Star.
London, England, 1826-05-05 00:00:00

STATE OF THE NATION.

, Mr. HUME rose to bring forward his motion on this
subject, pursuant to a notice which had been given two
months since. He began by disclaiming any intention
of interfering with the measures of Ministers. Their
acts, with the exception of those which regarded the
expenditure of the country, were in general such as
afforded him great pleasure ; and accordingly he often
voted with them. He wished however to remove a
delusion with regard to the financial state of the coun-
try, which had proved ruinous to many classes of the
people. Every part of his statement would be suffi-
ciently clear, except the details connected with the
Sinking Fund, which were so impoltant that he
would reserve them for separate consideration.
For the ruinous alterations which had taken place
in the country various opinions had been offered:
Some attributed them to the state of the Currency, others
to the Corn Laws, and others assigned other causes.
He would not say that they were all wrong : perhaps
some truth might be found in the reasoning of each:
but it was necessary to know the real situation of things,
before any one could undertake to propose a remedy.
On this question he took a different view from Ministers,
and in considering it, he would confine himself to the
period which intervened since January, 1817, because,
before that time the financial accounts of England and
Ireland were kept separate, and consequently were more
confused and obscure than they subsequently became.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer had stated that
there was a reduction of three millions in the amount
of the public debt ; but that statement he thought was
erroneous. In 1816 a mistake of two millions had
occurred, which was not perceived until he (Mr.
Hume) discovered it in examining the financial ac-
counts, and credit was taken for a reduction to that
amount up. to the time of examination. As to the Debt,
ithe public were under an impression that a reduction
greater than was really possible, bad taken place.—
On the sth of January, 1817, the funded debt amounted
; to 796,000,0001. and the unfunded to 50,000,0001., the
whole being 846,000,0001. On the sth of Jan. 1826,
the funded debt was 778,000,0001. and the unfunded
11414)00,0001., making in all 819,000,0001. Hence it
appeared that there was a decrease in capital of
27,000,0001. Since the year 1817 there was a reduction
of capital to the amount of 20,000,0001. Out of
2,985,0001. the reduction on the annual charge of the
funded and unfunded debt a reduction of 2,242,0001.
took place, without any reference to surplus revenue.,
The total revenue for the nirre yeats was 531,266,5351. A
land the amount of expenditure was 508,309,6144. which
showed the surplus cf revenue to be 22,956,9221.; and
this, with the monies paid by Austria and the East
India Company, came up to 25,965,5391. which might
be disposed of for the redemption of the debt exclusively
of sums paid by the Bank of England for what was
called the dead weight loan. The total amount of
taxes received in the Treasury for the nine years was
531,000,0001. and 234,000,0001. had been paid during
the same term, as the amount of the civil and military
expences of the nation. The balance of monies in the
Exchequer in Jan.lBl7,was 1,313,0601. and in the same
month of this year it was 5,305,6381. which sheaved a
decrease of 7,807,4021. 125,000,0001. was to throw
dust in the eyes of the public, who imagined that there
was a Sinking Fund to that amount, though it really
did not exceed two millions and a half in any one year.
Any man would naturally have supposed that the
nation was growing rich, and that the debt was lessened
by 124,000,0001. But such was not the fact. During
that time 98,000,0001. were borrowed, and the Debt
was increased by 126,000,0001. It appeared also, that
116,000,0001. out of the 12,000,0001. went to Site
Commissioners of the Sinking Fund. In the year 1819,
the Chancellor of the Exchequer borrowed 24 millions,
to prop up the present fallacious system ; the Gentle.
men who were disposed to bid for this loan of course
sold out so as to depreciate stock; but it having been
migrated by the Hon. Member for Penrhyn, that it
would be better to take up only twelve millions, the

bidders, as soon as they beard this, rose in their off ts
to 591. or full S per cent. which was a most important
saving to the public on that transaction only ; but he
had no hesitation in saying, that by borrowing in this
way in order to mystify the proceedings of Government
and ptop up the Sinking Fund, not less than hetween
two and three hundted millions of nominal capital had
been added, togethet with its very heavy charge, to the
amount of our atonal D bt. Much good would be
done if the principle of sittiplifying the public accounts
were carried into effect to the extent recommended by
the Hon. Member for Abingdon. The Hon. Member
went into a minute examination of that Funded Stock
commonly called the Dead Weight, which alone had
plowed the means of wa..tonly throwing otit of the
pocket of the public no less than 1,600,0001. Might
sot this be as well applied to some beneficial nations}
Purposes, if not to the immediate reduction of taxes
The Government had been going on, from time to times
reducing one stock by creating another. He cons
tended that an end ought to be put to the relnuch.-si
of three per cents. under any circumstances, after the
risen beyond a certain amount—so that Govern-
ment should never be allowed to play any hocus-pocus
tricks, with this part of our finance—(L ing/ting)—
He trusted he had now shewn the futility ..f a Sinking
Fund. Whilst our difficulties in the monied way x ere
increasing, our produce, whether in commerce, .10-
culture, or manufactures, together with the remunera-
tion for labour in each branch, had more than propor-
tionably declined. He regretted to say that a circum-
stance bad been disclosed, by the ingenious tables of M.
Moreau, according to which it would be found. that
by referring the exports and imports to two standards
of value, the actual and the official, at the Custom
House, we were constantly labouring under a delusion as
to the value of our exports and imports. He held that all
classes of society, including the Country Gentleman,
the half pay, the placeman, and all persons of this sort
who did not labour, were totally useless or non-produc-
tive as to the 58 millions of taxes requisite for the
yearly expenditure. It was only the arm that wielded
the hammer, directed the plough, or managed the loom
or sail, which could be considered really productive in
this sense. The next resolution he had to allude to was
that which contained the cream of all he had ,o submit.
It went to state strongly the necessity of an immediate-
reduction of our establishments generally, and as a ne-
cessary consequence, general reduction ofd: rest taxation.
Nothing could be more fallacious than for the Right
Hon. Gentleman to tell the public that 27 millions of
taxes had been taken off, when it must be seen that by
altering the standard, and attempting to restore us to a
state of metallic currency, there was nearly the same
sum paid now into the Treasury that there had been oa
the average of former years, antecedent to the arrange-
ments in our finance, which took place upon the cessa-
tion of hostilities in 1815. This consideration ought
not to have escaped the acumen of the Right Hon.
Gentleman, when he told the House, a short time ago,
that the country was in a progressively improving state;
when he could demonstrate from public accounts that
the consumption of articles of necessity and luxury was
progressively increasing on an average of some two or
three natl. He could not join in the exultation of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer on being able to collect
52 millions of money, when he saw the state of destitu-
tion and distress into which the agricultural labourers
of the country had permanently sunk. This was the
effect of the grinding hand of taxation, and yet year
after year the House was amused with the most flatter-
ing, and, be would add, the most delusive statements.
They had heard the Right Hon. Gentleman boast of
the increase in the consumption of exciseable articles as
an indication of the ability and comfort of the people.
These statements were, without exception, either alto.
gether opposite to the fact, or grossly exaggerated.--
The Hon. Member then went into a long and detailed
comparison between the rate of consumption at present,
and at dates more or less remote, of the several articles
of malt, distilled spirits, wine, tobacco, wool, tea, sugar,
soap, candles, and other articles; and contendeil that
the consumption had either positively fallen of;' or had
not increased in anything like an equal proportion with
the increase of population. He excepted the case of
tallow candles, the increase in the consumption of
which he ascribed to the misery and distress of the
people, who could now with difficulty obtain the neces-
saries of life, even by working at late and unreasonable
hours. He would refer to the state of pauperism and
crime, which had gone on increasing with the increase
of taxation, as affording proof positive of the correct-
ness of his opinions. But before he adverted to th.it
part of his subject, he must take leave to say a few
words on the extravagance of Government. He then
compared, in great detail, the Army, Ordnance, and
Navy Estimates, for several years back, and pointed out
a progressive increase under each head. He animad-
verted with great warmth upon the management of the
half pay of the Army, which he described as a system
for the continuation of pensions, and for affording Go-
vernment the means of bribing every family in the coun-
try. The same observations applied still more strongly
to the half pay of the Navy. They had Naval Officers
in sufficient numbers to command seven such Navies as
we maintained. Out of above five t'iousand Naval Of-
ficers, they had in ten years only a diminution of thirty,
and this was amongst the Lieutenants. The number of
superior Officers had, however, increased, so that they
made up in weight what they wanted in number. Then
let them look at the promotions in the last ten years—
they had in the Navy no less than 1594 promotions.—
That this was exclusively for the purposeof patronage
was evident from the very opposite course pursued byGo-
vernment with respect to another branch, and an equally
meritorious branch of the service—.he meant the corps of
Marines. In this corps, consisting of 8 or 9000 men,
they had in ten years only ninety-six promotions. This
partiality would appear unaccountable, till it was re-
collected that amongst the officers of Marines there
were no sons of Noblemen or Members of Parliament.
These circumstances altogether warranted him in the
conclusion that the whole. extravagance of our esta-
blishment arose from the desire of creating pa:ronage
for Ministers. Having thus clearly traced our eat: a-
vagant expenditure to its cause, the more painful duty
still remained to follow it to its consequences, the gene-
ral poverty and distress of the people, and the fearful
increase of pauperism and crime. By a paper which
he held in his hand, he found that in the year 1805 the
number of persons tried for various offences in England
and Wales was 4,600. In the year 1825 they had
increased to 14,487, being more than treble the former
amount. Crime was the child of poverty ; and poverty
was the offspring of taxation. Who could therefore
answer for those effects which must inevitably result
from the system in operation ? If we were to go
on thus increasing the numbers of idle persons
who lived upon the taxes, and consequently LB-