The Express.
London, England, 1861-04-23 00:00:00

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LONDON, TUESDAY, APRIL 23.

Wu ‘r can bo the meaning or object of the
extraordinary scene enacted by the Conservatives
in the I louse of Commons last night 1 Were they I
for six weary hours the sport of some malignant
fiend, who compelled them, in spite of themselves,
to parade all the party weakness and littleness,
the puerile logic, bitter but impotent spleen, and
balled animosity, which common prudence under
ordinary circumstances would carefully conceal
However this may be, the House has rarely wit-
nessed a party movement whose progress presented
such a miserable anti-climax, and which led to
such a lame and impotent conclusion. The
'elven' intimation of a Ceuservative contemporary
that an amendment to the Budget would be
moved by Mr. T. BARI se, drew • crowd of distin-
guished visitors to the House. Before five o'clock
the benches and galleries were filled, and the
House had the animated and expectant look
which usually heralds a debate of unusual im-
portance. The strangers' gallery, the Speaker's
gallery, the Members' gallery, and the Peers'
gallery, were all filled. There was not • vacant
seat below, and • crowd of Members stood to-
gether in the vacant space below the gangway.
It was evident that • great party fight was ex-
pected. About five o'clock Mr. T. BARING roes,
and proceeded amidst the silence of the House to
a solemn criticism of Mr. GLeogrente'm proposals.
Hie toue was from the outset that of one who not
only felt bound to oppose the Budget, but who
entertained a confident expectation of success.
But the hon. gentleman displayed • considerable
spirit of moderation in his anticipated triumph.
His rejoiced to know that we live in days when a
Budget might be withdrawn and remodelled, if
the House in the exercise of its grave judgment
rejected a portion of it, without necessarily
implying a want of confidence in the Govern-
ment or involving • change of Ministry.
Then was, moreover, the formal profession
of an unwillingness to disturb the Govern-
ment which usually precedes • hostile motion.
The body of the hon. gentleman's speech
did not belie the promise of an adverse motion
suggested by its opening sentences. He proceeded
to inquire into the wisdom and policy of the
Budget, stating that his object was "to show
" that the scheme now proposed with regard to the
" national finances was neither safe, wise, nor
" politic." It is wholly needless to follow in de-
tail the familiar assumptions, speculations, and
reasonings which the speaker adopted in support of
this position. They contained nothing either very
forcible or very direct, and brought out no point
of special novelty or interest. His address was
largely made up of those solemn misgivings,
gloomy anticipations, vague notes of alarm, and
dismal prophecies of coming evil, which constitute
the usual staple of Opposition speeches on Mr.
Gueieniee's Budgets. This sort of opposition
is, however, fain becoming stale and wearisome,
from the fact that the Conservatives never meet
their prophetic bills when they become due. They
always renew them for another year. Like
some celebrated prophets of another order,
they continually shift and move forward the
date of the national ruin which the CHAScELLoa
of the Exemsoum, in their view, is always on the
eve of accomplishing. Mr. Beano endeavoured,
as usual, to show that the deficit which was promised
last year would certainly be realised next year.
He attempted to discredit Mr. GLADSTONCH sur-
plus, on the ground that the right hon. gentleman
had made too sanguine an estimate of the revenue
for the coming year. But Mr. DODSON pointed
out, by an analysis of its various items, that the
estimate is extremely moderate ; so much so, that
many of the most competent judges consider the
probable revenue to be understated rather than at
all exaggerated.
Next, Mr. BAKING doubted whether the
anticipated portion of the China indemnity would
really be obtained during the year; but the only
alleged ground of this doubt was • mistaken quo-
tation from Lord LAIN'S despatches, which, when
rightly understood, is in fact the best guarantee
that the money will be promptly and regularly
paid. However, with or without any intelligible
or adequate ground, Mr. Itsaise, in common with
his party, professes to believe that the anticipated
surplus will not be realised. But supposing there
is a surplus, Mr. BASING protests strongly against
its proposed application. His first recommenda-
tion is to keep it in hand. "He would much
" rather see • pause in the remission 44 taxation,
"or in the removal of any duty which was not
" of a character to make up for that remission."
But if the money must be used, he would prefer
the reduction of the tax on tea to the renewal of
the duty on paper. That, of course, is an intelligible
opinion enough, but what followed was not quite
so intelligible. Mr. Beano intimates that the
reduction of the tax on tea would meet with his
approval. It would be • wise and safe course.
But the abolition of the paper duty, a loss to the
revenue less in amount than the proposed reduc-
tion of the duty on tea, he regards as an unwise
and dangerous measure— on what grounds it
would be extremely difficult to say. Ho con-
cluded, however, by emphatically •tfirming that
the proposals of the Government are neither
wise, safe, nor even, he ventured to add, honest-
It was most natural, therefore, to expect that
Mr. 11‘iliNG would follow up this elaborate attack
on the Budget by moving an amendment. Nothing
of the sort, however, happened. No motion of any