Ideological Arguments

• Thomas Malthus:

  As an economist specialising in demography (the study of the population), he argued that the Poor Law encouraged the poor to have more children so that they could claim more relief. He wanted the Poor Law abolished so the poor would have to keep families small and wages would rise as the Poor Rate would no longer have to be paid.
• David Ricardo:

  As a political economist, he somewhat agreed with Malthus. He belived that their was a wages fund where money for wages and poor relief was paid, therefore meaning that the more poor relief paid, the less money there was left for wages. The only way to break the cycle was to abolish the Poor Law.
• Thomas Paine:

  Paine was a writer and republican who criticised the Poor Law for being too inadequate. He proposed for property tax on the very rich to be used for support systems for the poor, such as family allowance and old age pensions. However, he implied that able-bodied paupers should only receive relief if they are willing to enter a workhouse.
• Robert Owen:

  Owen, a radical factory owner, blamed the capitalist economic system for creating poverty. At his New Lanark site in Scotland (including a huge cotton-spinning mill and mill workers' village), he built a new community. No adult was allowed to work more than 10 1/2 hours, sick pay was provided and children had to be educated until they were 10. His mills ran a profit and he suggested that everyone would share the profits.
• Jeremy Bentham:

  Bentham suggested the idea of Utilitarianism, where society should be organised to enable the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest number of people. He also believed that relief was a public responsibility and should be organised by central government and that there should be no discrimination between the deserving and undeserving poor. Although, he did believe that all outdoor relief should be abolished.