The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-07 00:00:00

CHARGE.

..
Terminable Annuities .. .. .
Interest on Exchequer-bills issued to meet the charge un the Consolidated Fund ..
Sinking Fund ....................
The Civil List .... ..... ...... ........, ........ ...... .. .. • • • • •
Other Charges on the Consolidated Fund (including in 1851 248,5501. discharge of debt to.the Equivalent Company)

Total Charge ...... ~....

The Surphie . • .• ... .

The Surplus of Revenue on the sth Jan., 1851, after providing for the Charges for that Quarter, was
To which is to be added the Surplus of the Consolidated Fund on as above stated .... • • ............ ..... • •
The Amount Issued in the Quarter ended sth April, 1151, in part of Sums granted by Parliament out of the

Consolidated Fund for Supply Services •.••. . • • • • •••••••••••••••••••• •• • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • I
The probable Amount of Exchequer-bills required to meet the Charge on the Consolidated Fund, at the. Quarter
ended sth April, 1851 .. •• ••..• • • • • • •• • • •• •••••••• • • • • • • • • •

On one point I want to answer what I think a fallacy,
thrown in the way of the working classes. An Hon.
Member who ia a great advocate for applying money to
the reduction of the national debt, advanced, in perfect
sincerity and conviction there can be no doubt, that the
working classes were not interested is the taxes being
paid by the rich instead of by themselves, because what
was taken from the rich was so much taken from what
they could expend upon the working classes. Now in
this I observe the mistake, of not perceiving that
though not expended on the working classes by the rich
from whom it is taken, it is expended on them by the
Government that takes it. Put the case fur instance
which the West Riding ought perfectly to understand,
that 20,0001. is taken from the rich, and expended on
soldiers' clothing. Is there any consequence in the ag-
gregate, but that tenter-hooks at Leeds and Halifax
blush scarlet, instead of displaying the cooler variety of
sad colours? And when Hon. Gentlemen tax the
country to the amount of what would fit out thirty sail
of the line, to spend upon a baby-house which has not
room for the members of the House of Commons when

it is done, is there any doubt of the money being spent
upon the working classes, though not in the same places
as if it had been left with the owners? In confirms-

tion of which, you shall sometimes hear men advo-
cating taxation on the ground that it raises money to
be spent upon the working classes. The evil then is not
here at all, but in the fact that the taxed get nothing
for their money, which they would have done if allowed
to spend it their own way. I therefore beg the working
classes not to ask to pay the taxes themselves, upon the
strength of this argument.
The Resolution for raising the Supply, passed without
a division; though the Protectionists threaten that on
black Monday they will do what they will do, on bring-
ing up the Report. I think their chance is over. There
wants nothing but sticking to them in the House of
Commons till the next General Election,—doing in short
everything which has not been done hitherto,—to make
it perfectly safe to trust to the decision of the country on
the wretched fallacy of what they call Protection to
British Industry, by which they mean robbing Bradford
to give the amount to themselves, and robbing the com-
munity for love besides.
In conclusion, I will beseech you to'remember, that the
condition of this life is, that those who will not keep a
thing when they have got it, shall have it taken from
them. For the sake of those poor souls who are marked
to perish if in spite of warning, in spite of entreaty, the
citadel of Free Trade is given up by a determined, reso-
lute, cold-blooded opening of the doors to the enemy and
forcing him to come in, I would implore of you to bestir
yourselves in time if there is anything in your
power to do, and not leave the cause we have
toiled far, the cause we have won, the cause in which
you and yours are as deeply concerned as human history
can show, the cause by which all other reforms are hang-
ing, to be sacrificed to any man's visions of better things
that are to come for any body, by throwing the whole
again into the lottery of war.
I am, Sir, yours very sincerely,
AN OLD REFORMER.
London, 7th April, 1851.