400 Continuation of the name Subject. Bk. iv. 



1. Meliorating the present wretched condition 

 of the lower orders of the people. 



2. Equalizing by a new tax the present poor's 

 rates, which must be raised for their relief. 



3. And giving to all those who may think pro- 

 per to place themselves under its protection, a 

 voice in the local management and distribution of 

 the fund destined for their support. 



The first proposition is, of course, or ought to 

 be, the object of every plan proposed. And the 

 two last may be considered as the modes by 

 which it is intended to accomplish it. 



But it is obvious that these two propositions, 

 though they may be both desirable on other 

 accounts, not only do not really touch, but do not 

 even propose to touch, the great problem. We 

 wish to check the increase and diminish the pro- 

 portion of paupers, in order to give greater wealth, 

 happiness, and independence to the mass of the 

 labouring classes. But the equalization of the 

 poor's rates, simply considered, would have a 

 very strong tendency to increase rather than to 

 diminish the number of the dependent poor. At 

 present the parochial rates fall so very heavily 

 upon one particular species of property, that the 

 persons, whose business it is to allow them, have 

 in general a very strong interest indeed to keep 

 them low; but if they fell equally on all sorts of 

 property, and particularly if they were collected 

 from large districts, or from counties, the local 

 distributors would have comparatively but very 

 feeble motives to reduce them, and they might be 

 expected to increase with great rapidity. 



