The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-19 00:00:00

LONI)ONI.

RN EN G, MARCH. !SAL

Oose who were disposed to deny that it was a great misforliune
that so large a propoitien of the property of Ireland was held
loy persons who only occasionally resided there. He trusted,
however, that this was an evil which would be grsclualls
amended ; and, he might say, than there were two measures.
one of which had been proposed to that House, and the other
had been announceit by her Majesty's Government, as about to
be submitted to the consideration of the Legislature, which he
thought would be a fair and legitimate means
of counteracting the evils under which Ireland was
then suffering. One of these was the poor-law which
had been lately discussed. This law—and it was one of the
strongest recommendations which, in his eyes, the measure
had—authorised property, whether it was held by absentee
landlords or resident proprietors, to contribute its fair share to
the relief of the distress in Ireland. He would acknowledge
to the Hon Member for Westmeath that, in the course of his
experience in Ireland, he had observed many and striking
cases of this kind, to which the lion. Member had alluded,
where the exertions of the resident proprietors to meet the
distress which existed in their neighbourhoods, we•e curbed
and rendered abortive by the refusal of those landlords who
were not present to witness the destitution which existed, to
accede to the schemes which were originated for the
purpose of alleviating that misery and that distress. It
would be no longer possible when this Bill
was passed, to refuse their aisent to such measures as might be
cons dered necesssry for the relief of the evils which stir-
rounded them. There was another measure to which he
attached equal foice He behest' d that many of the evils
under which Ireland was suffering were attributable to the fact,
not that property was in the hands of absentee proprietors, but
t hat it. was in the hand, of persons so eneuml ered that it was
impossible for them property to perform those duties whi&ii
devolved upon them. He did trust, therefore, that the Bill
which the Noble Lord at the head of the Government svoulri
shortly off r to the Legislature would facilitate the sale of
encumbered estates, and thus benefit Ireland bj placing
property in the hards of those persons who, having money
as well as the disposition to improve the soil, would perform
their duty to their destitute and poorer neighbours.—( Hear,
hear.) While he agreed with the Hon. Member for Limerick
that great evil- arose tom the system of absenteeism, he did
not think that the resolwion he had bought forward would
have the effect of counteracting, or remedying the evils which
existed, but he could nut concede to the Hon. Member, that
those proprietors ought to be included among absentees,
who possessing property in Ireland and England, spent the
greater portion of their time in the latter country.
tie never could consent to make any difference between the
proprietors of the two countries, and consider those as ab-
sentees who only hal an occasional residence in Ireland, for he
beli,ved that many men who held property both in Ireland and
England would feel it to be their duty to reside partly in one
couniry and partly in the other, and he could not theretore
consent to consider them both as absentee proprietors. In
considering both these countries then as portions of the
empire he had to lock at their general interests, and doing so
he could not agree to the proposition of the lion. Member,
that because a landlord reside's part of the year out of Ire-
land that he was to be consisered as an absentee proprietor.
Yet while saying this he was not at the same time quite
assented to the truth that every one who drew his subsistence
from the soil ought to do their duty by the country, amt
'hat it was not at all likely that those who were
absent from the country were able to relieve the distress which
they did nut see, and with the details of which, of course, they
could net be acquainted so well as others who were upon the
-pot, and who had seen them. He would now read a passage
from a pamphlet which was published about a hundred years
ago, and which produced a great sensation at the time it hap-
pened. The author was Sir Thomas Prior, some of whose
suggestions were very striking at the present moment. That
gentleman said that there were many gentlemen who drew
large sums of money from the country wh•i never contributed
anything to the burdens of the State. Taking all these toge-
ther, he presumed that there wer not less than from 200,000%
to 300,000/. a year by these who ip nt their money in for ign
countries, who left their own without assistance, and who never
lived among the people during the whole of their lives. He
trusted that the Legislature would take thoaepersons under their
consideration, and compel them to contribute to the burdsns
of the country, and that, as soon as possible, some remedy
should be found. He then went on to state that. in his op nion,
an absentee tax ought to be laid upon the landed proprietors
who lived out of the country, but that a tax on the land itself
would be still more important. Now, with this,:under general
circumstances, he could not agree, although he quite agreed in
the necessity for making those who resided abroad do their duty
to their country, and he also quite agreed in the assertion, that
if the landlords were to be compelled, that a great change
would take place—such a change as would speedily make a ma-
nifest improvement in many parts of Ireland. But the Hon.
Gentleman said that a tax should be laid on the absentee pro-
prietors. Now, he thought that the word tax was not a proper
term to be applied to such an imposition as that
which was now devised ; for if the imposition was to
be levied on the proprietors of land in Ireland, he
(Mr. Labouchere) conceived that it ought to be laid
on all the property of the country, on all the land.—( Hear,
hear.) But if such a tax were to be levied, it ought to be such
an imposition as would compel the sale of the encumbered
estates ; for he thought that it was a most unwise, a most un-
just, a most constitutional principle to pass law upon, that
any man who possessed an estate in this country should be
compelled to reside upon it. And if such a principle was in-
applicable to this country, it was equally inapplicable to Ire-
land. Such a principle would be as inconsistent with the
political institutions of these two portions of the state, as it
would be inconsistent with the social institutions of this coun-
try, and altogether inconsistent with the interests of the united
empire. He did not know that he need detain the House
longer on this Bill. He quite agreed with the Hon. Gentle-
man in the opinion which he had expressed, that there
was a number of men at the present moment discharging
their duties to the country in a most admirable manner,
who were in no way interested in the soil, but he did not
think that it was desirable, that a tax should be laid upon pro-
prietors in order to compel them to discharge their duty which,
in consequence of the possession of property, they owed to
their poor neighbours. This, he believed, was not a matter
which it was the duty of the Ministry to settle, for they had
done all that they could by introducing the measure for facili-

, -
dence—the sale of the estate—or else afford to the country e ,
means of relieving its distress. It could nut be said that there
was anything new in this proposition. He had then a letter
from a gentleman who had studied the history of legidati
an
of absentees, and had found that, even in the earliest
ages impusts had been placed upon the property of non-
residents. During the reigns of Henry the Third,
Richard, and the three Edwards, very heavy taxes
and fines were imposed upon absentees, and in one instance it
was enacted that two-thirds of the land should be forteited.
In the reign of Charles the First iustructions were transmitted
to the Government to enact that all the nobility holding estates
in Ireland were not to leave the country without the consent
of the Government, unless employed by the England and
abroad upon its business. He would ask the House if there
was the smallest doubt that if oue.third of the rentals of the
country were spent in other countries Parliament would at
once interfere to check the evil. Property
was not placed in
the hands of any man, without bringing with it certain duties.
Residence was one of those duties, and ought to be enforced •
and every well-minded and just man would at once recognise
the principle. It was said. by some that if they imposed a
heavy tax upon the proprietor they would take away from him
the desire to exort himself. That was an old argument,
which had been used against the poor-law, hut they would find
it necessary to enforce those duties. It would then be said
what was to be done with those proprietors who had pro
perry in the two counties? He said that such proprietors
could not possibly do their duties properly, and the Govern-
ment ought to facilitate the sale or exchange of estates, for
the sooner such proprietors got rid of one or other of their
estates, the better. It would then be asked, how were they
to define residence? and in order to determine the residence
necessary to render persons liable to the assessed tax in Ire-
land, the Act stated that a residence of six months out of the
country should hinder them from payment of the tax. Such
a principle would operate well as a test of residence under
such an Act as he would wish to see in operation. If any
error should arise on the subject of the time of residence, it
would be easy to rectify it afterwards. He was not, how-
ever, prepared to say that this wculd be the best mode of
levying the tax. He invited discussion on the subject, and he
thought that some such machinery as he had stated could be
easily applied. With regard to the amount of the
tax he should propose that the minimum should he ten per
cent., and it that were not found effectual it could he after-
wards increased. The proceeds could be applied to local
purposes, or for the general purposes of education and relief of
distress in the country. He should, he suppesed,be met by the
stale argument which many Members of that House, and par-
ticularly the Right Hon. Member for Tamworth, used in
attacking anything that appeared in the form of a resolution,
merely because it appeared in that shape.
Mr. H. M. TMI'E seconded the motion. He thought
that something ought to be done to make the Irish .asellords
subscribe to support the poor of Ireland. It was well known
that many Irish, as well as English proprietors who held pro-
perty in Ireland, had totally neglected their duty, and failed in
performing those services which were expected of them.
Nothing could be more injurious to the measures
passed by the Government for the relief of Irish distress than
the absenteeism practised by so many Irish landlords. Great
difficulty especially had been experienced in the working of
the Labour Act fr im this cause. In seven or eight reliefdis
tricts in the county of Longford, there were a number of large
absentee proprietors who ha i not subscribed a farthing to meet
the distress. Out of the annual rental of the county, there
was 16,0001., of which little or nothing had been returned in
the shape of subscriptions. In the county which he repre-
sented, and in the relief district with which he was connected,
the resident proprietors had subscribed 614'. The farmers of
from sixteen to a hundred acres subscribed 671. 10s. With
this, 240 persons had been employed. Now there were ab-
sentee proprietors belonging to England who drew 3,000!. a
year out of the same district, and for a long time
they subscribed nothing. At last, when it was threatened
to expose them in the newspapers, they subscribed 18/.
( Hear, hear.) Of these proprietors, the principal was a
London company. The mortgagees had not subscribed a
farthing.—(Hear, hear.) In contrast with the proceedings of
these parties, he would name the conduct of the Marquis of
Lansdowne, Lord Palmerston, and the Earl of Devon, who had
done everything in their power to meet the crisis, and to find
employment for the people. He must say, generally, that the
small absentee proprietors acted in a much worse manner than
the large ones. He was firmly persuaded that if the
money which was now spent out of Ireland by
absentee landlords, was expended in the country,
there would soon be a much better state of things.
He was glad that. his Hon. Friend the Member for Limerick
had brought forward this motion, because he felt convinced
that absenteeism had been the fruitful source of all crime in
Ireland.
Alderman HUMPHERY said that he should not have at-
tempted to have risen upon that occasion, if a charge had not
been made by the Hon. Member for Limerick upon certain
companies with which he (Mr. Alderman Humphery) had the
honour to be connected. If the Hot,. Member for Limerick
had, in the first instance, given him notice that he intended to
bring forward these charges, he (Mr. Humphery) should have
been prepared with papers and documents which, he felt con•
vinced, would prove to. the Hon. Member himself that he was
mistaken in the conclusions he had arrived at, as far as re-
spected those companies. In the first place, then, the Hon.
Member said that the whole of these companies held large
properties in Ireland, from which they derived great
rentals, without giving a corresponding advantage
to that country He (Mr. Humphery) was sure that those
companies did not spend one-tenth alone of their revenues in
Ireland ; but he would venture to assert that they spent four-
fifths of their rentals in the improvement of their estates.
The Irish Society, over which lie had the honour to preside,
hart an income of from 9,0001. to 10,01.0,. a year from estates
in the neighbourhood of Londonderry. Well, they spent not
less than 7,0001. of that money in education and religious in-
struction. —( Hear, hear.) The directors of the society never
refused any application made by clergymen for the improve-
ment of their chapels. They never refused grants of money
for the purposes of education.—( Hear, hear.) There were at
least sixty schools which received annual sumo of money from
the society, and, therefore, when the Hon. Member said that
the London companies did nothing with their money but in-
vite Members of that House to dinners, and other entertain
ments, he presumed that the Hon. Gentleman had not him-
self been so invited—(Laughter)—or he would have better
understood hew their funds had really been expended.
There were twenty-six members of the society, and among
them they had only spent in treating (as the Hots. Member
termed it) the gentlemen of that House, and in the necessary
management of the company, 450/. a year.--(Hear, hear. )
He (Mr. Humphery) also belonged to another company which
possessed a large property in the neighbourhood of Coleraine.
from which they derived a revenue of 7,0001. a year. NVhy,
the whole of the money derived from that property, and spent
in London, did net amount to 3,000.., the rest had be. n spent
in the improvement of their property in Coleraine. He pre-
sumed that the Hon. Member had travelled in the north of Ire-
land ; if he had, he would no doubt have ohserved that the
London companies had progressed in improvements up to
that moment. What would be the case if this income-tax
were imposed? They would pay the minimum tax of 10 per
cent., or the maximum tax of 20 per cent., but they would
spend no more. The Hon. Member had referred to the Globe
Office. The Globe, he said, received a rental of 300/. per
annum, and did not spend a farthing in the country, nor aided
in the so ,scriptions for the poor. He (Mr. Humphrey) sue-
posed that the Glebe had lent some money, and that they de-
rived this amount from a mortgage upon estates in Ireland.
Now he did not think it was customary to ask gentlemen who
lent money on mortgage to subscribe to the poor of a country
tecause that mortgage happened to be held in that country.
He really thought it would be better if Hon. Gentlemen in
that House who held properties in Ireland would try to benefit
the poor on these estates and in their ne:ghbourhood, instead.
of bringing charges against others, which were
evalugaubttlee
unfounded. He thought it would be
return to the House, if the house were to know
a h
money r o
perties these gentlemen possessed in Ireland,
properties.
they had laid out in the improvement of those
eyebyab..
and what
( Hear, hear.) With regard to the rentals rec
/ were returned for
sentee'landlords he (Mr. Humphery) believed that out (if the
4,000,0001. so received, at least 2,000,000
oh•")
well,
the improvement of their estates.—(Cries of un
'osition threw
all he could say was, that the seconder of 1.)
the arguments of the Hon. Member for
who
into the
en who had given
shade, fur he had named a number of nobleni
Ireland to the trheLimroei.
the whole of their money derived from Ire
improve-
ment of their estates in that country.
Mr. TUITE—OnIy one. man had men-
Alderman HUNIPHER Y—The Hon. Gentle
tioned more than one who had expended the whole of their
money in improving their estates.
Mr. TUITE—Nis, no.--( Laughter.) Lord Cour.
Alderman HUMPHERYS—He mentioned -
tenay—
Mr. TUITE —No !—(Laughter.) rd the Member
Alderman HUMPHERY—The Noble Lo
for Tiverton, then—
Mr. TUITE—Yes. ' of Lansdowne—
Alderman HUMPHERY—The Marquis
• aughter.)
Mr. TUI T E—Oh ! no, no !—( Continued laken down who
Mr. HUMPHERY—WeII, he had not
thered from the
they were—(Laughter)—but he certainly
ofathere Noblemen
speech of the Hon. Member that many °g
their estates. He
spent a large amount of money in improving
mount of money
should like to have a return, stating what
a be found that
they did thus lay out. He thought that it woulr h
in improving t eir
ore money was spent by absentee landlords
more
than by many of the resident proprietors, who did not
spend their money so beneficially. Well then, the speech of
the Hon. Member for Limerick amounted to this, that it was
but fair thst the London Companies (not one of
which had a mortgage upon their properties) should be
put in comparison wit • h those gent tleemecnouliwaho had
mortgages upon their estates, ecause h y
than those who were thus embarrassedd.
spend more money
He (Jr. 1.1 Humphery) should like to know if two-thirds of the
absentee landlords had mortgages upon their properties. He
should say not. and therefore it was more likely that they
would prove greater benefactors than those whose estates were
mortgaged. The London Companies and the Irish Society did
but not in giving dinners
indeed spend money,to the Members
of that House, and he trusted, therefore, that the Hon. Mem-
ber would admit that his chargefs were unfounded. If the
Hon. Member had an estate,i withoegal magnitude, and ex •
pended a sum proportionably them, in the education of
aY instruction—building the poor—in giving religious religious
population of
houses, and supporting the
in which they received their rents—if he and other Irish
landlords did all this, they would find in Ireland a supe-
rior state of society to that which now existed.
Mr. LABOUCHERE said that the Hon. Gentleman, the
Member for Limerick, in the commencement Of a speech, to
the temperate and argumentative tone of which he (Mr. La-
bouchere) gave his mead of approbation ; the Hon. Gentle-
man, in the beginning of his speech, said that he could not
expect that the proposal which he was going to make to
the House would receive the sanction of the English
Members ; because, al hough the present state of ab-
senteeism was admitted to be a great calamity, yet
inasmuch as the money lost by Ireland was gained 1y this
country, he could not expect that English Members would
agree to his motion. He (Mr. Laboueliere) assured the
Hon. Member that if he resisted his motion it was not on
that ground, for no man was more convinced than he was that
nothing that tended to impoverish Ireland was consistent with
the interests of the United Kingdom-_l Hear, hear)—and if
he had thought that the Hon. Gentleman had proved his ca e.
he should at once have consented to the introduction of his
measure, not only on the ground that it would assist. Ireland,
but because he felt that what benefited Ireland would be also
of advantage to this country. The Hon. Gentleman had re•
ferred to ohj ctions that were sometimes made to propositions
of this sort, because they were not brought -
shape of specific measures, but embodied inht inthe
general
resolutions. He (Mr. Labouchere)
he shared in the distke that the confessed that
obMember
had attributed to the Bight Hon. Baronet thelllember for
Tamworth, to receiving measures in the shapes
resolutions ; but the Hon. Gentleman who had broughtofforward
general
rd
this question hail done so with so much moderation, ohraadaso
fairly and so explicitly stated his views upon the subject, that
he had wily supplied whatever was ambiguous in th resolu-
tion itself. He told them that he wished the House to sanction
this principle, that it would not be possible for any one to hold
roperty in England and Ireland.--(Hear, hear.) He even
went further, he would even prevent the possibility of a person
holding property in different parts of Ireland itself. He
(Mr. Labouchere) did not believe that the Government
of any country, in any degree forward in civilization—
ho did not believe that any nation would adopt prin-
ciples and opinions so destructive of improvement.
as those of the Hon. Gentleman. With regard to the
question of absenteeism, he (Mr. Labouchere) was not one of

...as tney could by introducing tire ..._ 'Y -
tating the sale of encumbered estates. He could not assent to landlord, who spent his income in Ireland should be taxed
the assertion of the Hon. Gentleman that such a Bill was ne- likewise. He. therefore, felt great difficulty in giving his sup.
cessary for the protection of property in Ireland; and, be- port to a proposition which propised to lay a tax upon the pro-
lieving that it would be inconsistent alike with the interests prietors of land in one country which was not to be It vied
of this country and Ireland, if the Hon. Member pushed it to a on proprietors in this eauntry, who resided ~ff their property or
division, he should certainly vote against it.. out of the country. The evidence winch had bee,' adduced on
Sir A. BROKE thought that the amount of the tax ought the subject of abs:enteeises proved that many of the
to be expended ou the property from whence the money was absentee landlords of IrsLind utterly neglected their estates;
derivec. Two years ago when this measure was before the but he was acquainted with instances in which the estates of
House, he had recommended that a tax. not of 10, but of 15 non-resident proprietors were well cultivated, well managed,
or 20 per cent., should be levied on the properties of absentee and on which the poor found employment, but no man ought
proprietors, and spent in subsoiling, draining, fencing, build- to neglect his dory in Ireland, and reside in a distant part of it.
mg task houses and cottages for labourers, and other improve- as well as in England. He was in favour of the lan 'lord. of
ments on the several es'ates, for the benefit of those who were Ireland being compelled to support their own poor, but he was
located upon them. He thought that such a measure would afraid the proposition would not have that effect ; sod b sides,
have been far better than that which the Government had would be fraught with evil. He biped, therefore his Hun.
brought forward for the relief of the poor, and if such a tax Friend would not press the motion to a d vision.
were to be imposed he would readily vote for it: nor would he Mr. S. O'BRIEN explained, that what he stated respecting
be at all inclined to limit the amount.—( Hear, hear.) But the estates of the Irish Society was riot derived trim iitrsonal
there was one thing that he could not agree with in one point inspection, but from the evidence which had been published
of the speech of the Hon. Member for Limerick, and that was, wish respect to them. He believed, however, that their estates
that no gentleman should be ahowed to hold property in Eng- were well managed. In mentioning the nasae of Lord Port-
land and Ireland it the same time, for such a rule would arlington and other proprietors of Ireland, he 'list' aimed hav-
in effect amount to practical repeal of the union. Nor ina, introduced them for the purpose of drawing any invidious
could he asset' to the assertion tis. all the English proprietors distinctions between them and of her proprietors He felt it.
,Yere to be considered as absentees, for the Duke of Devonshire, his duty to take the sense of the House on the motion which he
Earl Fitzwilliam, and Colon.l Wyndham, who all pos-eased had proposed.
large properties in Ireland, went over constantly and expended 'I he House then divided, when there appeared,
large sums in the improvement of their estates. Such men he For the motion
never could consent to consider as absentee proprietors. Lute Against it
thsse were the exceptions, for he knew and could name several Majority . ... —5l
who drew large sums from the country who had Never been SMITHFIELD MARKET
near their este es for thirty to thirty.tivc years together. tet Mr. 0. GORE moved for a Select. Committee to inquire
spent their money on the Continent or in England, without into tl e necessity for the removal of Smithfield Market, as a
any thought of the duties which they had to discharge to the nuisance, in the centre of the British metropolis, to some ap-
peasantry who were resident in Ireland, Several of these in- proariate site, comprising an area of not less than 12 acres,
dividuals had been applied to in the present distress, and had and the establishment of abbatoirs in the vicinity of London.
sent over 51. or something of that sort. But this was not to be He had obtained the consent of all the persons whose interest
wondered at, for it was impossible for them to see, and therefore would be affeoted.
to feel, the distress and destitution that now pervaded the Lord MORl'lati said that there was room for great im-
land. Yet, after all, it was not the want of the money provement, for he believed that there remained undeniable
that should be expended on the estates so much as the deprive- grsunds of complaint. The safety of life was much enetan-
tion of a resident gentry. That was a necessity which no gered, as was also the health of the inhaletants. He wss
money could supply, especially the want of the influence which very glad that the interested parties did not oppose the inquiry,
was likely
ofely ttohebehiegakeerr oversseecisleads.ln the
iteolln i
minds o 1 all classes by the and he could assure the Hon. Member that there was still a
undertbose thee,,
bo presentwere lesss i
a e
le i intentionnbfswoany the
Hsari. of
hoped
de hae Governmentdue igweight
w Gtiou
htih threw any
iven o bi n-
calamity, he knew several instances whereresident had dis ingutshed themselves by their exertions in the Committee to the interest of the parties concerned.
behalf of the poor, frequently to the loss of health, and in sir. S. O'BRIEN said he was very glad that his Hon.
some cases to the loss of life itself. One instance he could Friend had pursued the course which he had done ; and as he
name where a lady had fallen a sacrifice to the benevolent had not entered into the question, he would follow the example
exertions in behalf of her neighbours. Disapproving therefore set him. He only hoped that a fair Committee would be sp-
as he did of the principle of the Hon. Member for Limerick, pointed.
he should yet, in the event of his dividing the House, vote for Mr. WAKLEY was rejoiced that the Government did
it; not, as he said, because he agreed with him entirely, but not.not oppose the motion, for he considered it most necessary
because he believed that it would blirg about something that some irquiry should be made. He was requested to op.
which might be instrumental in the removal of are =t evil, pose the motion, but after what had been stated, he could not
a
Mr. BELLEW could not agree in the s position that the think of doing so.
absenteeism was the main cause of the evilsl )to which Ireland Mr. PROTHEROE said that some arrangement should be
was now subject, for the misery was suffered not from the want made respecting the days upon which fairs were held. Under
of a resident gentry—though he was very far !ruin und-rrating the present system, the drovers were not able to attend re
that benefit—but it was the want of confwence in the expendi- liglous worship upon Sundays, in consequence of the Men-
tore of capital, and in the consequent want of enterprise in that day's fair.
country. This, he thought, would be relieved by the intro us- Mr. HUAIPHERYS said that if the market was removed,
two and enforcement of a i roper pour-law, for such alone the cattle, in future, would not be driven through London.
would have the effect of causing the sale of encumbered es'ates, Mr. HENLEY wished the Government to take the matter
and would occasion a greater distribution of property than any entirely into their own hands. It it was left in those of a private
which now prevailed, and the whole benefit of which would Member they would have only some half and half measu-e.
ultimately come to the tillers of the soil. Something of this Sir B. HALL thanked his Hon. Friend for Winging forward
kind had been 1 irmerly attempted, but it had failed, from 'he the question, and he hoped the interest of the inhabitants
peculiar circumstances under which the country lab used. would be studied by the committee.
[here was the aaent, the middle-man, the farmer, and the Mr. ORMSBY GORE :aid that he could assure the Noble
cottier, all demanding subsistence from tha roil. and Lord that he would take the interests of all parties into con-
the consequence was, that there was a continued sideration when he was appointing the committee.
drain upon the land, of which no one got any- :11r. (aIIFsENE proposed that the number of acres should be
thing like an adequate banefit. By the sale 4.f estates, omitted in the tta iding of the resolution.
which a poor-law would oblige, the whole of this evil would be Mr. ORNIS'HY GORE objected, as less than twelve acres
done away with. But far as he was therefore from ascribing would be wholly insufficient.
the present miseries to this one mischief of absenteeism, or The motion was then agreed to.
supposing that any single remedy would suffice to place Ireland THE CASE OF MR. O'NIEARA.
in a state of prosperity, for he believed that it would require a Lord LINCOLN said that soon after the commencement of
series of measures for that purpose, he yet was by no means the present session he had brought wider the notice of the
inclined to screen those who in this time of distress had re- House the petition of Mr. O'Meara. He hoped that Hon.
trained from doing their duty to their tenants. Unfortunately Gentlemen had read that petition as it would save him much
he knew personally of several instances where individuals troutae in explaining. In the course of last session a Bill
by
drawing several thousand pounds a year had sent such a paltry affectiog friendly societies was brought
sum towards the subscriptions raised for the distressed poor, M was afterwardsember for Finsbury. That Billoint-,
that the committees had been inclined to threaten to publish and seta m
up to the Upper House, where the _ ,node
the Hon.
vested in the
their letters and their names. If an absentee tax were to be ment for the Commissioners was altered
Reduction of the
introduced by the counsel
,
and
imposed it ought not, he should say, to be limited to hands of the Commissioners for the
ten, or fifteen, or even twenty per cent, for in his opinion National Debt• A clause was ineof aamppended
it shauld at least be fifty per cent. of the amounts drawn for the Home-office tr
from the estates in Ireland, none of which were ever spent in of the offices in t
the
hands of the Commissioners ofr
that country. But he would repeat, that it was not absen- the ot'
t'er iner appointmentsconfirm the present
from
fnholtvleerssf
teeism that was at the root of the evil, but the want of confi- the National Debt. The Bill, as thus amended.in
e
dance in enterprise, and, until that was removed, none of the House of the Lords on
the Bth of June, and te6pthasosefdJiuhl;
capital which Ireland produced would be spent fez. its ins- the present Governmentfimed entered upon their offices. On the
provement. The Hon. Gentleman then read an extract from strength of being co
a work of Dr. Taylor's, to show that an aggregate of held for four years,antidr in the appointment which he had
irarnconnftse(qeuenfncre obfolh.ispienrcraenasnendind,utainead,
2,000,;001. was annually drawn from Ireland to be invested in Mr. O'Meara rkented The Treasury, for two months after
the English Funds. While such an evil as this continued, no engaged a cler
tax on absentee proprietors could ever occasion a proper- the friendly societies.
On the I Ith of
tiotrate remedy.thesethe Act, recognised Mr. O'Meara
written from the Treasury to Mr.
Mr. J. O'CONNELL said the real cause of the present August a letter ,
another letter was aadressed to him, stet-
at hs
e a registrarpassiag offf
It had suppressed her manufactures, and made her people de- in tw.boatrliba
state of Inland was the want of a resident landsd preprietary. (yaleara. co.fnistarf,iewnrrinstructions in reference to his office ; and
pendent upon agriculture. When that branch of indus- j
firmed,ing
' in consequence of the omission of the clause, which
Gen-
try was depressed, the landed interest became depresseds
subsequently
seq
b uently passed by the Lords, on the first passing of
with it, and induced them to resort to a system of an
objection existed to his appointment being cen-
wthae Bill in the Lower and Upper Houses. Another letter
over populating their land, in which they had been encouraged
was by a Mr. Connor, a private friend of the Attorney-General
they had rich and wealthy customers to support them.
sufficient for Ireland. He should be able to prove, on reference to the
in by that House. Manufactories would revive in Irellatndif informed hint that his office had been filled up
not for want of capital, because of that there was
But were Act, that this appointment was most unjust and impolitic.
even in the present depressed state of the counttry.
was it possible displaced, were rather equivocal, but it was evident from the
on the question. This
nw_hne.rleishw.ould be The words in the 10th clause, upon which Mr. O'Meara was
Give context that no ground whatever existed for his dismissal.
tntina tr e
tn rn capital
for to ot . beT bis was embarkedself-evident, in
manufacturesfor
b
that Irish manufactories could compete with E
Ireland, however, a resident. landed proprietary,g and then The Noble Lord then cited theich ohpaidniboenenofeollmlre.
tNoabpyiear,lltihg.
w•ho bwabrireibstebre, asfu rttobetrhesnill.lrengratleidty
byof ttbliee
reading!remo v al
ofo severalNl r. O'Meara,
'Aie
sectionsa ra
ROW invested their money in Governmentt inducements
and for capitalists,n th ere
securi-
there would be customers and inelucemen
'his Hon. Friend, the Member for Limerick,
With regardtherefore,hteov,tiales f.r.oarns
tbtheenApcintioonf
,Pistierliaz,ntwbbearing
motion of •
support it. Ireland was a country which had most legal authority. He thought, therefore, that the •
inclined to . le removal of
•of absenteeisn. The word Mr. O'Meara and the appointment of Mr. C
ties, to revive manufactories.
h rly suffered 'tom the evils Connor was an illegal
pece ia .
absenteeism itself had its origin, as adopted in the English act, or, if not illegal, a direct contravention of the intent' of
ion
had its I tile Legislature,which
language with Ireland. It existed even when Ireland of such officers
l
Parliameut, and why did it so exist a Why, because as these , Le made dependent on the change of
own
P I t was held in great subjection by I Government. It was not only a proceed' • '
the Irish ar iamen I proceeding against the inten-
Englan ,
d a-id ail measures for the improvement of Irish mom- . tams of Parliament, which was to obtain officers of experience and
but it was
factures were overuled by the same power. Gradually, how- ability, most unjust in the present instance to the
ever, in latter times, these restrictions were reraved.from Irish individual wko had been removed. Having said thus much, he