The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-09 00:00:00

Repeal of the Malt Duty.

A public meeting of the farmers of England and
of others desirous of promoting the repeal of the
malt duty was held yesterday at the Freemasons'
Tavern, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-inn. The
meeting was convened by the Central Anti Malt-
tax Association, and;was very numerously attended,
the large hall being inconveniently crowded. Sir
Fitzroy Kelly, M.P., occupied the chair, supported
by many members of Parliament, amongst whom
were Sir Bulwer Lytton, M.P. Sir M. H. Beach,
M.P., Mr. Sciater Booth, M.P., Sir John Trollope,d,
M.P., the Hon. W.Duncombe,
M.P., Mr. Bromley, M.P., Major M.P., Mr. Goddard,
Beresford,
Mr. Barrow, M.P., Col. Fane, M.P., ,Lord Ho er-
dale, M.P., Lord H. Thynne, Mr . Sturt, M.P.,
Lord Curzon, M.P., Col. Cartwright, M.P., Mr.
Jonathan Peel, M.P., Sir Montagu Cholmeley,
M.P., Major Parker, M.P., Mr. Morritt, M.P.,
Lord A. Hervey, M.P., Mr. Alderman Sidney,
Mr. Pierrepoint Bentinck,
M.P., Col. North, M.P.,
M.P., the Hon. Ralph Dutton, Mr. Tomline, M.P.,
Mr. C obbett, M.P., Mr. Beach, ;M.P., Sir J. Hay,
M.P., Mr. Abel Smith, M.P., Sir R. Knightley,
M.P., Sir Gerard Noel, M.P., Sir John Mordaunt,
M.P., Sir E. Dering, M.P.
In opening the proceedings, the CHAIRMAN rose
and said—Gentlemen, we are assembled here upon a
very important occasion—the first, I believe, at
least within our own times, upon which the agricul-
turists of England have ever met together in the
metropolis to consider of the mode in which they
could best approach the Legislature with their
petitions for the redresss of a great and heavy
grievance. (Cheers.) I trust that we shall not
have met in vain, and that without detaining
you by reading at length the purpose, as it has
been publicly announced, for which you have
been called upon to assemble, I may say, in a
word, that it is to devise the best means, and to re-
solve strenuously and promptly to carry them into
effect, to procure as early as may be the reduction,
—(hear)—and also as quickly also as may be the
total abolition, of the oppressive tax upon malt.
(Cheers.) I have been requested to appear in a
position of which I feel altogether unworthy—(no,
no)---that of your chairman. I presume it can only
be because I have the honour to represent an agri-
cultural constituency deeply interested in the ques-
tion which has brought us together, and because—
and this I may venture to say of myself—l am
known to be deeply and faithfully attached to the
cause in which you are met. When I see before me
an assemblage like this of the farmers of my country
—when I feel myself supported as I am by many of
the most distinguished members of the Legislature
(cheers)—l know that it would be unjustifiable in
me to detain you for many moments in the intro-
ductory observations that it is my duty to make.
First, let me express my regret for the absence of
two or three friends to the cause, who unfortu-
nately are not now here. Lord Berners, who lately
presided at a meeting at Leicester, is unable to be
here by reason of the alarming illness of a very near
relative. Your well-tried and never-failing friend
Colonel Barttelot is also prevented from being here
by an illness arising from a succession of accidents.
However, I rejoice to say he is recovering, and he
has requested me to say what is not necessary—
that his heart is in your cause ; and that, at the time
when the question in which we are all engaged shall
come before the House of Commons, he will, if he
Is alive, be in his place to perform his duty. (Hear.)
Gentlemen, the state of the question is, perhaps,
known to you all. This is a tax which, from the
time of the conclusion of the war in 1815,
has continued substantially undiminished. It
was increased for a time during the Crimean
war, and afterwards reduced to its former
and, I regret to say, its permanent amount. This
tax, which has thus continued unmitigated, was suf-
fered to remain without even the consideration of
Parliament being applied to it, from 1835 to 1852.
In 1835, as some of you may remember, ineffectual
efforts were made by the late Lord Chandos (Duke
of Buckingham) to procure its repeal ; but that
well-tried and earnest friend of the agriculturist
failed in his efforts, and I believe he failed, among
other causes, because even at that remote period agi-
tation had begun for the repeal of the corn laWs. He
was opposed, we were all opposed, by a body, I re-
gret to say, more powerful in the State and more
powerful in the Legislature than ourselves. In 1852
the Government then in power attempted• to effect
the reduction of one-half of the tax. They, how-

ever, very speedily ceased to occupy the ministerial
benches in the House of Commons, and their efforts
failed. From that time till 1863, though the ques-
tion was partially from time to time alluded to, no
serious effect was made to call public attention or
the attention of Parliament to the mischiefs and the
injustice of this tax. In 1863 a deputation waited
upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and for the
first time for many years the Government became
convinced that the agriculturists were in earnest,
and that .their voice must at last be heard. (Cheers.)
A committee was moved for by myself in the House
of Commons, and a committee was granted ; but
the session terminated before a report could be made.
We were anticipated in the beginning of 1864 by a
'bill of which you have all heard, for feeding cattle
with untaxed malt. (Hisses.) I say nothing of that
Act of Parliament. It has failed, but it has had this
good effect among the community—it has satisfied
the people of this country, and the Government
themselves were compelled to admit—to some ex-
tent, at least—the injustice of this tax—(cheers)—
to admit that the agriculturists of the country were
entitled as of right to feed their cattle on untaxed
malt. And, gentlemen, this is a great step gained,
.though, practically, the bill has had no effect in the
country. It is a great step gained, because now, after
one or two ineffectual struggles, we are at last going
'before the Legislature in a body, representing
the whole of the agricultural interest of England, to
call upon the legislature at last to give effect to our
petitions. (Cheers.) I have, in the discharge of my
duty in the House of Commons, given notice of a
motion which willbe made in some three weeks from
the present time. (Hear.) All that I need now de-
tain you by saying on the subject of that motion is,
that you must not suppose that your representatives
Are less alive than yourselves to the justice of your
entire claims. If they fail to ask at once and imme-
•diately that which they know they cannot obtain.
We, gentlemen, have a very arduous and very diffi-
cult task to perform. We have to satisfy our own
consciences, and we have to satisfy your just de-
mands ; but we have to take a position in the House
of Commons in which we do not dread that the Mi-
nisters of the Crown will be able to:say, " You know
'you are asking for that which you cannot obtain,
because the necessities of the country are such that
it is impossible at the present moment that a conces-
sion could be made of your demands." But, gentle-
men, what I do venture to say we shall demand—
what I call upon you all to enforce by petitions, by
urging on your representatives in Parliament, and,
indeed, on the members of the other branch of the
Legislature, and on all on whom you can exercise
or to -whom you even have access--is that
the demand you make shall at least amount to this
—that when any remission shall be possible of indi-
rect taxation your demand upon the Legislature to
reduce the
malt tax shall be first considered (Cheers
and cries of "No tax.")•
my will, I should not. If my power were equal to
, for have incurred—l will not call
iknow it was well meant—
ittheanobinsetervrr:tpiotniosn of
some g
the
gentleman on my right. If
had the
power to direct
the country, I do not hesitate to say financial operations of
as the income tax was originally n.nthat, inasmuch
very purpose of enabling the Finance
Ministerpozed for the
the day to reduce taxation upon commodities of
articles of general consumption, chiefly
, we, now that the
income tax has been partially reduced, ought to
stop where we are, and apply whatever Surplus
may exist in the revenue of the country to the
reduction and to the extinction of the malt duty. ,
(Cheers.) But, gentlemen, let us deal practically
with the subject. (Hear.) Let us remember that
the agriculturists, though I venture to say with con-
fidence they are by far the most important body of
men within the Queen's dominions--(hear, hear)—
are not, numerically at least, or as represented in
the House of Commons, the most powerful. We
the community to contend
have many classes of
commercial classes ; others
with ; some among the