The Sun.
London, England, 1833-04-29 00:00:00

raise it, Parliament, if it truly represented time popl
might fairly say to Ministers, and Ministers would be
tamed to listen to them, " we do not wish to be taxed in
the particular way you propose, but would prefer another
way." For his his own part, he should be ashamed of
himself, if being ready to vote for the repeal of
the malt tax and of the house and window tax, be were
not also ready to vote for a substitute. He could not
agree with the Hon. Member for Middlesex that any
screwing could make up a six or seven millions deficiency
by savings. The utmost that could be saved from
the expenditure was one or two millions,— (Hear,
hear, hear.) He was, therefore, for one, prepared
to agree to a property tax.—(Loud cheers.) So far from
thinking that this would be a grievance to the landed
interest, he was certain that it would, from the general
prosperity that would be diffused throughout the country,
be the greatest boon that could be granted it.—(No, no.)
If the House rescinded that vote, the House and Window
Tax would go with it ; the old system would still go on.
—(Hear.) That could never be. He was convinced
that the House, to satisfy the country, must come under a
complete revision of the financial system of the country.
Nothing else would satisfy the people, and no other mea-
sure could place the people of the country in a prosperous
condition.—(Hear.)
Mr. ROBINSON had no desire to place the Noble
Lord (Althorp) in any delemma, but it appeared to him
to be of great importance that it should be understoo I ge-
nerally what the Noble Lord did say at the close of Friday
might. He believed what the Noble Lord stated was, that
although the majority was small, yet he certaily felt
bound to acquiesce in passing the resolution, or that
he should not oppose it, one or the other.—(Hear, hear,
laughter, and cries of " No, no.") He should like to
ask the House in what situation they should be to-mor-
row, when the Noble Lord came down and proposed the
resolution of which he had given notice. He did not
complain of that resolution, he thought it right to put
the question on its right issue, but he agreed with
the Honourable Member who had spoken last, that
it was extremely impolitic for Members to call
for reducing a taxation rs ithout supp.ying the means
from some other source of supplying those reductions.
He was glad that Ministers hid taken a d fferent course ;
it was right the country should know what the House
was about, and he th iught the vote of to mm row night
would go far to bear out that point.—(Hear.) He
would wish to put to the Government and the House
the situation in which the Hou e would be placed
by adopting the resolution the Notile Lord in.
tended to propose to-morrow night. If the House
agreed to that resolution, it would be justly said th at a
House of Commons consisting of 300 Members and odd,
had voted fur the repeal of part of the burdens
of the country, and that that vote had been brought
before them the second time for the purpose of re-
vision, the necessary and unevitable consequence of
that revision would be that the po'p'e would say, a House
of Commons consisting of not more than forty Members
could • gree to votes to burthen the people without having
these votes revised ; but whether a House of Commons,
consisting of 300 Illonliers, had voted for the relict of the
burthens of the people, that vote must be subjected to re-
vision.—(Hear.) It would have a tendency to bring the
House of Commons into disrepute with the people.
Is conclusion, the HOO. Member most solemnly invoked
the House to p iuse well before it came to any decision
—to consider well what would be the undoubted and
inevitable consequence of overturning the vote of Friday
night.
An Hog. MEMBER declared that he was very attentive
to what fell from his Noble Friend ; lie was close beside
him at the time, and understood his explanation to he
precisely in the terms now states/ by hitn to the House.—
( Hear, hear.) He believed the mistake must have ,risen
in consequence of a misapprehension by Hon. Gentlemen
of the m inner in whie i the qbsstion tv,s put.---(Hear,
hear.) That the words now read bs added to the motion,
was an entirely seperare question. Anti it was on the
putting of these that his Noble F• iend addies-ed
the Heuse.—(Hear, hear, hear.) He was himself much
surprised at the interpretation given to his Noble Friend's
explanation by a certain channel of information, wnich he
read on the following morning.—(H-ar ) He did not
think that because 162 Members of that House had come
to a certain resolution, that the remainder or the 680 were
not to be permitted to have an opiniou.—(Hear, hear,
hear.) There were many opportunities in which that opi.
nion might be expressed; and he did not consider that
he was, himself, comprised in a future discussion, by
the vote he had given on Friday last.—(Hear, hear.)
After the vote was decided, the words which fell upon his
ear from the lips of the Nook Lord were these :sea'. That
the vote had placed the Government in a state of corral.
d erable embarrassment ; but, after the vote to which the
House had come, he could not think of offering any op-
position to the carrying of it into effect."—(Cries of
" No, no.") He was ready to accept the explanation of
the Noble Lord, but he was sure these were the words.--
(Oh, oh.) He would make only one other observation,
hich was, that he trusted the Ministry had well con-
sidered the consequences of the proceeding of which they
had given notice. Other motions fir rescindins the de-
cisions of the House would be made. He, for one, was
disposed, if such a principle was adopt d, to move that
the reselutions come to upon his motion a few evenings
ago, he rescinded, and he ca led upon the Government to
pause before they opened air wide a dour. He was quite
satisfied that the proceeding, if adopted, would lead to
great changes in the conduct of the House, and he dreaded
the manlier in which it was likely to be received by the
country at large. He would again call on the Ministty to
consider of the consequences of their intentions, if car-
ried into effect—to consider it further and well, before
forcing it upon the aitention of time House.
After a few observations from Mr. I3ENETT, which
were inaudible in the Gallery,
Mr. HALL DARE said he had not had the good
fortune to be present on Friday night, but he concurred
ith the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton, that
after the decision on that night, notwithstandine
the explanation of the Noble Lord as to his mean-
ing on that particular question, it would be a bad
precedent if an attempt were made to rescind a
vote to which the Huse bad deliberately come.—( Hear,
hear.) Toe Noble Lord had called upon the House to
look with their eyes open on the event of that vote being
confirmed by the House. As an indeperiOent .Member of
the House, he was prepared to look at the subject with
his eyes open. 3 He was prepared to vote a property tax—
and to consider the existing taxation of the country; for lie
elieved that a property tax was the most equitable, and
that it was fitting that those having property to protect
should contribute the more to the exigencies of the
State.—(Hear, hear.) Ile agreed with the Hon. Member
for Lambeth that, if the malt tax were reduced, it was no
reason that time revenue should be so much ditninished..--
(Hear,should
h ie,
ea r ) Itin
int
mta
ivnesd
_also necessary a
faithry
thatshould
h o
utl
de
be
revenuekept
with the public creditor, and that the establishments of
the country should also be maintained. Looking, how-
ever, at our foreign policy—at the state of our foreign
relations—at the state of the east of Europe—at our %Vest
India. colonies—and at the unfortunate state of Ireland—
(Cries of " Oh, oh, " " Question ")—looking at all
those interests, be thought the Noble Lord could not
,ii-pence with the present amount of taxation.—
Cries of " Question.") He was perfectly ready to vote
for a property tax as a substitute for the malt tax. As to the
malt tax, he should it he hat been present, have voted :or the
'notion of the Hon. Barr.(Sir W. Ingleby) but he shout r
have dune sir with regret only considered it a half messure.
He, for one, should be perfectly prepared to vote for the
alternative suggestion of the Noble Lord.—(Hear.)
Mr. BARING, as far as he was concerned, would not
give encouragement to further discussion on the mait tax.
But having been one of those who thought it fit to vote in
favour of the reduction of the malt duty, he thouget it pro-
per to say, that the decd aration of the Noble Lnrd, as it struck
'lm, might have been taken by Hon. Gentlemen either to
mean one teing or t: a other.—Laughter.) He meant
hat the Noble Lord, when he declared lie should abide by
be resolution meant that he either would not negative it
on tee second resolution tieing put from the char, or that
Government would abide by it. The declamation might with-
nut stretch, have been interpreted either way. But no gen-
ileinan could suppose that time Noble Lard meant, without
consultation of his colleagues, to bind Gevernment as to the
eimrse they would take on so important a question
( Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord ha i given his notice
our to-marrow, anti the thing lie proposed was,
would they have the relief of the malt tax, and
the house end window tax, and were they prepared to
-eke in eU' stitution of them, a tax on property and income;
not a tax on property or income, but a tax on property and
income. Undoubtedly that Was a question most important
tor the country to consider, and if he had any objection to
it, it was the short notice that hail been given. He
was perfectly aware that the case might be considered one
,if pressure, and especially as the worthy Alderman's motion
stool for to-morrow. But the question had never been
fairly put to the [louse, and most unfeignedly he coo d not
see how it could properly be discussed. With great re-
luctauce, should he be brought, within 21 hours notice, to
deter miue a question of such conclusive importance to the
uture happiness and prosperity of the country. He was
round to say., he never saw much wisdom in a
commutation of tithes. He thought that altogether visionary
and replete with danger, mis 'lief and loss, especially
where there were great, multilarious, and complicated