The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-21 00:00:00

REPEAL OF THE WINDOIT-TAX-

.z. '

' A public mceting or inhahits of the par:-11 of
S:. Maryiebene w3i held in the court a tne work-
houAe, New-nwti, ye,,;ordav; Mr. Nieholay in tha
chAlr. About 00 or GOO per,ons Isere prr,ent.
(leitg:;!t,s nttet,.l,Al frk.;:n On. V0,..z) wore
bread on which wtie hitt!,
" No surrender:".U.:cL,nlit:onal
rtikui." Op, the hustings 0t...*.e,1 L• td D.
Las'Aington, M.l'., Mr.
M.P. Sir De I.a‘3, Evan, Mr. C.
&c. Aiowatt,

A letter was read from the secretary of Lord Juba
Russell, intimating that be was desired by his Lord-
ship to acknowledge the receipt of the letter convey-
ing the invitation to attend, and to state that it was not
M.P., Mr. 'Willcox, M.P.,
Mr. r. E
in his Lordship s power to do so. Letters were also
readfr% ,
ornartSiri.pß.: Mr. Lemae,
the Lord Mayor of
York, and others, stating their inability to attend the
meeting, but their concurrence in its objects. Sir B.
Hall intimated that he should vote, as he had always
vt ted, for the repeal of Ole window-tax, and if it
were intended to impose a tax on houses, he should
be ready to give his vote against such a proposition.
The CHAIRMAN, in explaining the object of the
meeting, stated that the committee had also received a
very powerful but lengthy letter from Mr. Hume,
M.P., declaring that he would do everything in his
place in Parliament to promote the repeal of the tax.
Mr. FRESTH moved the first resolution :
" That, the window•tax being wrong in principle, un-
natural in character, partial, oppressive, and unfelr in its
operation, and most repugnant to the feelings of the
community, and alike destructive of the morals and the
health of the people, this meeting pledges itself to use
every means to obtain the immediate, total, and uncon-
ditional repeal of this odious tax, and not to accept any
commutation or modification hereof in any manner
whatsoever."

The repeal of the window-tax he conceived to be a
foregone conclusion. The latter part of the resolu-
tion referred to the contingency of a house-tax being
substituted, the great journal, which always waited on
public opinion, having thrown out a feeler on that
point. But, repeal of the window-tax, and nothing
but repeal, was what ought to be insisted on.—
(Hear, hear.) Tracing the history of the window-
tax, he described it as having been assented to simply
because it was a war tax, the object being to fortify
our coasts ; and he concluded by pointing out the evils
which attended it in a sanitary point of view, as well
as the disproportion of the assessments made on diffe-
rent classes.

Mr. MITCHELL Oxford-street, seconded the reso-
lution, and described the window-tax as life-shorten-
ing and antagonistic to cleanliness, decency, and
morality. It was partial in its operation ; for the
assessment, which, to the majority, was 25 per cent.,
was but 5 to the owners of the " stately houses" of
England. It was hard that the artisan should forego
his evening glass of " cold without"—(Laughter)—
that he might pay a tax on light. There would be an
attempt in Parliament to divert attention from the
window-tax by long debates on what was called
" Papal aggression.' They might be prepared to
hear the drum ecclesiastic; but the opponents of this
tax ought not to allow their voices to be drowned
amidst the efforts of the Church miiitant.—(Cheers.)
Lord D. STUART, M.P., was received with loud
cheers. He had but few words to address to the
meeting, but they were firm, earnest, and hearty;
for he was with them in this movement as heartily as
it was paesible to be. He did not need to
give any aesurences. His votes were before the
constituency, and they knew that their Members had
always, when an opportunity presented itself; rai:seti
it voices against this impost. Neither was it ne-
ceseary to go into any argument to prove that the tax
ought to be repealed, for it had been condemned year
after sear. They might anticipate support among
members of the Government. There was a man
these name was known to them as associated with
llohhouse'e Act, which gave them local government ;
and others could be mentioned %Nile, like him, had
raised their voices against this tax. Unless the Go-
vanthent saw that the feeling of the people was uni-
versal on the subject, they might be inclined to retain
a tax which brought so much money into their coffers.
Ile should in Parliament oppose the tax in every pos-
sible way ; and he would answer for his colleague
(Sir B. Hall), who stated that he had been in Par-
liament for 20 years, and on every occasion that it oc-
curred had voted against the continuance of the win-
dow-tax. It was to be anticipated, however, that the
Chancellor of the Exchequer would come forward at
once, finding the feeling of the people so universal,
and declare his intention to repeal the tax.—(Cheers.)
Sir DE L. EVANS, M.P., avowed himself not less
zealous in the case than Sir B. Hall, like whom he
had opposed the tax for twenty years in Parliament.
The tax was already doomed, he had no doubt, from
the intimations in public journals, some of which
were connected with the Government. But the ad-
vocates of repeal must not put their trust in public
journals or Ministers. The announcement that the
tax would be repealed was coupled with another, but
ominous announcement, that a moderate small house-
tax was to be imposed. ("No house-tax.") That
would be keeping the word of promise to the ear. He
did not mean to say that a house-tax, or almost any
other tax, would not be preferable to a window-tax ;
but the question was whether the removal of the
window-tax with the proposed substitute would not
amount only to a modification of the window-tax ?
Of all commutations, that which involved a house .tax
ought to be most determinedly resisted. He had a
high opinion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but
should oppose the re-imposition of the house-tax as he
had its continuance 17 years ago. There were other
modes in which the sum to be supplied on the removal
of the window-tax might be obtained. Might there
not be a reduction of expenditure ?—(Hear, hear.)
The house-tax was a convenient one for Government,
inasmuch as it might be increased at any time. If
the small end of the wedge were got in it would be
easy to add 2 per cent. this year and 2 per cent. the
next. He had seen a letter in the Times of that
morning, declaring the agitation for the repeal of the
window-tax a mean and paltry agitation. The duties
on tea, soap, and other articles ought to be modified
or repealed, but the people might be diverted from
their purpose by tubs thrown to the whale, and the
vigour and unity of their efforts so destroyed.
Mr. WILLIAMS, M.P. for Lambeth, also protested
againEt the substitution of another tax, perhaps not so
objectionable in itself, but which ought to be opposed,
on the ground that it was not required. He con-
trasted the estimates of Sir R. Peel in 1835 with the
exoenditure of the present period. The naval and
military forces consisted of 80,000 men more than in
1835. The charges under the head of civil services
amounted to 1,850,0001. more than in 1835. The
charges on the consolidated fund were 630,0001. less
in 1835 than last year.
Mr. SODEN moved the adoption of a petition to the
House of Commons, in the terms of the resolution.
Mr. WinTmonE seconded the motion, and adverted
to the sanitary view of the question. The Board of
Health bad stated that consumption, and stunted
growth particularly, were produced by want of air,
and the mortality from consumption was one-eighth
of the whole m'rtality. He referred to the exp::ri-
enc.,e of medical men, v,ho could not but feel in many
ca:as that their exertions were thrown awev because
they could not give the light of he,wen and pure air
to their pLi,!.ie.nts. The tax was Only worth the pur-
poi,e for which it Was erva:i d---to promote war, de-
ruction, end slaughter, and to be lirocluctive of pes-
tileece, disease, and death.—(Cheers.) To supply she
10,3 of revenue coils, quent on toe repeal .it the
window-tax, he should euggeat the total removal of the
I African t qua'lron, and the reduction of the salaries of

high dices.
After some remarks by Mr. GREEN, of Islington,
explanatory of the grounds on which the Members
for Finsbury had been absent from the lest division in
the House of Commons on the window-tax,
English Constitu-
ti.ln that Do su
Mr. JOSEPH moved—
te by Parliament until griev-
ances are redressed, this meeting, considering the win-
dow That, as sPed,"oetiePal eo f tha
window-tax
do
use
their
inrot repealed
endeavours
t o
the
m
,tax to be an intolerableh grievance, respectfully re-
questst„,, the supplies."
Mr. GDIdSIN seconded the resolution.
Mr.LUSIUNGTO m p
N 9 ••I stated that he had voted
em be thatrs
for
casethis
borough
last year fur the abolition of
the tax. A motion simi-
lar to that now had proposed been agreed to in St.
Anne's, 'Westminster ; Sir De
Lacy Evans and him-
self were then instructed to declared that further f.-
nancial measures could not be considered until a vote
for a repeal of the window-tax should have been
passed. These instructions they cheerfully engaged
to fulfil.
After a few remarks from Mr. Micara, on the an-
nouncement of the Ministerial intentions respecting
the tax,
Mr. H. C. WILSON moved a resolutioie—
" That, in the event of a commutation or modification
of the window-tax, the meeting request the committee
to continue their sitting, and determine what ulterior
proceedings might be necessary to obtain the removal
of the tax."
He called attention to the limitation of the con-
stituencies occasioned by the existence of the window-
tax. To require payment of parochial rates as a con-
dition of the franchise was less objectionable ; but a
house. tax would produce the same mischievous effects
as the vvindow• tax.
Mr. Hortoes seconded the resolution, and suggested
that the loss arising from flap repeal of the window-
tax might be supplied by a tax on the transfer of real
property.
Mr. Dwrsu moved, that Lord D. Stuart should be
requested to present the petition, and Sir B. Hall to
support it ; which motion was seconded by Mr.
GREEN, and carried ^
unanimously,
.s the other reso-
lutions had been.
After a vote of thanks to the Chairman, the meet-
ing separated. •