The Express.
London, England, 1848-03-14 00:00:00

NOTICE.

Tag number of STAMPS issued to the DAILY NEWS
by the authorities of the Stamp-ollice, during 1847, wee
From JAN. 1, to Dec. 31, 3,447,009
This, we believe, is within eight per cent. of the number
issued to the Morning Herald, Morning Chronwk, and
Morning Post, ALL PUT TOOETHEL
Iu addition to the above, issued to the DAILY NEWS,
Mornina Paper, there were issued for the Evening Edition,
THE EMPRESS,
From JAN. 1, to Dac. 31 778,714
Which was more, we believe, than were issued either to
the Globe or Standard, Evening Pepin.

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LONDON, TUESDAY, MARCH 14.

THERE at least can be no longer a doubt as to what
are the views and aims, with regard to finance, of
the party of progress in this country. The debate
of last night provoked a full and able manifestation.
And we own, that it was wanting. Hitherto, those
parties and persons who should have been most
staunch in the support of free trade and of
that system of taxation which can alone allow the
poor and the industrious the benefit of it have shown
most woeful signs of hesitation, weakness, and even
cowardice. The powerful attack made by the pro-
tectionists, and DISRAELI especially, upon direct tax-
ation, and upon the abrogation of import duties, was
met or anticipated by a very poor-spirited
speech from Sir ROBERT PEEL, which, in-
stead of a full and bold defiance, betrayed a
wavering and doubtful confidence in his own mea-
nies and their result. The total want of courage
which has abandoned the throne and dynasty of a
neighbouring kingdom seems to have affected, like an
epidemic, our ministers past and present. There was a
general rout. The very principles of free trade and
direct taxation were for a moment unpopular in the
House of Commons, where members were actually
Ringing away their old liberal cockade and searching
about for a new one.
Mr. Comm+ rallied the liberals of the house back
to courage and to duty, by one of the ablest and most
forcible speeches that he has yet uttered. Far
from abandoning an iota of the principles
of either direct taxation or free trade, he
pointed out the necessity of persevering in
and extending the former, in order to
the development of the latter. The entire basis of
our social and financial system has hitherto been to
produce wealth and raise revenue from the sweat
and the expenditure of the labouring and industrious
class. It is no longer prudent in an economical, or
possible in a political, sense to do this. We surpass
all other countries in wealth, comfort, and luxuries.
We must secure to our labouring classes at least an
equal share of comfort with the same classes in less
wealthy nations. Our manufacturing prosperity de-
pends upon their obtaining those necessaries, and
comforts which are necessaries, at a cheap rate. Aud
on our manufacturing prosperity depends the value of
capital and of land. The interests of all and every
class therefore compel to lighten the burdens on
the poor and the industrious, and to throw those bur-
dens on the rich. And it is for the interest of the rich,
that this should be done ; for without this their very
riches would decline and disappear. Direct taxation,
therefore, to a certain extent, is a necessity, and
being so, an effort should not be made to throw it
aside, but to render it acceptable, equable, and fami-
liar. Such was the doctrine propounded by Mr.
Cowan, and energetically insisted on by Mr.
Mowarr. The statement made by Mr. CoLDEN
of the proportion in the pound paid by the poor
man in every article of consumption, being six,
ten, and even sixteen shillings in the twenty, whilst
members of parliament were higgling for the differ-
ence between seven pence and a shilling, told power-
fully on the house, and will tell even more so on the
country.
The member for Westbury received a severe casti-
gation. The patting of all parties on the back, and
giving each a slap on the face, is a kind of parlia-
mentary tactics obnoxious enough even in the midst
of a successful career, but impertinent at the com-
mencement of one. For Mr. WlLsorr, fresh from the
triumph of his maiden speech, to turn round on the
veterans of free trade, and accuse them of strangling
that direct taxation to which they gave birth, was a
stab as false as it was treacherous. Mr. COBDEN par-
ried it with rather a strong arm.
If Mr. COBDEN'S speech was one of his beat speci-
mens of eloquence, that of Lord Joust ItussEm.
deserves equal praise. We have seldom seen the
prime minister more happy. The witty retorts and
suppositions with which he be4an, put the house in
good humour, and no one could have gone farther to
redeem, as an orator, the weaknesses and the faults
committed as a politician.
The Premier's speech was not a refutation of Mr.
COBDEN'S ; on the contrary, it was an admission of its
assertions, and an assent to its principles. He ad-
mitted the inequality of the income tax, asserted
that he had tried and laboured to devise some mode
of remedying tLat iuequality ; and, in fact, after
what Lord JOLIN RUSSELL admitted, it can require
bat the continuance of the expression of public
opinion to compel a more equitable settlement.
Lord Jona RUSSELL and Mr. COBDEN drew dif-
ferent morals from recent events in France. Mr.
COBDEN warned ministers to take example by
GIUIZOT, and not to depend too blindly on par-
liamentary majorities, too often upon elections
founded on fiction. The minister, on the contrary,
we are sorry to see, took rather a Pittite
view, spoke of darkness and incertitude, the necessity
of not disarming, anc, with faltering voice, declared
that if England were to be made to descend to the
rank of a second-rate power, he would not be the in-
strument. Lord J. Itt:ssELL's is too noble a mind
not to have been since! ein its emotion. But we must
own that we had rather not have witoessed in 1548
this recurrence to the sentimentality of 131 AKE.

Mr. CHARLES COCHRANE is determined that his
name shall be indissolubly associated with window
breaking. A petition to the House of Commons,
which purports to have been passed at a meeting in
the London Tavern, but to which this gentleman's
name alone is appended, represents that " the crime
of window breaking has now increased to an alarm-
ing extent, to the serious detriment of public busi-
ness, and entailing heavy losses on the householders
and shopkeepers." With the Trafalgar. square etneute
fresh in our recollection, we antimpattd from this
peroration that Mr. CHARLES COCHR NE, with more
than Homan magnanimity, was about to inv
}ac au
, exemvlar; I;unishment upon his own head, in order
:cr raiiLt be &Taal