The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-02-04 00:00:00

STATr.SM

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means of purchase, is fallacioua. They will speak
lightly of taxation, though that is soeiffieient a ranee
of your ill.. In 1792, the whole expense o'f governing
did not amount to 8 milliona; now it ie about 27 mil-
-liens. -4tednee ?rtation ns nearly as possible to the
standard of 1792,and you *id again prettier. 1 wig
tell you how it maybe fair'y reduced. Direct your
representatives to Rive Ministers double the sum which
they bad in 1792 for the expenses of tioverument, and
no more, and you will save 11 mullions. Then one
third pert of the most oppressive taxes maybe removed :
these taxes are Injurious in effect, as well as enorstions
lin amount. They take from those who want, to
give to those who onebt not to require.—The 1
mode of taxation is unjust.—(Loud Applause.)—
The oentleman pap a linty on his malt, the
poor man a second ditty on his beer. If the rich man
has a window nine feet by three feet nine inches, he
pays but for one window; but if the man of lower
rank has a window !oar feet by too, he is charged for
two. If the poor man hil's a pig, he must sell one
half to buy salt, to salt in the other. 1 could give
you a hundred examples. To raise taxes fairly. the
standard must be composed of the amount of property
and the superfluity of possession'. Then, again, we
hear mach about poor-rates; hot those who talk so
loudly about these rites, forget that when the poor-
rates did not exceed two millions, the Excise amounteJ
to no mare thee five mil ions, and has now,risen to
twenty-six. The productive el a pay twenty of
these twenty-six millions, and yet some grudge the six
millions paid to the necessitous brethren of these pro-
ductive classes. Do you, then, reqnire taxation to be
reduced to a fair level ?—(.. Ves, we will.")—I am
sorry the petition proposed by the Noble Lord does
not contain all the requests which you ought to make.
I hold that Noble Lord in the highest estimation—
there is no man I more respect. I venerate Lis con-
duct and his example.—(llear, hear.)-1 would not
flatter Neptune for his throne, nor Jove for his power
to thunder. Rut that petition does not fairly repre-
sent your sentiments. Do you agree with Lull Cast-1
tlereagh, that you are ignorantly impatient of tat-
ation ? Da you agree with Lord Liverpool, that
abundance is an evil ? Do you agree oith Mr. Mal-
thus, that the table is ton small ? Do you agree that
you are not taxed enough i Do you want no other
Irelief than the petition describes? If yon do not, the
I rod with which you are whipped is too light for your
offences—you deserve richly a sounder whipping.
Forget not the Agricultural Committee, remember
their prescriptions ; they were like the old woman who
possessed an admirable receipt for making plum.pud-
ding, but she had neither eggs, nor milk, nor suet,
nor dour.—(A laugh.)-1 look to no Utopian schemes
for relief. Have the constitution as established in
1698 ; but the constitution of the present day is no
more like the past, than the bones of our deliverer are
like William the Third.—(A laugh.)—Let me repeat
what I said to you in the beginning—feel like men,
and speak and act like Englishmen. I second the
proposition made by the lion. Mr. Fellowes, and only
regret that it extends no further. ft seems I should
call his intendment a rider. Re ,have had too many
riders in this country ; the clergy have rode you for
centuries—now the lawyers ride goo ; but if yon take
my advice, you will melee., seat uneasy to both.
(Laughter.)—The day of adversity has began—it II
your duty to'try if you caosot regale- happier days.
The Tories are fallen this day before 31eitkoad Uwe
be thanked that they are cast on the gronni.
Mr. RODD considered the peewit an awful crisis ;
and, conscious as he hail always been, of hie Inability to
address a public meeting. be would now burst through
every difficulty. The subject was horrific : their no-
ble ship the Britons& was plonged in west tremend-
ous breakers ; not a wag of sill, water-logged, and
without a helm; nothing but the efforti trot gallant
o.
crew could rescue her from sinking.—(M' Redd was I
frequently interrupted by the impatience ati gait of the
Meeting, manifested particularly at his iitcarrence to
written notes o( his speech ; and he therefore desisted
from reading.]
Colonel WAKE thought it perfectly useless, after
the two witty speeches which bad just beet) delivered,
to trouble the Meeting more, thin, fot Wk. sake of an*.
nim.ty, to agree to the petition brottglt forward by
the Lord Lieutenant.
•_ _ . .

Lord CLIFFORD, as one of the requisitionists, was
anxious that there should be no appeatance of division
in the Alerting. He would not say that he considered
the petition as entirely perfect, or embracing all the
topics that would be JesirAble ; hot it appeared to him
to answer all the purposes of the requisitionists.
Whether he approved or not of the proposed amend-
ment, he considered the introduction of topics foreign
to the intention of :he requisitionists most occasion
dissension. It they wished for a Meeting to petition
for Parliamentary Reform;in God's name let them call
one. The petition had been seconded by a Nuble
Lord, who, however he might differ foto some of
them, wished well to the county ; unanimity was a
great point, and he should regret exceedingly if, fur a
ailing addition, they lost what they had before them.
—(Hear, hear.)' -
The Hon. NEwrow PccLowes. In riify, 'said, that
his amendment *as not foreign to the object of the
requisition, which, as be understood it, was to tall the
attention of the county to the disc f agriculture,
its causes, and remedy. As the defective state of the
representation was the evil whence the distress had
arisen, thet:e would be no effect ...I remedy until that
cause was removed.
Mr. HAMLIN—It bad been aptly said that the know-
ledge of a disease was half its cure. '1 lie canker
which oppressed them was taxation and corruption—
the remedies were reform and retrenchment: he pat
reform first, for without that, they would never have
the other. They slionld petition Parliament in plain
and explicit language, for Ministers were dello( appre-
hension when retrenchment was called tor.—(A laugh.)
—He congratulated the meeting on being enabled to
speak on such a subject, without having the charge of
disloyalty imputed to them. Hemline loyalty did not
consist in congratulatory addresses,
.or in convivial
meetings, or in being paid by the country.—(Cries of
" Question.") True loyalty was a devoted attachment
to oar glorioui constitution, of which the King was the
head ; and in taking care that on all occasions he be
rightly informed as to the state of his people.
Colonel Pau, addressed the meeting frost a written
paper in support of the amendment. The times, he
said, were perilous ; and if the depressionson agrlealtore
were not removed, the sinews of this great country

mN,
Weald he Oleittl e forarrirrignre sod commerce
rise 1r fall together. Nothing., bat a reformed repos
sentatloa *Wilt* people would go to the extent of the

remedy. -
The Ree.NIP,-P. 'roost as eonceired it their duty to
speak the whole troth : and if he saw that the petition
had his courser-nee, he should soy what wen untrue,
(or it did not go far enough. The Rev. Oentlem sn
drew a comparison between Government expenses and
taxes of 1783 and those of 1819. •He could not help
retorting upon his friend Dr. Tucker. who had borne so
hard on" the cloth," and say that a large proportion of
the poor-rates went to the lawysne. He trusted he was
now even with hie Learned Friend on the score of pro-
fession. In 1819—and let it he remembered that was
a time of peace—the taxes were 77 millions, and the
poor-rates more than eight millions; and the differ-
' mice in taxes and other imposts, compared with the
year 1783, showed an excess in the present day of 62
millions. This fact appealed more forcibly to their
feelings thus any figure of speech. The farmer could
,not pay each an excessive taxation with his diminished
means ; and if this language were radical, let him be
termed so still, as he had been for some time past; it
was not to him a term of reproach, bat one in which
he gloried.
Mr. BIRD congratulated the county on the prospect
of carrying up' • petition on Parliatuentaiy Reform
lie trusted they :voila ,hew themselves to be English-
men, who would scorn to do any thing that would dis-
unite or distress the people. When the ship was on a
let shore, it was to no purpose to fall to cursing the
pilot. It was not merely a reminetion of taxation that
was wanted, but a diminution of the public eapen.li•
classes should give up something: let it be-
gln at the fountain Lead, with the civil list. A more
loyal nation did not exist—the people of this country
loved their monarch, hut that monarch must be lin.ited.
—(llisses and applause )—There were times when
every man should speak out, and act firmly, even if
it should lead to the dungeon, the acaffold, or the field.
A reform in Parliament, though it would not pay oar
debts, would convince the people that they were sin-
cere, and would restore lime country once more to una-
nimity and happinetem. it would be injustice not to
propose a vote of gratitude to an individual. who had
saved many thousands to an oppressed people—he
seed scarcely same to them Mr. Hume. He (Mr. H.)
lilted them to give him three times three cheers.-
IThe cheers were accordingly given.)—That country
was n.t to be despaired of, when it was capable of
such en impulse as they had just shown. If they did
not carry the petition for reform, they would do
nothing. He proposed three times three for Reform.—
(Cheering.)
Lord FORTRIICOR said, that altbenrh the usige of
minty-meeting cave him the privilege of replying,
yet he nerd not lay any great claim upon their pati-
ease in the exercise of it. The great objection to his
proposition seemed to be, that it did not go quite to
the extent some persons wished ; but if it hail. it
would have failed in producing that most desirable
object—inanimity. His Lordship then observed in
justification of himself, that the unanimity bad not pro-
ceeded from any compromise whatever; that the peti-
tion was purely the result of his own thoughts, with-
out communication with any other person. lie hoped
it would go forth as the unanimous voice of the county
—it would then have • strong impeession : but if di-
vided, its effect would be lust. The Noble Earl apo-
logised for the absence of Lord Ebriegton, which was
occasioned by his Lordship not being enabled to pro-
cure a place in any of the coaches from London.
The UNDER Sumter said, that be should take the
opinion of the meeting upon the original petition ; and,
if that was adopted, then, whether the rider should be
added to it. '
The petition was tarried by acclansalon, without
a dissentient voice; the rider was then put, which was
declared to he carried by a considerable majority.
The Rev. PROCTOR THOMAS then moved that the
members be requested to present the petition to Par-
liament, and support time prayer of it.
The Rev. JONES seconded it.
Several voices called upon the county members to
support the prayer of the petition.
Sir THOMAS Act.AND then came forward and said,
that he bad heard time repeated calls of time meeting,
and he had not been insensible to them ; on time con-
trary, he had not obeyed those calls sooner, from that
respect to the meeting which wonld not suffer him to
interrupt the regular order of its proceedings. Ile
came there with a disposi:ion, as he told a part of
them a thou time since in another place, to learn
their sentiments, rather than to impose his upon them.
It was rarely the duty of a county member to obtrude
his opinions upon his constituents, when they were se
numerously assembled to express their own : they had
invested him with a higher authority—atunely. to do
them justice as faithfully as the best dictates of his
judgment would direct him in the great senate of the
nation. Ile had not been in the habit of deceiving
them, nor would he on the present occasion. With
respect to the first part of the petition, he was happy
to find that his own general feelings on the necessity of
economy had received such a sanction and authority
as were derived from the unanimous consent of the
meeting, and be should he truly happy if by his et•
tions he could advance its salutary purpose.—(" Rider
and all ?" said a voice in the crowd : • You shall hear
that presently," said Sir Tisomas.)—W idle here face to
face, (added Sir T.) a situation which I hope no coo-
duct of mine shall ever make me hesitate to meet. I
will state my sentiments fairly on the subject. I hope
es support the body of the petition according to Ibis
best of my own judgment, conscientiously, disinte-
restedly, and with the knowledge that I mu to meet
you again ; but upon any particular details or the
precise mode ef effecting retrenchment, I do nos e
ceive myself tallest upon to express any further opi-
nion ; and as to the rider proposed to be added by Mr.
Fellowes, reform in Parliament is a subject most im-
portant, complicated, difficult, and estensive in all its
bearings, and I will plainly avow fiat that part of
the petition will receive no pledge of support front me.
—(Much noise and disapprobution from the crowd.)
le the first place, on the consideration of this question.
you Lave nut yourselves been unanimous; and even
of the majority who have resolved the amendment. I
should like to know, amongst the thousands here as-
setebled, first, bow many real Freeholders are to be
included? and, secondly, of those, bow many are at
all agreed is opinion as to what they wont I think a
wise and salutary reform? Timis, bad I no other tea-