The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-01-11 00:00:00

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SOMERSET COU.V7'Y .11RE77NG.

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Monday, the fhlt instant, a nitmerong and liigl.lv
r( ,pertable Meeting of Freeltoblet4, Owners and
)ttupiers of Land, in the County Of Somerset, took
place at Wells, agreeably to public advertisement,
" to take into consideration the propriety of present-
a Petition to Parliament for the Pi.?peal of the
Property Ts x."

ALI,Lx,-F.sq. the High Sheriff, opened the
bii.incis by explaining the object awl intoot of the
Riveting.

Mr. Wm. Thvrrt xc, then addressed the fleeting.
began lay apologising for atraing.ltimscif on the
M..;•ti.tg, wit g of such cousequence, in point of
;:i.,,:;rty or talent, as some present ; hut, front tile
ti:,nu:atice of his bciu one of the Commissionets
I,s the T.,x, lie had land too many proofs of its op.
plessi‘e rioricquctices. Ito d(preeated the 'fax in
csery form, and tine gl.l to find that the sprit of
o;ipositicn to it uas becoming universal; be felt peat
pleasure in lilting this opportunity of lifting up his
voice ngaiust it, declaring he was the first to call for
wad sign the tegui.isitivn ; and concluded by saying,
it 00;,,,ht to /seas, oil the title of April, as expressed by
the .tct. Ile 11... it fote mosed,•&e.
Mr. Bot T her Commi,sioner ander the
Tax) deprecated 01.1 Tux itt the strongest terms, and
ripe( d aitlt his i•tothir Ciat mi::.sioner, that it swat
to' !Vt., and ought to be abolished,
to tie pliticularly as we are now at peace with all the

Mr. llcs-r then addressed the Meeting. lie began
by sa) ing that he felt nu difficulty in coming before
them on this (Tension, however humble his efforts;
however small his property ; yet, as possessing pro-
pretty in that County, he did not feel, and he trusted
he.never should feel it necessary,- as au Englishman,
to apologize for offering his sciitiments, the dictates
of his heart, on a great National Question, for the
consideration of his Countrymen.—Gentlemen, said
be, I not only congratalate you upon the respectable
appearance of this Meeting, but I also congratulate
you upon its probable result. You have heard the
.Petition read, supported, and seconded in the most
manly way, by two of the Commissioners of the
Property Tax ; which Petition distinctly prays that
this odious Tax shall not be renewed or continued
under any modification whatsoever.—Wheo I first
read the requisition, stating, that this Meeting was
called for the purpose of petitioning Parliament for
a modification of this Tax in favour of a particular
class (the Landed Interest), to the exclusion of the
rest of the oppressed community, I took the liberty
in a public letter to call the attention of the whole
Cl:uisty to the circumstance, and I came prepared
tea mos.( an Amendment against any measure that had
for its object a partial repeal of this Tax in favour of
Rey parti( sitar class, under any modification what-
ever. It is with pride and pleasure I congratulate
you upon an event which renders this unnecessary ;
since I attired here the gentlemen who signed the
Requisition, anal who base brought forward the pre-
sect motion, havjog waited upon me and consented
to .n.-.l.‘e the prayer of their Petitiou what it is, 1 give
.it my most hearty cniscurrence ; although in the
asnesolmeet, w i.ich I shosthl have proposed, I should
have s•ery differeut reasons for petitioning
-against this Tax ; yet ns the prayer of the Petition is
satisfactory, vasia: acieg its total abolition, I am
loath to cavil at words, and therefore give it my
hearty support. Tao reasos.s I have for objecting to
tais Tax ale, Ist, The prineeple of the 'fax is iu
direct violation of the British Constitution.— 21, The
operation of it is partial, oppressive, and vexatious,
tin distinction bring made between precarious in-
comes arising ft urn trade, and other uncertain
sources, and the incomes arising from real and per-
il' mem property.-3d, That it is repugnant to, and
subversive of the very best nossim of BINA juris-
prudence; inasmuch as it takes away the last sur-
viving bulwark of our Linetties " The Trial by
Jury ;" and substitutes in its stead an odious inqui-
sition or Commissioners, appoiuted by tie Crown,
before whom individuals are compelled to submit to
the most degrading exposure of their private concerns,
• and against whose arbitrary decisions, however
unjust, they have neither remedy nor appeal.
4th, Rut above all, in consequence of various cor-
rupt practices, which liaae been openly declared in
the Ilenottrable the House of Commons to " be as
notorious as the sun at noon day," which practices
have in effect, long since annihilated the National
Representation. This Tax never had, nor could
have had, the people's consent ; it being not only
declared by the Constitution of this country, that
taxation and representation are coequal, but it is
written in the immutable Law of Nature, as an
eternal truth, that a nation who tax themselves,
either in person or by real Representative s, are alone
free; but a people who are otherwise taxed are not
free. Gentlemen, these are the principal reasons I
have against the Property Tax ; asid instead of say-
ing that the people had cheerfully submitted to its
collection, I should have stated the fact, that• the
"people had submitted to it, so long as they have
'done, from con/put/fin alone. • However, 1 am of
• the same opinion with the Commissioners of this '
'Tax who bare preceded me, that, to continue the
cp::ectioti of it is now become impracticable, eren
i ete aid of compulsion. Gentlemen, 1 contra-
tut" le you upon she unanimity with which the Meet-
Ise; abounds against the continuance or renewal of
this 'Fax. I congratulate you upon the einem-
statsces under which we ate met, at a time when we
cut fairly say, Englatid is at peace with all the
werld ; and I ulso congratulate the whole County of
Somerset upon being the second county in England
that has met for this desirable object. [Lung con-
tinued applause.]
Mr. Gone Las;;;TON, Member for the County,
next addressed the Meeting, inveighing, in the warm-
est terms, against the 'fax, vs Inch lie deemed odious
and unconstitutional both in its principle and mode
of levying, yet (addressing himself to Mr. Hunt) he
' trusted he might be allowed to say, that the peo.
• pie had borne it patiently; bat he hoped that every
place would now assemble to Petition against it, eon.
aidering it the duty of every mall to avail himself of
every fair method of giving his voice against a tax for
the abolition of which the Parliament was pledged.—
[Great applause.]
Mr. Mott !ISOM, the other Member for theConnty,.
was glad of this opportunityof declaring against thetas,
q:.!1 -.vould be one of Alia first to give publit. thanks