Star.
London, England, 1817-08-15 00:00:00

consideration of a- Comm:ftee, he should have no
objectio! to aff ird it fair pl y, a Jan ooporrimity
for deliberate inquire, althott !1., be nom corgi's',
th.t he had an almost insoperio.ie repognai.c.• to the
principle of congreoatiii4 tnc p ople in bo r
under GOD knows Altat sysaetn of soperintendence.
Die he..evolent author of ras plan had, he under-
stood, done great good in his own district, where he
had a I urge manufactory wider his personal suptriii-
iendence, but such a plan did not at all seem calcu-
lated for general adopt: ai or utility. Oa the con•
ti ary,be could not help thinking it likely to Jo much
mischief. As the professed object of thus plait was
to p:ovide additional employment for the men, where
was the guarantee that additional customers wou'd be
round fur the additional produce of that employment?
I his was an important question, which the Plan
seemed to overlook ; and yet it was nom, intro that
employment would not be wanted at any time if cut-
touters or a demand far the produce of that employ-
ment could be fun This was an indisputable fact,
as any politic.] could prove, as indeed WAS
notorious to every aoricultoralist, manulactuter and
mechanic in the country. Mr. Owen bad, he fearer'.
overlooked the real CAUSE' of the public distress. The
whole was mainly attributable to Taxation. He re-
membered that he had had so much to pay to the
tything man, the property tax, the assessed tax, and
the poor's rate, upon 1011 acres of land which he po.-
sessed, he was obl.ged t demand a high price for los
corn, in order to secure something foe himself, and
this went on pretty well while corn continued to rise.
sut when the price of corn fell, while the taxes cot..
tintvd to increase, the has gatherer took every :]shift.
This, indeed, was the ease of numbers throughout
the country, and hence the general distress.
As a great Statesman one observed, althou4h the
country had afl :rid fare, it was sick at heart: Toe
bead WAS in tact so bloated, AS to become too lope
for the body. For, although we had at present the
,gtoaiest quantity of wealth in the coo:. y eves known,
tics had still the grzatest degree and • severity of
wretchedross and ti:oress. 13ot be would not no.,
go into these points, although he felt that the evils
which afflicted us moist be ;oohed to the boaom.—
Unless our trade rev.vtai—unless the state of the poor
were improved, be was persuaded that neither Mr.
Ow :111. plan, nor any other plan, could afford any
effectual relief. But with a proper disposition in the
Parliament and the Administration—with the ado!).
lion of those measures which a wise policy and a just
economy suggested, be had no doubt that the t sob of
the country might be remedied. (Hear, hear )
Mr. SHUTZ applauded the intentions lei air. Owen,
but. objected to his plan. For whatever good itio6lit
have resulted from the application of thi• Gentle-
man's plan in his own district, what assurance had
we that similar good would arise elsewhere from si-
milar associations, unless Mr. Owen had the disone
power of übiquity, or could delegate hit virtues and
talents to others who might undertake the aupettnten-
dance of such associations. Mr. Owen's plan was
nor, however, new, as a similar plat' was proposed
about twenty years before the enactment of the 45d
of Elizabeth --(iflaugh,and hear, Lear. j•—Much had
been said upon this and other occasions, AS to the
gr,at good occasioned by the modern improvements
it: Agriculture. But where was the proof of this good
to be found ? For sixty years previous to the reign
of-his prei;e6t Majesty, when those hoAted improve.
sacnadrcelayirine-tetinuthr of our
period,rierpeutawteiorne
nsentiwere paupers,began,
only 160 inchourea, while, since that period, there
were three thousand iiclosures, the relit of land
had trebled, and one-fifth of our p .pulation were in
A state of pauperism. From this consideration, he
was not very sanguine in calculating upon any
scheme of improvement in agriculture, a, the weans
of benefiting the poor. He had many objections to
the plan under discussion, which be omit' not think
at ail likely to relieve the people, to wooing, he was
persuaded, that no good could be done, but by reduc.
ing the public expenditure, and regulating the toes.
Mr. HAMILTON supported Mr. Owen's plan, the
funds for .tjic. rAblislintent of which might, he
thought, beAtelined by the sale of the Pours' Rates,
upon the siroe principle as the Legislature had is.
acted For tl>e redami,lon of the Land Tax
The CHAIIINMS :tutu put the R. s .lutions offered
as amendments by Mr. Hunt. He then took the
of the- Meeting on each, and declared that they
were negatived. IL: next put the first and second
Resolutions of Mr. Owen, which were agreed to.—
When Mr. Rowcrnft put the third Resolution, de-
claratory of the unexampled distress of the kingdom,
he told the Meeting, that, in his opinsan, it ought not
to be agreed to.
Mr. WAITIIMAN thought it a most irregidor course
of proceeding I ir the Ch tirmati to take i upon him
to give any opinion of the kind.
The company insisted on having the Resolution
put, and it was carried almost unanimously.
The fourth Resolution was then put and agreed to.
The fifth Resolution. WAS read, and the ioilowing
Amenalmcnt was moved by Mr. WAIIIIAIAN

" That the present distresses of the Poor CPI he allevia.el
only by a diminution of taxation, and by other legislative no A-
lums ut relief."

A Gentleman from the lower p.m of the room said
a few words, which the Chairman, for t:,e benefit of
those wlto did n he. them, repeated, viz.—" That
it was urged agaiaq Mr. Owen, that he meant to
take every labourer it inl his own cottsge, and irn•
more in his village. Tkatt was not the plan. Mr.
Owen proposed only to give she:ter to those who had
no homes of thcir own."

Mr. HuNr.—" TU.: Chairman has totally and wil.
fully misreprewnted what the GJntleman has said."
CuAtituara.—“ M:. Hunt, you claretjot mike sash
an us;eition outside this loom."

Tne Amendment was then put, an.' on the spew
of hands, the Chairman declared that the Amend-
ment was 105t41.1.

Mr. WArranetst isirslAtied the greatest shew of hands
was in its laSiourpandi demanded a division. Ttie
two parties then iveswttb different sides of the room,
oae ci ying out-1,0,04km and Charity !" th.e other—
"li aithrttan and Liberty !" A I.mg time W4S (seen.
pied in counting the heads. Thc attempt to aster.
Laiq the precise numbers on either side completely
' tailed. The tellers were unable t•i r •pori, ..nd iii the
confusion which ensued, the t.thles at the tipper end
the room were occupied by the Chairman, and 4
crowd of those who had previously attenipteJ to di-
vide, and the papers intended for distribuiiim were
trampled under toot. ft was in vain 014: Mr. Row.