The Sun.
London, England, 1823-04-30 00:00:00

[BRITISH PRESS.]

1 t is greatly to be lamented, that the motions
made from time to time in the House of Com-
mons, involving in their result the dearest inte-
rests of the country, should be whistled over
the Wind by a Ministerial majority, and , then
pass out of public remembrance. Mr. Hume,
with, a spirit that nothing can daunt, and with
a perseverance that nothing can repress, ex-
poses, night after night, abuses which manifest the
most profligate violation of justice by persons
in office, and his statement is no sooner spade
than up starts some Treasury Secretary to justify
or palliate the abuse instead of expressing the
slightest anxiety either to punish or to put an
end to it. We have no doubt hut that the shame-
ful oppression practised against Mr. White, the
collector of taxes in the Kingston district, as de-
Itailed in his petition presented to the 'louse by
Mr. Hanle, was, in every statement, correct. lie
was dismissed by the Board of Taxes, and it
was apparently his exposure of fraud in the
Tax department that led to his dismission. It
appears he discovered that in the collection of
the Laud Tax alone in that division 15,0001. had
been levied from the inhabitants, which had never
reached the Exchequer, and that within the hilli
of mortality one hundred and fifty thousand
pounds had been embezzled in its transit to the
Treasury ! The detection of this, it seems,
was not relished' by' the Tax Board, and, as
is UnCOITIMOn practice on such occasions,
an anonymous informer trumps up a charge
against the individual who had expressed this
base system of peculation, and this anonymous
statement is made the foundation,of his dismissal
from office, Neither the Tax Board Der the
Treasury—neither Mr. Low rides nor Mr. Lush-
ingtonhave any further occasion for his services.
The latter Gentleman affirmed that there was
every disposition to retain Mr. White, but
" he had six windows in his house that were
not entered." There Is no difficulty, however,
in collecting from the reply, that this charge wa,
manufactured for the occasion. " The fact is,"
said Mr. Hume, " that White had six windows
stopped with plaster, and an exception had been
taken that they were not stopped with brick,
but this man's crime was that he had unkennelled
pack of defaulters." The Ex-Secretary, Mr.
Lushington, does not deny this statement with re-
gard to the windows; out lie has another charge in
his bag. " Ile felt bound to state that he, Mr.
White, had embarked in a trade of all others
the most objectionable, n spirit-denier, without
any permission from the Board of Taxes so to
do." Inexpiable offence ! To become a dealer in
spirits without the, special leave of Mr. Lowndes
No system of peculation can compare in perfidy
with a crime like this ? It is not 'pretended
that Mr. White in any manner misconducted
himself in the carrying on of this business. But

then the crime itself of dealing in spirits in a
commercial country like this! The trade of em-
bezzlement was innocent in the comparison. But,
coupled with the unpardonable offence of exposing
those concerned in the latter traffic, no punishment
shortof dismission from his public situation could be
at all adequate. But we check ourselvei. Irony
is too playful a weapon for such conduct as that
before us. We trust that Mr. llume will return
to the charge. Mr. White has shown an honest
zeal in a good cause, and ought not to be made
the sacrifice of his integrity. The, facts involved
in this act of scandalous oppression ought to be
fairly and fully brought forward, as the case stands
at present before the public. Mr. White has
been dismissed from office after 29 years' ser-
vice, without any appearance or colour of justice.
He is thus consigned to ruin, and deprived ,of
that provision to which this long period of ser-
vice would have entitled him ; while Mr.
LOwndes quietly goes out of office with actually
a greater salary than he enjoyed while he was in
it. He had then 1,5001. a year for doing little ;
he has now 1,800/. for doing nothing ! This is
economical reform in the tax department !