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
rave 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" o-2,.
." 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
ofbee Legal or Parliamentary Reform. If such had
+; n the case, JOHN DOE and RICHARD ROE--
"41'e-honoured phantoms—would still flourish in
'vigorous •
juveneSCMC'e---LJOHN THRUSTOUT would
still continue his reckless and indefensible con-
duct, removing
the rightful owners from the pos-
ses,sion of their
tenements and hereditaments
'Fifth force and
arms. While the County Courts
woulduld neverthe have been sanctioned—every cob-
web would remain in
the venerable halls of
Themis—the aphorisms
respecting the vexa-
the tious dealings and
ruino e. of
xpenses
various tribunals—legal or equitable---would main in full force and
re-
efficacy,
and the
procedure and practice of the Ecclosia
umathicalCnourrts
would be considered the perfection
of
again b-
hold
The mound at old Sarum, would
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 absurdities into 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 W.—while the " pilniwinks" and
thumbikiiis," the " iron boots," or possibly
the fires of Smiithfield, might teach stubborn
Dissenters the expediency of conformity, and of
assimilating their religious opinions to those of
the dominant Church.
Mr. GLADSTONE'S arguments did not, however,
Prey •
ail last night. He was left in a very decisive
ranepclealllnoefqu.i.veoca! minority on the question of the
cettifieatett,nut`i At,torneys' and Solicitors' Annual
Posed the gross • We have so frequently ex-
) that
quitous fin and palpable injustice of this ini-
poEit
it iS almost a work of