The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-13 00:00:00

porary statesman no less eminent than Mr. GLAD-
ST3NE. With hins the Edinburgh never had
anything in c'immon, saving and excep4-
ing always a mutual devotion to the great
Free Trade principle,.. Nut so has it
been, for now about half of a century, with it
and the quondam leader of the Whig Reformers !
Wherefore, again, we say it must prove but an
inadequate salve to his wounds to find it said, in
reference to Mr. GLADSTONE, by the Edinburgh,
shortly after these scornful personalities to him-
self—that he (Mr. GLADSTONE) " luxuriates in
the metaphysics of finance," that "he is never
more eloquent, or more impressive, than when
dealing with figures ;" that " his additions
are performed in a sort of oratorilal ecstacy,
and his subtractions are made with the
violence of a paroxysm." The reviewer
adding that " this man, so brilliant
as an orator, so ingenious as a financier, partly
from the super-sensibility of his dialectics,
partly from the irritability of his temper, and
partly from an incurable infirmity of judgment,
may be capable of persuading, astonishing, or
even convincing, but is neither safe in counsel,
nor straightforward in action." His last financial
speech is spoken of soon afterwards as " this
distressing exhibition"—it being previously de-
scribed as a speech " which, for intemperance of
language, unfairness of statement and construc-
tion, and absolute and complete mystification of
the subject, he (Mr. GLADSTONE) will find it
difficult, and anyone else impossible to
equal." Pretty talk talking this our
American friends would call it ! This identical
speech having been regarded by others who heard
it, as one of the most remarkable orations, if .not
the most admirable oration, ever delivered by Mr.
GLADSTONE within the walls of Parlialnent. Con-
sequently as such one of the most extraordinary
Parliamentary harangues within the remembrance
of our own immediate generation ! But all this
pulling down of the other great reputations in the
Legislature, be it observed, is only preparatory
to the completion of the main design of the
reviewer—the piling up of adulation upon adula-
tion at the feet of the now political Paragon of the
Edinburgh, my Lord PALMERSTON ! Adulation
reeking with the incense of flattery, is the meat
here offered to its new idol by the ex-Whig, ex-
Russellite quarterly, henceforth conspicuous among
the organs, through thick and through thin, of the
Palmerstonian Government. So glibly, and with
scarcely one audible creak, has shifted the great,
blue and buff vane of the Whigs, at a single
puff from the lips of that Political ..EoLus, her
MAJESTY'S Chancellor of the Exchequer !

" An ye be virtuous, shall there be no more
cakes and ale ?" Honourable gentlemen who are
smitten with the ambition of appearing as legis•
lators, and having their names attached to re-
strictive statutes, would do well to ponder on the
above interrogatory, and to consider what answer
they could return to the renowned Sir TOBY.
Men will not be made virtuous by Act of Parlia-
ment. The mere idea of restriction in that
which. in itself is lawful excites their ire, and
induces them to go farther than might otherwise
be the case. The old proverb hath it that
"forbidden joys are sweet," and it is certain
that difficulty of attainment stimulates the
desire of possession. The Maine liquor law
cnn never by any possibility be tolerated in
England. But, were it so, we venture to affirm
that it would prove as great a failure as in
America ; and that, so far from there being a
diminution of drunkenness, there would be a con-
siderable increase thereof, while a large propor-
tion of the population would be brought int) a
state of habitual violation of the law, productive
of very injurious consequences to the wellbeing
of society.

It is notorious that in nations where what are
commonly designated as "intoxicating liquors,"
viz., wine, beer, and spirits, are cheap and abun-
dant, and where restrictive regulations are com-
paratively scarce, the greatest sobriety prevails.
There wilt, of course, be exceptions to the general
ru'e—men, whom no law could restrain. But
the instances, as we have said, are rare, and
marked with general abhorrence. We believe,
' if good wholesome beer, or wine, or even spirits,
could be sold at quarter the present prices,
and with every facility afforded for their being
obtained, that, after the first novelty had worn
away, there would be less consumption, and cer-
tainly far less inebriety than at present. The habits
so greatly complained of are, however, fostered
and stimulated that a handsome revenue may be
obtained by the State—not far from 20,000,0001
from duties or excise on intoxicating fluids, or
licenses for the sale thereof ; and no Chancellor of
the Exchequer will be induced to abandon so
large an amount, which provides for the interest
of at least two-thirds of the National Debt, for
the purpose of trying an experiment in a vexed
question.

The tax should, however, be only kept up for
the purpose of revenue ; and as to other matters,
we believe that the most auspicious results would
follow " unrestricted competition." It is the
virtual monopoly occasioned by the licensing sys-
tem that produces adulteration, with all its con-
comitant evils. At present, when the licenses are
regulated according to the mere caprice of " the
Great Unpaid," or to their arbitrary notions of
what may be the wants of the district, the
" thirsty souls" must be contented with what they
can get. Should an additional license be granted,
a treaty may easily be effected between

the rival vendors, and the public interests will
equally fall to the ground between the two props.
But if every man of unimpeachable character
could obtain a license on payment of a moderate
duty—or, better still, without any payment at
all—and on submitting to certain police regula-
tion, adulterations would virtually cease. " Good
wine would need no bush," and the Boniface who
supplied pure and wholesome articles at moderate
profits would triumph over his competitors,
although his goods were supplied in an humble
parlour, devoid of the gaudy adornments and
meretricious glare of the Gin Palace.

As we have long since explained, this very
adulteration is the natural result of the licensing
system, which confers a virtual monopoly on a few
leviathan brewing establishments. These houses
being authorised to sell wine and spirits, as well as
beer, can afford to undersell their more homely
beer shops in that single department. The latter
are therefore compelled to reduce the quality if
they cannot increase the price of their beverages.
And we fear that the example is too frequently
followed even in what are known as Brewer's
houses. If we look to the trouble and expense
incurred in seeking for a license from the Magi-
strate, and the risk of obtaining it in the first in-
stance, and subsequently of retaining it, we may
feel assured that the consumers must ultimately
pay for all, either in " meal or malt," by en-
hanced prices, or impaired qualities.
Mr. ETARDIr desires to place " beer shops" un-
der the same rules as to licenses as the more am- I
bitious gin palaces. We should rather adopt the
view of the Select Committee, and assimilate
public houses to 'the beer shops. The
p)ople can then decide on their own wants,