The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-08 00:00:00

TO THE 'SECRETARY OF THE

BRADFORD REFORM ASSOCIATION.

Sir,—On Wednesday the 3d, the House met as
usual on Wednesdays at noon, but was immediately
adjourned in consequence of the fatal result of the
accident to Sir Robert Peel. On Thursday the
House met again at the same hour, but speedily
separated to meet again at half.past four, with the un-
derstanding that the Ministers were then to appear
for the purpose of opening the public business with
due tributes of respect to the memory of the departed
statesman.

Tnese, being concluded, the House proceeded to
consider a motion aimed at the proposed Exhibition
of 1851. Nothing is clearer, than that the Exhibi-
tion would be no where, if the fears of every man,
woman, and child, who sees in it the perils of heavy
carts bringing heavy materials, and base " lower orders"
crowding to view their betters enjoying themselves,
and the seventy thousand persons with no visible
means of living who inhabit the metropolis rushing
to their support, and provincial Chartists hurrying up
to try their discontents in a London atmosphere, and
" gabbling" foreigners talking every man of his own
affairs in his own tongue, to say nothing of the de-
cided unwholesomeness of all foreign goods admitted
into the country, are to be allowed to have their
course. A judge of the land takes up the strain,
and dwells on the apprehensions of an invalid sitter
in moving terms. But where is the Exhibition to be,
where there will be no invalid sisters ? And is no
notice to be taken, on the other hand, of the multi-
tude of wives, and sisters, and children, and brothers,
who are looking forward to the Exhibition as what is
directly or indirectly to redound to their good?
The truth, it is to be apprehended is, that a great
portion of these dislikes, are dislike to the thing in-
tended. There appears no call for entering on the
examination here ; but the only wonder is that the
dislike does not express itself in directer terms. You
that have interest in the Exhibition of 1851, can tell
by the rule of contraries, who will have an interest
the other way, and why. On the whole it is a con-
soling fact, that the mass of dislikes as repre-
sented in the House of Commons, could only muster
a force of 46 against 166.
The Committee on the Friendly Societies Bill, in
which I imagine you have some interest, was deferred
till Friday the 12,11. There is therefore time for you
to act if you wish it.
On Friday the night was occupied by a motion for
repealing the Malt Tax. There is no denying that
the Malt Tax presses upon the landed interest by
preventing all the land being appropriated to growing
barley which would otherwise be profitable. And
there is no denying that it presses on the commercial
interest, —which interest you are, —by preventing bar-
ley being grown abroad and bought with your goods,
to the extent which would take place if the tax were
out of the way. From which the conclusion is, that
like every other tax, it would be better if we
could do without it. But I specially note this fact,
that it is not a tax of palpable injustice and wrong as
the Corn Laws were, though there is a strong dispo-
sition in the landlords in the House of Commons to
represent it as such. It is not a tax to enrich one
class at the expense of another class, but only a
tax to be raised by common suffering. There
can be no doubt of its pressing also on the
operative classes ; and when they come to know
their interests and have them represented, they
will insist on the effects of this and other similar taxes
being balanced by laying the residue of the taxation
mainly upon property. And in this, it is not unrea-
sonable to suppose the time will come, when the
classes which have property will aid them. For no-
thing is more certain than that every man of property
with his wits about him, should hail the imposition of
twenty shillings by a justly apportioned Income-tax,
as being the saving of forty shillings which used to be
taken from him by the effects of what is called indirect
to x ition. All indirect taxation, not only take. from soine-
b-xly what he has gathered into his basket, but checks
somebody's power of gathering also. It is like taking
toll out of gleaners' bundles, and tying up one of their
hands besides. Slowly and wearily the knowledge
of this will be come to; but everything must bide its
une.

The motion was finally negatived by 247 again!
23. I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
AN OLD REFORMER.

Loudon, July 8, 1850.

IRISH FRANCHISE BILL.

HOUSE OF LORDS, JULY 5.
DIVISION OM LORD STANLEY'S MOTION AGAINST

COMPULSORY REGIS ['RATION.
CONTENTS, 53.

DUKES. LORDS.
Richmond Wilton De Fre.yne
Cleveland Powis Sandys
MARQUISES. Desart Alvanley
Winchester Enniskillen Southampton
Abercorn Ellenborough Farnham
lluntley , Hardwicke Clarina
Ely Mountcashel Wynford
Exeter Stradbroko Templemore
EARLS. Glengall Crofton
Morton Beauchamp Colchester
Galloway Harewood Blayney
Warwick Lonsdale Abinger
AbergavennY Cadogan , Stanley
Bathurst Verulam Rayleigh
Roden Kianoull Walsingham

EARLS.

Tenterden
Grantley