Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1819-12-11

stating TOR themselves, without refe.
renee to other dreadful distresses and
grievances under which they are labor
ing, that they consider the cause of the
grievances the intolerable burdens i'm
posed upon them! Such is the state of
this country, Notwithstanding the asser-
tons of the noble lord opposite, Castle
reagh,) who seems to be as uniformed
OF the real state of the country as it is
possible for any men to be respecting its
flourishing condition. But indeed, how
should the noble lord know any thing OF
the state of the country He lives per-
petually in London, and its neighbor-
hood, and can therefore see nothing of
the country and there is no person
near him interested in telling him its
real situation---he sees no people here
who will make the truth known to him.
Tho noble lord thought this country was
IN the most prosperous condition. He
admitted indeed, that the trade and
manufactures OF the country had been
leSposed to a temporary pressure--a
Temporary pressure however, which has
now lasted five years--from the transit
| ton from state of war to state OF
lpeace; but, from every inquiry he was
led to believe the distress was at an end,
and every thing wore happier aspect,
and the country appeared 10 be in the
most prosperous condition, The noble
lord put this language into the speech
from the throne, and doing so, am
disposed to believe these to have been
his real sentiments. l will not, there
fore, suppose the noble lord put into the
speech from the throne what he did not
himself believe. But ! will say, if he
believed this, he was the only person in
the country who did so; for every gem
tleman from the country whom l have
seen and conyersed with concurred in
thinking that its state was very different.
| You hear the manufacturers who come
forward and state to you that it is impos-
slble tor them to carry Oh their manu-
features under the present state of taxa
ton. You hear of laborers, who, aftess
unremitting toll, almost sufficient to ex-
| tinguish human life, are unable to pro-
cure pittance sufficient for the main~
tainance OF their existence. You have
petitions from the clothiers of Yorkshire,
who state to you that it is impossible for
| them to go on, unless they are protected
in the monopoly of the wool at home,
and unless they are freed from all duty
on the importation of foreign wool. You
have petitions from the farmers again,
who tell you that it is impossible for
them to go on without the imposition os
duties on corn to secure to them the
home market, on terms compatible With
the expense reproduction. The manu.
facturer says, if you do this, you ruin
| Tor ever the commerce and manufactures
of the country. The farmer says, for
Gods sake do this, for it is impossible;
for me to bring my corn into market
with the untaxed corn of France. Thus,
we have the farmer, the merchant, and
the manufactures, all telling us that
their distress is more than they can bear,
and looking narrowly to their own par
ticular interests, without considering the
interest of the community, exclaiming,
for Gods sake relieve me and cast the
burden on the shoulders ofmy neighbor.
The truth Is, taxation is now beyond
what the country can endure This is,
with me, one of the strongest re tsons fol.
reform; and will tell those gentlemen
who call aloud for retrenchment without
reform that retrenchment without reform
is out of the power of ministers to grant,
even if they were so disposed. The
protusion complained of was indispensi-
bly, necessary, it is what was very sipni-
fcantly called, in the beginning of last
war, oiling the machine of government.
The people of this country, will there
fore always be called on to bear those
burdens necessary to the support of the
present system OF the house of commons
until reform takes place; and till the
state OF things is altered, they can expect
no alienation whatever, but should Law
their account with the aggravation Of
their present evils. 1t has been said
that entertain wild and visionary no.
tons; but what, ask, can be wilder
and more visionary than to expect ef-
tects without causes To carry on the
present system, all the means of COR
ruption are necessary. In collecting the
taxes, the object, for instance, is not
how the greatest amount Of money may
be paid in to the exchequer, but how
these persons may be most benefited
through whose hands it comes.-Minis-
tiers cannot, therefore, if they are ever so
willing, give up an expensive system of
taxation. In former times, all the taxes