The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-21 00:00:00

SUN,

all these points the Foreign Secretary has still to
pronounce his final explanations, and, even taking
these things into consideration, we cannot but regard
his entire policy, its sleepless vigilance, its pervading
sincerity, and its pacific and conciliatory tendency,
as entitled. to the admiration and gratitude of
England.

At length the pressure from without has been
acknowledged within the walls of Parliament. The
loud and incessant demands for a great and comprehen-
sive measure of financial reform have been recognised
by the popular branch of the Legislature. The
representatives of the people participate in the feel-
ings of thrift by which their constituents are
animated ; and a resolution has been adopted, pledg-
ing the House of Commons to a decided course of
economy. Nothing could be more distinct or une-
quivocal than the motion of the llon. Member for
West Surrey, which was eventually carried, although
by a small majority, notwithstanding the Ministerial
opposition. It was not a mere abstract proposition,
declaring " that no greater amount of taxation ought
to be levied on the people than is required for the good
and efficient government of the country," or
" tbat a vigilant superintendence should be
exercised over the expenditure, so that every reduc-
tion should be made that would not be of detriment
to the public service." Such vague and uncertain in-
timations would have had no practical effect; they
would at once have been accepted by any Ministry'who,
whatever might be their actions, however large their
expenditure and oppressive the taxation levied on the
people, would have admitted the abstract truth of the
propositions. But Mr. DRUMMOND'S motion was of a
very different character—it boldly and decidedly
affirmed " that a greater amount of taxation is levied
upon the people than is required for the good and
efficient government of the United Kingdom ; and that
large sums are expended in supporting needless places,
extravagant salaries, and unnecessary works and estab-
lishments ; that the present taxation of the
country depresses all classes, and espe-
cially the labouring classes, by diminishing
the fund for the employment of productive labour,"
and concludes with a distinct expression of the
opinion of the House, " that adequate means should
be forthwith adopted to reduce the expenditure of
the Government." These are the facts that have
been put forward by every financial reformer, that
have been reiterated by COBDEN, by MACGREGOR, by
IVAsoN, and a host of others, that have been loudly
and unanimously corroborated at the various meet-

ings that have been held throughout the entire country,
and the same conclusion has been arrived at and
proclaimed throughout the length and breadth of the
land, that " adequate means must forthwith be
adopted to reduce the expenditure of the Govern-
ment." The House of Commons has, at length,
echoed the voice of the people, and Ministers can
no longer remain deaf to the universal demand. If
they desire to retain power, they must comply with
the temperate but determined expression of popular
feeling.
The present motion was not of a party character,
It was not intended to damage or to advance the in_
terests of any section or class, or to occasion any
change on the Treasury benches. Heretofore it was
too much the fashion to disregard the real merits of
the question before the House, and to consider only
its possible results on the interests of the great parties.
Hence numbers of these parties were frequently to be
found speaking in favour of and subsequently voting
against a measure—deciding contrary to their own
opinions because it received the support of others to
whom they were generally opposed in political ques-
tions. Mr. DRUMMOND well exposed this inconsis-
tency, which is common to all sections of the House.
On the occasion of his previous motion, to which we
long since directed the public attention, a mo-
tion which should have been carried by a large
and decided" majority, but which was ne-
gatived owing to the ridiculous jealousies of

opposing politicians, a Conservative Member stated
" that he quite agreed in the motion, but could not
think of going into the same lobby with the lion.
Member for tlie West Riding ;" while, on the other
hand, a professing Liberal said, " I quite agreed with
your motion, but when I saw the Conservatives sup-
porting you, I thought it high time to be off." Thus
it has ever been. The old Machiavellian maxim—

" Divide et impera," has been closely followed, and
Ministers have ruled not by their own strength, but
by the divisions and dissensions that have prevailed
among their opponents. Everything brought forward
for the general good of the nation, for the benefit of
the i.:dustrious classes, was thus postponed or ne-
glected, and the same unfortunate results attended
out-door agitation. United, the people would
have been irresistible; their wishes would have
been promptly carried into execution, but differing on
trifling points, and each refusing to make the slightest
concession, they have suffered themselves to be coerced
and guided, and their reasonable desires to be slighted
and despised by a weak minority, whose only real
power consisted in the conflicting opinions and want
of cordial co-operation in the multitude.

There are now, however, manifest symptoms of an
improvement in this respect, both in and out of Par-
liament. On the division on Mr. DRUMMOND'S MO•
Lion, %Vhig and Tory, Conservative and Radical,
Protectionist and Free-Trader supported the resolu-

tion, and the natural result followed—there was a
small but sufficient majority ; and the 41ouse is now
pledged to institute a searching invEstigation into he
whole taxation and expenditure of the country, with a

- -
view to the adoption of such remedies as the exigen

cies of the case may require; while at the meeting
which took place on Wednesday of the Metropo-
litan Parliamentary and Financial Reform Associa-
tion, Mr. FEARGUS O'CoNNoR, on the part of the
Chartist body, declared, "that recognising in the

movement a means to an end, and not an end in itself,
he had arrived at the determination of giving it his
cordial support, and of assisting the coalition out of

doors, in order to meet the coalition of Whig and
Tory within." We congratulate the country on these
events, affording such propitious auguries as to the
future triumphs of the popular cause. If all parties
should henceforward consent to merge their own
trifling differences and to labour together, energeti-
cally and zealously, for the general welfare, there
can be no doubt but that all their desires will speedily
be crowned with complete and unequivocal success.

RE- ESTABLISHMENN OF THE
POPE IN ROME.
The French Government has received the fol.
lowing