The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-27 00:00:00

'aboard and imprestisable. Therefore the hon. gentleman
bad ki the lint plant given information that wee nuke
sawbrampseleons,tios and pmesseedwas
tottlyalkomerea• and tli(eniterx.tkoplaran;
The boa gentleman then went en to make certain mime
mere on she government with Teepee% to the hisses of
the year. (Hoar' hoar.) What his right hoe friend the
Cheapener of theExtikeepar said early la the insokin on that
subject wee safileientl= (Hear, hear.) He stated
that, wading to hie of the expellees and receipts,
there would be a eouri: ar, about 1,400,
to 000 i. (" He,
=
hear," from CoL .) He proposed devote half
of that surplus to Me re of public burdens; the other
half he proposed to apply to Me digitisation of the debt
intoned In late years. (Mon, hear,) That was the
general principle, and whetter lt were or were not
suited to the cirountstaneee, nothing could be dosser
than the polity of the proposal. (Hem, hear.)
Teat policy was stated on the 13th of March. The govern.
meat were still minting it; and sae of the duties which the
government proposed to rap% namely, an excise duty bed
already bees remitted. (Hem, ken.) Such being the
general policy of the government, he should not ate• fit
the invitation of the hon. gentleman to go Into details with
repent to Its fill•WIISI WWWWIB, nor should he attar What
course they Intended to panne with regard to my measures
which might be Weft the house. (Hear.) But as the hose
gentleman bad given this invitation, he would call the atten-
tion of the home to the policy of the hen. gen-
tleman himself. (Hear, bear.) It was • policy which was
not a little remarkable--not a little wavering and inconsist-
ent (Hear, hear.) The hon. gentleman, as they were in-
formed by the public papers before the commencement of the
session, expounded &great plan of finance of his own, which,
whether it were or were not advisable to adopt
it, had one very striking feature. (Hear, hear.)
He proposed to maintain the reedit of the country very high,
he proposed to have • surplus above the expenditure, to
keep oar enabling all persons who had need to borrow, to
borrow at a very low interest. The hon. gentleman's plan
might not agree with those who had thought much of
finance; but, at least, it had that very creditable feature that
it was only on the basis that the revenue was far to exceed the
expenditure. Then at the beginning of the 911111i013, they
were told on the fir.t night, that the grand aim
was to obtain protection; that restoration to agri-
culture was the mnin object to be attained. The amendment
on the address did not directly contain that proposition;
but no sooner did the house reject that proposiuon, than they
wet, told that the majority of the house was against pro-
tection. and that there war no we of talking about protec
boa. Further than this, the hoe. gentleman chose to pro-
pound
a great plan, by which the revenue was to ha in-
ceased and kept very high above the expenditure, and now,
for the last month we had seen, when anybody brought'
forward a motion—(hear, bear)—were it about the window
tax, were it the paper tax, or marine iniurances, however
little it might affect the agricultural interest ; however little
it might relieve the landed interest; from whomsoevir it
might come whether from the honourable member
for Manchester or any other pewit who profeised
strong opinions on free trade, the bon. gentlemen and his
friends were only eager to diminish the tae of the
country below the expenditure. Tie hon, gentleman talked
of the plan of finance ; he was attained of the principle of
• plan of finance which combined some relic fto the country,
with a steady maintenance of surplus above expenditure ;
bat be approved of • atone of policy which consisted in
voting with a party who, having objections to • p articular
tax, merely came down to vote for anythirg that would impair
;he credit of the country. (Hear.) That ?id seem to be,
for a great party, a most singular and extrsordinery proceed.
ing, and not • course of conduct that was likely to raise
them generally in the opinion of the country. That had been,
as he had said, without much regard as to what the
tax might be, or *chat might be the purpose of the mover.
The mover was one who aid, "If I take away a tax, I at
the lame time mean to diminish expenses, b cause I mean
to take away roma 20,000 men of the navy and army, and I
man in that way to redress the bnlance, and make the
receipts still exceed the expenditure." But those gentlemen
who voted with teem had no excuse of that kind ; it was
contrary to their views to make this great reduction of
expenditure, and therefore they exposed themselves to the
chances of being responsible for making a great inroad on
our finances, and leaving our finances in that irate in
which the credit of the country could not but be impaired
in the view of this country, and all foreign cookeries.
S .me persons said that the notion was, that if this were do- e
then the revenue ot the country, not sufficing for the
expenditure, the House of Commons would find itself obliged
to impose these taxes of protection—(bear,. hear)—on the
admission of corn, and the admission of preo alma, and the
admission of those various articles of general consumption
which it had been the policy of different governments and of
different Houses of Comatose of late years to reduce—(hear,
hear)—and by that cheer which he heard there really did
seem what he must say was a mere wild goose chase; to ima-
gine that because a certain number of gentlemen voted
with them for the reduction of the tax on
windows, or the reduction of the tax on
paper, they would thereby find themselves in a majority in
favour of the restoration of protection, and that a =sprit,
of the house would be found to restore those taxes which
went to enhance the price of food in thin country, was •
mere visionary expectation. (Cheers from the ministerial
side of the house.) If their great plan cit finance,
which they had not openly monied to the house, was, that
they would vote for the diminution and repeal of any tax,
with the hope that, taxes once reduced, they might get
duties of import upon all the great articles of consumption,
and *specially upon corn—he must Bay that a wane
plan, a plan of finance based on more shallow views,
that a plan of finance which tended more to destroy the
credit of the country, in the first place, and distal, the
peace of the country in the second place, was never tin.
ceived by any party which had numbers, wealth, and station
in this house. (Cheers.) The bon. gentleman had invited
him to the diocunsion of his plan of finance by the observa-
tions he bad made upon others. The hon. gentleman, he
was sure, must see how utterly he had departed from the
very honourable notion that be had before parliament met,
that whatever we d d we must keep up the credit of the
country, and have a large surplus. Without asrecing
in his particular opinion, ii he had kept firm to
that principle, he, and those who helped him, would
have kept up a high reputation in this country, and it
would have been said that their views of policy at least
were conformable to the views of policy in the best times
of the history of this moiety. The bon. gentleman bad
alluded to something which had paused elsewhere ; be had
said that he had seen the course of things that htd passed
elsewhere, and he had seen that people were begiontog to
wk, not only what revision of salaries, what reduction cf
offices, could be made, but whether it was possible any
longer to pay the dividends and the national debt. He
(Lord J. Hassell) doubted whether such questions were
really and seriously asked by any portion of the people of
this country ; he did not think it wise that such notions
should be set afloat, especially in the high pleas in
which they were. Ile believed that no such notions would
obtain any accordance or any following among the people of
this country; he thought really that hon. gentlemen
opposite, instead of abandoning all their own notions, in
order to get into a majority by following in the train of the
hon. member for Maneheater—(a laugh)—adopting his
notions and following his views, would set far better if they
would resort to their own policy, if they would place plainly
before the house, whether they meant to adhere to protec •
tion or meant to abandon it ; whether they kept it in
reserve for some future occasion, or whether—and that
he believed was the case, although they did not
venture to say it to the farmers of the country-
-(cheer,, and cries of "No, no")—they utterly des-
paired of protective duties and had no thoughts of restoring
that policy. If that is not so, let us (said the noble lord) have
• direct motion. (Cheer.) If they do mean to enters pro.
teeth:in, it then is a large part of the country which is call-
ing out for protection, and saying that as long as free trade
lasts every interest must be ruined ; if that is redly so, if
the country is suffering under the infliction of free trade ;
if the policy punned since 1842 is utterly mistaken ; if the
people an really going en in the road to rain, I say
it is the duty of those who have that belief to
bring that question before the house. (Cheers.) At all
(menu, I will say, we shall not be afraid of meeting the
question—(sheen)—that we are ready to meat it at any
time ; that we hold that at the present moment, whilst the
tae is sufficient for our expenses; whilst the revenue
shows, both by the duties of excise and many other duties,
that then is no falling off in the consumption of the great
articles which pay cut, in this country ; that there ere cit.
conistanors (there an reports which will show it, and which
will be stated and produced wh the question is brought
forward), that the great mesa of the people of this country,
the great majority of the people of this country are now
the enjoyment of every comfort which they have ever
enjoyed. (Chasm)

Lord J. MANNIVIS observed that the noble lord
had slid %bat he thought the information of the hon. mem-
ber for Buckinghamshire was superfluous and objectionable.
He (Lord J. Manners) could easily understand that it must
be unpleasant to the noble lord to be reminded that a great
and important interest in this country was still suffering;
but when the noble lord went on to say that the eapo•ition
of the linanci,l scheme of ministers at the commencement
of the session was made plain, and that their financial
scheme was still made plain, and easy to be understood, he
(Lord J. Manners) must say that it wet exactly the re-
verse. When the noble lord found fault with the great
scheme propounded by the hon. member for Buc'tinglam-
shire during the recess, let him remind him that that
scheme wu mentioned in terms of eulepty ; nay, even wu
plagiariud by the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he
brought forward his scheme. The noble lord bad had the
courage to say that the member for BuckinghentAire and
the great hulk of his colleagues had voted for the propasiti
of the hon. member for Bath for the repeal of the window
duty. The noble lord was not well founded in that state-
ment, and be asked him now to retract. The noble lord bad
also stated that his hon. friend and those who generally acted
with him voted for any reduction that might be proposed,
without consulting the maintenance of the pub-
lic credit of this country. This was not the ease.
He objected to the noble lord's takieg that opportunity of
telling them that they were acting in an improper manner
when they voted for taxation. In making such an accusa-
tion by way of a vindication of the plan which they im-
pugned, and by way of defending this budget of his own,
which seemed to he falling to pieces before their eye., he
would tell the noble lord that when this was his netenee,
he wee perfectly willing to leave the question in his own
hands. (Cheers.)

Cul. BIBTHORP said that, however honest the noble lord
may be, he was totally mistaken In his course of preceedieg,
and in that mistake he was backed by hia right hen. relative.
(Ltughter.) He concluded by asking the noble lord (J.
Himmel) by whom the deanship of Hereford, lately made
vacant, was to be tilled.

Lnrd J. RUSSELL made some reply, but in commitment"
of the now in the body of the house it was lopootOlo to
mike out what It. purport was.