The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-29 00:00:00

perty. (Cheers.) The proposition now made by the go-
vernment had raised a question throughout the country—
had thrown the public mind eeseatially upon the question
that a complete change ought to be made M the whole flee:
arrangements of the country. This feeling had shown itself
already in Liverpool, where an association had been formed
with a view to enforce a more equitable system of taxation.
At present the country had not got out of her difficulties,
and the right lion. gentleman the Chaucellor of the Exche-
quer did not appear to be prepared with any alternative, ex -
cept that he proposed to take money from the reser', d funds ;
but still he left a progressing and increasing difficulty;
because the right hon. baronet had told the
house and the country that in the present quar-
ter there was &deficiency in the revenue of 400,0001., al hough
only two months of that quarter had passed. lie (Mr.
Cobden) was therefore the m /re convinced that the expendi
tore of the country ought to be brought within the Haifa of
its income. When on a forme r occasion he hail spoken of
the possibility of a social revolution in France he was not
prepared for such a political revolution as the ;oat few days
had exhibited. He had sot been prepuce for the exhibi-
tion of such insanity on the part of a ministry, or of such
madness in the penon of a monarch. (Loud cheers.) Still
he did not thir.k that this event afforded any ground for the
increase of the establishments of this country. At the
Same time he must reserve that any man of common sense
, would adopt the MAXith, that if his neighbour was quarrel-
ling with his household, he was not in a position to quarrel
with the neighbour; and therefore if it was the policy
of the dominant party 1112 this comets), to avoid
• collision with France, nothing could be easier than
to avoid that collision. Of this he had no doubt, that Eng-
land was the last country that France would ever think of
attacking; but at the same time he must state his belief
that unless the people took the question into their ens n
bends, there was dammed war if the question was loft wi
the Foreign Secretary. Ile (Mr. Cobden) warned the
country to be watchful of whet was impending. This come-
try was not going to war with France to maintain despotic
powers in other parts of the world ; but if France attacked
England, he (Mr. Cobden) was not quaker enough—(luud
llitehter, in which Mr. Bright joined)—to re t tranquil, sad
say that we would remain neutral. He rejoiced, however,
to find that the consideration of the income tax was to be
deferred until Friday next, and he was gl dtiat a week
would be goo n to consider the government proposition.
Lord J. RUSSELL rose and said that so hon. gentleman
had asked whether the government would consent that the
debate should be adjourned, mid when ha right hon. friend
(the Chandler of the Exchequer) h consented to that
course it was only fair that the dissuasion of the proposition
should stand adjourned. He (Lord J. Ruesell) del not
think it quite fair to suspend the discussion of the measures
propounded by the government unless that discussion was
to be brought to a conclusion. After what he (Lord John
Mussel!) had Matod at as early period of the evening, he
could hardly say a word more can, pt that he telt called upon
to reply to one portiere of the spa eh of the hon. member for
the West Riding of Yorkshire. He (Lord J. Rumen) again
declared, and he was perfectly sincere in that declaration,
that the government did not mean to interfere
with the internal arrangements which France was now
making. The government would not he induced, either b
coteries or claire, to go to war with France
.; and he (laud
J. Russell) reiterated that it was nut the retention of the
goy. raiment to interfere in any way whatever with the set-
tlement of eflaire waich France .night think fit to make in
reference to her own internal government. (Hear, hear.)
As neighbours nod f. ieuds, he should wish that any institu-
clew 1 ranee might adopt would tend to her owe prosperity
I and, pending those arrangements, he hoped that England
would not refuse the sacred duties of hesentolity, or abandon
I a character fur which she had over been diatieguiabed of
affording an asylum fur the vanquished and the unfortu-
nate. (Cheers.)
Mr. DISItAELI said he was not one to carry on a gue-
ril: t warfare with the government after the postponement
which had been conceded by the right hon. baronet the
Chancellor of the Exchequer. He must, howeser, observe
that the natieu livedue an age of revoiution, and that while
on the other side of the Channel a leading member of the
senate had declered his adhesion to a regency, and yet in
the same day had Ocetared in favour of a reseiblic ; they
nad in those days a budget proniu:guted by one officiel—a
second was intimated from ...other source, and probably a
third might be submitted to the conaidere eta of the legisla.
rare. Seven years ego there bud been a ,elicit of 2,560,0001.
in the revenue, but since that time, though ebunuant
mum a of revenue had been realised, a similar deficit existed.
One of the items was that fitio,o:4l. was required in the navy
estimates fur the packet service. New he (Mr. Disraeli)
wanted to know what was the clear annual revenue derived
from the Post. Mike deparoueut. It was said to amount to
000,010/., but gut it was unexplained. Indeed, the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer acknowledged that there was a great
and indefensible expenditure of the revenue of the nation,
and he had brawn LOU whole odium of th .t lavish expendi-
ture upon the Common house of parliament, instead of
epee the government of which he was a member. The
right hon. gentleman who tiled the chair of the house
ought to vindicate the ameuthly against such an
aspersion. (Hear, hear.) But the hon. member far the
11 est Riding of York-hire had announced a new league—a
new combination to obtaia • reform of the fiscal regulations
of the country. This was a very alarming announcement,
es ally when it was rememuered what the former con-
federation of welch the lion. memeer was the head had
accomplished. It could not be forgotten that he had cimeged
tho minds end intentions of the then ministers, and he
(Mr. Disraeli) could not but think that there was much mis-
chief in the shell with which the country was now threat-
ened. And he could not help believing that when the elec-
tors of the West Reline were appeal.: to by die hon. mem-
ber echo now urged toe reform of fiscal regulations they
would pause to iequirs into tae effects of their form sing the
previaus counsel and advice of the hon. ielltitlhall on the
subject of commercial reform. Would not this association
lend to a fruitless, barren, and toepoilitebie agitation ?
(Hear, hear.) But when the legidatare was called upon
to raise two or three miserable minions of dea-
der:icy, let them remember the evidence given before the
Import duties committee, by one who was the foundation
of lemleni and who had induced one of their
ab'est etstesmea to take his bases as his rule—he alluded to
the evidence of the hon, member for Glasgow (Mr. Mac-
gregor), who before teat committee had declared that if
the corn and provision laws were repealed there would be
an increase of revenue of moot thin 100 000.0001. This state-
ment would be found at pure 68 of the voluminous blue
book. And e et, with this promise, there was a deficit or
2,600,0001. now, as before, to be provided fur. When the
hou. member for the West Riling declared that he was
prepared again to raise the standard of agitation, he wished to
know whether they were to fall without a struggle, and who
weuld be the enemy '
to beencounte red. The tiommember stood
as the supporter
of a hankrupt exchequer and has appealed
to a revolutionary nation. Free trade he'd proved to be a
greet, ex .ggeration. These were hueithatine circum-
stances to bear iu mind. and he deeply deplored such
a courses of proceediug. With regard 1.0 the proposed
income tax, it was a war tax, and ou,cht to be touched very
delicately by the Commons' house of parliament.
Mr. MACGREGOR denied that he had been the author
of the measures of the right hon. baronst the member fur
Tamwerth—to whom belonged the credit of the commercial
reforms which had been carried out. With regard to his
(Mr. Macgregor's) evidence before the import duties com-
mittee, there was nut one word which ho whined to blot out.
Mr. BRIGHT said he felt bolted to congratulate the go- ,
verement on the ehauge in their finamial policy. It wan a
very wholesome thing that the government did not set them-
selves in opposition to so strong an expression of the public
leeling as had been manifested since Friday week. (Hear.)
Let them bear in mind that the country had differed with
them very materially on two points,--ate to the increase of
the tax, and as to the omission of any discrimination in the
way in which it was levied. He hoped that, on Friday. the
government would be prep teed to make ogee such discrimi-
nation. (Hear, hear.) He believed there was a great
disp?sitiou in the country to submit to • considerable
portion of the taxes being raised directly ; they
should not only be direct, but also equal and
t. Every one admitted that the income tax, is
heretofore levied. find not been equal and just; and
hence tie dissatisfaction that was felt with it. The house
must have been amused at seeing a county member, the
hon. member for Suckinghacithire (Mr. Disraeli) come for-
' wara uad reiterate sophisms with respect to revenue and
taxation such as the weavers of Lancashire and Yorkshire
would be asliameil to utter. (Hear.) There was a time
when that hon. member and hia party might have sat on the
ministerial bt Dates, if they had chosen: what would they
have done in the last two year. ? Would they have sus-
pended the corn Lew or not? If they hid suspended it,
would they have imposed the duties again before thee
l
ot
March next? (Ilea:, herr.) Why, the noble lord
tile member for Lynn had told the present go-
vernuesat that they laid not relaxed the r, strictions soon
ehoogh, and he actually blamed them for not sending to
foreign countries and buying tame stores so as to bring iv.
I more corn than had beets oruught in. Tito effect of' the sus-
poesien had been an import of 16 miliiona of quarters of
train in 16 mendu. %Veda the lion. OA, miner for Bucking-
hamshire hese kept out that quantity of Arain, and thereby
caused sumo millions of hiscountrymea to be now mouldering
in their CUM?
Mr. 111SRAELL—It would have come in.
BUlLiiiT.—Then the ri salt would have bran the I,
same as now. Did the hon. nacm'ier then complain that it
had not come in in the riot t month or et ek, or in the right
chip+ ? The hon. members opposite hail been clearly nos-
taken in their enormnue estimate of the Isesis the agreculm-
ral body wool lea tain. (Hear, hear.) It was notorious
that :or the last Li mouths the most prosperous part of the
c ,nitnuoity had been the eeltivators and pemessurs of land.
It had been alieged that all the gold we told leave the coun-
try and would go to build suanufacteriee abroad. But the
country which had taken the leased portion of
ear gold, the Cieited States, had taken twice
or tiarice the qua.ttity (guar manuiecturesthat it didbefore.
(Hear.) Thus all the prophecies of hon. g n•letuen opposite
had proved utterly unautistantial. (Hear.) the league
nor the hen member for Terreworth had assem,d to regulate
We seasons ; but the recent famine bad pet the seal to the
cmd, umatem of the pr itectioniet aseHey. POT any one to
stand up now and defend the corn laws was the greatest
surance he had ever known. (Cheers.) He did net oedeve
that 1 return to the old policy would ever lie del:winded, even
by the Backinglianish;re. tarmen—etrt i:a'y not by the
weavers of Yorkshire and Lulea-hire. (blear, hear.) Such
a peeped would raise a creator storm of ireliguetion than
the incro:.m of the income toe or anything else. (Cheers.)
Ile should postpone his GU/11M referiing to the probate and
legacy duties wit the right Lon. the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer should again propose an addition to the taxation of
the country. If the prebate and legacy duties were looked
into they would be fueled to involve, the groeseA injustice ;
and though the people might not object to pay the nee'e
expenses of the government, the crying injusticeinjusticewiths:sa
the taxes had bean levied for many years past demanded a
speedy remet (Hear.)
Mr. BAN ES denied that the hon. member for Mancha-