The Press.
London, England, 1853-05-14 00:00:00

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for the gradual reduction of the duties. Mr.
OlAdstone, having doubts as to sufficient sup-
ply, and called upon to make his proposal
when the last news shows that the Chinese
empire is not only in a state of chronic civil
war, but of absolute revolution, in order that
he may transcend Mr. Disraeli " in the City,"
makes a dash at the tea duties which astounds
even the financial reformers of Liverpool, over
whom his particularly prudent brother pre•
sides, and allots only three years for the space
during which we are to lose three millions of
revenue. If the House of Commons be wise,
they will pause a little about these duties, and
wait for the next China mail. The time is
most inappropriate for this experiment, and if,
as is not improbable, the tea districts become
the seat of great and prolonged disturbance,
we shall not only lose our revenue of three
millions, but the price of tea will probably rise.

and notinconsideramy.
Mr. Disraeli proposed only one new tax ;
that was the extension and increase of the
House Tax. Even Mr. Gladstone could scarcely
escape from supporting this measure ; for in
MI he had not, only voted fur the proposition
when. made by his predecessor, but had spoken
warmly in its favour, and in an unwilling
house had forced a division on it. The mea-
sure of Mr. Disraeli would have increased the
proceeds of the house tax something more
than 900,000/., and a sounder and more mo-
derate measure was, perhaps, never brought
forward. Pledged to its principles, to its in-
crease, and its extension, Mr. Gladstone was in
a somewhat difficult position when he had to
rote to turn out the late Government on this
very item. A plea was wanting for such a des-
perate course, anti Mr. Gladstone, turning up
the whites of his eyes, found one in the hor-
rible fact that the house tax was to be doubled ;
the real question being, not whether the. house
tax ought to be doubled, but whether its
amount, as proposed, was moderate anti juts
tifiable. Mr. Gladstone, after this, could
hardly propose an increase of the house tax.
so he has fallen on a system of Trade Licences.
which, in feet, t;urnt an aggravated house tax,
and quadruple the amount of the existing one.
But. if Mr. Gladstone's principles are cor-
rect, why any new tax at all '? Why not await
that accruing surplus, the consequence of the
new commercial system according to the fol-
lowers of Sir Robert l'eel, and devote the pro-
ceeds to the remission of taxation in natural
course ? The Soap tax, like all other tax's,
an evil, but why substitute for it other evils in
the shape of taxes on property. or on distil
levies, or on retail trades ? Merely to make a
splash, and to surpass Mr. Disraeli, who had
at least a theory to put in practice. Mr. Glad-
stone has none ; on the contrary, his practice
runs counter to his whole theory. Instead of
his budget being a great scheme, it is a mass
of incongruities. Its main charactetistic is to
mai° Mr. Disraeli in his own way ; but, as
Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Disraeli set out from
contrary premises, it follows that the conclu
miens of one of them, under such aroma-
ttances. must be wrong. Tea must be dealt
with, because Mr. Disraeli had occupied that
ground ; Ireland must have a complete income
tax, because Mr. Disraeli suggested a partial
one ; the house tax assumes the enormous
shape of trade lieenees ; an obscure hint about
stamps and probates by his predecessor is in
stantly expanded into a tax oil successions. Mr.
Disraeli, in his groupings of taxation in his lust
memorable speech before he retired from
office, adverted to the necessity hereafter of re-
vising the amsessed taxes, and terminating the
excise on paper and soap. Mr. Gladstone is
immediately at everything in the ring. Mr.
Disraeli acted on the principle, that, artificial
prices being abrogated, the cost of production
must be reduced to the last limit. Mr. Glad-
stone denies all this, and then, laying down as
his fundamental truth that the revenue of a
Mate should be raised from the income of a
'f taxation,

WIWI vi5a...a.... ...... - ----
44 . try, proposes a remission of taxation,
% v 44.. entirely depends on Parliament agree-
,,:.4.‘'4'.,...i.‘„.' ge and permanent tax on the pro-
." s-vp .- .• i • country!
%., ..• 41„on w . , ,
I. ‘:•4:r,//1 41: A AND WINE DUTIES
eN l • I. i ditithout clear foresight, and a
iii•- • rtence to what is already in in-
‘s A,
i ' ',...
.
~ .. . .tion. that Mr. Disalau.t. in a late
'II ' ‘MI.Ois%. * i
roe i-. • e budget, warned the CHANCELLOR
oie, Vita
47AL