The Sun.
London, England, 1826-02-20 00:00:00

TII 1/4LON DON J Otl It N Al,t4.

DA I IX

Extracts from the Morning Papers, Feb. 20, 1826.

[MORNING mamma
Now that Parliament iswssembled, we shall,
we 'trust, be excused if we urge upon its atten-
tion a subject to which we have so often called
that of our readers during the recess-Tviz. the
abases and the enormous power of, taxation,ex.
ereised in the metropolis, especially under Alta
Vestry System. We are persuaded that the Le-
gislature cannot be at all aware of tone-half the
extent to which this method of local taxation is
currie4 or it would not tacitly suffer its own
powers to be usurped by self-elected, unaccount.
ing, and often incompetent bodies, whose wan-
ton exercise of powers which they ought not to
possess, is only equalled by their total disre-
gard of that which they ought to do. All that
we at present call upon__ Parliament to do, is
twascertain the facts. When they are ascertained,
then inferences might easily be drawn, and re-
medies applied. Though knowledge is said to
be power, ignorance too is not without its des-
potic privileges ; and we are' convinced that it is
the ignorance which exists on this head which
permits the bodies we allude to to revel its a
species of tyranny and exiction quite unknown
to any power in the empire but themselves. We
have so often alluded to instances, and every
man's experience must daily furnish him with so
many proofs of what we assert, that we need not
here repeat them. What we wish is, that some
Member of Parliament would call for " a re-
turn of the amount and expenditure of all sums of
money raised within the Bills of Mortality in the
shape of poor, church, watch, paving, sewer, and
other rates," so that it may be seen at one view
what the whole of them amounts to. This is all
that may be necessary in the first instance ;
though it would be desirable that the details
should be curried much farther, and include the
number of the poor relieved in each parish, the
length and width of the streets, the number of
watchmen, beadles, &c., the amount of salaries,
and various other particulars. While we com-
plain of the Parliamentary taxes, it might be
useful to know what proportion they actually
hear to those which are raised by these petty
legislatures ; and when people grumble at the
expence incurred in building suitable resi-
dences for the Sovereign, 'it may .of be amiss
to know what is the amount which is silently
squandered away in erecting debating rooms
for these legislators, and in providing com-
fortable births and snug jobs and contracts for
their connections and dependents. If these
inferences are wrung, we shall gladly acknow-
ledge our error; but till the facts are forthcom-
ing, and have been submitted to public scrutiny,
they cannot be contradicted ; and, if true, ought
not to be suffered to continue.

[MoaNuw POST.]

We find that Government is accused orvacilla-
tion,becuuse it has so far consented to deviate from
its original plan for the reformation of the Cur-
rency as to extend to the Bank of England per-
mission to issue new small notes till the 10th of
October, leaving still however the same period
fixed for the final cessation of this currency,with
respect,to every portion of it, whether homed by
the Bnnk of England, or by private bankers. If
the steady pursuit of a fixed purpose is best de-
scribed by the term vacillation, then may that
term be sapplied with infinite propriety to the
conduct of Ministers. If any variation from the
intended course, by which a given object was
to be attained, however new circumstances
or unexpected obstructions may have dictated
such variation, be a proof of unsteadiness of
purpose, then may Government be fairly' called
upcw to plead to the charge of vacillation. The
charge has been made, and Ministers hays .with
greatwisdom and delicacy refrained from a reply,
because. their reply must have involved more or
less of inculpation against a class of persons who
already think themselves hardly dealt by, and
still more because a reply—a very full and suffi-
cient answer—emanated, unconsciously perhaps,
at the same moment, upon the same authority,
end from the same source with the charge itself.
Now 19r the facts. Mr. Hudson Gurney had just
been Informing the House of Commons of an in•
stance within his own knowledge of a Country
Banker having put into the fire thirteen thousand
of own one-pound notes---in Indignation too.
Of course. we know nothing of any other burning
of notei but the indignation which led to it in the
instance mentioned, is admitted on all hands,
however doubtful,,to be by no means uncommon.
Mr. Tierney, even when urging the charge of
vacillatimiodinits that the Country Bankers feel
generally offended, but that they feel so without
reason. The Ministers, unconscious that the
Country nisokErs had received any treatment of
which they could fairly complain, formed their
original. plan upon the expectation, that they hav-
ing paid for the stamps now in their possession,
would continue to use them as long as they could
—Tan expectation quite consonant certainly to the
principles by which human conduct is generally
supposed to be governed. All .this indignation
arid this burning of notes forth a new element
in the subject, or at least one of the
existence of which they could not have been
assure , and it is this which imposes upon them
the necessity of varying their means, if they
would produce the same result. If this can be
called vacillation, it is just, such vacillation as
is manifested by the conduct of a traveller, who
aiicieg at 0-particular destination, intends to ford
a river, but who finding. the river not fordable,
reaches his resting place by going round over the
nearest bridge. -A gradual extinction of small
netes,alight be quite safe and easy.; but if that
extinction
were to be accelerated in cense-
(pollee of any indignant feeling on the part of
tints issuers, it might well outrun not only the
receipts of bullion, if any importation of bul-
Due were required, but it might
.outrun the
utinnlst exertion which could be made by
the , Mint, with all the mechanical powers it
possesses f.cir the creation of .In meeting
this threatened -danger, the Batik, orliughtpd