The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-20 00:00:00

PARTIES AND POLITICS.

(From the Daily News.)

THE state of parties is not a little singular. The
whigs are numerically the strongest party in the
House of Commons. Their chief stands without a
rival iu point of personal standing, influence, and
experience; and they are in possession of power,—no
trivial clement in the question. Yet the whigs arc
confessedly- in danger of being left in a minority on
an 7 evening that may be named.
!heir naturul enemies, the protectionists, are of
course eager to give battle on every salient point of
their policy. Even on the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill
it seems to be doubtful whether their love of ruling
the state may. not prove stronger than their desire to
promote the interests of the church, and whether, for
' sake of bringing the government to a dead-lock, they
will not vote on the second or third reading against tho
bill. A proposition is said to be under consideration
among the tory cabinet that would be, to the effect
that a strong resolution of both houses of Parliament
would be sufficient, and might be adopted instead of
a new statute. The proposal of the government is
unquestionably not impervious in its texture; End
the temptation is therefore great to those loud-
talking patrons of emphatic protestantism to coalesce
with those whom they differ from on every con-
ceivable topic, in order to gain a majority over the
whigs. They would have moreover the aid of a
certain number of Peelites, who are known to enter-
tain strong objections to any measure of the kind
prop:wed.
Hut all this is full ten days off, and in a crisis people
count by hours. The more urgent consideration that,
to the exclusion of nearly all others, engrosses the
thoughts of partisans of every shade is the vote to be
taken on Friday night upon the renewal of the income
tax. And here the confusion of parties seems to grow
still more confounded. Neither the Peelites nor tho
Irish are said to be unanimous on this point. Of tho
former there are some, though, we believe, not many,
who would fain make friends on the basis of a com-
promise of the question, with their old allies and
associates, the country gentlemen ; and among rho
representatives of the sister kingdom there are not a
few who, however dissatisfied with other parts of
the conduct of ministers, are not disposed to
take any portion of lons Brt.t.'s peculiar burthen
oft his obliging back. It is probable, theretbre. that
of these two minor sections a considerable number
will, for very different reasons, vote in flivour of the
general proposition that the income tax must be onto
more renewed.

But what is not less to the purpcese, we suspect that
the protectionists themselves have no mind to win
this time. All their orators will undoubtedly come
out vehemently against the injustice; and n comport
array of squires, who are never trusted with the real
intentions of their leaders, N% ill be found nutradmlled
at midnight, ready to cheer any bitter reproach that
may be east on the memory of PEEL. Hut we un-
dertake to say that the whole force of the party will
not appear upon the field. Lord STANT.EY is a rash
man; but he is not quite as young as he was some
20 year.; ago, and he comprehends very distinctly
the enormous advantage it would be to him, sheath
he come into power by anti bye, to have between tics
and six millions of taxes secured for three years by
his predeeessors. Whatever unpopularity its re-
enactment may bring, he is willing that his oppo-
nents should bear. On any other question we dare
say Lord STANLEY would give the long-promised
word, "Up, guards, and at them r lint nothing
will persuade us that be really wishes to beat the
whigs on this worst of all conceivable issues.
For Lord STANLEY, like all other shrewd pen-ons,
knows that the inevitable consequence of an adverse
vote on next Friday night must be a dissolution.
Lord Jonx might possibly fling the reins to Mr.
DlituaEu to hold, until he should quietly get Mt the
box ; but nobody fancies, that with the existiaos
House of Commons, a protectionist charioteer eottla
make a single stage. The income tax one tha own
aside, duties upon articles of consumption would Ist-
come the only substitute, if public credit is to be
securely maintained ; and a new set of customs or
excise duties, it is perfectly clear that no man, or set
of men, could persmide the existing parliament to
grant. If, therefore, the whigs did not themselves dis-
solve, the tories would be compelled to do so lit fore
six weeks ; and the result of a general election,
occasioned by an attempt to reverse the policy of free
imports, cannot be doulatsb For tin Se and other
reasons: that we need not here enumerate, we are in-
credulous as to the sincerity of the pn,tertionkt
threat of endeavouring to throw out the income tax
as a whole. Their sincerity in wishing to claim thu
merit of rendering its provisions in detail somewhat
less oppressive and unjust we do not question: and
in this legitimate exercise of their
,power us an
opposition we wish them success. W e have again
and again pointed out the inequality and iniquity
of the schedules which class life incomes und

those which depend on professional exertion with the
indolent usufniet of realised property. Sir Citairixs
AVooD tells us that these schedules cannot be
altered ; lint we want to know the reason why. And
until in committee a better and jester arrangement
is shown to be impracticable, the country will hold
the CHANCELLOR of the ExenrcieEtt responsible kir
wantonly and wilfully adhering to injustice which
none can iu theory detisaL
But there is another aspect of the question which
the Home of Commons will have to determine to-
morrow night. How many ata Smith Ills,
rids ore disposed to vote against the tax, or not to
vote at all ? We have heard nmnes mimed ; but
we more than doubt the accuracy of the rumour.
We believe that the first great publia meeting that
was called in any of the large towns to mushier thu
merits of the two systems—that of PLEA. on the ono
side, to which a tsrtiiii amount of direct taxation is
indispensable,: and that of Lord STANLEY on the
other, by which fifty millions a year are all to be
raised be imposts on industry—we say the first
great palie meeting in London, Birmingham, or
Manchester would put an end to the matter fur
the next ten years to Mille. And this is the
true reason why every Whig, Peclite, or Radical
of any political sagacity or reputation is sure
to be found in the ranks of its maintainers. It is not
that they like it, or that they would not gladly be
rid of it, were that possible. But they see clearly
that it is the price which, at least fur a season, they
must pay for leave to work out the policy of freo
trade, and the condition on which they can grope for
anything like a continuance of national tranquillity.
Let the idea once get abroad that cheap food rs again
in jeopardy, and that what the Times calls a go-
vernment of gentlemen" is nut to be trusted, and
who will say what the consequences may be ?
There is but one safe way of getting rid of the
income tax—namely, by a large reduction of expen-
diture. But neither whigs nor tones have any
serious thoughts of attempting that.

SPORTING.

BETTLNO AT 3LINCLIESTEIL-TrtA).ty.

--- - -
LIVEIOYX/L SPUL CUP.
6 to 1 opt Panor. I 4 to i oast Catir.re.
Nothing el-. 10te.5(.1.
LIVERPOOL SIEEPLECILISE.
sto I opt FlrJohn (t) to to I apt Marla Day (t)
11.0 to I Vats Hope (t) 112 to 1 liettr.tutpo• ,t)
10 to I AbeLel-Koder (t) 2.0 to I ILL f- il-tail (t)
CII&TER LEP.
1310 1 &oat Ithestas 33 to 1 avd Knight of Avenel (t)
24 to 1 Haricot (I) .', ,to 1 titoxy (t)
32 to 1 Italout (7) 10 to I Strap (t)
111 to I Mostagoe (t)
DI.IIBY.

to t apt C rr don (t)
eta I rnme Ministir

lite I apt C mstetia9
IS to l Mariburoughbutkil)

INTELLICICE EXTRA.

31;ETING, 18.11.
Tla VILADAY.—SWEEP,TAKES of 200 born. each, 5.1. A.F.
—Mr. Hassan'. Rtaaborough. 4 ynb, bat ?,b; lAdt..rd'4 Bar-
ciraux, 4 yrs, bit: JAW &auk y'a trirt. 6 pro, 7.t

CLERICAL.
PREFERMENTS.

Rev. T. B. Coney (fica7ofFutl:loChurchl, to Danko.-
bury Deanery Rural, diocese Gloucester and ilristol.
Rev. W. Pigott, to Whaddon Vicarage, Burks; value,
1521., with ri,idenee ; patrou., New CollegeeOrford.
Rev. It. Williams (Rector of Llanvyllin' ), to be t. Surro-
gate, diocese St. Asaph.