The Express.
London, England, 1862-04-08 00:00:00

114711 WA.IIII AT LOSIDOIN SALOOM

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to-reasoir—lileavisa, lb. Ow— Mranasa,

LONDON, 717X8DAY, APRIL 8.

LAST night the Moose of Commons beheld
the first great party effort of the session. The
" generous forbearance which the Conservative
Opposition shows to the Government as long as
it is content to forget its origin and deny its
principles, ceases on the appearance of a Minister
who insists on maintaining in his own department
_ _

the liberal professions upon which he took office.
Mr. DI4RALLI challenged last night the financial
policy of the last three budgets, inaugurated by
the Treaty with France. There are two ways in
which you may censure an opponent : you may
lay down rules ►nd maxims of conduct, and at-
tempt to show that he has departed from them ;
or you may accumulate distinct objections, for
midable in their mass, though possibly inconsis-
tent with each other, and may thus secure the
valued though equivocal advantage of remain-
ing uncommitted. We need not say that the
former course was not the one taken by Mr. Diu-
Tutu. But although the right hon. gentleman
was at some pains to avoid exp►ess declarations--
although the nearest approach to a positive state-
ment was his intimation that in matters of finance
Mr. BLNTIACK, the member for West Norfolk, is
a safer guide than Mr. 0 txusrose—the tone of
his speech and the uniform direction of his criti-
cisms betrayed the spokesman of the enemies of
Free Trade.

Mr. Disitsr.m's criticism was built upon two
principal statements—that trade and with it the
public revenue is declining, and that the CHASMS.-
LIM of the E1.11164/VER begins the year with a
merely nominal surplus. What is a surplus T It
is an excess of the revenue over the re-
quirements of the year. It is a good thing
when it springs spontaneously from the increased
productiveness of existing sources of income, but
it is not a thing to be plotted and contrived for,
since every farthing in the strong box of the
nation beyond the amount sufficient for the pub-
lic service is so much taken from the tax-payers.
Mr. Dniasau is of opinion that there are circum-
stances in which a CIIANCSLLOR of the ExCHIQVCII
may properly propose a Budget without a surplus.
It might have been supposed that the time to have
a surplus would be when the convenience of one
to the Government would much exceed
the inconvenience it caused to the tax-payer.
But Mr. Disit.i zit thinks otherwise. When
trade is brisk and employment abundant
—that is to say, when the taxpayer can
best afford to pay the money, it may he in his
pocket ; but when loisinem is slack, and profits
and wages aro small, it is not sufficient that the
CHANCILL4Pit makes both ends meet; he must
show a surplus.
The terrible inconvenience which Mr. DUIZAZLI
apprehends from the want of a surplus is that,
should any unforeseen circumstances arise to mum
an increase of national expenditure, the Ceascxt.
Li.R of the Excusouva may have to come down to

the House and ask for new taxes, " If," mays the
right boo. gentleman, "we commenes the year
" without a surplus, we may be led to
" that most unfavourable of all circum-
" stances, an increase of taxation, which is already
" very heavy." Yea, " very heavy" indeed ; but
what place, the public will ask, is there for this re-
gret in a speech the very argument of which is that
taxation is not heavy enough, but has bean made too
light by the repeal of duties which preened upon
trade and industry t hope the oosithagency
which Mr. I)i.a.r.i.i deprecates will not arise, and
that Mr. Guart.•vr will not have to go down to
the Haw and ask for new taxes, W. cannot me

on what grounds it can be represented as probable.
But if it should be so, the nation will have the satis-
faction of knowing why the money is wanted,
and will pay now taxes with greater pleasure
whoa the moon of the increased expen-
diture has been fully explained. Additional taxa-
tion, imposed to meet the clear requirements of
the nation, and for which a real compensation

may be expected, is reasonable, and may be
borne. What is not reasonable is the practice,
for which Mr. DisiLtsid pleads, of anticipating
esuselessly those requirements —of creating a
surplus in the confidence that an occasion for
spending it will nut fail to arrive. Mr. Menial.'
deprecates the imposition of tares when they are
wanted, but would avert the difticulty by keeping
or putting them on before they we wanted, and
while it is uncertain whether they will be wanted
at all.

The greater part of Mr. DIMIttELIN speech was
an attack on the policy of the French Treaty and
the reformed Customs and Excise legislation of
the last two years. But the country has made up
its mind on that subject, and Mr. DIsaIELI has
nothing new to say. Mr. Gx•berrowe underrated
last year by 200,0001. the amount of drawback to
be allowed on the repeal of the Paper Duty,
and he also relied on the assurances of the
English authorities in China that we should re-
ceive 750,0001. of the Chinese indemnity, whereas
we have actually received but 400,0001. These
were the two strongest points which the Conserva-
tive leader could urge against his most dreaded
antagonist. The rest of his speech was, in effect, •
long complaint that certain money was in the
pockets of British consumers instead of being in
the public Treasury in the form of taxes. He
treated all the remissions of the past two years as
clear loss, whereas the country regards them as a
twofold gain, first as so much money left in private
pockets, and next as the removal of obstacles to
trade and manufactures. But Mr. DISSAILI has
never really accepted the principle' of free trade,
and is just as ready to make a speech involving