The Express.
London, England, 1867-04-05 00:00:00

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.

(THIS DAY.)

The Times approves of Mr. Disraeli's financial
plan, the concern it feels at the growth of our expendi-
ture being balanced by its satisfaction at the provision
made for the " reduction " of the debt which is its second
and better feature. Mr. Disraeli'. method of reviewing
the national finances, prospectively and retrospectively,
was simple to severity. Compared with the ornate rhetoric
of his predecessor, it amounted almoit to baldness. At
the same time, never was a budget made more intelligible
to an audience. There was not, indeed, much to tell, but

it was told with such a just distribution of its details that
the mind was in no ease fatigued with irrelevant disquisi-
tions before the central part of the story was approached.
With regard to the duties on marine insurance, it would be
difficult to spend 200,000 f. better than by reducing them toe
moderate and nearly uniform rate. The narrowness of the
means at Mr. Distseli's command is a conclusive answer
to the other demands which were made for the reduction
of taxation.

The Daily News compliments Mr. Disraeli on the suc-
cinct simplicity of his exposition—one which deserves to
be famous for its brevity, since by carefully avoi ling theo-
retical disquisitions and generalisations that invi' e attack,
and by letting principles take care of themselves, it
h not very difficult to make • balanle sheet, in itself
satisfactory, intelligible and acceptable to the re-
presentatives of • rich and prosperous community.
The Daily News proceeds to show that Mr. Disraeli's na-
tional debt proposal is identical in principle with Mr.
Gladstone's, while the reduction of the duty on marine
insurances may be fairly appropriated by Mr. Disraeli.
The budget, on the whole, passed favourably through the
fire of criticisms last night, and it is a satisfactory result
that a conservative government should have commenced a
financial policy which involves the necessity of financial
retrenchment.

The Herald and Standard regard it as unnecessary to
say anything in vindication of the government proposals,
and the former anticipates that they will become law
without a single division. With regard to the National
Debt proposition the Standard says that the intellec-
tual credit of this plan—its actual authorship— is
Mr. Gladstone's. But the credit of having it carried out,
of having withstood solicitation and pressure, and the
temptation to gain popularity by reducing obnoxious
taxes, belongs to Mr. Disraeli. It is no small honour to
him that on the first occasion when the chance is offered
him of compoting with his rival in that race of popularity
in which the latter had so long a start, he has reuounoed
that opportunity in order to carry out the scheme of •
rival, because it has approved itself to his mind as just,
politic, and calculated, at a sacrifice which will last his
lifetime, to produce results which will enure to the benefit
of a remote posterity and which posterity win most likely
associate with the name of Mr. Gladstone. This very
day will probably show whether Mr. Gladstone is capable
of a similar act of self-sacrifice—of a similar preference of
the public good to private feeling or personal popularity.
The Post speaks favourably of the budget. The Tele-
graph, admitting that it is simple and effective, says that
nevertheless it saddles us with an increased expenditure.
If Mr. Disraeli is a convert'. to the fiscal policy of the
liberals, he is not yet a convert to their sounder views of
economy. The budget of 1867-8 would hare been a great
success, had it included • decrease instead of an increase
of two millions in the expenditure. That single fact shows
us that the battle of economic efficiency, the contest which
is to secure the largest amount of available public force in
all departments at the least expense to the country, has
yet to be fought.

• The Star says that to have been faithful to Mr. Glad-
xtones schemes is the only boast Mr. Disraeli can make
except that of having made a short speech.
The statement, remarks the Dee, was not only a brief one,
bet it was as lucid as it was concise ; and while possessing
the merit of clearness, it bad the rare good fortune of
being generally satisfactory in its proposals. A more
striking contrast could not easily be imagined than that
afforded by the clear and intelligible financial statement
last night, and the vague and shadowy reform resolution
submitted so abort a time since by the same orator, and to
the same House of Commons. In the one case it was evi-
dent that the speaker was in earnest, and wishei to be
understood ; in the other, the object kept in view appeared
to have been exactly the reverse.