The Northwestern standard., 1886-02-20
The Financial Relations Between Great
.I' Britain and Ireland ABLY Con .
sidared. Es'
The Mischief Of Several Decades Growing
Worse Under British Mis- &
5Sa N rule. @

and it may be to snpersede also some Of
the municipal institutions which now
have taxing powers. This might be
characterized fairly enough, ID connec-s
tion with the demand for home rule, as
asking for bread and receiving a stone.
In the present condition Of Ireland the
promised institutions would be Of no
earthly value. It IL quite possible that
the bare proposal at this time may do
more harm than good, for it will be re-
garded in the sense Of a cruel diver
sion. i3... u NJ 8fa5s 5..ss sS N
OF course, we feel that local govern
ment, grand jury, and poor-law matters
are susceptible Of amendment and re-
form; but any reform which does not
place at the disposal Of the Irish author
tiles that portion Of the revenue Of
which Ireland is defrauded under the
present Imperial fiscal system will be,
if not worthless wholly, quite unappre-
ciable ssi. @ q 4. \ RI
Notwithstanding that it has been
proved most conclusiysly over and over
again that this country has been, and is
being, defrauded in the matter Of inn
perial taxation. we shall not be SUR
prised to find the bare suggestion THAT
such is the case now treated as a sub
ject Of establishment BY the English
press. But the world is not quite 50
ignorant as the English press sometime
affects to be. The financial relations
between Great Britain and ireland are
no longer obscure. 1t has been quite
satisfacto rily shown by an analys Of
the income tax returns, and the sched4
nles of income presented to parliament
and on the authority Of documents is-
sued BY the treasury, that the incomes
Of Ireland actnally enable 10 income
taxs;5n seed Jules iuUit L with those of
Great Britain but fracti0nanly -e,xcryst
an eighteenth Of the gross Of the il in.
come seed dules for the United King
dom. s83 n !
If for purposes Of exact adjustment
an estimate should have to be made
hereafter, to include the incomes Of
those below the income tax level in both
islands respectively. the disparity will
be shown as still greater than as sew
enteen to one.
We are not. however, concerned at
present with the task Of showing the
greater disparity. The ratio Of one to
seventeen is amply suficientfor demon
stration Of the grieyous injustice in
volved in the extraction from Ireland
for imperial purposes Of any amount OF
the seventeenth Of the amount levied
from Great Britain.
The proportion of imperial taxation
raised from Ireland, closely examined,
could be clearly shown to be equal to an
eighth Of that raised from Great Brit
ain; but, even from the the evidence OF
those parliamentary returns which
have been sought for and framed with
the object Of minimizing the propOr-
ton Of revenue raised by taxation IN
ireland, as compared to the revenue
raised in Great Britain, is proved to be
equal to tenth. Injustice Of this ma
ture is, however, cumulative. Every
million Of which a country linked in
political union with another is defrand-
ed is equivalent--so at q moderate en-
innate of the value Of money, and the
natural increases Of capital ITO 8 de-
priyation Of s35, 900 . year, progressing
automatically in an inverse ratio 70 the
increment and accumulation which
constitutes the basis Of wealth in very
state or community, as well rs it does
i'll every well managed assurances COM
pany1
The extent Of loss OF wealth Of Ire
land in this way for the last thirty years
mot to 70 further back involves alb
struse calculation, bst the mischief
done is none the less IN our mind. be
cause Ne dismiss those for the present
in order to point ont In general terms
the mischief which has been at york
Tor several decades, and isnow going
on worse than ever, because the coun-
try IS yearly growing less able 70 beal
the burden.
There are several modes Of proving
talat ireland IN the matter Of imperial
taxation is grisvonsly defrauded.
We impute no sctuai intent lion 70 dea
fraud 70 any particular statesman, but
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