The Express.
London, England, 1853-05-13 00:00:00

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE HUSH
MEMBERS. _

On the order of the day (or going into committee of ways

and means,
Mr. MADAN rose, in pursuaaos of notice, " to make a
statement respecting certain views attributed to the mi.
slaty/ on the subject of the imposition of the income tax on
Ireland." He said he felt that he ought to apologise fur
bringing this question before the house ; but, as it was one
in which be was personally concerned, he hoped be should
be excused. He wisted to be allowed to repeat what he
'said in the house on Monday evening last, and to point out
to the hon. member for Cambridgeshire that what he attri-
buted to him he never said. That hon. gentlemmissited him
if that which he had stated on Friday night was correctly
andentood by him, and also requested him to be
so good as to repeat to the house the state-
ment which he mule: and he followed up this
request with several others which he (Mr. Magas)
had no power of greeting. Now, with reference to the
first part of the question, he had to idfbrm the hon. gentle-
man that what he said was not correctly understood,
nor anything like correctly understood. What be
said was, that certain members of parliament who were
present at a certain meeting, asserted that if a party who ex-
pected to come into office, succeeded in seeseaplishing
their objects, no income tax would be lowed on Ire-
land. The hon. members who conveyed the infimmatien
which he alluded were the hon. member for demo ass
(lir. F. French) and the hon. member for Talmo (Kr.
Maurice O'Connell).
Mr. F. FRENCH was sure that, after the statement
made by the hon. member for Westmeath, the house mum
thisk it right that he should either contradict it or admit its
truth. Now he had no contradiction to offer to the state-
ment of his hon. friend. Thus much, however, he must
my : his boo. friend :gave the house to understand, when
he brought the subject before them, that there had been
some secret negotiation. There was no secret negotiation
whatseever. (" Hear," from Mr. Maurice O'Connell.)
Everything that happened was aboveboard ; nothing was
concealed, or attempted to be concealed. (Hear, hear.) If
the house would allow him, he would tell them whet did
happen. A meeting of Irish members was held to consider
what course it wee desirable for them to take with
regard to the budget brought forward by the right hon.
gentleman the member for Bucks. At that meeting •
good deal of dissatisfaction was efpremed at the proposed
extension of the income tax to Ireland. "But,' it was
said, " in the event of the government of Lord Derby
being turned out on this budget, what reason have we to
suppose that an income-tee of limited extent, or even an
income tax in its entirety, will not be introduced by the
governmeat who shall succeed i" While the debate was
going on he lett the room upstairs. In coming down he
met the right hon. gentleman the member for Wells (Mr.
Hayter). He stated to him what objections were urged,
and he rather thought he asked him if there was any
foundation for a change of policy being supposed to have
taken place among the leading whip, and whether it
was or was not likely that if they came into power
they would introduce an mcome-tax for Ireland. The right
hon. gentleman told him, if his memory served him rightly,
that he had spoken to some of them—he thought he men-
tioned the right he n. gentleman the member for Halifax
(Sir C. Wood), and that it was not the intention of the lead-
ing ',shies, if they returned to power, to depart from the
policy which they had hitherto pursued. (Opposition
cheers.) The meeting was, as he had stated before, ad-
Mourned ; and at the adjourned meeting, which he attended,
the chairman, who was his hon. friend the member for
Tree., stated, as well as he could remember—and two hon.
members bchiud him, who were present, had declared that
his impression was correct—that he was authorised to state
that it was tot the intention of the whig party, if they re-
turned to power, to impose an income tax on Ireland. lie
might be asked why he had not accused the present govern-
, Rent of a breach of faith in proposing to extend
'the income tax to Ireland. The reason was this, that
from the very fermatioa of that governmeet he had not
considered it a whig government. It never entered into his
I bead that either of the great parties in that house would
allow a few honourable gentlemen to become the govern-
ment of leountry. Ile had had no communication with
the eght n. gentleman the member for Wells since this
subject was first introduced. Ile trusted that he hail nst
misrepres:nteil him, and if he had done 60 in any respect it
was unintentimelly.
Mr. M. O'CONNELL said as one who was interested in
this matter. he thought it right to make a short statement.
lie must corroborate his hon. friend opposite (Mr. French)