The Express.
London, England, 1848-09-30 00:00:00

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LONDON. SATURDAY. SEPT. 30.
Few circumstances have occasioned us more sur-
prise of late than the decline, or we might say in-
deed the total neglect, of all active agitation fur a re-
form of our taxational system. This year there
have been few demonstrations of imWrtsoa on the
subject. Last year there were several and and in the
preceding year,if our tecollection does not fail unpub-
lie opinion was still more on the qui sire as regards
the necessity of commencing with some one obnoxious
tax or another that reform which there seems no pos-
sibility, or at least very little probability, of
effecting, unless by detail, and which accordingly it
will, under the most favourable circumstances, take
several years' viruses and sustained exertion to con- I
solids:ties' complete. Strange that at a time like
the renal there skald be such an apparent apathy
ea tie while two years ago it seemed to be
the impolite that each a reform was the
jrect,
awl want of the country, and thst not
a menseat ASddi is lost in commencing it ! In fact,
a bsginskg had been made. The abolition of the
most eboozions of all taxes, that on corn,
had been secured. The reform of the tariff
was another great boon to the people. And let what
will be said of the income tax, it was no trifling vic-
tory in the cause of economical reform to establish a
precedent for its imposition in time of peace. The tax
may or may not be an eligible one in itself : that will
depend upon the character of the imposts with which
it is associated, or which it is intended to replace.
But unless direct taxation have something in it funda-
mentally criminal—which we have never been able to
discover—there was no good reason under heaven
why an income tax should be looked upon as a war
tax more than any other mode of raising revenue.
All taxes were war taxes in their origin ; and a con-
lid. able portion of our moat oppressive and unequally
partitioned burthem are in their pretexts and teaks-
ryes nothing else to this day.
A beginning. had beenjmade then; and with a vigour,
a comprehensiveness of idea, and an abnegation of
ancient follies and prejudices which promised well
for the progress of re form so auspiciously commenced.
It was not at first supposed that a change in her
Mmesrv's advisers would affect the stability of them
prospects. In the winter of 1848-7 it was still expected
that the present cabinet would break new ground
in this direction. Before and after Christmas in that
year there was no end to the meetings which were
held, and the deputations which waited, upon the Fitter
Loan or MR TREASURY and the CHANC6LLOR OF
rill Excnecavaz, with the view not so much of con-
vincing them of what it was taken for granted that
they admitted, as of learning with what department
the reform was to be commenced. One day it was
the tea duties, another day the tobacco duties, another
day the window tax, another day the soap tax or the
1 Pupil' tax, that made themselves heard by deputation,
and claimed to be first on the list : so convinced at
that time were the public generally that
the session of 1847 could not be allowed to rum
over without something decisive being. done. But
it did pus away. Ard so has the session of 1818,
unparalleled in its financial perplexities. And here
we are now, approaching a new year and a new
ennion, not only without any guarantee of amend-
mot in this respect, but without the slightest promise
or prospect, without even the hearty expression of a
wish on the part of any. leading member of the
cabinet, to take some decisive step for the relief of the
people. Surely something might be done, let the
neessities of the exchequer be what they may. If
the national burtbens cannot at once be lightened,
they might at least be re-adjusted without any
mdramdmary difficulty, and without any expense
es emeillee that the people would grudge. If it wen
analog bat shifting a portion of the load from MS
maim into another, even that would be a seism;
say, more, we say it would be a decided and nab-
dentist benefit to so galled and overladen a beast of
berthen as the English people. But, no, the ministry
will do nothing; parliament will do nothing; the
people will not makethem. The pressure from with-
-Ist bas
quite unfashionable in this island, since
err eoatifsdal neighbours took to revolutioning and
skiing. All eon old women of both sexes look aghast
at dm very name of reform of any demeiplism
Mr dry bones of the toryism which all msm deemed
defame, are not only clothing themselves with new
flesh, and displaying a fresh vitality on their own ao-
count ; but the wh* which seemed a year or two
1 ago about to and amalgamate with itself all
the vigour of our political system, now begins to
whimper, and look ashamed, and suspect itself--se,
indeed, it has good reason. Three-fourths of the
whip we have might just as well be Writs for all the
good that is in them, or for all the benefit that the
people are likely to owe to a liberality grown so
utterly inert and effete. We greatly fear the session
of 1849 will be not better, but worse than those of
1847 and 1848.
Under such circumstances it is gratifying to be able
to record any event which looks like an awakening of
the great body of the people to the necessity of re-
suming that plan of systematic and continuous agi-
tation without which .no great reform ever was or
ever will be carried in a legislature so constituted as
ours. The public are, we think, deeply indebted to the
gentlemen who have founded the Financial Reform As-
sociation, whose meeting at Liverpool was reported in
our columns of yesterday. We are not precisely aware
of the scale in which the operations of that society are
=dto be carried on. Much will, of coarse,
on the nature and extent of the support
awarded to it. We trust the inhabitants of Man-
ebseter, Birmingham, and all our great cities, not tor-
=ethe metropolis itself, will soon follow the
of Liverpool. But local agitation, however
, will not be sufficient in itself. The agitation
Cini eesseserdid, mast be both local and national. Its
qualm must be abated from one common centre,
and at ewe mane piss. The rays of the popular
and be gathered
.into one focus, hey
atMerit end penetrate the ley barriers of ministe-
rial apathy and parliamentary selfishness which they
have to encounter. But there is no time to be lost.
What the people mean to do, they must do quickly.
This is a subject and a cause on which all (dames may
unite without distrust or jealousy—a circumstance
peculiarly favourable at a period when such pains are