The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 16, 1844.7

Legislature, at its original imposition, to visit upon
the wealthy and the middling classes above them.
And undoubtedly it is an infinite aggravation of the
cruelty of such an unrighteous transfer of a most
grievous burden from the shoulders of these classes
to their own, when the indirect tax is collected on a
commodity which is not less than a necessary of life
for them, but which, 'not ranking as an article of
luxury or refinement, scarcely enters at all into the
subsistence of the more fortunate classes of the com-
munity. In this light the malt-tax is essentially a
penal visitation on poverty, the consumer; and it is
protanto, a boon to wealth or competency, the non-
consumer, whose contribution to the public income is
decreased by the very five millions, the yield of the
malt duties—thus wrung from the famishing indus-
trial poor. But why is that vast section of the people
reduced to this extreme poverty, who are its producing
classes ? It is certain that their labour is far more
severe, and more continuous, notwithstanding all the
improvements of machinery, in turning out or raising
the various products and commodities to which it is
applied, than it was five-and-twenty years ago. It is
indisputable that five-and-twenty years ago their
Rages, for lighter and less protracted labour, were
very much higher. Then the great question with all
who are alive to the inexpressible importance of
providing for industrial labour the means of subsisting
itself, still remains—What is the cause of these re-
duced, inadequate, stinted wages ?
The farmers, finding these much oppressed classes
under the same visitation as themselves, though in a
more intense degree from depressed prices, rightly
enough make common cause with them in demanding,
as a remedial measure, a repeal of the malt-tax. But
were that repeal conceded' to-morrow, it would
not, singly, either rectify the existing depreciation of
the industrial classes ; or arrest its downward
tendency. It would be but "a" means, inter
alia, for improving their condition, or that of the
farmers. The true, primal, pervading, permanent
cause of the evils which both have to deplore, is our
present monetary system ; the monster progeny of
the Currency Bill of 1819, increased and invigorated
by its ill-favoured successor of 1843. It is with
pleasure, therefore, that we find Mr. SPOTTISWOODE
(the Chairman, we believe, of a Society having for
its object the repeal of those statutes, and the re-
establishment of the currency on a practical, long-
tested, and common-sense basis, instead of
abstract principles, false in theory, and pre-
posterous failures when carried into execution),
was called by the farmers to preside over their
discussions. They could not have deliberated under
the auspices of a better-informed, more extensive, or
more practical judgment on the currency question
than his own. Indeed, they must have felt that the
vicious state of our currency laws was at the bottom
of the disastrous condition of the malt consumers ;
for their very first resolution concluded with a decla-
ration of the paramount necessity for" a removal of
these taxes and a revision of the currency." At the
Agricultural Protection Society's meeting, having
the Duke of RICHMOND in the chair, Mr. ALLNUTT,
a very able agriculturist—and speaker--thus ex-
pressed himself:—

" It was thought that the farmers of England might be
sport for theorists like those who, enjoying great wealth
themselves, had, perhaps, few opportunities, or but little
inclination to look fairly at the question at issue—and he
regretted to say that, as the wealth of the many had ac-
cumulated in the bands of the few, the very laws which
had been brought forward, from the passing of that
wicked measure the Cut rency Bill, down to the "comple-
ment," as Sir Robert Peel called the Bank Charter Bill—
that there had appeared to be one prevailing spirit in these.
measures—viz., a spirit to de.ttroy the energies of the in-
dustrious classes, and to enhance the value of money by
diminishing the produce of the soil—the produce of that
soil on which honest men formerly existed, but which
now unfortunately was converted into tangible heavy
gold, that found its place in the pockets of our legis-
lators, while the farmers were robbed and drained of the
last shilling in their pockets."

And at the Freemasons' Tavern, another and very
eminent farmer and agriculturist of Essex, Mr. BAKER,
of Writtle, still more distinctly insisted on this para-
mount topic :
" Unless something were done for the producing
classes—unless there were some efforts made to remove
the burthens from the industrious classes—a dreadful
revolution must be the consequence.—(Hear, hear.) The
resolution contained an allusion to the currency, and he
considered it deserved their most serious consideration.
—(Hoar, hear.) If the farmers looked to those things
which most concerned them, they would find that no-
thing bore so directly upon their interests as this pas-

And again, the same speaker :—" He, however
told them to look to the currency as the cure for all
the evils which afflicted them.—(Hear, hear.) He
did not pretend to understand so much of this sub-
ject as his neighbours, but if he were called upon to
pay 20s. fox 13s. 4d. borrowed, he thought he should
gil o a fair idea of his feelings on this subject."— (Hear.)
Now in alt candour we must own that we see not
how Sir R...e_EEL can give up, in the present condition
of the countsry, the five millions malt duty, however
reason and equity demand that he should do so. But
if he will be• bold, righteous, wise enough to repair
an enormous error, by consenting to render the
currency extn.nsible, instead of immoveable, except
for the process of contraction,—and adopt, for his un-
lucky standra-d of value, gold at the market, instead
Sf his Act of Parliament, price ;—he may yet save the
empire which his legislation is fast hastening to ruin ;
revive the noble commerce, whose energies he has now
paralysed ; giive expansion and prosperity to agricul-
ture, in place of present decay and fast approaching
ruin ; raise amid exalt, employ and remunerate, labour
throughout the land ; and replace domestic pauperism
and despair by- social competence and peace.

Madrid jounials of the Bth have been receiv d, and
bring more amounts of butcheries in the northern
provinces. The Herald() announces that the Go-
vernment had been officially informed by General
BRETON, Capthr;in-General of Saragossa, that twelve

individuals impilicated in the late affairs of Ilecho and
Anso had been :shot on the 3d inst. Fortunately, at
Madrid executiions have not followed so quickly after
arrest. The d. etision of the Court-martial condemn-
ing Col. REUBFiGGO, with two others, to death, and
eight to the gallkeys, had been reversed by the Su-
preme Military Tribunals, and the proceedings de-
clared illegal. _Hopes are therefore entertained that
the lives of these unfortunate victims will be spared.
MADRID BOUR SE, DEC. 7.—The Three per Cents,
closed at 31 cash, and 31i at 60 days. Five per
Cents. 21i at 60 days with premium. Passive
Debt, 6 3-16 at; 60 days.

According to :intelligence from Switzerland, pub-
lished in the P:t7•is papers, the disturbances in the
Car ton of Lucer;3e have been put down for the present—

r Jesuits have t riumphed. Several of the leaders of the
Liberal party, al n ong others Dr. STEIGER and Captain
AUIDER MANN, E ad been taken, and the Government
had countermaneted the reinforcements which they had
required of the ER ighbouring Catholic cantons. The
Protestant canto) %s had collected troops, but chiefly for
the purpose of p cotecting their frontiers. From the
little resistance r, ride to the Government troops of
Lucerne, and the apathy which pervades the rural po-
pulation, it tould appear that the Catholic
High Church party are predominant in the
canton. The &Mowing extract of a letter
from Berne, dated. the 10th inst , furnishes the la test
particulars :—" B y the arrivals from Lucerne this
morning, we learn. that the city is filled with troops,
and that arrests continue to be made. The Jesuits
triumph to the full extent of the word, thanks to the
means of seduction they have employed. Dr.
STEIGER, one of the) chiefs of the Liberal party, who
is paying by impritsonment for his opposition to the
Jesuits, is a man of mind and energy, who was the
only one that could rally the Liberal party of the
country, which was, without leaders. Colonel KEG.'
anoth mi chief of
,the Liberal party, has
succeeded in escapi.ng into the territory of Berne.
Many other fugi ties have succeeded in getting
over the border; but, although our Government
feel; the necessit," of stopping the reaction, it
will consider twi c, before it makes any demon-
stration which may become a signal for a ge-
neral conflict in SyVitzerland. The people, however,
who do not look so, closely to the Federal Compact,
are discontented wit h this forbearance. A volunteer
from Argau, who joined the expedition against Lu-
cerne, writes from. Arau last night, that nearly all
the eight hundred wit dunteers are returned, worn out
with fatigue, and ,dissatisfied at not having met with
any support from tale people of the places through
which they passed. There has been, nevertheless, a
serious engagement .at the bridge of the Emme, half
a league from Lucerne, in which there were killed
and wounded on both sides. The volunteers suc-
ceeded in forcing the passage, but, finding ao one on