The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-15 00:00:00

almost pitiful—reduction ; but upon every transaction
ex 1,0001., the lacrosse of duty will be epee-
meas.' authors of this bill are making, we know,
every possible attempt to blink this fast, and to blind
the country to it. But let the how and the peolge
keep it stedfestly before their eyes. It is a feet which
financial reformers and emotes:asks cannot too steadily
impress. For if this bill was to remit taxation to the
' extent of 300,0001., and if, instead thereof, it is likely
to produce a considerable additional revenue to the
Exchequer, what is to be done with the 300,0001. of
whiob people were promised all the benefit?
Another consideration for the house this evening is'
how far this measure ought to be received as a mea-
sure of reform. We have already expressed our own
deliberate opinion that the stamp. duties ought to be
treated as a whole, and not piecemeal after this
fashion. Fourteen years ago, or more, a large mea-
sure was proposed to parliament for thare-assessment
of the stamp duties upon an improved and equitable
system. Why should we be dealing with those
duties now upon a pitiful and peddling prin-
ciple? Why not propose a large plan for the
better apportionment of these duties—for their equi-
table re-distribut on, and for the relief of the nuns:es-
say burdens which occasionally they impose P
As the bill now stands, however, by far the most
objectionable portions of it concern others infinitely
more than they concern the Express. To the
mercantile, the commercial, and the banking com-
munities represented in these columns, we have done
our duty by protesting, and successfully protesting,
against the imposition of new items of taxation. The
vastly increased duties which will henceforward be
imposed, will fall infinitely less upon those bodies than
upon the landed interests represented by other publi-
cations. Those publications appear to acquiesce in '
the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER'S measure. A
protectionist contemporary stet. d la,t Friday, and we
implicitly rely upon the truth of its assertion, that it
really was utterly uninformed upon the subject.
Whether those who are represented by that paper in
the House of Commons, may be equally ignorant and
uninformed, we shall have au opportunity of discover-
ing to-night.

The population of Leeds has descended, or is de-
scending, into the forum, to discuss, not the material
questions of food or wages, or the transcendental ideas
of political or social theory, but the urgent, the prac-
tical, and philanthropic inquiry of how the poor are to
be educated. Much as we differ from some of the
parties agitating, we cannot but admire as
• whole the movement, and the seal and activity
displayed in the pursuit of a great intellec-
tual object. What is peculiarly gratifying is to
behold the working class itself take pert in con-
sidering measures which mainly concern its interests.
Indeed, almost the only bo, e of rescuing education
from being made a mere ins*rutnent for sectarian ad-
vancement and strif., and later perhaps for political
manipulation, is for the working class to acquire
opinions on the subject and to express them. Instead
of interested parties speaking for them, let them
speak for themselves, and parliament will not resist
their prayer.
In fact, it is the great amount of ignorance, and in-
tellectaal as well as physical destitution in this coun-
try, that constitutes the obstacle to efforts for its re-
moval. For different churches and persuasions look
upon this MU of ignorance, as the great and rival
Pow,rs of Europe once regarded the new continent
when discovered. Each saw in it an indefinite scope
for extension of empire and conquest. Noce thought
of the continent itself, or its native races. The King
of SPAIN seized all the coasts and regions
which he deemed worth holding, and obtained
the: POPE'S sanction of his claim for the
exclusive establishment of Catholicism. But inter-
lopers came in, took, peopled, and cultivated stray
tracts, and lucky it was they did so; for Spain, though
its arm was upheld and its head directed by the in-
fallible Pontiff, did but debase and degrade its own
and its subject race, so as to unfit them for civiliza-
tion and incapacitate them for progress.
A c'rtain portion of the English church and icier-
tain portion of the dissenting body look upon the great
continent of ignorance here, much as Spain and
as England did upon America. Each claims the ex-
clusive right, not only of present but future conquest.
Acd al hough there are vast regions and prairies
impossible tor their means to occupy or cultivate,
they would prefer seeing them remain as rude and
ravage hunting grounds to the end of time, than
b hold them inhabited or ploughed even by
Christians of less zeal or different denominations from
themselves. Such selfishness is surely unwarrantable
and cuisine.

The educationary monopolists have, however, not
been wholly successful. The attention of government
being forced to the subject of education by the great
efforts and institutions made and established in other
countries for the parpue —institutions which threat-
ened to leave the English population behind in all
the arts and all the progress of life, it was found that
the religious bodies, which had undertaken the task of
popular education in their own interests, could not be
disturbed. Tne state, however, stooped to conquer,
and cautiously apprenticed or infeodated itself to the
two great religions bodies, in order to be
allowed to interfere, and to acquire consistency and
influence as an educating power. That power it has
become; and a great portion of the waifs which the
rival churches looked to appropriate one day or other,
have fallen into the hands of government education.
The juvenile population of the destitute poor, for ex-
ample, is at their dispasel. So is the young of the
criminal population. The rearing of instructors,-the
future patronage, and of course the guidance of and
influence over them, hays been silently acquired by
the state; and Mr. Fox's bill will give them the
remaining waifs in rural, poor, and remote districts,
which are beyond the activity or reach of the reli-
gious bodies.
We rejoice at this last, although we have oar objec-
tions to state education ; but it is better to have any
responsible power undertake to educate, than that
oese should. But we would merely point oat the
folly of each of the classes opposed to state education.
For the ultra-Anglican or the zealous voluntary
to have resisted the advance of state education with
success, they should have invoked the principle of
general organisation bat local management. Had the
clergy, instead of making it a clerical contest, de-
manded local power for themsflves and the laity com-
bined, they would have remained educational lords
of the rural districts. In the same way had those
who insist on the voluntary principle not narrowed it
M assiis but have demanded a local system, they, too,
I weld have maintained their influence and averted the
progressive power of the centralised administration.
Bat the high church, by the impracticable resolve
to exclude the laity, and Mr. BAINES, by his repu-
diation of all system, even under local control, have
literally secured to state education a triumph.
Our readmit will find in our report of the first Leeds
gusting, which took place on Thursday night, the speech
lof Dr. Bmit.r.e, which is the ablest expoeition of the
arguments of those who pray for the passing of Mr.
Fox's education extension bill. We recommend at-
tention strongly to it.
Mr. BAINES, on his part, has taken up the cudgel
on the other side in the Leeds Mercury, and at the
close of his article he marshals • series of " facts," to
show what great exertions have been made in the
way of voluntary education. But he does not meet
Dr. BottLes's figures, even with regard to Leeds,
where out of 18,000 children that ought to have been
at school in 1841, there were but 6,000 receiving in-
struction. If inch were the case at Leeds, the very
centre, the metropolis of voluntary education, what is
likely t 1 be the cue elsewhere P
Mr. BAINES objects to Mr. Fox's bill that it would
eupereede existing schools, which would disappear
before the free and gratuitous ones, and that it would
cost four or five millions to the country. These, with
the usual false and strained assumption, that what is
called secular education must necewearil be
anti-religious, constitute Mr. BAINES'S 0
They do not appear to be of a nature
to stand the test of contradictory argument and
examination. We are far from thinking Mr. Fox's
bill unobjectionable, and far from thinking it unac-
companied with danger, that the state should have
'he power of impressing the views and doctrines of
the ruling powers of the day either upon the rising
generation directly, or indirectly siva it through state-
reared preceptors. Bat 1111 Mr. BAYER BTANSPELD
said at Leeds, every scheme is welcome, and to
be supported, that Increases the juantity and BE-
proves the quality of popular education.

CAPTAIN DOPGLAB W. P. LABALMONDIERE ii ap-
pointed Chief Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police, in
the plane of Captain Hay, who has auceeeded Sir Charles
Rowan as jA. onnaingoaer with ILL hiaine.-06aerten