Star.
London, England, 1815-03-03 00:00:00

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PRICE SIXPENtE-111ALFPENNY.

did he think the persons assembled deserved such
epithet's. They had SO expressed their feelings becaunt
they entertained the apprehension that themselves
"and their families may be starved. Cordial agree-
ments in such a way was not the way to change their
opinions. Neither did he seem to approve vi the way
in which the Noble Earl adverted to a speech of 11:e
Chief Magistrate's. If lie deemed that what va;
reported was not right, the proper way would he
to have sent one of those newspapers to him to
know if lie had used such words—(llear, Alan)....
For his part, he thought very differently of several
parts of that speech, which seemed to have been de.
livered by a than of sense. When it was said that
after the passing of the Bill the price would be sixteen
or eighteen pence, it was evident that such would be
the case, under the circumstances to which such a
measure would give rise, especially when coupled
with the effect or operation of such detestable taxes
as were now in agitation, which of themselves alone
would be sufficient to raise the price of Brea
They were the most absurd and injurious that could •
ever be devised by any set of men. That carters,
porters, drivers, or shopmen should be taxed as pro.
posed, and to the extent, must be incalculably mis.
chieveus ; and that articles of the first necessity, as
soap, candles, leather, and the like, should be so
taxed, bore grievously on the poor. In such a view,
he had last Session called the attention of the House
to such measures as would really go to relieve the
agriculturist, without doing it at the expense of any
other class in the community, but least of any, of
that of the poor. But now, when they should expect
to reap some of the benefits of peace, then new taxes
were laid on, in a way that might be said to grind
the very faces of the poor. The system pursued was
contrary to the very spirit and tenor of the prover?),
which says, " he who oppresses the poor dishonours
his MAKER." All this may be seen by their Lord-
ships by a recurrence to the resolutions of the House
lof Commons of the 21st ultimo. He was against
the measure proposed, not only from conviction, but
*m the time and manner in which it was proposed,
a period and under circumstances when taxes
should be taken off to enable the labourer to live,
which, alone, would so far go to relieve and bcnest
the farmer.

The Earl of LAUDERDALE could not suffer
to go unnoticed such positi,,ns as were advanced by
the Noble Earl who spoke last. Such p.isitions,
made without any reasons, assigned at large, going
to assert the existence of a party in Parliament hos-
tile to the interests of the people and the country,
land intending to grind the faces of the poor, may be
dangerous in the extreme. He differed totally from
the Noble Earl upon the point. The measure, in its
progress before the other House, should, when it
came to their Lordships, have his decided and stre.
t►uous support; because he was confident it would
prove the very best mode of conducing to the inte-
rests of the consumer, by ultimately giving a low
and steady price to grain—(Hear.) They should
take care that a sentiment should not go forth un-
contradicted, that Parliament meant to grind the
laces of the poor; and he was the more astonished at
such, as he could not see how any intelligent Mem-
ber could believe it possible. As to the question of
taxation, it made no part of the present discussion;
but could the Noble Lord be so ignorant of the re-
venue, as seriously to think that any large portion of
the taxes could be repealed ? This was a fact of
which no intelligent man could be insensible, and no-
thing could be more mischievous than the holding►
out hopes which could not be practically real;zed.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL conceived it to be
highly irregular to enter at present into the discussing
of any such questions ; and it was the more to be de.
precated, as ere long there would be opportunities
of fully and regularly discussing them. He agreed
in all the sentiments expressed by the Noble Earl
who had just sat down ; but what fell from the Noble
Lord opposite rendered it necessary for him to say a
few words. With respect to the taxes, the utmost
care and anxiety prevailed to avoid those which may
fall upon the poor ; and he would undertake, on the
proper occasion, to prove that every effort was made
in that view. There were no additional taxes on soap,
candles, and leather. The Noble Earl was misin-
formed also as to the point of the Assessed Taxes
which bore most upon agriculture; the new imposts
were so arranged, that they could not bear materially
upon. it. And did not the Noble Lord believe that
these taxes would bear as heavily upon Members of
that House, its proportion to their incomes, as on
any persons out of it The operation of the mea.
sures now in agitation went directly to take off from
the people of this country more than nine milieus of
annual taxes.—(Hear, hear.) It was therefore too
much for any person to say there was not a disposi.
lion on the part of Parliament to relieve the people
of this country, with the necessary consideration of
what was due to the public creditor, and with cur
naval and military establishments ; but it was not too
much for any Government to claim the credit of en-
deavouring to execute its purposes in a way the most
conducive to the interest of the community. They
could never be suspected of acting from a desire to
oppress any class of the people ; on the contrary, and
he hoped for due credit upon the point, the first seer
timent of the persons encrusted with the government
of the country, was to advise their Lordships to con-
cur in the administration of that government, in the
way that may be the Most advantageous and benefi.
cial to the people and to the country.
Earl STANHOPE spoke shortly in explanation,
and contended that some of the new taxes would ne-
cessarily affect agriculture.
The Earl of DARNLEY spoke also in explana-
tion, with reference chiefly to some remarks of the last
Noble Speaker, upon what had fallen from him in
the first instance. Whatever description of persons
those may be of whose conduct be had to Complain,
they were certainly among the mat uninformed pars
of the community, and therefore the most likely per-
sons to be misled by those who held such language