The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-20 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JITI-c,.E 20, 1864.

ber, surely the best service that he could have
rendered to them would hare been to have proved
the fallacy of his arguments, and contradicted hie
assertions in the most effective manner by an inves-
tigation. There is no use whatever in making the
excuse that such a thing would have been done
had this been otherwise or that taken place in a
different manner. The fact is, that all legislation
that depends on "ifs" for its basis is very purpose.
less, and when the apologists of a system are so
willing to seize on every available excuse, it makes
one suspicious as to their chance of success if the
subject had been thoroughly sifted. It is quite cer-
tain that, allowing for exaggeration by Mr. FER-
RAND, quite sufficient remains to prove that great
blame attaches to the authorities in their manage-
ment of this matter, and that the public would be
surpt ieed and displeased if all the facts were elicited.
It is always the fate of these transactions
that the secret at last creeps out, and when an
inkling of the affair is made further attempts of
concealment only aggravate the evil and increase
the dilemma. It would seem as if all the golden
days of prosperity for the Ministers were now over,
as if the " sun that shone so long on them it now
had ceased to shine," for turn which way they will
they find nothing but censure passed on their con-
duct, and meet with nothing but disapproval, The
speech of Mr. FERRAND, which has been permitted
to go first to the country uncontradicted in all im-
portant particulars, will do great damage to official
credit, or there will be many not slow to remark
that the most was made of the ingenious excuse of
" personal attack," while no defence was essayed ;
and a sort of deprecatory expostulation put forward
in lieu of a plain reply to direct charges and decided
remarks. For instance, Mr. FERRAND avers that
the Charity Board of Commissioners was a " select
nest of Whigs;" and Mr. BRUCE discreetly waives
the consideration of that part of the question, but
declares that they were all men of acknowledged
ability and integrity; in short, all honourable men.
But Mr. FERRAND went much further than dealing
in generalities, of hinting vaguely at this or that
discrepancy in the conduct of this department.
He spoke in very plain terms of some signal in-
stances of patronage, in which public interest was
completely lost sight of, in order that some private
motives might prevail and secret intentions be
duly carried out. Mr. OSBORNE in his amusing
speech made some very telling observations on the
state of the case as it stands at present. He said,
that to allow grave charges to pass like this was
a great injury done to the gentlemen in the public
offices, and that such assertions must be met with
an inquiry. This is a grave statement, that ought
to have weighed with the Government, but doubt-
less they know best what sort of answer would be
made. As the case stands now a gross injustice
has been done to these gentlemen ; it is always an
erroneous practice to omit explanations when
charges of so grave a nature are brought forward.
There is nothing in which the Government ought
to be more careful than in selecting fit and compe-
tent persons to undertake important duties, and
certainly from what was mentioned on Thurs-
day, it would not appear as if this de-
sirable end had been at all arrived at. It
seems strange that Lord PALMERSTON should
have allowed such aspersions on his character to
pass by unnoticed, either by himself or some of his
friends and supporters. There is no doubt that all
these remarks and observations were more directed
against the authorities iu headquarters than against
the more humble individuals chiefly mentioned.
Allowing, for the sake of argument, that much and
alt was true that Mr. FERRAND 5o vehemently
declared about Mr. SIMONS and others, nothing in
the statement at all effected their reputation com-
pared with the manner in which it comproml„d
those who had appointed him to the office h, filled.
It is a serious thing to say against any
official that
for party ends and private purpos'el ho has been
'-
in-
duced to appoint those he kn
ews are not competent
to any post whatever, an therefore it does appear.,*
inconsistent that no 'explanation was vou,cheated,and
no answer giv'en to the series of extraordinary
relations, 'end the curious questions put by the
reember for Newport. He overreached him-
4e,lit' in being so bitter, for many who might Lave
supported him, had he come forward in a quieter
style, were naturally deterred from acting when
they found the matter so personal and almost
offensive in its bearing. Still, enough has been
said or done to inflict considerable dam age on the
management of the whole affair, a.ld the successful
extrication of the Governme Tic frum the committee
did not preclude the awleveardnees altogether which
inseparably attaches itself to these insinuations and
suggestions. It would appear as if the Cabinet
cared for nothing that did not absolutely imperil
their position, and prevent them from keeping
in
their possession the blessings of place and power.

We make no apology for again adverting to the
question of the " Amalgamation of the Customs and
Excise," being well assured that it is a subject which
may with great advantage engage the attention of
all practical reformers. For although we aro not
sarlguine enough to believe that the time will ever
come—certainly not in our generation—when the
duties collected by these great revenue departments
will be reduced within such licaita that the two
services may be undertaken by one Commission,
yet are we equally confident in our belief that
thero are many departments in the two services
performing analogous duties, we refer more
especially to those of law and statistics, which
might, with great advantage to the public interest
and a corresponding economy of the public puree,
be united under one control.

In animadverting upon the grievances of the
Custom House officials, as set forth in the numerous
petitions which have lately been presented to the
House of Commons, we have taken especial care not
to confound the public weal with the personal inte-
rests of the petitioners. Inasmuch as private rights
must give way to the public good ; so great as are
the grievances alleged by the Custom House officials,
ware they not inconsistent with the public good,
we should decline in the interests of the public to
have anything to do with them.
But we stated then, as we take leave now to re-

peat, that the system which obtains in this branch
of the civil service, whilst operating prejudicially
in respect to those employed is at the same time
both intffi.cient and unsatisfactory to the mercantile
public generally. The numerous letters which have
appeared in our columns, as well as in those of our
contemporaries—not even excepting those of our
London Charivari, of whom we are all prond—in
approval of our remarks, and condemnatory of
Custom-house official procedure, are, in themselves,
undeniable evidence of this fact, as well as showing
that the pablie are alive to the manifold incon-
veniences arising from their circumlocutory mode of
transacting business, and to the baneful effects_
the penny-wise and pound -foolish system —of
icsufficiently remunerating a most useful and in-
telligent branch of Government officials.

On a former occasion we showed that, by a sim-
plification of the system, of account and a re-ar-
rangement of departments, both the public and the
employes could be radically and permanently bene-
fited—the former by receiving atati6ticlll informa-

tion in a more direct, and therefore speedier manner;
the Igter bj being pieced on a footing in unison