Dear Sir
I was from home when your letter arrived, but I have sent a statement of your wishes to Mr Gransmore, I hope in time for him to be with you on Tuesday. He is a quiet man & there is nothing prepossessing in his manner or appearance, but he is so exceedingly well recommended to me by persons on whom I can fully confide, that I had no hesitation in saying to you all I have said respecting him.
I requested you to favor me with two copies of the Poor bill that I might write such observations as occurred to me on the margin of one of them for your use. This I have done & my son has it. he will dispose of it as you shall direct, but I see today that the bill is in progress, & therefore I shall write to him to & desire him to lay what I have written before Mr Chadwick or any other gentleman who is active in the cause, but upon an understanding that it shall still be at your disposal whenever you shall call for it.
I cannot but greatly regret that the Poor laws are to be administered by any but Magistrates. They may & ought to be trusted, but their line of conduct should be clearly laid down by the act which I am quite sure may be done, so as to leave them little or no discretionary power. We know that on any change there will at first be a large number of appeals from almost every Parish how it will be possible for three commissioners in London & nine in the Country one only to about six counties to attend to these, I cannot conceive. But the thing which annoys me most of all is what is proposed in the 19th Page of the bill. viz that Magistrates are to carry into effect any rules which the central board shall chuse to frame thus putting the County gentlemen the unpaid Magistrates under the in a situation of subserviency to Paid commissioners. I sincerely hope this will not be persisted in, but that if it be, every every County member will oppose it, & ever [illegible deletion] Quarter & Petty Sessions will remonstrate against it. Their duties should be distinct.
Another thing ought to kept steadily in view viz. that of throwing the Poor on their own resourses. I am much afraid that some of the proposed measures will throw them on private charity, which will be worse than the Poor rates, because there will be no means of directing or controling it.
Favor my son with directions respecting the copy of the bill which I have sent him & believe me dear Sir
Yours truly
T J L Baker
Hardwicke Court <1>
May 18 1834
Notes:
1. Manor and seat of the Baker family, in the town of Hardwicke, Gloucestershire.
2. London