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which the passengers , not hearing the " don't * actually do " get out , " and hurry across the path of the express , which succeeds in cutting two to pieces . This is applying to railway passengers the principle of diiving the game in the path of the sportsman . In the second case , a jury have put the chairman and locomotive superintendent to the " inconvenience" of a verdict of " manslaughter ; " and unless the grand jury revise that uneourteous proceeding , those gentlemen may really have to be tried .
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THE WEEK IN PARLIAMENT . INCOME-TAX " AMENDMENTS . " Colonel Dunne renewed the opposition on Monday . He moved the following- amendment : — " That it is expedient , before additional taxation be extended to Ireland , that a select committee be appointed to inquire into and consider the fiscal and political relations and relative taxation of Great Britain and Ireland , and to report whether the latter kingdom does not bear her fair ehare of Imperial taxation . " The motion was supported by several Irish members , on the ground that Ireland was peculiarly poor , that the new taxation would be a breach of the articles of Union , and that Ireland had paid already more than her share of imperial taxation . At the time of the passing of the Act of Union , the debt of Ireland was little more than twenty-five millions ; but in 1 S 15 it had been increased to one hundred and twenty-five millions . Late events bad caused heavy losses to Ireland ; by the repeal of the corn-laws she lost six millions , aiid by the famine thirty-two millions ; of the
woods and forests revenue , amounting' to 61 , 0002 , but 1 I , 000 £ are spent in the country ; the continual drain of capital by the absentee proprietary bad amounted to 282 millions during- the last 35 years ; and at present the poor rates and county cess of Ireland average 15 per cent on the rental , while in England they are but 9 _ £ _ . The poor rate alone was 4 * . in the pound on the rateable value in Ireland , while the English poor rate was but Is . lOd . in the pound . In many cases the proposed remission of the annuities would not ; bo fair , as the properties bud changed hands , and in the purchase money the annuities hud been allowed .
By the Budget now before the House it was proposed to remit taxes exclusively applying to Great Britain , to the amount of 1 , 4 . 70 , 000 / . ; whil ' o tho only remission exclusively applying to Ireland was that of the Consolidated Annuities . Allowing 250 , 000 ? . ' for this , it left a surplus of remissions exclusively applying to Grent Britain , amounting to 1 , 220 , 000 ' . ; while the only additional burden imposed exclusively on Great Britain consisted in the extension of the income-lax to incomes between 100 / . and 150 / . a year , tho total amount of the tax derived from which would not exceed 250 , 000 / . On tho oilier hand , the new impositions of taxation upon Ireland exclusively consisted of tho income-tax , 4 ( iO , () 00 / ., and tiie ppirifc duties , 108 , 000 / ., or 058 , 000 / . of new taxes imposed on Ireland .
The speakers on ibis side of the question wore , Colonel Dunnio , Mr . Fkkncii , Mr . Macaktnky , Mr . Conoi , i , y , and Lord CYaudk NAirrj / ror . Tin ; ( . ! iian"C . ! em , oii of the E . voirHQirjcn , in his reply , comprehended the whole e . ise . It was now called a great hardship that Ireland should be culled on to pay four or live millions , and to her financial union with England wns attributed her present ; taxation to that amount " . Hut , in 1 HI 5 , just before the debt of Ireland was consolidated with that of England , the annual charge of thai debt , exclusive of tho cost , of civil and military government , amounted to 5 , 900 , 000 / . ; and from
1817 l , o 1818 , sinus of money , ranging from 2 , 000 , 000 / . to 0 , 000 , 000 / . bad been yearly given by the English Kxehoquor to make up the . balance between the Irish expenditure and the Irish revenue . Kree trade had been spoken of as a great , sacrifice made by Ireland for the benefit of Kngluud , us if nobody in Ireland bad gained by free trade , and as if nobody in Mngland bad lost by it . Had not , agricultural produce fallen in England us in Ireland ? Considering that , oafs wevn the principal cereal produce of Ireland , while wheat was the principal crop in Knghunl , in which country was the . permanent elfect , likely to be morn serious ? The house wiih told of tho destruction of Irish
niiiniifucturcs ; bu t , Helfast wan in Ireland—Uelliist , was not in a retrograde condition ; even " some people wore midueious enough to say ( hut tlui manufactures of Holfast , were advancing almost faster than those of any other part of tho United Kingdom . " It was true Unit tho Hiidget would lay a burden upon Ireland , but if , would also give relief : it would give relief to those who wiuiiotl relief , und lay a burden on 1 ho . se who could bear a burden . Ireland is said to be a poor country - that mourn thai ; money is scarcer in that country ; therefore a man of 150 / . a year in richer in that country than a man with 150 / . a your in England ; and when taxes aro levied according to amount , it hum ply follows
that the Irishmen paying the tax are richer than the men who pay a corresponding tax in England . Comparing the incidence of the tax with the Consolidated Annuities , we find that while the landlord and the tenant pay the Consolidated Annuities , the income-tax will be paid by the landlord and mortgagee ; the gross amount of both taxes being about the same . The additional duty on spirits should not be called a burthen inflicted upon Ireland : if Ireland , with a population of 6 , 000 , 000 or 7 , 000 , 000 feels aggrieved by paying 190 , 000 / . on spirits , what are we to say of poor Scotland , which is relieved from no Consolidated A nnuities , though we are going to ask 270 , 000 / . from three millions of people . Sometimes they had heard of " the rights of man , " but it was not among the rights of man that an Irishman should be allowed to intoxicate himself for 2 s . 4 d . a gallon , when the Englishman could not do it . Sir John Pakington joined the Irish members in opposing the Budget as " bearing hardly und unfairly upon Ireland . " The remission of the Consolidated Annuities was called an equivalent : —• " If so , it was ' a most Irish equivalent ; ' because in return for abandoning 240 , 000 / . a-year , or not so much , they imposed , first of all , an income-tax of 460 , 000 / . ; secondly , a spirit duty of 198 , 000 / . a-year ; and thirdly , a tax on successions , the amount of which ifc appeared to be difficult to get at : it was reckoned at 300 , 000 / . by Mr . Maguire ; but Lord John Russell and Mr . Gladstone stated the other night , that in their opinion it would not exceed 60 , 0 OOZ . a-year . " The rest of the debate was ridiculous . Mr . Maguire , in the broadest native style , protested against ^ this " Exchequer swindle , " this " humbug and delusion . " He stigmatised Mr . Gladstone ' s speech as "flippant and heartless , " and in violation of the spirit of the Act of Union ( which Mr . Maguire would repeal ) ; and the imposition of the tax on Ireland , now " reeling under the effects of a famine , " was " an outrage and an insult / ' The local legislature of Ireland had been " ravished" from it : but he hoped men of all parties
would combine to free Ireland from the bands of all Chancellors of the Exchequer—of all English Chancellors of the Exchequer . Mr . E . Baxl , catching at some compliments to the "farmers' friends" which Mr . Maguire had let fall , rose , in a pathetic way , to oxpress bis thanks for so rare a kindness . In return , bo proceeded to compliment Ireland , by comparing her to " a body risen from the tomb . " " She came with her grave clothes scarcely shaken off . " Having painted this picture , Mr . Ball appealed to the kindness of honourable members : —
" What was that Houso doing ? Ought they not to administer restoratives ?—ought they not to endeavour to recruit her exhausted energies ? But instead of that , they were ' diluting , and bleeding , and purging her . ' She came asking for bread , and they gave her a stone . Ireland had recently been visited with the plague of famine , and she was now about to be devoured with the plague of locusts . " The House , affected by this appeal , clamoured for a division , and shouted down Mr . Maurice O'Connell , who for some minutes made an inaudible explanation or reply to some supposed accusation or attack from some presumed assailant at some side of the House . The amendment was rejected by 194 to 61—the overwhelming majority of 133 settling the question decisively .
The House went into committee ; and on the first clause Lord Claude Hamilton attempted to renew the debate , by asking Mr . Gladstone what grounds existed now for imposing the income-tax that did not exist in 1845 . Mr . Gladstone briefly declined to reopen the question . Mr . FilEWEN then moved , that the duration of the tax bo limited to two years ; but Mr . Gladstone , in a few words , showed that the longer term he proposed was necessary to give stability to our financial system . The Committee rejected tho amendment by 223 to 82 .
On clause 2 , Mr . William Michki . t , moved as an amendment , at line eleven , to leave out " property " and insert " profits "—the object being to t : ix property , not on ifs general value , but on the actual profits derived from it . Mr . ( JiiADSTONK objected that this change would make the levy of the tax more inquisitorial than it was at present , and would cripple the tux itself . Mr . Wax . voi . k remarked , that if wo wished to preserve this tax as an impost to meet an emergency , we should make it , fair towards land , toward .- * trade , and towards precarious income . Ah an amendment to the clause , ho moved that the word " net" be inserted before the words " annual value . " ( Mr . Michell having withdrawn his amendment ,. )
After another little conversation on small points , the ninendment was rejected by . KM to 7 f > . The clauses of tho Income-Tax Kill have been again causes of small buttles . Clause 5 enacts tho machinery for assessing tho tax , and incorporates portions of eight previous acts . Mr . IUmniT objected to the clause an
clumsy and inconvenient , and to the general machinery of the tax sis very imperfect and unsatisfactory . Mr . Gladstone pointed outthat new machinery would cause delay in collection , and objected to settling in a hurry so grave a qiieation as the alteration of the existing machinery . A short debate followed . The opposition to the clause , made by Radical members , some of the Derbyite party , and a few of the Irish members , went chiefly on the ground that the clause , as it stood , was loosely worded , and that the machinery of the tax wanted reform . Lord John Russell objected , that any alteration now would lead to inconvenience . On a division , the clause was carried by 96 to 26 .
Several clauses were then passed amid brief objections from the Opposition . On clause 26 , Mr . Isaac Butt moved an amendment to exempt all pi'ecarious and clerical incomes below 150 ? . from the tax . Mr . Gladstone condemned this attempt to re-raise a question already decided . The Marquis of Granby said he would vote for the amendment , because he wished to leave the Income-tax oppressive , as a step towards getting rid of it altogether . On a division , the amendment was rejected by 205 to 49 . Colonel Dunne moved that the Chairman " report progress . " Lord John Russell agreed to the motion but protested against these repeated attempts at delay ; they were made " against numbers and against reason . "
THE SUCCESSION TAX . Mr . Gladstone ' sfinancialmeasureregarding asuccession tax has been made the subject of a debate in the Lords . Lord Malmesbury moved for a select committee to inquire into the subject , on the grounds of the many difficulties surrounding it , and our profound ignorance on the point , two generations having elapsed since it was last before Parliament . At that time the succession tax proposed by Pitt was opposed by Sheridan , Grey , and Fox . He had no party spirit in the matter , and would enter the committee open to conviction . He moved " to inquire into the probable effect of extending to the case of successions to real property and property under settlement the stamp duties now payable in respect of legacies . "
Lord Aberdeen , with great spirit , said that he would consent to no such thing . The proposition was " plausible , " but this question had been discussed in the Commons , and was passed there without a division A committee would delay the progress of the bill in the Lords , and such a course would be " rash and impolitic . " Denying with point and vigour the " hostility" of Mr . Gladstone to the land , and showing that tire tax would be but a half-million burthen , the Premier decisively refused to consent to a committee .
Lord Derby sneered at Lord Aberdeen's refusal to grapple with the arguments of the case , and showed the insufficiency of the Commons' division as a settlement of the question . The bill was complicated , and he had himself seen it but at eleven o ' clock on the night before . Lord Derby then detailed his objections to the proposed tax , as oppressive , irregular , and difficult of collection . Lord Granville pointed out that Lord Derby should not need inquiry—he had already made up his mind against the tax . Lord St . Leonards objected to Lord Aberdeen ' s " minatory tone "—a tone " almost of denunciation , " and , touching the " popularity" of
the Budget , sarcastically pointed out the refusal of the public to take the Exchequer Bonds . Tho proposed Succession-tax would be " harsh , absurd , inconsistent . " It was easy to cut up a country by such a tax , but" there was nothing more difficult to create than a country gentleman . " The Loiid Chancellor remarked on Lord Mahnesbury ' s " rather wild notion , " that his proposed committee would influence the Commons . Lord Fit / william asked , why should not the objectionable Succession-tax bo made a regular tax on land . The Duke of Argyll defended tho legacy duty as " the centre pin of the financial policy" of the Government . On a division , tho motion for a cominiUoo wan rejected by VAU to 1 . 20 . AFFAIR 8 IN TURKKY . Tho diplomatic " situation" in Turkey was made mat ! or of inquiry both in the Lords and Commons hwt evening . In the Lords , Lord MamukhihtrY prefaced a question by a brief NtuU'inont of the late proceedings at Constantinople . His question \ va * , whether Lord Stratford and the French Ambassador were nesting together , and whether they bud been instructed to support the credit of tho 1 ' orto ? Lord Ci , arun . i > on , deprecating any prutisiiig inquiry , muclo a few remarks . Having referred to tho settlement of tho question of tho Holy Shrines , ho said : — " It i « uIho truo , that on the 5 th of May , a project of a convention was presented to tho I ' orto by Prince Men-
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506 THE- LEADE R . [ Satubpay ,
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), May 28, 1853, page 506, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1988/page/2/
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