The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-12 00:00:00

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LONDON:
MONDAY, APRIL 12, 1841.

We are happy to see that the debate in the
House of Commons on last Monday, to which
we adverted on Wednesday, is very properly ex-
citing the hopes of the friends and the fears of
the enemies of free trade throughout the empire.
Both parties are fully convinced that it is quite
impossible for the country to go on with an in-
creasing expenditure and a declining revenue.
For that some remedy must be had, and it now
becomes a question betwixt the Government and
all who support Government, and look to it to
secure life and property on the one hand, and the
landowners, sugar planters, and other monopolists
on the other, whether the bulk of the people are
to be taxed for the advantage of these monopo-
lists or the State. The industry of the country
cannot bear any longer the immense burdens
which the Government and sundry classes of
individuals, by means of legislation, have heaped
on it. As the fund-holders have long ago been
warned, the labour of the people is insufficient
to pay them, to pay the expenses of the State,
and to pay the landlords' tax ; and while it is
necessary that labour should be relieved of its
burdens, the demands of the State on it are in-
creasing. This is bringing matters to a crisis,
which will task all the energies of all who look to
Government for the protection of property to
carry the Government safely through it.
The public are, perhaps, justly elated at the
success of our arms in Syria and Affghanistan ;
at the bold language our Minister has held at
Washington, and at the victories obtained over
the Chinese ; but every one of these very distant
operations involves, not merely their present ex-
pense, but a continued cost to guard against
danger along a frontier which may be said
to extend round three-fourths of the globe.
The nation, like a tender-hearted matron,
whose feelings are warmly enlisted by
chil-
dren, relations, and numerous friends, whose
affections she delights to cultivate, and who is
continually pained by their misfortunes or death,
has spread its political sympathies more than
half over the globe, and is now liable to be
wounded, and bleed, and require expensive
surgery, at every little change, though it be in
the order of nature, which happens through the
wide circuit of all the many States with which
she has placed herself in contact. Our policy,
be it good or be it evil, has latterly extended,
and is now extending, very much the large sur
face over which the nation may be wounded • and
hence, after many years of profound peace,' our
army and navy, and our diplomatic and foreign ser-
vices have all been increased. 0 nthis point the
Government seems fully to have carried the
people with it; a world-wide dominion has grati-
fied the public taste, and the Ministers have more
frquently been reproached with the poverty than
the extravagance of their armaments. There is
no probability that the expense of the State will
be diminished under these several heads, and
hence will arise a necessity, while industry mus
be relieved to augment, the revenue.
The march of the Government, and the gene-
ral policy of the Liberals, has latterly been to in-
crease the national expenditure. All those mea-
sures for extending the operations of the Govern-
ment, which it has been the fashion of late to
bring forward in Parliament—however useful
some of them, like ,the County Courts, may
be—necessarily cause an increase of public
expenditure; and the Liberals, in propos-
ing Boards of Health, Railway Commis-
sions, large
grants for education, &c., &c.,
have been as obnoxious to censure as Ministers
for bestowing the public money on the Niger-
exploring quackery, or for building stables at
Windsor. If these measures be good at a pro-
per season, at present, when the revenue of the
State does not equal its wants, when indus-
try is sinking under its burdens; and not a single
sixpence of the public money should be unne-
cessarily used, they are very reprehensible.
But the public wants, and the inability of in-
dustry to answer all the demands made on it,
bring the State into collision with those for
whose benefit, and not for the benefit of the
State, industry is taxed. Hence the necessities
of the State are working in favour of free trade
Principles, and will compel whoever may
administer it, and will compel all who
support the Government, even the land-
lords themselves, to consider of the propriety of
monopol
releasing industry
from the heavy burdens of
y. Whatever party may be in power,
the ruling Classes cannot allowthe Government
to fall into decay or difficulties for want of
funds ; and they must do that, or consent to