Star.
London, England, 1831-08-30 00:00:00

POOS LAWS IX ISELAWb.

Mr. SADLER rem to bring forward the motion of which
he had liven notice, respecting the introduction of poor
laws into Ireland. He (Mr. Sadler) confessed he was em.
barrassed by the magnitude and importance of the subject
with which he had to deal. On the present occasion be
would not urge any arguments of his own, but rely
upon the authority of the greatest men that ever existed in
this country. The honourable gentleman then quoted
Locke. Sir Matthew Hale, and Mr. Justice Blackstone, to
prove that these great men maintained the right of the poor
to a provision, and retened to the authority of both
Grecian and Roman history, in proof that, at all times,
and in all ages, this right was acknowledged. The Ho-
nourable Gentleman observed that, a great authority bad
said, a decent prevision for the poor was the foundation of
civil society. The poor of Ireland were outlawed front civil
society. He asked them to look at the evidence given be-
fore the Comniittees of that House respecting the distress of
Ireland, and also to the writers on Ireland, even so far
back as the time of Spencer and Sir ll'. Petty. Upon whom
does the scarcity that takes place in Ireland fall ? Upon
brutes, think you? No, but on the pour peasants of that ill-
n.tetl country. The great misery that afflicted Ireland was
absenteeism. (Hear, hear.) One of the greatest nuisances
under which that country laboured was high rents, which
had its origin in absenteeism. The '• clearing of " estates
he looked upon with abhorrence, as the poor wretches were
cast upon the world without a home or habitation to fly to.
The hon.' gentleman said, that the many afflictions in the
shape of plagues and epidemics, which frequently affected
Ireland, was owing to an insufficincy of food. He para.
cularly pointed at the epidemic that raged in that country in
1817, when 1,500,000 persons were labouring under the resets
of fever. The evidence of the medical men on this subject
was, that this epidemic was the result of despondency. He
called upon the House to adopt a measure that would pre-
vent a recurrence of those dreadful calamities : (hear, hear.)
The hon. member went into a calculation to show that the
length of lite in Ireland, as compared with the longevity in
England, was lamentably deficient, owing nut to the nature
of the soil cr climate, but front the state of exhaustion to
which the poor were reduced, owing to a want of the proper
necessaths of life. He was prepared to prove that the
climate el Ireland was as favourable to longevity as that of
England. tMe of the lamentable effects of the mate of
pauperism in Ireland was, that it led to lunacy and idiutcy.
In the time of Sir William Petty, the miseries of Ireland
were attributed to the paucity of the population. Now
the political economists attribute this distress to the increase
of the population of that country. At the very moment
who' wretelti.dr.ess and misery existed in Ireland, ar.d when
collectives were being made for the poor of the country, she
frequently exported large portions of corn and cattle. Last
year, for inst. ncr, 18.600,101 basin's of surplus corn were
exputted bum Itelar.el, besides cattle: (hear, hear.) The
mental of Ireland was rated at 12,000,0001. the greater pats
! tion of tins was &awn from the country, and never want
back (hear.) The great objection to the introduction of
poor Laws into Ireland was that the country was so poor that
putouts of sufficient Veviiet ability could sot be found to put
the machinery into operation ; but when the poor laws were
first established in Endand, the state of that country was
very similar to the present state of Ireland. He contended
that there was sufficient machinery in Ireland to make the
pour laws operate smoothly ; but, if there was not, he
thought even that would be an argument in favour of the in-
uoduction of the poor laws, because it would bring home'
many of those persons who at present were drawing the pre
duce of the land away, without giving any thing back in
return. h would be foe the advantage of the English
labourer that poor laws should be introduced into Ireland,
because the natural consequence of their introduction would
be to keep the Irish poor at home. In 1771, the Irish
House of Commons passed a resolution unanimously, declar-
hog that it was advisable to adopt a system of laws for the
provision of the real poor of Ireland. He called on them to
pass a law for the provision of the Irish poor, and the people
of Ireland, who were a grateful and kind people, would be
ever thankful fur so great a booth After some further uto
nervations, the hon. member concluded moving a resole.
rise tithe effect, that it was espedientaM necessary to make
a legal provision for the poor of Ireland.
Mr. STK ICK L A ND seconded the resolution.

Colonel TOIIKIINS thanked the liiitOurab le member for
his enlightened advocacy of an extension of a system ot poor
laws into Ireland.

ROBINSONMr. begged to call the attention of the house