The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-12 00:00:00

REFORM IN TAXATION-THE

EXCISE.

We have‘ received ex, fel!o.ving I.,tter, addr:v.ed to
tiid i\iii in 3l Ass.ciation for Reform o: the Excito
by Mr. Wallace, of Kelly :
" Gentlemen,—Although I have withdrawn from Par-
liamentary and public life, I continue to watch with
intense: interest every movement in behalf of national
reforms aid improvement, and I have dkeovered•with
unspeakable a sfacti on the strong disgust which p,t last
is being sd signally manifested against the continuance
of the d:grading and pestiferous usages, rules, and
laws, under which the excLn aro enabled to -tyrannise
and ride rough-shod over all classes in these kingdoms.
Having been one of the few public men WhOhave ob-
served 'the' signs of the times on this question for many
vears.past, and having myself, when in the House of
Cot:am:lnc taken an active part in trying to expose the
earefully.concealed grdundwork and superstructure of
Vac horrid-system, I will detail briefly the circumstances
I allude to.

Having been for some year.; closely engaged in ex-
posing the innumerable defects of the post-office depart-
mena'and of the no less gross abuses which from time
immemorial the inhabitants of Scotland have been sub-
jected to in the administration of the law —through
which, let it be specially remembered, a great part of the
oppressions inflicted by the excise are accomplished-
-1 resolved on superadding to these laborious avocations
the looking into the workings of the existing excise laws.
" With this in view, I set to in earnest to read, un-
derstand, and master the voluminous reports which had
been laid before Parliament and the country, by an in-
fluential royal commission appointed to inquire into the
excise laws, and of which my distinguished friend, Sir
Henry Parnell, was chairman; and having satisfied my-
self of the usefulness of the task I had in hand, I put
myself into confidential communication with Sir Henry,
and received the utmost encouragement to prosecute my
labours, with all the advice and assistance he was at
liberty to give me while a member of the Administration.
When I had fully prepared myself for the onslaught,
I gave notice in the usual form through the books of the
House of Commons, takiag care this was done in such
eeneral terms as would let in a full exposure of the
system, which mode of dealing with public departments
I had invariably adopted when blowing up the Post-
office authorities, and found so useful in thwarting the
attempts sure to be made by some chicken Lord of
the Treasury, to misconstrue what is said, and so divert
attention from the merits of a case. Having with
difficulty at last found an open day for bringing on my
motion, and having Sir Henry Parnell by my side,
and his invaluable reports at hand, I was proceed-
ing deliberately and methodically with the exposé
I had to make, which happened to - be during that
dangerotfs hour for those who care nothing for place-
men and Ministers of State—namely, the usual dinner
hour—when I could easily observe that means were
b,ing employed for counting out the House, and so
getting rid of an unpalatable exposure of a favourite
source of revenue (which with Chancellors of Exche-
quer, every one is), which is adapted to squeeze out
the last farthing from the pockets of the people, through
machinery no less savage than secret, and so extrava-
gantly expensive and dilatory, as often to drive the
honest and upright trader to compromise his character
and sacrifice his money, to encourage and reward train-
ed spies and perjured informers, whose insatiable maws
are ever on the stretch for the unwary and acciden-
tal offender against alleged usages and customs, and
bye-laws, and statute-laws, purposely intermixed and
so unintelligibly blended, as to render excise courts the
very terror of any one who is dragged there, and the
constant scene of the most appalling injustice. I had
said about this much when the House was counted out,
and as the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secre-
tary to the Treasury were present, either of whom have
at all times the power of keeping a House, if they
please, you may judge whether the usual trick was not
resorted to, of what in Parliamentary slang is called
Whipping the House out,' which is a favourite way of
getting over disagreeable exposures. I have entered into
this matter, in order to show the leaning the present
Administration is likely to have towards the maintenance
of the: excise laws, for it was during Lord Melbourne's
official career the above took place.
" I observe the Association is to insist for pledges
from candidates at next general election in behalf of a
reform of the excise laws; this is all well enough, yet it
is but a step of the ladder which I would fain see up-
raised.
" In the first place, and as a general rule, I consider it
much more safe to expect pledges to be unblushingly
broken through than maintained, owing to the many
temptations which offer to cupidity, personal aggran-
disement, or honours, during the continued unconstitu-
tional existence of seven years' Parliaments; public
money has many attractions—few men are found to with-
stand the chink of Treasury gold—and I firmly believe,
that V. he n men once get public money into their pockets,
it may be said they cannot live without it, and there-
fore. if you are wise, you will be very careful what sort
of pledges you exact, and what sort of men you put
them to, and trust.
" I believe, from what I have lately read from speeches
in Parliament, that it is already determined to maintain
the Excise laws in all their odious integrity.
" Remember the good old adage—' What is every-
body's business is nobody's.' Nid hat will pledges from
candidates do in the face of this ?
" Remember, that so carefully are the excise laws
Aid from view, and shrouded in mystery, that even
lawyers are continually puzzled with them. Remember
the host of placemen they feed and shelter, and do not
ferget that these folks keep Ministers of State, Chan-
cellors of the Exchequer, et hoc genus omne, in the purest
state of ignorance—so much so, as to leave no doubt on
my mind of the fact, that in regard to the practice and
knowledge of the excise laws, her Majesty's Ministers,
as a body, would have no chance with a common excise-
man. Therefore, to master the subject, and take in
hand to alter or abolish these laws is a task Ministers
wont grapple-with, if by any means they can avoid it.
" I have never seen a practical man of business who
had endeavoured to master this subject, who did not be-
lieve that the whole system of excise should be abolished
and the collection of the revenue be made over to the
custom house ; and so it will be when the people put
their shoulders to it, as I now would fain hope they
will do, although I myself got no encouragement from
them to continue my labours.
" The reformation of the Post-office, and the substitu-
tion of penny postage for the old jog-trot,' were both
forced on the Whig Government by pressure from with-
out.
" Free-trade was forced on the Whig Government by
pressure from without.
" Scotch law reform was forced on the Whig Govern-
ment by pressure from without; and you may rest
assured of the same principle being the right one to
adopt and trust to, for haring the excise laws abolished,
and excise officials removed from the sight of freemen.
Pledge every one you can; but, along with this, look
out for some honest, industrious, hard-working men, to
send to the House of Commons, pledged to take in hand
this great national cause, and incessantly to ring it in
the ears of the Ministers of the Crown, whenever it may
be possible to do so, and to give them no rest, and take
none to themselves, until they have worked out this na-
tional deliverance.
"This, gentlemen, is the advice I venture to offer you,
and I trust that my long service in behalf of my country
will plead my excuse for the great liberty I have taken.
"Itis no easy task you have to impose. It is enough,
and more than enough, for any one man, however stout-
hearted and able. Look out for such men—care nothing
for t heir lineage or country—honesty is the best policy—
end to keep those honest whom you honour and trust—
pledge them to come back to their electors at a conve-
nient fixed day in each year, to render an account of
their stewardship, and be prepared to resign their high
trust, if demanded by those who sent them.D
" Adverse majorities are the true way to bring Mi-
nisters to their senses. There is yet ample time to de-
mand a distinct answer from Lord John Russell as to
the intention of Government with regard to the excise
laws. Lord John, as Premier and leader of the House
of Commons is all in all ; Sir Charles Wood, the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, is nobody—literally so—that is,
he has no power to maintain a promise even should he
give one explicitly, and therefore I hope to see this
point settled between Lord John Russell and you, by
having the quistion first recorded on the book of the
House of Commons, and thereby getting a deliberate
answer one way or other.
"In conclusion, I beg to express my very strongest
approval of the objects the association have in view,
and my anxious desire for complete success attending
them.
"Permit me to tender my name to the Association,
with my wish of being allowed to have the honour of
being a member of it. Farther, I request that I may be
added to the list of subscribers to the newspaper to be
published by the Association. I have the honour to be,
gentlemsn, your faithful and obedient servant,
"ROBERT WALLACE, lately M.P. for Greeuock."

CONTENTS OF THE " OBSERVER" OF SUNDAY,
JULY 11.—A folio column of particulars to
th .13
Saturda
election (Lord Ashley and Mr. Roebuck)
and splendid
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Monday afternoon.
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR. GEORGEPOLLOCK, G.C.B.—
Notice was issued on Saturday, in the East India House,
that a special general court will be held there on Wed-
nesday next, the 14th instant, for the purpose of laying
before the proprietors, for their approbation, a resolu-
tion passed unanimously by the Court of Directors on
the 30th of June last, granting an annuity of 1,000/. to
Major-General Sir George Pollock, G.C.8., as a reward
for his distinguished services during the late war in
India.
The Municipality of Hanover has just contracted
a loan of 300,000 dialers (1,200,0000 for. building
new theatre, which, it is said, is to surpass in magni-
ficence most of those that exist in Germany.— Galignani.
ENORMOUS GROWTH OF POTATOES.—MF. Smith,
the gardener at 13rodsworth Hall, took up one potato-
root, the other day, which had the extraordinary num-
ber of one hundred and eighteen full-grown potatoes
attached. Wo aro happy to learn that the sample was
entirely free from diseue.—Doneaster Chronicle,