They turned over
the catalogue of all our manufactures, and found, that scarcely any of
the conveniencies, or even the necessaries of life, were without an
impost. They examined all the classes of our traders, and readily
discovered, that the greatest number of those who endeavoured to
support themselves by honest industry, were struggling with poverty,
and scarcely able to provide to-day what would be necessary to-morrow.
They saw our prisons crowded with debtors, and our papers filled with
the names of bankrupts, of whom many may be supposed to have
miscarried without idleness, extravagance, or folly.
They saw, therefore, my lords, that industry must sink under any
addition to its load, a consideration which could afford no proof of
the abundance of our wealth. They saw that our commodities would be no
longer manufactured, if their taxes were increased; and, therefore, it
was necessary to raise money by some other method, since all those
which have been hitherto practised were precluded.
This, my lords, was no easy task; but however difficult, it has been
accomplished; and to those great politicians must posterity be
indebted for a new scheme of supplying the expenses of a war.
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