The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-12 00:00:00

WAR AND COMMERCE.—Mb
EXAGGERATIONS.

BRIGHTB

Makes:as of Commerce in times of excitement
naturally become chambers of polities. They we a
continuation, in a somewhat novel form, of the old
combinations of different trades into guilds, and of
different professions into convocations and inns, to
promote the special objects of particular clues%
without any regard to the welfare of the whole com-
munity. They are all intended to procure an extra
share of power for the combining bodies—a share
greater than belongs to them as portions of the
general constituencies; and so enable them to in-
Atones the executive government and the legislatius
to their own ends, or to lay down rules for the eon.
duct of business, the regulation of worship, or the
promotion of learning. They are subsidiary to a
national system of representation, and as this ap-
proaches to perfection, they dwindle away like the
old guilds, or become inoperative and obsolete.
Chambers of Commerce—being amongst the newest
of these inventions, and the offspring of very influen-
tial and increasing classes—have notyet excited much
attention, or made themselves obnoxious to general
censure. If, however, they are to be made the arena
of political harangues or party disputes, they will
soon obtain an unenviable notoriety, and landowners
may find it necessary to consolidate their power in
chambers of agriculture, and labourers their power in
ambers of industry, and the nation may again besplit
into new and conflicting interest., in opposition to the
general progress towards amalgamation, and in direct
eontradiction to the promotion of the common interest
by one uniform system of repreeentation for all classes-
Action and re-action are equal in morals as in me-
chanic e, and if politicians make'use of Chambers of
Gunmen. to serve political objects, they will either
bring Chambers of Commerce into, disrepute, or call
into existence antagonist and resisting powers. Mr.
Behan did not, therefore, consult the interests of
his commercial constituents in making a long political
speech in the Manchester Chamber of Commerce on
Thursday; nor did the Chamber consult its own
stability or influence in permitting and cheering
his exaggerated and inflammatory harangue. He
avowed that he did not often attend the board
of which he is ex oleic, a member ; but he thought
himself at liberty, on a motion being made to
return thanks to the directors, to deliver a long
speech against taxes, about the price of corn, the
sufferings of the poor, the consequences of the war,
and " the insanity or dishonesty of some public
writers" who do not share his exaggerated views of
these consequences. We should not think it of much
importance to correct what he said, were it not that
we may at the same time dissipate the errors of some
less melons and leas extravagant-minded men.
Smitten suddenly by a coincidence between the
total value of the cotton manufactured in the country,
se stated by the calm and equitably minded Chairman,
sod the amount of our ordinary taxation, the hon.
member for Manchester averred that it would require
the whole lalsbur of double the number of all the
persons employed in any way in the cotton interest of
this country—the value of whose labour he
assumed to be 27,000,0001. a year—to provide the sum
collected by our orrery taxation. It is not incorrect,
he thinks, to say that ft would require three times the
whole of this labour to producer as much as will
actually be expended this year out of the public taxes
sad bloom. by the Government. Now, though it be
taus that the Government levies, as he says, about
8451180,0001. of ordinary taxation, or more, it is not
Me that this whole sum is taken from the people.
Abut 28,000,0001. of the 64,000,0001. are appro-
Naiad to pay the interest of the debt, sad, taken
Am as people by the baud of the taxgatherer, are
banded bask to the people by the hand of the Bak
of England, in the shape of dividends, this
sum being a mere re-distribution of so much
si the annual produce of the national industry,
through the instrumentality of Government, amongst
various classes—the dividends swelling the in
comes of bankers, merchants, manufacturers, capi-
talists, and anonitants of nearly every description.
It diminishes the general wealth of the community
only by the restraints and cost of levying the taxes.
The 28,000,0001., though appropriated by the Govern-
ment, is not taken from the people; it is nearly a
fixed sum, and will not necessarily be increased by
the war. Mr. BRIGHT, however, states that the
national expenditure this year will probably be
three times 27,000,0001, or 81,000,0001. According
to him, therefore, the extra expense of the war will
be 27,000,0001. in the year. He means,we suppose, the
financial year, ending with March. What may happen
before next December we cannot foresee, any more
than Mr. Bain= ; but, we can see well enough that
the whole expenditure of the financial year 1854 5
including the extra estimates for 3,000,0001., lately
laid on the table of the House of Commons—and
including, say, 8,000,0001. of Exchequer Bonds--
will be less than 70,000,0001., or at least
11,000,0001. less than Mr. BRIGHT'S estimate. In
fast, deducting from the national expenditure the
28,000,0001., that are handed back to the people, and
the exaggeration of the expense of the war, Mr.
BRIGHT was in error to the extent of fully one-third
when he said that "the absorption by the Government
of the products of industry would be equal to three
times the value of the whole of the labour required to
prolues all the cotton manufactures of the country."
Our estimate does not include the consideration of
the labour which the expenditure of the taxes em-
ploys, though Mr. BRIGHT informed us that there
are gentlemen who have obtained Government con-
tracts, and that the demands of the Government had
added to the flannel trade of Rochdale—which make
Mr. BRIGHT'S exaggeration of the effects of the war
on the employment of labour and the production of
pauperism all the more glaring.
The hen. member, adverting to the high, price of
bed as worthy of the consideration of the Chamber,
iseamed that the consumption of food in this country
is 30,000,000 qrs.; but he meant exclusively wheat, for
be immediately afterwards estimated its cost—at the
peewit price of wheat, 31. 10.. per qr.--et 103,000,0001.
The estimate of 30,000,000 qrs. of wheat as the con-
sumption of the people of this country is a gross
exaggeration. The largest quantity ever returned in
the Gazette as sold in all our markets—which em-
braces the whole supply of the town population and
much ef the agricultural population,from the home
growthbanderldsh is certainly more than thehalf of the
'whole annual consumption of home-grown rodeos—
was 6,880,14bema- i 1846 and Me largest quantity of

PRBRUARY 12, 1855: