VOL. XXVII. No. 5.] LONDON, SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 1815. 29] HAMPSHIRE MEETING. Property Tax-Trick of the London [Price 1s. [130 that it first reached the High Sheriff, notwithstanding that, in all other cases, an application to the former is looked upon, and, in law, is an application to the latter. HAVING taken a part personally at this meeting in my own county, it was not These circumstances would have been my intention to have made its proceed- almost unworthy of notice, if they had ings a subject of observation in print, not had an effect upon the proceedings because it secans rather unfair to avail of the day; but, as will be seen presentmyself of an advantage, not possessed ly, they had a very material effect upon by those gentlemen, from whom I had those proceedings, and tended to shew, the misfortune to differ in opinion. But, in no very amiable light, the character I am compelled to do this, on the present and real views of the party, by whom eccasion, in my own defence, seeing that the second Requisition was urged forthe London daily news-papers have ward. For my part, I signed neither of wholly misrepresented the proceedings; the Requisitions, and, until my arrival at have garbled every thing that they have Winchester, had had no communication touched; have suppressed the Petition with any one upon the subject. I had which I moved; have exhibited me as determined upon the course to pursue, guilty of the most glaring inconsistency, and left co-operation to chance, beand as having behaved in a disorderlying ten thousand times more anxious to and even ridiculous manner. I shall, I trust, therefore, be excused for giving an account of the Proceedings, through the only channel that I have access to, especially as the discussion embraced some great political principles, in which the nation are, of course, deeply interested. When I have given an account of the Proceedings, I will give an account of the Trick of the London daily Press, and endeavour to open the eyes of the public to the true character of that venal instrument of all that is hypocritical and corrupt. Before we come to the Meeting itself, we ought to notice the previous steps. A Requisition to the Sheriff, signed by 53 gentlemen, was left with the Deputy Sheriff at Winchester. These gentlemen were, principally, land-owners as well as farmers, but none of them distinguished as belonging to either of the Parties, as they are usually termed. After this Requisition was set on foot, another was put in circulation by what is, ludicrously enough, called the Whigs; and, though the former petition was first in the hands of the Deputy Sheriff, the Meeting was called upon the latter, on the ground, inculcate a sound principle or two, as to the rights and liberties of my country,' than to relieve myself from the Property Tax, and all the other taxes put together! About eleven o'clock, that is to say,about an hour before theMeeting took place, some gentlemen joined me at the inn where I was. Sometime after this, I drew up a petition to offer to the Meeting, in case the one to be presented by the Whigs, should not be such as I approved of. So far was I from having time to copy the paper, I was drying the ink at the fire, when word was brought us, that the Meeting was begun. Cramming the paper into my pocket, without reading it even once over, I hastened to the Castle, and entered the Court-house in the middle of a speech of Mr. PORTALL, who, I learnt, had opened the business of the day. The fairest way for me to act as to this Speech, is to insert the report of it as I find it in the Times newspaper of the 25th of January. The speech was an hour long; but, really, the reporter has had the ability to bring into about ten minutes compass all the material points of it. The Speech was delivered with E great clearness and eloquence; but, ge-" who by their mental energy, and bodily nerally speaking, there was nothing new in it, which the report here inserted does not contain: 68 66 46 46 66 66 66 "health, were just in a condition to "maintain their families, and from whom "much of the fruits of their industry was torn by the operation of this tax. "What could be more unjust, than that "such men should be obliged to pay the "same tax for an income so acquired, a "if their income had been the regular funds? This was not like the other "taxes which were paid indirectly or " collaterally. It was a tax on the thing " itself. If he had ten guineas on his ta "ble, the tax-gatherer took one of them. "This appeared in its principle to be something of a highwayman's-tax. It In "Mr. PORTALL came forward to "move for a petition to be presented to "the House of Commons, against the "revival of this tax. He, as being a "Commissioner for collecting this tax, "had many opportunities of consider-" produce of large sums invested in the ing the machinery of it, and witness"ing its unavoidable oppression: on this account, he did not hesitate to put "himself forward on this occasion, although there were many present of superior weight and property in the county. He should begin by entirely "disclaiming all party motives, and" was extorted, not by the means of a "therefore, he should not consider who" pistol, but by the surcharges and surwas the man who first proposed the "veyors. The surveyor administered to "tax, or who it was that increased it. If" the party the oath of purgation, and "he felt any confidence that this most" then the inquisition followed. This "obnoxious tax would be suffered to die" tax went to destroy all confidence be66 away of itself at the period which the" tween man and man. No man dared legislature had marked out for its de-" to speak of his circumstances, for fear cease, he should not have thought it" of being exposed to the surveyor. necessary to disturb its expiring mo- "this country there were men who would ments. Ministers had, however, both" not be afraid to take a lion by the by their demeanour and their language "beard, but who trembled before the in the House, as well as out of it, by surveyor, who is, in fact, the greatest "their refusing to answer questions, and bug-bear in the land. It might be by their sending private letters to their" asked, how came it that such a tax "friends whom they supposed to have was ever suffered? It was because it "considerable local interest, shewed" was then stated that the enemy was at "pretty clearly to the country, that it" our doors, and that every thing which "was their intention to propose the re- "we valued was at stake. Under such "newal of the tax. If this tax was real-" circumstances, the country was not "ly as good in itself as any other tax by "very particular in enquiring into the "which the necessary supplies were to means which were proposed for our "be raised, he should not have such" safety. The Legislature had expressly "great objections to it. He was "stated those eircumstances in the first "convinced, however, that this tax which" act, the 38th of the King, and men"professed to be equal and impartial," tioned in the preamble, that the "was in fact the most unequal and the " "safety of his Majesty's Crown, the se"most partial. It was said to be a taxcurity of our holy religion, our laws, "upon profits, and yet no deduction was "fires, and properties, were at hazard." "made on account of the necessary ex-"If Ministers now wished to renew the "pense of repairs. Was the expense tax, it would be for them to shew that "that a landlord or farmer was obliged "the same circumstances now exist. The "to incur for keeping the premises in re-"Legislature had always shewn the "pair, to be called their profits? Were " greatest anxiety about the time in which "the three-fourths of the tax upon land "the act was to expire; and after fixing "which the farmers are obliged to pay "that time-in all their acts, they added "to be called a tax upon their profits? " and "no longer." The period at which "When a lease was taken for 21 years, "its expiration was fixed, was the 6th subjekt to a heavy fine on the renewal, "of April, after the conclusion of the deduction was made on account of "war then existing. If ever there was The case was still karder" a pledge given by the Legislature to the asional men and tradesmen, country, that a tax should expire at a 66 41 "moving a resolution, that it was expe-, "dient to present a Petition to the House "of Commons against the revival of those "tares. . "SIR W. HEATHCOTE shortly second "ed theResolutions, and observed that he "had voted against the new Malt Duty. This motion being made and secondei, Mr. HUNT rose to speak; but was called to order by Mr.PORTALL, and the Sheriff decided, that he could not be permitted to speak till Lord NOTHESK had read a petition; that is to say, Mr. Portall was permitted to make a long speech and a motion, which motion was seconded, and Lord NORTHESK was to make another mɔtion, and that was to be seconded also, before any person on the other side was to be permitted to speak! If this was fair and regular, it must be acknowledged, that Hampshire has its peculiar mode of con ducting debates and discussions, "certain time, that pledge had been "given in this instance. The country "had performed its part of the contract, "and submitted to the tax with unexampled patience, as long as the war "continued. They had now a clear and "irrefragable right to the benefits of the engagements on the other side, and to "expect that the tax should not be re"newed. If the tax were now renewed, "it would not only be a gross violation "of the contract, but it would be an aggravated breach of trust, by making "the very violation of their contract "a sort of precedent for further viola"tions. It was his firm opinion, that if the tax were but submitted to for another year, it would never be taken off. New circumstances and new pretences "would then arise; and rather than "give up the tax, Ministers would pre"fer another war, perhaps with the Dey "of Algiers, the Nabob of Arcot, or some The petition was then produced and "of those gentlemen. He should object moved, and, having been read, was se"to any modification of the tax. If it conded by SIR HARRY TICHBORNE. were reduced to one per cent. or one- Here Mr. HUNT requested that the first "fourth per cent. he should equally requisition might be read. It now ap object to it, as an unfit tax to be intro-peared, that that requisition included, "duced into a free country. Every man by name, the War Tar upon Malt, "who is now summoned before the sur- which, as the reader will perceive, had veyor goes up like a culprit, and feels been embodied into the Whig Petition, "like one. The difference is, that by though not mentioned in the Whig regni"the law of England, every man is pre-sition. The motive for this act of irre "sumed innocent until he is found guiarity was clearly this: that the Whigs "guilty; whereas, before the surveyors, knowing that, if they left it out, an every man is presumed guilty, until he amendment would be moved, and that, "is found innocent. He did not mean thus, they would be defeated upon their to cast the slightest reflection on the own dunghill, seeing that the Malt Tax surveyors personally, but without such is full as burdensome and as odious as a course the tax could not be raised. the Property Tax. The getting over this "There was another subject which af- irregularity by "taking the sense of the "fected the people of this country al- Meeting," as it was called, amounted to most as much as the property-tax. just nothing at all; for, by the same rule, Among those taxes which were called any thing might be introduced into the war taxes, and which by law would Petition; and yet, as the reader will expire about the same time with the presently see, great efforts were made to property tax, there was one of no less set my Petition aside upon the ground, "than two shillings a bushel on malt. that it contained matter of complaiat, "This bore no less on the comforts of the not specified in the requisition. poor and middling orders, than it did Having thus shewn the tactics of the upon the interests of agriculture. He Whigs this far, and exposed the motive, had, therefore introduced into the peti- whence they were led to introduce the tion a prayer, that this tax also should Malt Tax, I now proceed to the discussion not be revived. As this was not regu- of the Petition, into which we were perlarly introduced in the requisition, it mitted to enter, though we had not been was only by the pleasure and sufferance permitted to oppose Mr. Portall's resolu "of the Meeting, that he could incorpo- tion. The Whig Petition, as the Times rate it with his petition. (The sense of newspaper observes was then read "the Meeting on this point was testified" by the Under-Sheriff. It was of eau"by loud applause.) He concluded by kr 46 46 E 2 ་ "siderable length, as it embraced the that of highway robbers. But, I observed, "different points of Mr. Portall's speech, if this was really the case, who were "and the preambles of the different Acts the highwaymen, this being a questiona "of Parliament on this subject. It also of very material importance to the Counalluded to the new creation of Knights, try, who had, during all this time, "and observed, that as the Prince Re-elected and re-elected the men who im"gent had been advised to reward the splendid services performed by the navy "and army, his civil subjects also, who "had discharged all their duties during "the arduous contest, and patiently sub"mitted to such heavy burthens, con"ceived themselves entitled to some con"sideration for their discharge of duty, "and an alleviation from this most oppressive tax." posed and supported this tax; that SixWILLIAM HEATHCOTE, who had seconded Mr. Portall's motion, was one of the first imposers, one of the supporters; that the party, whose friends had now brought forward the Petition, had raised the tax from six and a quarter to its present amount, and that they had done it, too, in the most odious, insulting, and unfeeling manner. (Here I was called to order again, though I was only asking who the highwaymen were, if it was a highwayman's tax.)-I next observed, that, seeing that the Gentleman thought the imposing of the tax the act of highwaymen, and, as it is well known, that highwaymen generally begin by stopping the mouth, that they next bind the persons of their clients, and conclude by ramming their hands into their pockets, I should not wonder if the Gentleman were to tell us, that the Parliament who imposed this tax had proceeded in somewhat the same I opposed this Petition, which I represented as more resembling a lawyer's brief, in form and language, and a bill in Chancery against the Regent, in matter, than a County Petition against a Tax. I observed, that the passage, alluding to the new creation of Knights of the Bath was peculiarly objectionable; that it signified to the House of Commons a sort of envious and vain feeling; a poor sneaking after a share in the baubles of Knighthood, which was very disgusting, and in which I was sure the Meeting did not participate.-[Here I was inter-way, and that the laws shackling the rupted by Mr. Portall calling to order. Press and diminishing Personal liberty, I was told, that I was wandering from the passed during the same period, ought, at subject before us. The reader will judge any rate, if we abstained from such irre what the Order of the Bath had to do with verend descriptions of them, to receive a Petition against the revival of the Malt our reprobation as well as the law impoand Property Taxes; but, he will, I am sing a tax on property. Upon this sure, clearly see, that, as the allusion ground I was proceeding to state what formed part of the Petition, I was strictly those laws were, and to shew how lawin order, while I was objecting to that making proceeded, step, by step, until part of the Petition.]-I next observed, it arrived at that stage, when, as the that the name of highwayman's tax, ap- Gentleman had asserted, it assumed the plied to the Tax on Property by Mr. POR- character of a highwayman's conduct. I TALL, formed a curious contrast with was beginning with the law, which made it another part of his speech; for, there he high treason to send a bushel of potatoes had told us, that the tax was imposed or a pair of shoes to the Republicans of at a moment, when the enemy was at France who, by the bye, had now some our door, and that the tax was necessary food to spare for us.--[Here I was stopped "to the safety of his Majesty's Crown, this matter being wholly inadmissible, "the security of our holy religion, our having nothing at all to do with the sub"laws, lives, and properties!" What! Iject of the Requisition; though, as the observed, and do the Meeting, then, really believe, that the king and our holy religion stood in need of highwaymen measures to insure their safety? And, can the Meeting, can the people of England, look foreigners in the face, and prate about English liberty, while they confess, that we have lived for nearly twenty years under the operation of power, resembling reader will perceive, it had quite as much to do with it as the Order of the Bath could possibly have.]-I next observed upon what Mr. Portall had stated as to the cause of the tax, and how it came te be laid, and said, that it was a false alarm that prevailed at the time; that the enemy was never at our door; that he never did attempt to land, and that there never a system of economy and peaceful was a time when the people of England, of their own force, were not able to defend the country; that no army, and, of course, no tax, was wanted to preserve the country against any enemy that it ever had; and, that it was very clear, and had long since been so, to the whole world, that the war was made, and the tax raised,. for the purpose of crushing republican liberty in France, and of stopping, by that means, its extension all over the world.I was proceeding to shew, that, in part, this object had been accomplished; but, that we had ruined ourselves by the success. Here, however, I was stopped; though, I thought, that I had as much right to go into this matter as the other side had to state their notion of the cause and object of the tax.)-I next observed, that the Petition on the table, though it included the War Malt Tax, did not go nearly far enough for me; that I should move an amendment, including all the war taxes, in the first place, being of opinion, that it was a matter of indifference Mr. HUNT seconded the motion, and, in what shape, or under what name a though many attempts were made by Mr. tax was raised, if raised all; that, in the PORTALL to interrupt him even while he end, it must be paid by the public at large, was answering the arguments of that genand that it signified not one straw to any tleman, Ire proceeded in a way, and with man, whether he paid it, as the old say- an effect that made faction feel very sore. ing is, in meal or in malt. But, that I did He observed, that the war malt tax not stop here; that I was for praying, that no other taxes might be imposed instead of the war taxes, and was for expressing the opinion of the Meeting, that there was no necessity for any other taxes. All this, however, I observed, was a trifle, in my estimation, compared with the laws, passed during the war, respect ing the Press and respecting personal liberty, some of which were still in existence, and, therefore, I should propose to pray for the repeal of these laws also, After a great deal of further interruption from the opposite party, I moved a Petition, the substance of which only I can give, having been deprived of the document itself in the manner hereafter to be described. The Petition, moved by me, was in substance as follows: ༄ was introduced by the other side, not from choice but from compulsion; that they had foreseen, that unless they introduced it, they would be beaten ou their own ground.He observed, that the worthy Baronet, (Sir William Heathcote) had taken great credit for having opposed the war tax upon malt, but, perhaps, that might be accounted for by the fact, that this was a great barley country, and that the worthy baronet was owner of no small slice of this same country; that as to numerous other laws that he had assisted in passing and supporting, though of infinitely more consequence to the people, he had ap peared to feel less acutely.-He observed, that he heartily rejoiced at the conclusion of peace with America, and thanked the King's ministers for having That the war taxes had now no longer acted so wisely; and that, though the any pretence for their continuance, Meeting would feel with him deep regret seeing that peace with all the world that the war had not sooner terminated, had been happily restored:-That no and before so many disasters had taken new taxes in their stead would be would feel consolation in reflecting that, place, he was sure that every Englishman necessary to support the credit and if the trident of the seas had been snatchhonour of the nation, provided thated from us in a few instances; if we Lod |