The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-02-22 00:00:00

eyes proposed Fifty per Cent. would effect, was as fol.
low, fee'
Male Servants Z 139,600
Clerks, Stntmen, Travellers, 41e. %OM
Your-wheeled Carriaeee 14e,e00
Two-wheeled Carriages 974,e01
The Mg er Class of Taxed Carts IMO
Horses for Riding 32 ketie
Lower Duties on I torses,Mules,Bte 7e,500
Ile now came to the consideration of that which was cer-
tainty one of the most important of Taxes to all classes of
the commueity ; he meaut the Diity on Windows. The ge-
neral principle on whielt he proposed to feel with respect to
vii. duty was to r.icitice it fifty per rent. He intended, how-
ever, to propose the absolute repeal of the duty on nee parti-
ester tease of individuals who were tit present !tepid to it.—
The (louse were aware tat the windows of shops and
eounting-houses. di-tete:oil levet houset,were already exempt
tettin the duty, It was his etentioc to propose the extension
of that exemption to all it reuntl.floor windows, whether &t-
-weed to houses or not.— (Hem., hear, hear!) A few years
ego the subject•lract horn irought under the consideration
of the House, and many reasons had been assigned to show
that it operated with peculiar seem ity (as it unquestionably
did) upon the smaller classes of tradesmen. It was a tax
which ttiose'classes were little able t i bear, obliged as they
were to sub tit their goods fur sale in a shop wSndow, and
liable as they frequently were to he met by the competition
of persons, who, lia:itig moveable shops in which they
could freely r wise the beauty of their wares, were enabled
by their tee 'Teen from duty to carry on business more ad-
vantageous.y for themselves,and fee belt from him to say not i
more advanteeeeus: v to the consumer.since the principleofatil
commerce was to brit!: ,nods into the market at as cheap a
price es pussiele. It was clear, however, that this lat-
ter class of persons had the advantage of the small sta-
tionary trAdesman from not paying the Window Tax,
and therefore he proposed to relieve the latter from
the burden of the tax—a reduction which would amount
to 'bent 159,0;01 The reduction, therefore, el the As-
screed Taxes, would amount to 2,232,94101. Ile had not
vet adverted to : reland ; but the question of Assessed
)'axes in. Ireland was 010 of singular importance.—
What lie meaat to propose wills tepee to th-m
was at one, to rep• al them all—(hear, hear, hear)—
'..4,. He was quite cure 'lett the peeler of Englend would not
e,lgrudge tht ir paor brothers in !related any little advan
tage over themeelves which this abolition of the A ed
rot' Taxes in the letter country might give there. There
ePe• could be no tetiestion that the Assessed Taxes operated
,ef, with infinitely more severity in Ireland than in Ile+ tonn-
e try. They operated, h- meant to say, with peculiar se-
verity on those persoes in Ireland, wt 0 were so good as
te .ply them.—(A laugh.) lie WWI I mite reedy, however,
to take away all invidious distinctioes of that nature, by
absolu'ely repealing the 'I axes altogether. The whole
aunt that the Aseesied Trov' at present produced in Ire-
} Ind, did not exceed 10),(011. Hut he did net at all con-
ceive that their repeal it oule, in point of fact, cause any
actual dated, ::atiou of the Revenue; fur those who had
attendee to the recommendations tit the leommis-ionere
anointed to inquire into the a ate of the Iteietiee in
.1 i c'attd, would be ae are that the deficiency would be wade
good be earryine into effect the suggestion to reputlize
the ecs mus of the two countries; the present inequaloy
of which eat attethe d by greet increase of expense,
• w;th nit ail iucte:ise of Le- eht to [retell I. The s ate of
)relend w .s a subject in Whiell he enlist say that he felt the
greatest interest. This was pi riraps owing, pertly to hill
1 aving at one tithe of his life spent two years.'
In ' Deland, partly to his baying considerable.
vonrexitin with that (move!, lately lion the,
),ecueer eireitmeemet 5 in which that country was
34 teeny respects pieced —eircnnistanees jet° d:fferent
trent those in ::hick Bright' I hem I herself. No 11140
could be mote stnsible titan himself of the many high
and honourable qualities of the peoole of Ireland ; kit
. , it was impomiele net to lm aware of the peculiar circein-
- *tatters ivldelt had so pernicious an effect on social Meier
in that comery. There ens no one cireurnitance, how-
ever. it, the conditien of Ireland respecting which he
1:Ic so warmly as the 'resent state of the Distiller
Laws.—(lle.t..) The Honise knew how large a portion
of the revenue of I relen I was derived front tho laws ;
but they tate knew eow much dist. oss was produced, how
many soei it interests e ere sunlit ed, and how many in-
c iletiettle evils were occasioned by the unfortunete situ-
ation in which thin-c Iris placed the Irish people. It was
imp. slible to raise the revenue Iv untled on those laws with-
out alarm. 1 t cc as imps:tittle to raise it without the ale of
the Army, and the eensteptent danger of disturbing the
e ulilie peace. It was impossible to raise it without mak-
ing it the duty of the magistrates and landlords to pur-
sue and bunt out their tenants, men t n•it led to their
kindness tool piotection. It was impossible to raise it
v, ithotti pie ins; those tenants in direct opposition and
Lostility to tee individuals e hum they ought to regard
with affection and respect. Ile could not conceive any
sestein better calculated than the presetit to insttre the
perpetuittieu of an evil of the most grievous and indette
fetid elierareer, tee destruction of all kindly feelings, and
of all eoutunteity of interest between a people cud their
liovernment. Ile trusted that it was P. enbject which
etoeld Le most 'deeply and sari, tidy consid. red by the
house ; en I that they would at Itteegth unlertake the
cask of endeavouring, by an allertaion of the distillery
lace of Indeed, to remove the monstrous evil which
tel present existed, and to testi:ye—no, he would not say
restore, for unhappily I relae:l had neyer enjoyed the ad-
vantage-- tut to confer tio the lueer clessea ef Ireland,
the t ame social order n keel% the pttople of this rennin; knew
how to estiniete in ceeeeeenenreuf having so lone enjoyed
it. Tens teeliette, it wits Lis intention to propose a mea-
rote wide!' Ilea;thready undergone a very extensive eon-
eideration be the Commissioners on the revenue in Ire-
land, ve hiche comprehended a great reduction in the
amount of tote duty of Irish distillation. It was an ex-1
pertinent well nee tit teeing. It might, or it might not,
eeeelteetly affect the revenue. At any rate, let it be
leietis Ife nil 3 of opinion that, ultimately, it would
toe at all affect the amount of the revenue; but, look-
ing- at the cut-seen in the light in which he viewed it,
even if be thought differently, he would still try the elea
periment. Ile did not think Parliatuent would be justi-
•fi .d in al.etaireng front a trial of the experiment, even if
the result seueld be to defeat the calculations which he
I a I that eight submitted to the house, and to enable
I ',mem-able tientleinen to tell him that the surplus of
zi'verne eier expenditure, which he had promised the
. ilunity, lad nut been realised. lie would much rather
Iteer risc tee um of such a discomfiture, than consent to a
4 onsionelion of the evils which the preseat Distillery
Lasts inthierti en In.) tiel.—(hear, beer, bear.)—"l have
'few," said the Big lit Honourable tientlemart, "con-
cluded tbe duty whelp the official situation that I Lave
the loolour to hole necessarily imposed upon me;
and I will cum lade by stating to the House the general
result of the view which ll at duty has compelled
lee to tike of the situation of the country. We
Lave an increasing foreign commerce—we have an
tertessi• g dionesfic consumptioe, we have an increasing
es•e one comfort aitioug till the ela,seg t•f the community ;
aim, PS t• e natural consequence of all these, we have an
1 CleeSii r, re trtouti. We are now enabled td apply a per
tion of our itereased revenue to the reduction of our debt,
we are enabled to apply another portion of our increased
revenue to the diminution of our taxation. 1 thief:, 110W-
tvcr, I may sat, without liesitaticm, that in Mat very re
clue:ion ut taxation we shah 1111.1 some eompensatiou to the
rtae tie, Styli. Sir, is the result of the ststemeles which I
have tat,. ts the ii •et t) of lacing before the Committee. If
it tor 4:orrect. who can look riack tit the efforts which we
hare wadi: —e Wean look hack to the difficulties with which
we Lave contended—who Call look hack at the dangers by
whirl' we have- burn yurrouittled—elio can look back et the
sacrifices to es ttieh we have coesented, in order to epoilify
ourselt es to meet and to triumph over these dang-rs—wtio
Call look hack on ail thing., mid who can contemplate the
present prosperity of the country, without feeling an in-
creased eteolitnent for those nub.., mid I hope immortal,