The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-08 00:00:00

POOR-LA W FOR IRELAND.

The following is a copy of the petition adopted on
Friday last, at a meeting of the Parochial Board of the
city parish of Glasgow, in favour of the Ministerial
Poor-law for Ireland:—

" UNTO THE HON. THE COMMONS OF GREAT BRITAIN
AND IRELAND IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED.

" The petition of the Parochial Board of the city
parish of Glasgow,
" Showeth,—That your petitioners, as the represen-
tatives of the ratepayers of this populous city parish,
have, in the discharge of the arduous and responsible
duties imposed upon them as managers of the poor's
fund, exp..r.enced much difficulty and annoyance, as well
as an unprecedented increase of expenditure, arising
almost entirely from the extraordinary influx of impo-
tent, infantine, and diseased Irish paupers into this
parish.
" That your petitioners, while deeply sympathising
with their distressed Irish fellow subjects in the
calamity that has overtaken them upon the failure of
the potato crop, cannot but express their surprise that so
little should have been done by the wealthy classes in
that country to ameliorate this distress—a distress as
yet that has had to rely for its relief upon British
chat ity and the taxation raised from British industry.
" That, in the opinion of y our petitioners, an absolute
necessity exists for the introduction of a sufficient Poor-
law into Ireland, whereby an adequate provision shall be
made for the relief and support of the impotent, infan-
tine, diseased and aged poor of that country, and that
the fund for this purpose should be raised by an assess-
ment upon all incomes, whether arising from real or
personal property.
" That your petitioners feel persuaded, bad such a law
as this existed in Ireland, they would not have had to
complain of the present influx ;of Irish paupers, who,
from their wretchedness, destitution, and disease have
not only absorbed and are absorbing a large proportion
of the rate levied for the poor properly belonging to this
pariah, and spreading contagion among them, but are
also setting a most pernicious example to the lower
classes of this city, by accustoming andinstructin
instructing
to look to parochial aid for support, instead
of
depend-
ing, as Scotchmen here wont to do, upon their own in-
dustrious exertions.

" That your petitioners fear, unless your Hon. House
interfere and prevent this fearful ingress of Irish pau-_
perism and disease, all the efforts that may be made,
whether by private or public benevolence, to ameliorate
the condition of our native poor, or to raise the condi-
tion of the lower orders in this city, either temporally or
spiritually, will be rendered abortive.
"'That your petitioners have seen with alarm that her
Majesty's Ministers, in the Irish Poor-law Bill which
they have introduced to your Hon. House, have ad-
mitted the principle of granting out-door relief to the
able-bodied poor—a principle your petitioners hold to
be opposed to sound political economy, as well as inde-
pendent feeling and sound morals among the lower
orders ; and, should your Hon. Rouse sanction such a
principle, your petitioners do not hesitate to aver that
it will lead many to trust entirely to the poor fund for
their support who but for this enactment, would assur-
edly trust to their own exertions ; while it will also de-
stroy all feeling of gratitude on the part of the receiver
of that aid—a feeling which ought ever to exist, at.d
which your petitioners earnestly desire to foster and
encourage, rather than destroy, and which they pray
your lion. House to carefully watch over and protect,
and not supersede.
" That your petitioners, as the representatives of this
populous parish, feel themselves especially called upon
to give utterance to their opinions on this question, as
they have to provide not only for the maintenance of
their own destitute poor, but also, under the recent Poor-
law Act for Scotland, they are compelled to provide
temporary aid for an overwhelming number of their im-
potent, infsntine, and diseased fellow-subjects, having
no settlement in this parish, and for the relief granted
to whom they have no resource whatever.

" May it therefore please your Hon. House to pass a
measure for establishing an efficient Poor-law, by which
adequate relief shall be provided for the impotent, in-
funtne, diseased, and aged poor i❑ Ireland, and other-
wise adopt such measures as shall relieve your peti-
tioners from the intolerable and oppressive burden to
which, from the causes aet forth above, they are at pre-
sent subjected. _

"And your p'titioners shall ever pray. •
"Sipped and sealvd in the name and by appointment
of the. Parochial Board of the city parish of Glasgow,
at Glasgow, this 27th day of MArch, 1547."