Star.
London, England, 1802-03-31 00:00:00

INCOME TAX.I

A very numerous meeting of the inhabitants of
Wellminflcr. w•as yclterday held in Old Palace-
yard, to confider a a petition to Parliament for a
repeal of the Income Tax.
r•ne o'clock Mr. Fox, attended by feve.
ral of his friends, made his appearance .nn the huf-
tings, and was greats' by the loudell and moil
cordial ;Ica:ma:ions.

I Mr. WI s Haar., one ()idle gentlemen figning the
1 requifition for the meeting,,was immediately called
Ito the Chair. He accordingly came forward, and
1 in a [hurt hot forcible fpeech explained what was
the object in View, and at the fame time thanked
the meeting *for the honour they had confer-led on
him by calling upon him to prefide on the prefent
occafion. He animadverted leverely on the tax,
to obtain a repeal of which they were affen.bled, '
as in all refpeEts odious, uncontlitutional, and un-
Ijolt. Formerly it WAS the privilege of the inhabi-
-1 tants of there kingdoms,that their home waillheli
caftle, and that the hate of. their private affairs
was to be known only to themielves. But would
any men fay that this was now the cafe, under the
operation of a tax which by an inquilitorial poser
compelled a difclofure of a man's moil minute
petuniary coarerns, ox which, for the purport of
evafion, held nut the Itrongeit temptations to lin..
morality of the grille(' kind ? On the propriety
lof a petition for the repeal of a tax fa abhorrent
to all the moft approved principles of taxation,
and fo contrary in the mode of •enforcing its col.
; Jeaion to whatever this country had liitheito cx- 1
pciienced ; for the repeal of a tax which had been
univerfally found to be the mollburdentime and
vexatious, and on the impolicy of which there now
called only one fentimcnt throughout the great
body of the community in all parts of the country,
he was convinced there could at prefent via no
difference of opinion. To gain fo important an
°Vied no exertion could poffibly be too great, and
he trufted that the example which had been to
honourably let by the Livery of London would
be readily followed by the inhabitants of Well.
mintier: Notice had indeed been given of an in-
tention on the part of one who held a high lima-
tiou in the Councils of his Majefly to move for the
repeal of the Liz. This notice, he was ready to
allow, 7.tve confiderable room to hope that the
repeal irauld aelually take place. This was, how.
• ever, in far from being a reafon for their leffening
their exertions, that it ought to give them new
vigour. The meeting would probably %Tolle& an
inftance in which the predeccifor of the prefent
!stonier had pretended to de all his eloquence in
fupport of a popular meafure, while by many it
was (irongly fufpeeted that he totally withheld his
influence. The confequence, as might be expeeted,
was, that the meaftire failed of fuccefs. (Low/
afritiarle.) This inftance WAS fufficient, therefore,
to convince the meeting that no effort ought to be
(pared to accomplifh the objeet which they had in
view. He concluded by requelling theTtipport of
the meeting in preferving the regularity of 'their
proceedings.
Dr. REES followed, and flontly prefaced the
Refolutions by a few remarks on the unjustifiable
and dettruelive nature of the tax. He particularly
reprobated it as deftrudive of the morality of the
people. He then moved the Refolutions and read
the petition, which were unaninionfly agreed to
On the motion that the petition be prefented to
Pailiament by the Hon. Charles James Fox, and
that he be inhaled to fupport the fame,
Mr. Fox came forward, and infarcd the meeting
that he had at all times the gr..atell• pleafure in
complying with'the wilhcs of hi, ecinlittients, and
on no occafion could he ffe,l more fatisfaelion than
, in prefentin the prefent'etition, and giving hi I
vote for the g repeal of the tax, which *as fo de- I
fervedly reprobated. After what the Gentleman, ,
who had opened the bufinels, had faid, it was
unnocelfary for him to enter into any difeuffion on
the nature of the tax. He had only to obferve,
that he had aver confidered it as a tax of the very
1 worlt defcription, and that by the inquifitotial
powers it ellablilhed for enforciog its colleelion it
ilibje&cel the country to all the cask of the moll
ithiniute tyranny, withotiebeing attended with any
of its circtinntances of alleviation. It was a tax
which reveried every jutt principle of taxation, and
could not exilt among any people who pretended
to preferve even the remains of liberty. Whether
the notice which had b&n given of an into ion to
repeal the tax, by a perfim who was in poffctlion
of great influence, had originated from private
opinion, or had been fuggeited by the decided
manner in which the public mind had been ex-
preffed, he would not now pretend to determine.
He would content himfelf with congratulating
the meeting on the profpeet which this notice held
out. that they would gain their object without
much difficulty. This was, however, no reafon
why their exertion Ihould be remitted, and why
the people throughout the country fliould nor
meet to exprefs their indignation sgainft *tax
of fo odious and burdenfome a nature.--(Loud
applasife.)
Mr. AVlLttata SMITH next *eyed the thanks of
the meeting. to Mr. Poi for his very able anil zeal-
ous oppofition to the tax when originally propofed,
and for his difinterefteci, unifin to, and unparalleled
exertions on this and every occafion in fupport of
the rights and privileges of the people.
This motion was no fooner announced,than the
meeting teftified their high approbation of it in the
molt unequivocal terms. .
The CHAIRMAN; previous to puttitt the guef-
tion, took occafion to remark, that tf the argu-
ments of their Honourable and Patriotic Member
had been fufficiently feconded in the floufe of
Commons, or throughout the country, by the
people, they would never have heard the name of
this tax. It was to the lokeiiarmnefs.difylayed by
the country, that this and many other obnoxious
and unconititutioaal meafures weft indebted'for
, their fixed's. •

The Tuition- was then put and carried amid
thunders of applaufe.
The thanks having been returned, Mr. Fox, in
very hancliitmeiermt, expreifed his fedi of gra-
titude for the Itindnefs which, during a conrie of

the Ele/tors of Wellmintler. In times the rnoß
trying, in fitnations the moll difficult, he had re-
ceived a degree of fupport and favour from hi
conflituents, which he believed was unequalled ia
the annals of reprefentation. The feelings which
fuck kindnefs had excited in his
mind •were of a nature never to be effaced. V.,,u.1
appAuffe.) The thanks of the meeting were then
voted to the feven independent Gentlemen who
had called together the meeting.
The whole concluded by a vote of thanks to the
Chairman for his impartial condttd.