolition of import duties into
this kingdom would give us, it would be as impossible to
replace the Custom-houses, as a substitute for the collector
of direct taxes, as it would now be to levy octroi dues at the
suburbs of our large towns instead of the direct rates which
are collected from house to house for municipal purposes.
Of course you will be met by politicians of all parties with
the assertion that your plan is impracticable, which means
only that it cannot at present be adopted with advantage by
either of the existing political parties; but I repeat, if you
can beat your opponents in the field of abstract argument,
you will, sooner or later, find statesmen who will be proud
to give a legislative triumph to your principles. It is only
a question of time.—Believe me to be yours faithfully,
"C. E. Macqueen, Esq." " R. COBDEN.

Mr. HAUGHTON contended that it was not the mode of
raising the taxes that injured the working men, but the
badness of trade, that prevented him paying the taxes.
Mr. BARRACKSON, of Liverpool, though not opposed to
direct taxation, thought those who proposed the abolition of
indirect taxation should inform them how the £12,000,000
thus obtained was to be raised in the other way.
Mr. H. FAWCETT spoke at considerable length in favour
of indirect taxation, and criticized the principles and opera-
tions of the Liverpool Financial Reform Association. In-
justice, he fully admitted, was connected, and necessarily
connected, with indirect taxation ; but he could also show
that injustice was connected, and necessarily connected,
with direct taxation, and no one had ever succeeded in point-
ing out how a large revenue could be raised without pro-
ducing great injustice and being accompanied with a great
number of evils to the community. Protection was, be
considered, abolished, but he believed that they could have
perfect free trade with indirect taxation, and when they
brought forward arguments against protection, they ran"
not suppose that they were bringing forward arguments
against indirect taxation. It was well known that direct
taxes could not be raised from certain classes with certainty
and precision, and he believed, that if any system of taxa-
tion tended to make a nation immoral it was the Income-
tax—for it Was known that incorrect returns were
often
be
given in, so that parties might be relieved from some por •
Lion of the burden. (Hear, hear.) In such a temptation to
dishonesty as this there was a constant inducement to sap the
morality of the country. (Hear, hear.) Then,the income-tax
was a most unfair one— and if all the revenue was to
be raised in this way, then the inequality would be increased
immensely—but with indirect taxation the inequalitY was
spread over different classes of the community, and there
was some chance that inequality in one direction might
compensated by inequality in another. (Hear, hear.) Ile
certainly could not understand the arguments of the mem-
bers of the Liverpool Association, who said that the great
objection to indirect taxation was that the working man was
too heavily taxed. Did they mean to propose that the
working classes should escape altogether under direct taxa-
tion ? Ho did nut think that such a thing would be fair* He
knew that that was a favourite doctrine to propagate
from election hustings, but he thought it was a most im-
moral one (loud applause), and people who had studied the
question ought not to come forward and pander to the pre-
judice of the poorer classes in that way. He thought there
was a class more heavily taxed than the working man, and
that was the clerks who had their salary of £lOO or £lOO
a-year. (Hear, hear.) He complained that neither the re-
presentatives of the association nor Mr. Cobden
in his letter
had suggested any practical mode of raising the revenue of
the country in the manner of which they seemed to
approve;
and if they were not able to do so, then the meeting, as
practical men, ought not in the least degree to believe in
the practicability or the feasibility of the scheme. (Hear
hear.) He considered that the present mode of raising the
revenue was as just and equitable as any mode
he had ever
seen propounded. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. NOBLE replied to Mr. Fawcett, and denied that the
Liverpool Association pandered to the poorer classes.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL for IRELAND gave it as his
opiuion that the question was entirely one of a
choice be-
tiveen two evils, and that a judicious proportionment of
both modes was the fairest arrangement that could be made.
Mr. DUNCAN M'LAREN thought the argument of the
Liverpool Association that the working classes were unduly
burdened by indirect taxation was capable of proof, and he
proceeded to show that the taxes on tea, sugar, and other
necessaries of life were paid in a very
much larger pro-
portion by the poor classes than by those who were in
receipt of large incomes.

Mr. C. HARRISON proposed as a resolation,—" That the
present mode of raising the revenue of the British empire
is as just as any that has yet been devised ;" but after a
considerable amount a general discussion, the motion was
withdrawn.

epithets
The CHAIRMAN said he hoped, if this subjett again
rt ee ma
dp etihaatte md ;nu. e r
Hot h a
had
a di t
nheavde
rb eheena
ridn
came up for consideration, it would bo treated in a more
socr
moafnythe papers
against an (opposite system as he had heard in that paper.

Mr. D. W. HENDERSON, Leith, read a statistical paper
on the effects of free trade in corn and navigation in cheap-
ening the food of the people ; after which
Mr. DELAHANTY read a paper on the currency laws of
the United Kingdom, in which he advocated an assimilation
of the laws of Ireland and Scotland to those of England.
Several gentlemen
systemhaovfinpgaper expressedeurr
nathin Scotland, the
department adjourned. currency
satisfaction
with the present

The Extraordinary Mail-bag Robbery.

iIuLL, Friday.

The examination of Maria Cooke was continued on Wed-
nesday, yesterday, and to-day at the Hull Police•court, be-
fore Mr. Travers, the stipendiary magistrate.

Mr. F. F. Ayre appeared, as before, to conduct the pro-
secution, instructed by Mr. Forrest, the Post-office superin-
tendent for the Derby district. Mr. F. Summers watched
the case for the prisoner.

ness asked her what sort of a man ho was, and she replied
that he was a very tall man. The witness then inquired
whether she knew him. She answered in the negative,and
added, "I should not know him again, as I had never seen
him before." The witness asked if she gave anything for
the cheques, and she said " No." He then took her to the
police station, and charged her. She said, "lam as inno-
cent of the robbery as you are". _ . _

vV
: -
Mr. Taylor, being recalled, said that the prisoner had on
the same dress when sho travelled from Ferriby to Hull, on
the night of the 24th of September, as sho was wearing at
the bar.
Some minor details of evidence having been filled up by
other witnesses, the prisoner, who by the advice of Mr. F.
Summers, her solicitor, reserved her defence, was fully
committed to take her trial at the ensuing assizes.