The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-06 00:00:00

ElTillit

V 7 - - -
LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 6, 1851.

In the Heuse of Lords, last evening,
Lord STANLEY presented a petition from
the
ee
bsieeatmoaeuntiolef
Liverpool complaining of the operation of h
Marine Act.
pose some modification o
Earl GRANVILLE stated tfhtahtaGtomveernasmureen, t
ainndtenthdeed
stuohpieroo-
t
Committee on the
drolapptehde, aHftoeusr we
ohficchonithmeiarnLs olasrdtshniipgshta,dhajourned.
Property Tax Bill,
House Lord
course
e tookw h
which
e the G opportunityoverninoefn it nfo r m
proposeding
ttheto
pursue,
of Mr. Hum, for limiting
in consequence of their defeat by a majority of 14
on Friday night, on the motion
o J.
thßeusCoEul
the renewal of the property-tax to one year only instead of
three. Mr. Humx had stated, as the groundwork of his
motion, that his object x as that the tax might be made more
just and equitable than it now was. He did not agree in the
proposition of his Hon. Friend, nor did he now agree with
him that it was desirable to have such an in-
quiry. The House, however, had decided otherwise,
and it became the duty of the Government to
consider what course it would pursue. Now, al-
though he felt it was very inconvenient to place such an
amount of taxation upon such a precarious footing, yet he
could not suppose it to be the intention of the majority to
place public credit in jeopardy; for the House had always
shown itself careful of the public credit, and he therefore
thought it right for the Government to consider whether it
could adopt the resolution of the House. He was told that
there was a general impression in the public mind that the
tax might be made more equal. To this he had replied
that Mr. Prrr and Sir R. PEEL had arrived at a different
conclusion. He was answered by the argument, that if
those conclusions should be supported by an inquiry, the
country would be better satisfied that the inequalities of the
tax were inevitable; and if otherwise, they would then have
the tax in a more equitable shape. The decision of the House,
then, being contrary to the opinion of the Government as to
the desirableness of an inquiry, he would neither refuse nor at-
tempt to evade an inquiry, which would be conducted by men
who were leaders upon financial matters in that House.
The Government being thus prepared for a full and fair in-
quiry, another question arose. If the income-tax were givi:!

for one year only, were they to proceed with the financial
arrangements of the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, all of
which had been agreed to by the House? He should be
very reluctant to forego the repeal of the window duties,
which were not only a financial burden but a great social
evil, and also of the timber and coffee duties; but in order
to carry these reductions into effect, it must be made clear
to the Government that no further alteration would be made
in the income-tax, and no other breaking in upon the
finances of the country, which might have the effect of dis-
abling the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER from maintain-
ing public credit. He hoped, therefore, they would pass the
Income-tax Bill without turther modification, and that the
whole revenue of the country might be ensured to them if
they were to carry out the reductions announced by the
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER.
Mr. HumE and Mr. DISRAELI both expressed a desire
that, as the tax was to be voted only for one year, no altera-
tion should be made in its details at present, and in conse-
quence Colonel SIBTHORP and Lord JOCELYN postponed the
amendments of which they had given notice, the different
clauses were agreed to, and the House resumed.
On the motion for going into Committee of Supply,
Lord J. RUSSELL stated the reductions which the Govern-
ment had undertaken to effect, in accordance with the re-
commendation of the Select Committee on Official Salaries.
With some of the recommendations the Government intended
to comply, and where it was not intended to acquiesce, he
stated the reasons for their dissent from the recommenda-
tions of the Committee. The chief reductions which they
agreed; to were the following :—lt was;proposed to reduce
the Junior Lords of the Treasury from 1,200/. to 1,000/.
per annum; the Secretaries, from 2,5001. to 2,0001.; the
offices of Paymaster of the Forces and Vice-Pre-
sident of the Board of Trade would be permanently
united. The salaries of the Lords of the Admiralty
should be reduced from 1,200/. to 1,0001. per annum. He
had already announced to the House the reductions in the
judicial salaries; and with respect to diplomatic allowances,
he would say that the representative of this country at
Paris (who was still to retain the dignity of ambassador),
was to have only 8,000/., instead of 10,000/. per annum.
Turkey was also still to have an ambassador, in whose salary
there would be no diminution. The ambassador at Vienna
had been converted into an envoy, and some retrenchment
was thus effected. The proposition to unite the various
German missions was difficult to carry out, owing to the
disturbed state of continental politics. In Italy, however,
one of the missions now maintained might be dispensed
with, and he thought also that our present Minister at Flo-
rence might act as diplomatic agent at Rome, should an
official intercourse be established between the Court of St.
James's and the Vatican. The Noble Lord concluded by
impressing upon the House that it was far more important in
those foreign missions that the work should be done well
rather than that it should be done cheaply.
In reply to Mr. URQUHART and Mr. CosnErt,
Lord PALMERSTON defended our foreign missions.
In reply to Captain BOLDERO,
Sir F. BARING said that instructions had been given for
securing better accommodation to assistant-surgeons in the
navy. _

Mr. FREWEN then moved as an amendment that an ad-
dress be presented to her MAJESTY, setting forth the distress
of the hop-growers of Sussex, and their inability to pay the
hop duty now due.
After some discussion, in the course of which Lord JOHN
Russxr.A. expressed a hope that the House would not listen
to the proposition that gentlemen who had sold their hops,
and got the money in their pockets, should avoid payment of
the duty, the motion was negatived without a division.
The remaining business was disposed of, and the House
adjourned.

The Income-tax Bill has virtually passed for
another year, in its present inequitable and op-
pressive form. As, however, its duration has been
so properly limited, and as Lord JOHN RUSSELL has
declared that " the Government is prepared to agree
that there shall be a fair and full inquiry upon this
subject," the parties, who for nine years have sub-
mitted to the injustice with a good grace, must be
content to bear it for twelve months more, com-
forting themselves with the reflection that its days
are numbered, and that it can never again be
renewed without very extensive modifications.
After the urgent appeal, ad misericordiam,
made by the PREMIER against any alterations pend-
ing the promised investigation, we shall not censure
those who withdrew the amendments of which they
had given notice, although retaining our strong ob-
jections to the existing system, and believing that
such gross and palpable injustice should not be toler-
ated for a single moment during which it could be
prevented. It might certainly be impossible to enter
into a perfectly equitable adjustment of the impost,
so that each man should bear his exact proportion and
no more of the national burdens, but there might
be some degree of approximation thereto, some
instalment of justice, to render the sufferers more
patient during the interim. To us it appears so clear,
so self-evident a proposition, that the hard earnings of
a professional man, author or artist, or the fluctuating
profits of the merchant, manuf4cturer and trader, are
not equivalent to well-circurnstanted ground rents, or
dividends from money in the funds, that it appears
like a work of supererogation, an absurd trifling with
the public , patience, to enter into arguments to
sustain the position. Lord JOHN RUSSELL, how-
ever, appears to be of opinion that the re-
sult of the inquiry may be to satisfy the
country that the tax cannot be rendered more just
and equal, at least without materially diminishing i;s
amount, or rendering it ten times more inquisitorial
than it now is. He is manifestly still prepared to
defend the abuses that have existed, and to justify the
" conclusion" at which his colleague arrived. So
long as the point is controverted and under discus
sion, so long as any person of any degree of weigh

,nd influence can be found to uplift his voice in its
behalf, we shall not insist on any proceeding that may
appear to prejudge or anticipate the result, or could
in any degree interfere with the course of the
inquiry.

It is, however, essential that the promise of the
PREMIER should be fairly carried out, that no
discreditable subterfuge or evasion should be resorted
to. No objection could be taken to what fell from
the Noble Lord on the subject. He said, " that it
would be neither fair nor wise to attempt to refuse
or evade that inquiry," and, again, at the very con-
elusion of the speech, that, "bowing to the opinion
of the
House, the last thing he should think of doing
would be
evading an inquiry which he agreed
to have instituted." Believing Lord JOHN RUSSELL
to be a man of the nicest honour, who would
be incapable of violating his plighted word for any
private or public advantage to himself personally, or
as a leader of a great party, we are perfectly satisfied
with this pledge, so far as he is personally concerned ;
but we cannot forget what has taken place on former
occasions, more especially on the inquiry into the
investigation.
iOtO :lo l with
r
causes of the commercial
,crisis of 1847, and the un-
blushingespec t
is now,
unfortunately, a matter of public notoriety that the
Committee was packed, that its report was a fore-
gone t o avowal
the last-mentioned
Sir
its nature being anticipated with
pe
the moment that the
names of its members we
feet certainty from
were announced. It was well
r conclusion,
known that no evidence, however cogent, could have
views of the majority, and, as
changed the prejudiced
ofthe testimony adduced,
opposed to the great bulk
we have repeatedly shown, the report was altogether
____
When this "ar
so that if an appeal lay to any tribunal, it would have
been set aside without hesitation. _ The Polish soldier, aged 7, who was
last in the infirmary of that establishment from an attack
last year into the hotel deilnvalides, died on Wednesday
d
rangement" was most justly complained of in the
11°4"' When it Wifil declared to be nothing more or of griiPeoiGainani.

these apostles of ignorance and darkness P
The Earl of CLARENDON has pointed out the way ;
he tells his noble correspondent that the See of

Rome has, by its recent aggression, given a new life
and a new energy to Protestantism, which will ex-
tend beyond our country, and of which the vibrations
and results will be felt on the Continent." Yes, it is
on the Continent that the aggression must be met,
if it is intended to meet it effectually. It

is by commencing an offensive continental
campaign against Ultramontanistn, absolutism, and
obscurantism, that the POPE must be taught " not to
meddle in other people's concerns." Wherever
there is a nation struggling against Papal usurpation,
as Sardinia now is, there should England be
also with assistance material and moral.
The Ultramontanist conspiracy must be met by a
great Anti-Papal League of self-defence, of which
England must be the head. Such was the policy of
the greatest statesman England ever produced, the
Protector, OLIVER CROMWELL, and such should be
the
policy of every statesman who has his country's
good at heart.