The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-17 00:00:00

the hands of Parliament for a certain time, may
prove very injurious to the best interests of the
country, and operate very unfairly against a
successor, in case of a change in the Cabinet.

There are many financial questions that must
be subjected to stringent discussion during the
present Session. The unequal and oppressive
operation of the Income Tax requires notice, which
it will doubtless receive ! While every exertion
was necessary to provide the funds requisite for
the vigorous and energetic maintenance of the
War these grievances might be submitted to,
although not without exciting bitter feelings.
But now that Peace has been prematurely patched
up—that neither the national honour nor the
national interests are involved in the result—it
will be impossible to induce the sufferers to sub-
mit patiently to the gross and palpable injustice.
Two years is a long time to endure a grievance,
and it must be remembered that the equal assess-
ment of all kinds of income, whether temporary
or permanent, precarious or certain, will be con-
tinued until April, 1858. Even the Long An-
nuities, which terminate in 1860, will be charged
ls. 4d. in the pound, or some 2 per cent. on the
capitalised value—while the Three per Cents.
will only pay 45., or 1-sth per cent. on the
saleable value.

There are also the enhanced duties on tea,
coffee, and sugar, malt, and spirits, which must be
taken into consideration. All these are evidences
of a retrograde policy, Wally opposed to the Fre-
e principles, now universally acknowledged.
There are many grave objections to all except that
on spirits, which need only be restricted by the
necessity of preventing a contraband trade. But
there is reason to believe that the enormous
increase of the tax, both in Scotland and
Ireland, has given a stimulus to that demo-
ralising traffic ; and, indeed, it is already found
that the proceeds are less than has been obtained
under a comparatively moderate tariff. There
are, therefore, six important fiscal subjects, the
consideration whereof cannot be postponed or
evaded—in addition to the all-important question
of the currency, and the continuation of the
Bank Charter Act. The usurpation of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer is, therefore, the
more to be deprecated when it attempts to get
rid of such important topics by a side wind.

There must be no disturbance in the Parks
to-morrow. The Sabbatarians are sufficiently
unscrupulous, but they must not be allowed to
gain any accession of strength from the proceed-
ings. We would the more particularly insist on
this because there is a maudlin sensibility in some
quarters to the most trivial breach of the law by
the people, and no sensibility at all to the wrongs
of the people, however execrable, which occa-
sion sach outbreaks. A few lordlings, as rich as
empty-headed, shall interfere with the health and
comfort of myriads, who, GOD knows, have little
enough of either, and escape with a charitable
" well, they thought they were right ;" while the
poor wretch, whom their interference exasperated
to a breach of law, shall be held worse than a
dog. A dog is deemed entitled to eat his bone in
peace, and those who interfere with him are
counted worthy of all the bites they get.
The dog's exceptional exercise of his teeth is more
than tolerated, because of the provocation. But
a forty-parson power scarcely suffices to describe
the atrocious presumption, as it is deemed, of the
poor man who bites (breaks the peace) in defence
of his bane 1 Opinion, in polite circles, is hardly
so manly, or an just, as is desirable. Why, you
actually hear more of the riotous proceedings last
year in the Park than of the atrocious interference
with the people's bone which occasioned them !
The existence of this feeling induces us to express
a hope that as many of the upper and middle
classes as sympathise with the people will bring
their wives and children to the Parks, in order to
the encouragement of the sober and orderly, and
the discouragement of the disorderly characters
always to be met with in a Louden crowd, assem-
bled for Fhatever cause. At the same time let
there be ne crouching; the people are being robbed
by Archbishops, Lords, M.P.'s, and a band of
unprincipled Pharisees, clerical and lay, of their
bone. It cannot be expected that they should
be " mealy mouthed" under the circumstances.
Religious hypocrisy probably never in
modern times attained a more rampant
position in thi country than at present. In
former times it used to display its graces
once a week to the heathen multitude and
content itself therewith, and the power and op-
portunity to be censorious. Now it has its gala
(lays beside, and to "earthen vessels" pouring
nut torrents of h— fire from the pulpit adds
Dictators in Lawn who frighten Prime Ministers,
and audaciously announce the intention of Exeter
Hall to pit the people down ; together with
prosy legislators, Scotch and English, whose chief
duty it is to make by act of Parliament the people's
day of rest a day of misery. The very organisations
which at one time gave efficiency to the teaching
of several of our religious bodies are now being
diverted—at all events are employed most success-
fully in tyrannising over the consciences of the
helpless masses. A knot of presumptuous men in
London, remarkable for no great talent, or learn-
ing, or piety, and who have never been guilty of
self-sacrifice in their lives, having entertained un-
warranted notions of Sabbath observance, deter-
mine to enforce their views on others. A district
secretary or superintendent is written to, who
lives intimation of what is wanted at head-
quarters, and on the Sunday following the people
are told it is their bounden duty to sign the
petition at the door against the desecra-
tion, or for the better observance, of the
LORD'S Day. The people sign, knowing
nothing of the wrongs of the London poor, and
in the House of Commons old women are found
in more than sufficient abundance to believe these
petitions to be the petitions of the people of the
provinces, and not of the intriguers in white
neckcloths watching their presentation in the
gallery. Strange to add, a petition for liberty
of conscience abroad, especially in Papal States,
will be quite as readily signed, and that without
a soul discerning, or appearing to discover, the
incongruity. The more thoroughly the machinery
of Exeter Hall is examined, and the easy prin-
ciples of those who direct it are taken into account,
the more decided, we are quite sure, will the
public become that Exeter Hall is becoming, a
grave nuisance ; and that it is unwise to furnish
individuals
who so tyrannise over their fellow-
countrymen at
home with the means to lord it
over weak ignorant natives abroad. Exeter Hall
boasts of its missions and charitable institutions ;
but it is remarkable that these institutions are
the bases of its political power, and we trust that
this will not be forgotten by those worldlinas—
their name is legion—who are called upon an-
nually to lend their mite to the LORD ! To re-
turn to the meeting or meetings to-morrow we must
express a hope that the day will be fine, and that
the demonstration will be as good-humoured as
possible, and that no bigot or policeman will break
what, we feel assured, the people will be desirous
to keep--viz., the peace. Apropos, we would
suggest the propriety of other members of the
Established Church than the Archbishop of CAN-