An appeal to the landholders concerning the reasonableness and general benefit of an excise upon tobacco and wine.

Date:
1733
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An appeal to the landholders concerning the reasonableness and general benefit of an excise upon tobacco and wine. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    () plaint: I fay, fcarce fince the Receivers Ge¬ neral of the feveral Counties will be difcharged ; Men who from their fuperiqr Allowances, Weight and Influence (efpecially by Means of the pub- Jick Money, and their Power to fpare and aflift their Neighbours) are of much more Confequence in the Country, and at Ele6i:ions, than fo many* or three Times as many poor Excife Men, whofe Behaviour is known to be fo feverely watched and reftrained by Law, and the Infpedion of their Superiors. Let it be remembred too, that thefe Receivers General are all Officers appointed by the Crown. As to the Laws of Excife, which are another Source of Terror, a good deal is to be faid in Mitigation of fuch Terror. The King’s Part of the Duty ariflng from Wine.and Tobacco, will Hill continue under the Cuftoms; fo that the Revenue of the Crown will be no wife increafed by this Proje(5t, and all that Increafe goes into the National Purfe. Thus the Subjedl, in any Difputes with the Crown, has ftill tlfe Privilege of a Trial by Juries. So far therefore as thefc Duties come under the Excife, there can be no Difpute but between a particular Subjeft and the Society in general; and then the Cdmmiffi- oners, though appointed by the Crown, can have xio Biafs to Partiality, nor any private Ends ; for in every fuch Difpute it is the Intereft of thb Publick, as well as of every private Man, to Itave Suits fuddenly decided by Judges who are ablolutely impartial. In
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