The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-22 00:00:00

the amount of deficiency bills which will be brought to
charge in the next quarter is that it will be from 4,000,0001.
to 4,500,0001. ; and, as I have said upon a former occasion,
I consider this to be a larger amount than it is desirable
to have permanently. I should say that if the amount
called for permanently was 2,000,0001. or 2,500,0001., it
would be a very good arrangement. Then, of course, it
Gould be the duty of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to
make use of such means as he has at command to reduce
that amount from quarter to quarter; and it would be in
his power, if the finances of the country are kept in a state
of soundness, as I believe they will be by the care and wis-
dom of the House of Commons, to effect that purpose in 3 or
4 quarters. Ido not wish it to be understood by any means
that the amount of deficien,e, bills now called for is either
unprecedented or rare. If I look back to the years from
1840 to 1843, I find-the amounts during that period com-
monly varied from 4,000.000/. as a minimum to 7,000,0001.
and 8,000,0001. and even more. This, being combined
with a deficit, is an impolitic, an undue, and a dangerous
practice. But Igo further back. You seem to think
that there can be no deficiency bills except as an indica-
tion of an unsound state of the revenue, of weakness in
public credit, and of deranged trade, But I will take the
years 1832, 1833, 1834, and 1835, to show the fallacy of
that opinion, because every one of those years was pro-
sperous • they were each a year of surplus revenue, of a
sound state of public credit, and of a prosperous state of
trade. In 1832 the smallest amount of deficiency bills brought
to charge was 3,353,0001., and the largest 7,756,000/. ; in
1833 the minimum was 4,830,0001., and maximum
7,230,000/. ; in 1831 the minimum wise 4,480,0001., and
the maximum 6,757,000/. ; in 1835 the minimum was
3,590,0001. and the maximum was 6,500,0001. The ave-
rage of the minimum was 3,878,000/. ; the average of the
maximum 6,967,0001. Is then, 3,750,000/.,-4which is about
the total amount brought to charge in this quarter, to be
considered an alarming amount, being less than the mini-
mum of these sound and prosperous years ? I think not.
Sir, we must go to book upon these subjects. It will not
tdioes. We to decelamimusut lookpo
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doing so, I say that the amount brought to charge is not an
excessive amount. The hon. and learned member fur
Wallingford (Mr. Malins) had been pleased to say he will
not be hard upon me,ibut that be wishes me to understand
that matters of finance are very important and delicate
operations. Sir, I am deeply indebted to the hon. and
learned gentleman for a lesson of a nature so far removed
from my common education that I never could have hoped
to have attained to its possession except through his
kindness. (A. laugh.) There is, however, one point
more, which appears to have been one that hit the fancy
of the right hon. gentleman. It was not a question of
the arguntentum ad hontinent ; but he said these are
opinions merely," and then he proceeded to draw a
strong and glaring contrast between a man's opinions
and his conduct. Opinions are nothing; conduct is every-
thing. Then what is the use of opinions? I apprehend
they ere intended to have some influence. I take it for
granted that the man who stands in the place where I now
stand,'occupying the office of minister of finance, and giv-
ing an opinion upon finance, is not to be allowed subse-
quently to evade the consequences of that opinion by say-
ing that he did not act upon it. It was his opinion; and I
will suppose it was his sincere opinion. If it was his sin-
cere opinion, it had the weight of his authority, and I am
entitled to presume that when opportunity offered he would
be prepared to act upon it. (Hear.) How can he evade
the consequences of it ? I find myself, sir, at a late hour
(ten minutes to two o'clock) after such observations as I
have thought it necessary to make to the house in the po-
sition of having to deal with the motion of the hon. baronet.
To that motion I have not yet made the slightest allusion.
In that respect I have followed the example of all who have
gone before me—(a laugh)—l have been equally vicious in
principle, but I trust it will be allowed that I shall be
more moderate in degree. In a very few sentences I will
say why I cannot agree to the motion—a motion which has
been made,the battle-field for all sorts of subjects, though
the honourable baronet brought it forward in a straight-
forward way, and with a proper and earnest conviction
that in doing so he is only doing his duty. It is impossible
to accede to the motion, because the object of the Govern-
ment has been to reconcile together several purposes that
might be consideretl in conflict with one another. We
might have attempted to form an estimate of the year's ex-
penditure. If we had done so—if we had taken a year's
estimate of war expenditure—we must have asked the
house for a very large sum ; and if we had asked for a very
large sum, we might have asked for a sum greatly beyond
that which the exigencies of thewar may require ; for I will
not pretend to say, looking at the powerful combinations
that have been formed, that it is impossible to bring the
war to a close within a short time. We have thought it
wise to take warning by the experience of our predecessors;
and to come to this house and say, "We will leave the
I power in your hands by asking only sufficient for a
limited term." We say, " You are going to sit for four or
five months ; and we will reserve to ourselves the oppor-
tunity audit° you the powerof considering towards the close
of that period the appearance of public affairs, and the
probable demand that will be made upon the Exchequer
for expenditure on the war." But by taking the other
course we must have asked for a sum that would have been
deemed extravagant, and then we should have been told
we were calling for money which we were not sure we
should want. What did Mr. Pitt do ? He brought in his
budget early in the year—the first year of the French war.
He produced a budget for the whole year ; and he took for
his extraordinary expenditure, 1,250,000/. For the period
of a whole year no more was heard upon the subject; and
in the next year Mr. Pitt informed the house that, besides
having absorbed the 1,250,0001., he had laid out 6,000,0001.
and that there had been extra expenses, unprovided for by
the votes of Parliament,"amounting to about 5,000,000(.
Sir, that would not day. atisfactory state of things for this
house at this time of It was, therefore felt to be our
duty to inform the house of the demands made upon us. In
order that we might deal with the house in freedom and
confidence, we put them in possession of our present wants,
leaving it to the house to provide for further emergencies.
It was, therefore, necessary to ask the house, as we
are now doing, to make provision for six months' expendi-
ture by six mouths' taxation. If we had asked for the
expenses of six months' war upon twelve months' taxation,
the hon. baronet will see at once tho position in which we
should have been placed in relation to the great object of
making the expenses of the year to bo paid within the year.
Much has been said tending to disparage the principle of
raising the supplies for the year within the year ; and
words have been used which seemed to indicate an inten-
tion—perhaps not yet formed, but which may grow into
substantive and distinct development—of endeavouring to
induce the house to depart from that most sound principle.
I do not intend now to discuss the obligations of the house
in that respect. All I will say is this—that I trust the
house will, both upon moral and prudential, as well as eco-
nomical considerations, adhere to the very utmost of its
powers, and in the most rigid form, to this valuable prin-
ciple of raising the supplies within the year. And I think
I may venture to promise, on the part of the Government
and of myself, that, so long as there is upon the part of
the house a disposition to do justice to the country in this
respect, we at least shall be ready to fulfil our part.
Colonel SI3THORP said the right hon. gentleman had
alluded to the moral and prudential considerations which
acMated himself and the Government. Their intentions •
were to be economical. Now, having an experience of
26 years in that house, he had learned this—never to rely
on the statements and promises of Chancellors of the Eix-
chequer. (A. laugh.) He had no opinion of them at all.
They were all full of duplicity. (Laughter.) He would
ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, if he should
like the Emperor of Russia to have a good licking—
(laughter)—he would remit the additional income tax
which he now proposed to impose ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
he was afraid he could not promise not to call for the ad-
ditional income tax, even if there was no declaration of
war, because this modicum of taxation would in fact be
necessary to defray the expenses of the present expedition
to the East.

The amendment was then withdrawn; the original re-
solutions were agreed to, and a bill founded upon them
was ordered to be introduced.
The house then adjourned at five minutes past two.