THE CANDID SYSTENI.
WE reiterate our opinion that the beneficial effects which would flow fame the imposition of a Property-tax, in lieu of the numerous taxes that at present perplex the state, would be immense. The arginuents in Pavour of it are many and strong—against it, few and frivolous. The chief objection is that which assumes a vague and mysterious shape, under the term inquisitorial; the meaning of ehich is, that people do not like the sources of their income to be investig,ated and the amount ascertained. The persons appointed to this duty are looked upon as " familiars," and the object of their visit is denounced as inconsistent with the sacredness of private afliiiis ; the philosophy of which is, that people in general do not choose to be known for what they are. If every man had the pro- pertv he pretended to have, or lived according to, be it more or less, what objection of a truly honest and ingenuous kind could he have to declare its amount to the whole world ? If he be assuming the airs of a wealthy character, at the same time that he is destitute of means, or living precariously, we can well understand his reluct- ance to be exposed : but this is not an honest objection, and we have no sympathy with it—the same argument would he strongly amtinst the New Police or the gas-lighis. Everybody is familiar with the phrase of " splendid misery:" it means that painful exist- ence which, under the influence of pride, attempts to keep up the outward show of wealth when the substance is gone, and for the sake of which supposed deception, a thousand sacrifices of daily comfort and happiness are perpetually made. In fact, no one is deluded by tl leSe attempts, and time endeavourers after retaining the shadow of riches are only pitied by some, and laughed at by most. If the real income of persons, or at least the amount of their absolute property, were a subject open to every one, there would be an end of all pretension ; everybody would cease to aim at being what he is not, and society would be great gainers. The mercantile people may cry out that credit would be destroyed : it is true that the credit of those people who did not deserve to have any would be ruined—we do not see the harm of that—it means simply that capitalists will not proceed upon an erroneous sup- position. The effect of an open and generous disclosure of the amount of the actual property iri each individual's possession, would operate as a mould revolution, and set many an aching heart at ease, by putting a stop to the necessity of pretending. -The disclosure al- ways comes sooner or later,-and the fact of the general disclosure happening at the same time, would turn a source of perpetual irritation into a nine-days' wonder. Why should not everybody be taken at his true valuation ? Ranks are at present divided in a most anomalous form : some people are esquires and some are i not, because one sells tobacco n a large parcel and the other in a small one ; some are gentlemen and some are not, and nobody knows why; this man is not fit company for that, this one will not dine at the same table as the other, and it is very possible that the rejected person is the better citizen of the two. In these arbitrary and unsettled divisions, the remains of feudal prejudices have some influence, but the most active agent is money : if a decent man gets to be considered as worth two or three thousand a year, he is an esquire instantly, and almost anybody will dine with him or give him a dinner. Our plan of a general tabular display of re- gistered property, would settle all these questions without trouble or confusion. If we wished to learn whether a man were a gen-
tleman or not, we should have nothing to do but to look at the census. As men advanced each year in wealth, they would be seen to rise above the horizon of good society, and visiting-cards would be arranged according to the property-list. A gentleman would say to
his wife, "My dear, I wish to give a dinner to my friends of fifteen hundred a year : " he might add, "And next week I should like to have a snug bachelor party of the five hundreds : so ar- range accordingly." At Blackheath, and such places, there has been sad confusion because the people with two carriages will not visit the folks with one—because it is said a family with one coach- man may he quite as respectable as another that keeps two. Our property-list would settle all these disputes. "Who has called this.morning?" Instead of a pack of nondescript cards, contain- ing Misters, Mistresses, Lord Charleses, and Sir Johns, whose pretensions are as various as their names, we should have a regular and methodical account of half-a-dozen gentlemen at 5 0 Ot., three at 20001., and a widow lady charming to the amount of 50001. per annum. Nay, candour might even go so far as to inscribe the amount of property on the very brass plate on the door; and we should know where we were calling, and what we were about. It would save young gentlemen, who are courting young ladies, the trouble of making inquiries as to the old gentleman's strong box, and the probability of his "cutting up well." We are not stating that all these consequences would flow from a Government. Proper f y-tax ; for, doubtless, there will be all kinds of secresy on the part of the Commissioners, and oral delicacy and scrupulosity in the conduct of the inquiry. We only wish that he time had arrived when the coantry would consent to an open
measure of the kind. The moral influence it would have would be of the most extensive description, and we have scarcely hinted at the most important of them. Our readers may see the operation of the "Candid System" in such trifles as follow. What a world of inconvenience and morti- fication might be saved, if, for instance, people had such a guide in the selection of their dinner-parties!
"Mr. and Mrs. Everett (2000/. per annum—land) present their compli- ments to Mr. Welldone (1750/. per annum—funds and land), and will have great pleasure in seeing him to dinner on the 14th of May, to meet a few friends of from 1400/. per annum to 20000
Would not people be more satisfied by seeing such visiting-cards as these left at their doors, instead of the vague documents now in use ?
3$obtt 33intitcr, 40001. per annum. Richard Stubbs, 430/. per annum.
There would then be little doubt who was or was not ni gentle,- man—to look at the Register, would be the universal resource.
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