The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-21 00:00:00

SALE OF BEER AND WINE.

Mr. E. JAMES asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer
whether he was prepared to state the course her Majesty's
Government intended to pursue with reference to the grant-
ing of licenses for the sale of beer and wine by
retail to the keepers of refreshment houses, as indi-
cated by Resolution No. 1.5, to be proposed in com-
mittee of ways and means ; and whether he still intended
to propose that resolution to the committee ?
Mr. GLADSTONE said that he had been waited on by
a deputation of licensed victuallers, a portion of which con-
sidered that there should be no alteration in the system of
licensing places for the sale of wine. Another section con-
sidered that there might be such an alteration as would
enable those who now could be licensed to sell beer to ob-
tain licenses for the sale of wine, which would bs subject
to the discretion of the magistrates ; and there was
another section of the deputaton who entertained a further
diversity of opinion. He assured hon. members that they
would not be called on to vote on this subject until they
had received every information as to the intentions of the
Government.

THE TREATY WITH FRANCE.

On the motion for going into committee on the Customs'

Acts,

Mr. DU CANE withdrew the following motion which
stood on the paper :

"That this house, recognising the necessity of providing
for the increased expenditure of the coming financial year,
is of opinion that it is not expedient to add to the existing
deficiency by diminishing the ordinary revenue, and is not
prepared to disappoint the just expectations of the country
by reimposing the mcometax at an unnecessarily high rate."
He explained that he had adopted that course in cense
quence of his right hon. friend (Mr. Disraeli) having given
notice for that evening of a motion of a similar character.
However, when that motion was disposed of, he would
again bring forward his motion. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. LINDSAY also postponed the resolution of which
he had given notice. .
Mr. DISRAELI then rose amid cheers and said—ln the
course of the observations which I am about to offer to the
house it is not my intention to give any opinion on the po-
licy or the provisions of the treaty of commerce with France.
Still less would it be my desire to make any reference to
the financial statement which has recently been made by
the Chancellor of the Exchequer; and if I am for a moment
obliged to allude to that subject it is because I feel I am
bound to sot myself right with the house, and without re-
serve and with the utmost frankness to state to hon. mem-

berg the cause why apparently at the last moment on Friday
night I seemed to interpose between them and the discussion
on the amendment of which my hon. friend the member for

Essex had given notice, of which amendment I cordially
approve, and which when brought forward I shall entirely
support. (Hear, hear.) When, upon the day following that
on which the financial statement was made, it became my
duty, in conjunction with those with whom. I have the
honour to act in public life, to examine the proposition of
the Minister, that proposition appeared to us, afror giving
to it the most mature consideration, to be one of a very dan-
gerous character. (Hoar, hoar.) When a Government an-
nounced a great increase of expenditure in the face of a

large and avowed deficit ; when, under these circumstances,
they proposed, by dealing with certain branches of our re-
venue, to increase that deficiency, and to proceed to balance
the accounts of the financial year only by having recourse to
a tax which the country has for many years beon led to be-

lieve would terminate in the present year—(hear, hear)—
and which, even under the altered circumstances of the
country, the public had a right to expect would at least be
revised, it did appear to us, Sir, that it was impossible for
us, with the opinions which we have always maintained on

the subject of finance in this house—and more especially
with reference to that impost, the income-tax—to shrink
from maintaining those opinions on the present occasion.
(Hear, hear.) Well, that being so, it became our duty to con-
sider the course which we should take. No doubt, in dealing
with a scheme at once so complicated and so comprehensive
as that of the Government, wo might have taken occasion
to avail ourselves of the opportunity which would present
itself, when by joining some interests that happened to be
attacked, or some peculiar body which was menaced, we
might probably embarrass, perhaps partially defeat, the
Ministry. But then came the question, was that course
worthy of a great party ? (Hear, hear.) If we believed
that the general principle of the financial scheme was er-
roneous, was it not our duty to fix upon some broad, dis-

tinct, and straightforward objection, and take the opinion
of the House with respect to it? (Hear.) That was the
policy upon which it was our unanimous opinion that wo
ought to act. (t 3 ear, hear.) It was not, in our mind, neces-
sary that we should join discontented wine merchants or
paper manufacturers, or those publicans whose claims we
have listened to this evening, or indeed any of those other
numerous bodies who believe that their interests are menaced
by the proposition of the Government. It was, upon the
contrary, our opinion that issue should be joined as was
proposed by the amendment of my hon. friend the member
fur Essex, and that upon some broad and distinct ground
the judgment of the house should be taken. (Hear, hear.)
I make these observations on the financial statement, not
that I wish to introduce the slightest controversy on the
present occasion as to its merits, but with the view of ex-
plaining the course which we who sit upon these benches
hang takop. Havinit however? arrived at the couchtki44