The Irish standard., 1901-05-18

which had really been in favor of
policy Of economy. I can claim for
the Irish party that year after year
we protested against this increase Of
the ordinary expenditure Of the Unit
ed Kingdom Qrish cheers). The chan
cellor of the exchequer boasted of
the prosperous condition of Great
Britain. He did not say Great Brit
ain. He spoke of the United King
dom, but lie was thinking of Great
Britain (cheers). He said that al
though the rapid increase of prosper
ity which had marked the recent his
tory Of this country had not been con-
tipued; that there still had not been, I
think he said, any step backward in
the prosperity Of the people, for that
the consuming power Of the people
had been continual, and that trade
continued i'll a prosperous condition.
Sir that is true of Great Britain. But
it is not true, and the chancello,
knows that it is not true, of Ireland
Grish cheers.
This is a new parliament and the
point must be made anew-that the
share which Ireland is called upon to
pay is far more than her just share.
And we have this extraordinary fact
through a royal commission appointed
in 1884, who reported that we were
taxed 92,750,0GO more than we ought
to be. Since then nearly 100000 ad-
ditional taxation has been put upon
us, and Willie this has been going on
upon the Ole side, the prosperity of
Ireland has been going down on the
other Qrish cheers). Here in this
country the prosperity has gone on
year by year by leaps and bounds,
and the capacity Of the people to bear
taxes has increased; but in Ireland
since '934. admittedly, the prosperity
of the country has gone down.
"What is the best test, after all, of
the prosperity of country? 1t is the
state Of the population (cheers), and
during those years I have quoted the
population has diminished by 100000,
and the pauperism per thousand of the
population has increased;' and, judged
by any test you can possibly apply. the
prosperity Of Ireland has gone down
durinr fhoSo uoo,c 1vl;Io bo. 4,..L:..,
bas increased. (Cheers.) Take the
point, therefore, that even if the tax
now proposed were in our opinion just
in its character, and even if the object
for which it Is imposed were in our
opinion just and laudable, still we Irish
members would be bound to protest
against It on the ground that we are
called upon to- pay for more than our
just share. (Cheers.)
"But let me consider for a moment
what is the character of the new
taxation. The chancellor Of the ex-
chequer spoke about direct and indi-
rect taxation, and he told the commit
tee that direct taxation in this coun-
try-as he put twas, he was proud
and happy to think, raised above the
level of the indirect taxation. That
was not candid statement; it was
scarcely fair statement. He was
speaking, he said, of this country; but
what is the fact with regard to Ire
land? While it may be true that d.
rect taxation now is equal to indirect
taxation in Great Britain, that is not
true of Ireland. The indirect tax of
Ireland is 78 per cent of the whole.
think it is a cruel thing of the chan
cellor Of the exchequer to speak as he
did tonight Of direct taxation, when
he knows that in the poor country of
Ireland indirect taxation is 78 per cent
of the total taxation of that country;
and then he proposed to raise over five
millions Of additional money by in
fiicting upon Ireland a still further
share of indirect taxation by putting
tax on sugar.
81 protest against the additional tax
on sugar. (Cheers.) 1t is tax that
will press heavily upon the poor; that
will be felt in every miserable and
wretched cabin in the West of Ireland,
and which will not be felt at all in the