TakingitforgrantedthatanalliancemaybeformedbetweenEngland,France,andAmericaforthepurposeshereaftertobementioned,thenationalexpensesofFranceandEnglandmayconsequentlybelessened。Thesamefleetsandarmieswillnolongerbenecessarytoeither,andthereductioncanbemadeshipforshiponeachside。Buttoaccomplishtheseobjectsthegovernmentsmustnecessarilybefittedtoacommonandcorrespondentprinciple。Confidencecannevertakeplacewhileanhostiledispositionremainsineither,orwheremysteryandsecrecyononesideisopposedtocandourandopennessontheother。
Thesemattersadmitted,thenationalexpensesmightbeputback,forthesakeofaprecedent,towhattheywereatsomeperiodwhenFranceandEnglandwerenotenemies。This,consequently,mustbepriortotheHanoversuccession,andalsototheRevolutionof1688。*[32]Thefirstinstancethatpresentsitself,antecedenttothosedates,isintheverywastefulandprofligatetimesofCharlestheSecond;atwhichtimeEnglandandFranceactedasallies。IfIhavechosenaperiodofgreatextravagance,itwillservetoshowmodernextravaganceinastillworselight;especiallyasthepayofthenavy,thearmy,andtherevenueofficershasnotincreasedsincethattime。
Thepeaceestablishmentwasthenasfollows（seeSirJohnSinclair'sHistoryoftheRevenue）:
NavyL300,000
Army212,000
Ordnance40,000
CivilList462,115
L1,014,115
Theparliament,however,settledthewholeannualpeaceestablishmentat$1,200,000。*[33]IfwegobacktothetimeofElizabeththeamountofallthetaxeswasbuthalfamillion,yetthenationseesnothingduringthatperiodthatreproachesitwithwantofconsequence。
Allcircumstances,then,takentogether,arisingfromtheFrenchrevolution,fromtheapproachingharmonyandreciprocalinterestofthetwonations,theabolitionofthecourtintrigueonbothsides,andtheprogressofknowledgeinthescienceofgovernment,theannualexpendituremightbeputbacktoonemillionandahalf,viz。:
NavyL500,000
Army500,000
ExpensesofGovernment500,000
L1,500,000
EventhissumissixtimesgreaterthantheexpensesofgovernmentareinAmerica,yetthecivilinternalgovernmentinEngland（Imeanthatadministeredbymeansofquartersessions,juriesandassize,andwhich,infact,isnearlythewhole,andperformedbythenation）,islessexpenseupontherevenue,thanthesamespeciesandportionofgovernmentisinAmerica。
Itistimethatnationsshouldberational,andnotbegovernedlikeanimals,forthepleasureoftheirriders。Toreadthehistoryofkings,amanwouldbealmostinclinedtosupposethatgovernmentconsistedinstag—hunting,andthateverynationpaidamilliona—yeartoahuntsman。Manoughttohavepride,orshameenoughtoblushatbeingthusimposedupon,andwhenhefeelshispropercharacterhewill。Uponallsubjectsofthisnature,thereisoftenpassinginthemind,atrainofideashehasnotyetaccustomedhimselftoencourageandcommunicate。Restrainedbysomethingthatputsonthecharacterofprudence,heactsthehypocriteuponhimselfaswellastoothers。Itis,however,curioustoobservehowsoonthisspellcanbedissolved。A
singleexpression,boldlyconceivedanduttered,willsometimesputawholecompanyintotheirproperfeelings:andwholenationsareactedoninthesamemanner。
Astotheofficesofwhichanycivilgovernmentmaybecomposed,itmattersbutlittlebywhatnamestheyaredescribed。Intheroutineofbusiness,asbeforeobserved,whetheramanbestyledapresident,aking,anemperor,asenator,oranythingelse,itisimpossiblethatanyservicehecanperform,canmeritfromanationmorethantenthousandpoundsayear;andasnomanshouldbepaidbeyondhisservices,soeverymanofaproperheartwillnotacceptmore。Publicmoneyoughttobetouchedwiththemostscrupulousconsciousnessofhonour。Itisnottheproduceofrichesonly,butofthehardearningsoflabourandpoverty。Itisdrawnevenfromthebitternessofwantandmisery。Notabeggarpasses,orperishesinthestreets,whosemiteisnotinthatmass。
WereitpossiblethattheCongressofAmericacouldbesolosttotheirduty,andtotheinterestoftheirconstituents,astoofferGeneralWashington,aspresidentofAmerica,amillionayear,hewouldnot,andhecouldnot,acceptit。Hissenseofhonourisofanotherkind。IthascostEnglandalmostseventymillionssterling,tomaintainafamilyimportedfromabroad,ofveryinferiorcapacitytothousandsinthenation;andscarcelyayearhaspassedthathasnotproducedsomenewmercenaryapplication。Eventhephysicians'billshavebeensenttothepublictobepaid。Nowonderthatjailsarecrowded,andtaxesandpoor—ratesincreased。Undersuchsystems,nothingistobelookedforbutwhathasalreadyhappened;andastoreformation,wheneveritcome,itmustbefromthenation,andnotfromthegovernment。
Toshowthatthesumoffivehundredthousandpoundsismorethansufficienttodefrayalltheexpensesofthegovernment,exclusiveofnaviesandarmies,thefollowingestimateisadded,foranycountry,ofthesameextentasEngland。
Inthefirstplace,threehundredrepresentativesfairlyelected,aresufficientforallthepurposestowhichlegislationcanapply,andpreferabletoalargernumber。Theymaybedividedintotwoorthreehouses,ormeetinone,asinFrance,orinanymanneraconstitutionshalldirect。
Asrepresentationisalwaysconsidered,infreecountries,asthemosthonourableofallstations,theallowancemadetoitismerelytodefraytheexpensewhichtherepresentativesincurbythatservice,andnottoitasanoffice。
Ifanallowance,attherateoffivehundredpoundsperannum,bemadetoeveryrepresentative,deductingfornon—attendance,theexpense,ifthewholenumberattendedforsixmonths,eachyear,wouldbeL75,00
Theofficialdepartmentscannotreasonablyexceedthefollowingnumber,withthesalariesannexed:
ThreeofficesattenthousandpoundseachL30,000
Tenditto,atfivethousandpoundseach50,000
Twentyditto,attwothousandpoundseach40,000
Fortyditto,atonethousandpoundseach40,000
Twohundredditto,atfivehundredpoundseach100,000
Threehundredditto,attwohundredpoundseach60,000
Fivehundredditto,atonehundredpoundseach50,000
Sevenhundredditto,atseventy—fivepoundseach52,500
L497,500
Ifanationchoose,itcandeductfourpercent。fromalloffices,andmakeoneoftwentythousandperannum。
Allrevenueofficersarepaidoutofthemoniestheycollect,andtherefore,arenotinthisestimation。
Theforegoingisnotofferedasanexactdetailofoffices,buttoshowthenumberofrateofsalarieswhichfivehundredthousandpoundswillsupport;anditwill,onexperience,befoundimpracticabletofindbusinesssufficienttojustifyeventhisexpense。Astothemannerinwhichofficebusinessisnowperformed,theChiefs,inseveraloffices,suchasthepost—office,andcertainofficesintheexchequer,etc。,dolittlemorethansigntheirnamesthreeorfourtimesayear;andthewholedutyisperformedbyunder—clerks。
Taking,therefore,onemillionandahalfasasufficientpeaceestablishmentforallthehonestpurposesofgovernment,whichisthreehundredthousandpoundsmorethanthepeaceestablishmentintheprofligateandprodigaltimesofCharlestheSecond（notwithstanding,ashasbeenalreadyobserved,thepayandsalariesofthearmy,navy,andrevenueofficers,continuethesameasatthatperiod）,therewillremainasurplusofupwardsofsixmillionsoutofthepresentcurrentexpenses。Thequestionthenwillbe,howtodisposeofthissurplus。
Whoeverhasobservedthemannerinwhichtradeandtaxestwistthemselvestogether,mustbesensibleoftheimpossibilityofseparatingthemsuddenly。
First。Becausethearticlesnowonhandarealreadychargedwiththeduty,andthereductioncannottakeplaceonthepresentstock。
Secondly。Because,onallthosearticlesonwhichthedutyischargedinthegross,suchasperbarrel,hogshead,hundredweight,orton,theabolitionofthedutydoesnotadmitofbeingdivideddownsoasfullytorelievetheconsumer,whopurchasesbythepint,orthepound。Thelastdutylaidonstrongbeerandalewasthreeshillingsperbarrel,which,iftakenoff,wouldlessenthepurchaseonlyhalfafarthingperpint,andconsequently,wouldnotreachtopracticalrelief。
Thisbeingtheconditionofagreatpartofthetaxes,itwillbenecessarytolookforsuchothersasarefreefromthisembarrassmentandwherethereliefwillbedirectandvisible,andcapableofimmediateoperation。
Inthefirstplace,then,thepoor—ratesareadirecttaxwhicheveryhouse—keeperfeels,andwhoknowsalso,toafarthing,thesumwhichhepays。Thenationalamountofthewholeofthepoor—ratesisnotpositivelyknown,butcanbeprocured。SirJohnSinclair,inhisHistoryoftheRevenuehasstateditatL2,100,587。
Aconsiderablepartofwhichisexpendedinlitigations,inwhichthepoor,insteadofbeingrelieved,aretormented。Theexpense,however,isthesametotheparishfromwhatevercauseitarises。
InBirmingham,theamountofpoor—ratesisfourteenthousandpoundsayear。This,thoughalargesum,ismoderate,comparedwiththepopulation。Birminghamissaidtocontainseventythousandsouls,andonaproportionofseventythousandtofourteenthousandpoundspoor—rates,thenationalamountofpoor—rates,takingthepopulationofEnglandassevenmillions,wouldbebutonemillionfourhundredthousandpounds。Itis,therefore,mostprobable,thatthepopulationofBirminghamisover—rated。
Fourteenthousandpoundsistheproportionuponfiftythousandsouls,takingtwomillionsofpoor—rates,asthenationalamount。
Beit,however,whatitmay,itisnootherthantheconsequenceofexcessiveburthenoftaxes,for,atthetimewhenthetaxeswereverylow,thepoorwereabletomaintainthemselves;andtherewerenopoor—rates。*[34]Inthepresentstateofthingsalabouringman,withawifeortwoorthreechildren,doesnotpaylessthanbetweensevenandeightpoundsayearintaxes。Heisnotsensibleofthis,becauseitisdisguisedtohiminthearticleswhichhebuys,andhethinksonlyoftheirdearness;butasthetaxestakefromhim,atleast,afourthpartofhisyearlyearnings,heisconsequentlydisabledfromprovidingforafamily,especially,ifhimself,oranyofthem,areafflictedwithsickness。
Thefirststep,therefore,ofpracticalrelief,wouldbetoabolishthepoor—ratesentirely,andinlieuthereof,tomakearemissionoftaxestothepoorofdoubletheamountofthepresentpoor—rates,viz。,fourmillionsannuallyoutofthesurplustaxes。Bythismeasure,thepoorwouldbebenefitedtwomillions,andthehouse—keeperstwomillions。ThisalonewouldbeequaltoareductionofonehundredandtwentymillionsoftheNationalDebt,andconsequentlyequaltothewholeexpenseoftheAmericanWar。
Itwillthenremaintobeconsidered,whichisthemosteffectualmodeofdistributingthisremissionoffourmillions。
Itiseasilyseen,thatthepooraregenerallycomposedoflargefamiliesofchildren,andoldpeoplepasttheirlabour。Ifthesetwoclassesareprovidedfor,theremedywillsofarreachtothefullextentofthecase,thatwhatremainswillbeincidental,and,inagreatmeasure,fallwithinthecompassofbenefitclubs,which,thoughofhumbleinvention,merittoberankedamongthebestofmoderninstitutions。
AdmittingEnglandtocontainsevenmillionsofsouls;ifone—fifththereofareofthatclassofpoorwhichneedsupport,thenumberwillbeonemillionfourhundredthousand。Ofthisnumber,onehundredandfortythousandwillbeagedpoor,aswillbehereaftershown,andforwhichadistinctprovisionwillbeproposed。
Therewillthenremainonemilliontwohundredandsixtythousandwhich,atfivesoulstoeachfamily,amounttotwohundredandfifty—twothousandfamilies,renderedpoorfromtheexpenseofchildrenandtheweightoftaxes。
Thenumberofchildrenunderfourteenyearsofage,ineachofthosefamilies,willbefoundtobeaboutfivetoeverytwofamilies;somehavingtwo,andothersthree;someone,andothersfour:
somenone,andothersfive;butitrarelyhappensthatmorethanfiveareunderfourteenyearsofage,andafterthisagetheyarecapableofserviceorofbeingapprenticed。
Allowingfivechildren（underfourteenyears）toeverytwofamilies,thenumberofchildrenwillbe630,000,thenumberofparents,weretheyallliving,wouldbe504,000
Itiscertain,thatifthechildrenareprovidedfor,theparentsarerelievedofconsequence,becauseitisfromtheexpenseofbringingupchildrenthattheirpovertyarises。
Havingthusascertainedthegreatestnumberthatcanbesupposedtoneedsupportonaccountofyoungfamilies,Iproceedtothemodeofreliefordistribution,whichis,Topayasaremissionoftaxestoeverypoorfamily,outofthesurplustaxes,andinroomofpoor—rates,fourpoundsayearforeverychildunderfourteenyearsofage;enjoiningtheparentsofsuchchildrentosendthemtoschool,tolearnreading,writing,andcommonarithmetic;theministersofeveryparish,ofeverydenominationtocertifyjointlytoanoffice,forthatpurpose,thatthisdutyisperformed。Theamountofthisexpensewillbe,ForsixhundredandthirtythousandchildrenatfourpoundsperannumeachL2,520,000
Byadoptingthismethod,notonlythepovertyoftheparentswillberelieved,butignorancewillbebanishedfromtherisinggeneration,andthenumberofpoorwillhereafterbecomeless,becausetheirabilities,bytheaidofeducation,willbegreater。
Manyayouth,withgoodnaturalgenius,whoisapprenticedtoamechanicaltrade,suchasacarpenter,joiner,millwright,shipwright,blacksmith,etc。,ispreventedgettingforwardthewholeofhislifefromthewantofalittlecommoneducationwhenaboy。
Inowproceedtothecaseoftheaged。
Idivideageintotwoclasses。First,theapproachofage,beginningatfifty。Secondly,oldagecommencingatsixty。
Atfifty,thoughthementalfacultiesofmanareinfullvigour,andhisjudgmentbetterthanatanyprecedingdate,thebodilypowersforlaboriouslifeareonthedecline。Hecannotbearthesamequantityoffatigueasatanearlierperiod。Hebeginstoearnless,andislesscapableofenduringwindandweather;andinthosemoreretiredemploymentswheremuchsightisrequired,hefailsapace,andseeshimself,likeanoldhorse,beginningtobeturnedadrift。
Atsixtyhislabouroughttobeover,atleastfromdirectnecessity。
Itispainfultoseeoldageworkingitselftodeath,inwhatarecalledcivilisedcountries,fordailybread。
Toformsomejudgmentofthenumberofthoseabovefiftyyearsofage,IhaveseveraltimescountedthepersonsImetinthestreetsofLondon,men,women,andchildren,andhavegenerallyfoundthattheaverageisaboutoneinsixteenorseventeen。Ifitbesaidthatagedpersonsdonotcomemuchintothestreets,soneitherdoinfants;andagreatproportionofgrownchildrenareinschoolsandinwork—shopsasapprentices。Taking,then,sixteenforadivisor,thewholenumberofpersonsinEnglandoffiftyyearsandupwards,ofbothsexes,richandpoor,willbefourhundredandtwentythousand。
Thepersonstobeprovidedforoutofthisgrossnumberwillbehusbandmen,commonlabourers,journeymenofeverytradeandtheirwives,sailors,anddisbandedsoldiers,wornoutservantsofbothsexes,andpoorwidows。
Therewillbealsoaconsiderablenumberofmiddlingtradesmen,whohavingliveddecentlyintheformerpartoflife,begin,asageapproaches,tolosetheirbusiness,andatlastfalltodecay。
Besidesthesetherewillbeconstantlythrownofffromtherevolutionsofthatwheelwhichnomancanstopnorregulate,anumberfromeveryclassoflifeconnectedwithcommerceandadventure。
Toprovideforallthoseaccidents,andwhateverelsemaybefall,I
takethenumberofpersonswho,atonetimeorotheroftheirlives,afterfiftyyearsofage,mayfeelitnecessaryorcomfortabletobebettersupported,thantheycansupportthemselves,andthatnotasamatterofgraceandfavour,butofright,atone—thirdofthewholenumber,whichisonehundredandfortythousand,asstatedinapreviouspage,andforwhomadistinctprovisionwasproposedtobemade。Iftherebemore,society,notwithstandingtheshowandpomposityofgovernment,isinadeplorableconditioninEngland。
Ofthisonehundredandfortythousand,Itakeonehalf,seventythousand,tobeoftheageoffiftyandundersixty,andtheotherhalftobesixtyyearsandupwards。Havingthusascertainedtheprobableproportionofthenumberofagedpersons,I
proceedtothemodeofrenderingtheirconditioncomfortable,whichis:
Topaytoeverysuchpersonoftheageoffiftyyears,anduntilheshallarriveattheageofsixty,thesumofsixpoundsperannumoutofthesurplustaxes,andtenpoundsperannumduringlifeaftertheageofsixty。Theexpenseofwhichwillbe,Seventythousandpersons,atL6perannumL420,000
Seventythousandpersons,atL10perannum700,000
L1,120,000
Thissupport,asalreadyremarked,isnotofthenatureofacharitybutofaright。EverypersoninEngland,maleandfemale,paysonanaverageintaxestwopoundseightshillingsandsixpenceperannumfromthedayofhis（orher）birth;and,iftheexpenseofcollectionbeadded,hepaystwopoundselevenshillingsandsixpence;consequently,attheendoffiftyyearshehaspaidonehundredandtwenty—eightpoundsfifteenshillings;andatsixtyonehundredandfifty—fourpoundstenshillings。
Converting,therefore,his（orher）individualtaxinatontine,themoneyheshallreceiveafterfiftyyearsisbutlittlemorethanthelegalinterestofthenetmoneyhehaspaid;therestismadeupfromthosewhosecircumstancesdonotrequirethemtodrawsuchsupport,andthecapitalinbothcasesdefraystheexpensesofgovernment。ItisonthisgroundthatIhaveextendedtheprobableclaimstoone—thirdofthenumberofagedpersonsinthenation。—
Isit,then,betterthatthelivesofonehundredandfortythousandagedpersonsberenderedcomfortable,orthatamillionayearofpublicmoneybeexpendedonanyoneindividual,andhimoftenofthemostworthlessorinsignificantcharacter？
Letreasonandjustice,lethonourandhumanity,letevenhypocrisy,sycophancyandMr。Burke,letGeorge,letLouis,Leopold,Frederic,Catherine,Cornwallis,orTippooSaib,answerthequestion。*[35]
Thesumthusremittedtothepoorwillbe,Totwohundredandfifty—twothousandpoorfamilies,containingsixhundredandthirtythousandchildrenL2,520,000
Toonehundredandfortythousandagedpersons1,120,000
L3,640,000
Therewillthenremainthreehundredandsixtythousandpoundsoutofthefourmillions,partofwhichmaybeappliedasfollows:—
Afteralltheabovecasesareprovidedfortherewillstillbeanumberoffamilieswho,thoughnotproperlyoftheclassofpoor,yetfinditdifficulttogiveeducationtotheirchildren;andsuchchildren,undersuchacase,wouldbeinaworseconditionthaniftheirparentswereactuallypoor。Anationunderawell—regulatedgovernmentshouldpermitnonetoremainuninstructed。Itismonarchicalandaristocraticalgovernmentonlythatrequiresignoranceforitssupport。
Suppose,then,fourhundredthousandchildrentobeinthiscondition,whichisagreaternumberthanoughttobesupposedaftertheprovisionsalreadymade,themethodwillbe:
Toallowforeachofthosechildrentenshillingsayearfortheexpenseofschoolingforsixyearseach,whichwillgivethemsixmonthsschoolingeachyear,andhalfacrownayearforpaperandspellingbooks。
TheexpenseofthiswillbeannuallyL250,000。*[36]
Therewillthenremainonehundredandtenthousandpounds。
Notwithstandingthegreatmodesofreliefwhichthebestinstitutedandbestprincipledgovernmentmaydevise,therewillbeanumberofsmallercases,whichitisgoodpolicyaswellasbeneficenceinanationtoconsider。
Weretwentyshillingstobegivenimmediatelyonthebirthofachild,toeverywomanwhoshouldmakethedemand,andnonewillmakeitwhosecircumstancesdonotrequireit,itmightrelieveagreatdealofinstantdistress。
ThereareabouttwohundredthousandbirthsyearlyinEngland;andifclaimedbyonefourth,theamountwouldbeL50,000
Andtwentyshillingstoeverynew—marriedcouplewhoshouldclaiminlikemanner。ThiswouldnotexceedthesumofL20,000。
Alsotwentythousandpoundstobeappropriatedtodefraythefuneralexpensesofpersons,who,travellingforwork,maydieatadistancefromtheirfriends。Byrelievingparishesfromthischarge,thesickstrangerwillbebettertreated。
Ishallfinishthispartofthesubjectwithaplanadaptedtotheparticularconditionofametropolis,suchasLondon。
Casesarecontinuallyoccurringinametropolis,differentfromthosewhichoccurinthecountry,andforwhichadifferent,orratheranadditional,modeofreliefisnecessary。Inthecountry,eveninlargetowns,peoplehaveaknowledgeofeachother,anddistressneverrisestothatextremeheightitsometimesdoesinametropolis。Thereisnosuchthinginthecountryaspersons,intheliteralsenseoftheword,starvedtodeath,ordyingwithcoldfromthewantofalodging。Yetsuchcases,andothersequallyasmiserable,happeninLondon。
ManyayouthcomesuptoLondonfullofexpectations,andwithlittleornomoney,andunlesshegetimmediateemploymentheisalreadyhalfundone;andboysbredupinLondonwithoutanymeansofalivelihood,andasitoftenhappensofdissoluteparents,areinastillworsecondition;andservantslongoutofplacearenotmuchbetteroff。Inshort,aworldoflittlecasesiscontinuallyarising,whichbusyoraffluentlifeknowsnotof,toopenthefirstdoortodistress。Hungerisnotamongthepostponablewants,andaday,evenafewhours,insuchaconditionisoftenthecrisisofalifeofruin。
Thesecircumstanceswhicharethegeneralcauseofthelittletheftsandpilferingsthatleadtogreater,maybeprevented。Thereyetremaintwentythousandpoundsoutofthefourmillionsofsurplustaxes,whichwithanotherfundhereaftertobementioned,amountingtoabouttwentythousandpoundsmore,cannotbebetterappliedthantothispurpose。Theplanwillthenbe:
First,Toerecttwoormorebuildings,ortakesomealreadyerected,capableofcontainingatleastsixthousandpersons,andtohaveineachoftheseplacesasmanykindsofemploymentascanbecontrived,sothateverypersonwhoshallcomemayfindsomethingwhichheorshecando。
Secondly,Toreceiveallwhoshallcome,withoutenquiringwhoorwhattheyare。Theonlyconditiontobe,thatforsomuch,orsomanyhours'work,eachpersonshallreceivesomanymealsofwholesomefood,andawarmlodging,atleastasgoodasabarrack。Thatacertainportionofwhateachperson'sworkshallbeworthshallbereserved,andgiventohimorher,ontheirgoingaway;andthateachpersonshallstayaslongorasshortatime,orcomeasoftenashechoose,ontheseconditions。
Ifeachpersonstayedthreemonths,itwouldassistbyrotationtwenty—fourthousandpersonsannually,thoughtherealnumber,atalltimes,wouldbebutsixthousand。Byestablishinganasylumofthiskind,suchpersonstowhomtemporarydistressesoccur,wouldhaveanopportunitytorecruitthemselves,andbeenabledtolookoutforbetteremployment。
Allowingthattheirlabourpaidbutonehalftheexpenseofsupportingthem,afterreservingaportionoftheirearningsforthemselves,thesumoffortythousandpoundsadditionalwoulddefrayallotherchargesforevenagreaternumberthansixthousand。
Thefundveryproperlyconvertibletothispurpose,inadditiontothetwentythousandpounds,remainingoftheformerfund,willbetheproduceofthetaxuponcoals,soiniquitouslyandwantonlyappliedtothesupportoftheDukeofRichmond。Itishorridthatanyman,moreespeciallyatthepricecoalsnoware,shouldliveonthedistressesofacommunity;andanygovernmentpermittingsuchanabuse,deservestobedismissed。Thisfundissaidtobeabouttwentythousandpoundsperannum。
Ishallnowconcludethisplanwithenumeratingtheseveralparticulars,andthenproceedtoothermatters。
Theenumerationisasfollows:——
First,Abolitionoftwomillionspoor—rates。
Secondly,Provisionfortwohundredandfiftythousandpoorfamilies。
Thirdly,Educationforonemillionandthirtythousandchildren。
Fourthly,Comfortableprovisionforonehundredandfortythousandagedpersons。
Fifthly,Donationoftwentyshillingseachforfiftythousandbirths。
Sixthly,Donationoftwentyshillingseachfortwentythousandmarriages。
Seventhly,Allowanceoftwentythousandpoundsforthefuneralexpensesofpersonstravellingforwork,anddyingatadistancefromtheirfriends。
Eighthly,Employment,atalltimes,forthecasualpoorinthecitiesofLondonandWestminster。
Bytheoperationofthisplan,thepoorlaws,thoseinstrumentsofciviltorture,willbesuperseded,andthewastefulexpenseoflitigationprevented。Theheartsofthehumanewillnotbeshockedbyraggedandhungrychildren,andpersonsofseventyandeightyyearsofage,beggingforbread。Thedyingpoorwillnotbedraggedfromplacetoplacetobreathetheirlast,asareprisalofparishuponparish。Widowswillhaveamaintenancefortheirchildren,andnotbecartedaway,onthedeathoftheirhusbands,likeculpritsandcriminals;andchildrenwillnolongerbeconsideredasincreasingthedistressesoftheirparents。Thehauntsofthewretchedwillbeknown,becauseitwillbetotheiradvantage;
andthenumberofpettycrimes,theoffspringofdistressandpoverty,willbelessened。Thepoor,aswellastherich,willthenbeinterestedinthesupportofgovernment,andthecauseandapprehensionofriotsandtumultswillcease。—Yewhositinease,andsolaceyourselvesinplenty,andsuchthereareinTurkeyandRussia,aswellasinEngland,andwhosaytoyourselves,"Arewenotwelloff？"haveyethoughtofthesethings？Whenyedo,yewillceasetospeakandfeelforyourselvesalone。
Theplaniseasyinpractice。Itdoesnotembarrasstradebyasuddeninterruptionintheorderoftaxes,buteffectsthereliefbychangingtheapplicationofthem;andthemoneynecessaryforthepurposecanbedrawnfromtheexcisecollections,whicharemadeeighttimesayearineverymarkettowninEngland。
Havingnowarrangedandconcludedthissubject,Iproceedtothenext。
第17章