The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-11 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1853.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER has re-
ceived a very intelligible hint that, if he desires to
save the Administration of which he is a member
from defeat and dissolution, he must abandon the
course in which Sir CHARLES WOOD perversely
continued, until it led to the removal of Lord
JOHN RUSSELL'S Cabinet from place and power.
The public attention has been too forcibly directed
to fiscal grievances to be contented with the
stereotyped answer that a tax " produced so many
thousands per annum to the Exchequer, which
the Financial Minister for the time being, or his
locum tenens, is not prepared to relinquish ;" or
the no less hackneyed objection against " the
time" at which the motion has been brought for-
ward, which invariably is either " too early" or
" too late"—" too early" if introduced before the
opening of the annual Budget; "too late" for
any practical purpose if postponed until after the
discussion on the financial scheme. Right
Honourable Gentlemen must entertain no very
flattering notions as to the reasoning powers or
the integrity of the popular Representatives, if
they really think that such ridiculous arguments
can have any efficacy, or excite anything but con-
tempt in the minds of those to whom they are
directed. Englishmen have not yet learned to
ignore every principle of justice and equity, nor
will they sanction the continuance, any more than
the creation of an unfair impost. If Mr. GLAD-
STONE'S arguments possessed any real weight—no
antiquated abuse—no " aged vice"—could ever be
got rid of. It would be sufficient to show that a
grievance had subsisted for some 20 or 30 years
to ensure its perpetuation. Alas for the cause
of Legal or Parliamentary Reform. If such had
been the case, JOHN DoE and RICHARD ROE—
time-honoured phantoms—would still flourish in
vigorous juven
eaCeLICE---JOHN THRUSTOUT would
still continue his
removing
ess and indefensible con-
duct, therightful owners from the pos-
session of their tenements and hereditaments
with force and arms. while
the County Courts
earth
would crumble to the
sanctioned
jurisdictions
would never have been
ioned—every web would remain in the venerable halls of
cob-
Therms—the aphorisms respecting the vexa-
tious dealings and ruinous expenses
of the
various tribunals—legal or equitable—...weum
re-
main in full force and efficacy, and
the
procedure and practice of the Ecclesiastical Courts
would be considered the perfection of human rea-
son. The mound at old Sarum would again be-
hold the returning-officer sending a burgess to
Parliament, and the free and independent electors
of Gatton would once more bestow their disinte-
rested suffrages on the most liberal candidates.
There is, indeed, no end to the absuriliti es in to which
a strict adhesion to the principle last night enun-
ciated by the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
would not lead the House. The penal laws would,
of course, flourish—Roman Catholics could not
transmit or hold real estates, or possess a horse
value more than 5/.—while the " pilniwinks" and
" thumbikins," the " iron boots," or possibly
the fires of Smithfield, might teach stubborn
Dissenters the expediency of conformity, and of
assimilating their religious opinions to those of
the_mominaut Church.
m • GLADSTONE'S arguments did tho
wever,
prevail ,
pruvail last night. He was left in a very decisive
and unequivocal min
c‘ Attorneys,
on the question of the
repeal of the
and. n.v
posed the gross 7ealps'atalanvd Solicitors' Annual
Certificate Duties."
e
ini-
.se
inisuostfirceeqoufetnhitly eg-
quitous impost, thapt it almost a work of