PENSIONS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.
London. 19th December 1833.
SIR—The Parliamentary Return, No. 745, of 1833, of Pensions now paid by the public, is deserving of immediate and mature consideration. When GEORGE the Fourth died, it was urged in the House of Com- mons, by Mr. HUME and others, that all the pensions on the Civil List of that and former Kings had virtually and legally closed with the demise of the Crown ; and it was contended that none of those Pensions should be renewed until an inquiry was instituted as to the merits and claims of the several annuitants on the public purse. It was important that a Reformed Parliament should carefully consider every item of expense ; and, being pledged to effect every possible reduction in the public expenditure, no branch appeared so proper to be inquired into as, that of the pensions granted by corrupt and extravagant Ministers under preceding reigns. But Lord ALTHORP, whilst he admitted that the pensioners had no legal claim for a continuance of their pensions, submitted to the House that there was a claim of charity to which he determined to listen, and to continue all the pensions which had been granted by former Kings. It was contended that charity should be first shown to those who were obliged to pay the taxes collected to pay these pensions. But the House of Commons supported Lord ALTHORP; and all the pensions, without exception, were continued ; and are now paid by a people suffering under great privations to meet the demands of the -Chancellor of the Exchequer. The public were much surprised that Mr. HUSIE did not follow up his threat of taking the sense of the House on the general subject of pensions; and it was not until the end of the session, when he moved for the return of pensions now published, that he explained the reason why he bad not done so. He said that a desire to give the Ministers time to know the opinion of the public with respect to pensions, and also to give them the opportunity and the merit of making a selection them- selves, had induced him not to press the motion during the past session; but that he should certainly do so in the ensuing one. The return is now before the public, and they look to Mr. HUME to redeem the pledge which he gave. It was stated by Mr. HUME on one occasion, that the public had paid fifty millions, principal and interest, for the two sinecure offices of Judges in Eyre ; since 1694, when they ceased to have any duties to perform ; and that the amount paid for unmerited pensions to the crea- tures of a corrupt Court and a corrupt Administration, since the year 1868, would amount to a sum equal to the whole amount of the National Debt ! I have made the calculation of the payments made by the pub- lic to the two Chief Justices in Eyre—complete sinecures, from 1694 to 1821—and find the amount to have been 45,932,2051. ; and if conti- nued to the present time, it would exceed the sum stated by Mr. HUME. I can, therefore, have little doubt, that if the same calculation is made for all the useless and unmerited pensions paid during the same period,
i that the aggregate will exceed in amount the whole of the present National Debt. Is not this a most important fact to be considered as regards the present financial state of the country, that must lead to-the abolition of pensions without delay?
I have taken the trouble, in furtherance of the view. taken by Mr. HUltlE, to mention bow much has been paid, in principal sum and interest, to the three persons first on the Pension List return, moved for by him, and just published ; it amounts to the enormous sum, up to the last payment, of 547,6611. sterling. If the Reformed Parliament meet the just expectations of the People, they will institute an inquiry into the merits of every man now receiving public money, that the abuses so long sanctioned by an Unreformed Parliament may be put an end to. It will be no satisfactory answer to those who are paying taxes to supply funds for those pensions, that the pensions have been long paid. Parliament must look at the authority for these pensions, and the Merits of the pensioners. Let us tike, -for' example, No: 4,• in-. the PaXamintary List of
Pensioners— •
:Robert Denman and Elizabeth. Adair have, received, since 24th • • June 1792, a pension, after deducting the taxes, fees, and charges, of . - the net stun of 445/. 191. 4d. ; which for sixty and a half years, -if the payments are calculated at riper cent. compound interest, has been to the people of this connfry a charge -up to 'the present
tinie of ' £168,271 Lord and H. F. W. Aylmer have had, since 24th February 1783, a
net pension of 3561..8s. 8d., i. e. for fifty long years ; which,
. . principal sum and interest, amounts to 77,961 Robert Ashworth, Charles, Ashworth,' Frederick Ashworth, and Henrietta Ashworth; have 1141 a perision of 1,7841. 3s. ; which, for forty-six years, amounts to the enormous sum Of... ....... .. 801,427 • Making for these three parties, a sum much exceeding lkdf a million £547,661 .
not .
I ask, • ought we ot to know for what public .services these
persons have received so much public money; and for what are they to continue to receive it ? I have been told that the father of the Asn- wokerils purchased from the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland' at the, time (1787), the pensions which they now receive. Ought not this of itself
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