The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-09-24 00:00:00

fle BO iljtgii MAIIEI-11St efai REVENUE.

o
In his Wiwith of &hint a NO
1 •
suriet y can be happy of which the gritator.part- of thtl
1111.1116P)ClIflit petit end " end where such
iineseeptienable lititherity tlitt of Aden, smith owe-
curs with iheettelette;ptinciplestef eqdity and jestice;
there Mt be nu ding' itt adopthil shirr *lntim es I
test of troth iit oat prtsentlitittreil. Net Onlf is the
pond' we te7eceepy thereby narrovistd,;figt it is.
• olidered belleatb our. treed ; and Ibis is. every
silty desidthlei• for it cannot he expectlKlA4P.t*illllP.ho
limits of o Niko Stapetoo host columns vest nececirt
ty lteferthe must part:devotekto other, Auiugh not
more important• sehjecte, a greeter proportion am he
allowed than is essential I. the dielneesiiSseion of the
subject ; but, oven there, facts and tpspefintents
beat economy may be pointed out, and theiremem..
brance of experience, raresod deerly bought,tm re-
corded. To the edger (of rimqey?, rank to Society);
event merely succeed each, *others nod: sere geiti?er
duly ''rattsidered . nor improtredk :wise
•W ill
thereby be visited to reflection: they will4itsCeive
their intimate and eecessefy. connection with. Each
other ; they will discover the links which connectpest,
present, and, future, and reasoning-from Ike ash*,
they will not be unduly impressed by apart. • kjuat
.
sense of what due to society imposes 'bit taskuppn
the reftecting;.but the ci rComstances in ts !MOO! coin; .
try is at present placed render it also theinterestisfisiL
The Newspapers teems With acceints of the foererse
of the Revenue; end Ministerial writers, who dilate
thereon, with unbounded* self-oeseplacency,.
upon this se a prodf of the improAng,itite of the
country. Shallow and soperficial•propleiday-be iM-,
posed Spoil by these interested and selfish statements ;.
but it well becomes the thinking and-resilectlable..part
of the community, to consider 66 wheflier these things '
be so." One of the Members, returned for the Be.
rough el Bridgewater, at the late General Election,
attempted tojustify hies support of the system adopted,
by Ministers,. by similar assertions,: that the country
was in.r prosperete, and the People in a hippy,
state; and sroiely,,cbuld these assertions have been
peeved, no fuller justification of his support, or of.
their measures, need be required. But that Hem.
Gentleman chose his time and place ill for such an
nnqeallfred assertion: feirwith equal truth and justice*
war he •reminded, in, reply, that such had been the
local increase of pauperism and priverty, in the very
place where he then stood, diet the expence of main. •
tithing the pooch, Bridgewater had (it ithin the recol.
{Wino of. thee', persons present) increased from-the
tram of 3501. annually to nearly 50001. This, •it
Joust be admitted, was rather an enbappy practio,pl
traemplification of prosperity and happiness; . hat- it
the sort of elemplification which will tip* in stogie., :
gees other instaricer. The Report of the Select coo,
velure of that Rouse of Commons of which this Geese
ittmean had been Member, had told that Ron. Gem.
(ream and the cantor', that a system of pauperism
oat in progressl which, '4 unless some efficacious
check beinterposed, will continue till it shall bees.
absorbed the proute of the property en which rates'
tad been assessed." it spoke of parishes in
~w)igle.
44 the annual valise of land, mines, and hostel is'
not sufficient to miiintain the numerous and increasing'
your, even if the same were set free of rent;" and,
it• is added, in terms calculated rather to excite
.feelings of humility and penitence then of ezultation,..
that many•" parishes are fast approaching to this,
state of dereliction." That Honourable Gentleman ,
knew that " no efficacious check bad been inter..
posed ;" be knew that Ministers bad not originated,.
•Itoty, had declined the attempt of organizing,:iny
measure lot this purpose ;end he further hnew, on the
auth °direr the some Select Committee, that 01) this
;host important subject " the, remedial efforts of the
-most enlightened men had failed."' Admitting it to he.
fast, that the revenge collected by GOvernmeokints
increased io the proportion stated in the Ministerial
•Papers, this is no proof of the return ot prosperity to..
the country; and the increase itseiftsopposioe if to_
t(ue).is
•mile nominal than real, Gr a Aryan'
dil(etial ;Rosc of paper money, hadlieen made by. (he
tank of gnglantt since the quititerof lastlger, with
which the'igmenti of revenitilfaii biotin tt?oi
com-
ttedtheisieret tOoli'placnifore 'tritiittrahy similar
that whilst' 11704 With which- the
tite)'Weits: was-tliiiiebylitOMutet by-the e4OO
.with' tisane were' tb tie cbtlined, aft will asibit
tenipoYarllY fOrefatett drabotraofPristlece, •
valet o (the et ropey in vrtilibtlidin 410 rft►re~isltd Viii'
Mink tapropotiloo. Bei,* etea gigs thii mit theca'se,'
• increased isictiiiie'of
•sperity ; tie usiketilita that Which 0,0
body onderstatidt, iiiciettleof"the pocrelevy is
no proof of the increased ability-of the payer to dis-
clterge. the' rate. The withdrawing, the allowance
heretofore mede act-of their Assessed 'reties to, fa.
Alters of large fautiliesond tbo • additiOnal strictness
steed in the collection uf the lases, enforced. by Cu!.
charges,, and by multiplying.the times of collection,,
.thereby shortening tie credit givetu•eistskl all used
to increase, the revenue: but no onpreiodieed'aeao
will contend, that the increase arising from each
sources denotes improvement iu the stale of the
country, or confers any thing,hesides additionsl,l44,
ship and loss on the community at large. But, per.
haps, more than iu any other instance (eacipting the
emission of paper-money), the Revenue hss been in-
creased in consequence of 'additional impositions,
;particularly in the shape of stamps; end' by • the
temptation, 401.41 out to the needy, of lengtheiiistifth
dates of bills end. eines by peying
• duty, This was a sure way of inCreasti4,ll4tite-
wenn* (rein stamps; but it is equity elidg4thit
what Government gains thereby the
Ptihlic thrice:--
Ad there • are Statesmen who settin'th 44/eiti* it al
the ..perfectiod of their. art, 'to witted as' thllll' as
possible/limn' the haw* arid indnitil of
and *tole Whole siffats .e detbied to
tqe favelihfeig a sea ieliy ibteb, exeilseik'aa.like, they
may gh texon bring of Viefil man's' irelaif
do ate ry.
..hek:. boast its &OM' is, 144 COO `can
raisedihseeioni; lsettneitrimeteale in its:pre.
+4e• is hii etwitk'g'rattilatiolf antljiy:' In Arnerrek,
on tkeiatiertai,lt it'eoissidertd teerltbriaellb elate
as few dense :as pobsiltfis on the 'priprkty of the
Peopiip weitti• late Atounflintitetien'oris thepart of
that Goverpateat, diet :or the' lintel would. Vers.-
pealed,-apvesis to ham gilettegettpleaautely these'
who officially. aud applied:those tseefore to
those whp'sctuttlly paid them. ld'Enetaltd,-the Mi.

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