The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-28 00:00:00

AIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

This OAT—Morn. 35 min. aft. 3—Evening 53 min. aft. 3
TQ-1150BROw—Morn. 12 min. aft. 4—Evening 32 min. aft. 4

-THE WEATHER—SUN OFFICE, JANUARY 28.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
39 —highest Mnse noon yesterday.
32 -lowest this morning and during the night.
35 —this day at noon.
BAROMETER, 291.8.
WIND. N.N.W.—Light, with fine, sharp, frosty weather
and sunshine.

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 186

It requires no extraordinary amount of pre
science to predict the intentions of the Chancellor
of the Exchequer with respect to the iniquitous
Income Tax. From the brief hints which the
Right Hon. Gentleman let fall to the deputation
representing the association which waited on him
on Friday last, it is manifest that he will, if per-
mitted, follow in the steps of Mr. GLADSTONE, and
maintain the quasi equal rate on all incomes, pre-
carious or permanent, fluctuating or certain,
without reference to their actual value, or the
sources from whence they may be derived. He
says that these objections "go to the very being
and nature of the tan itself—to its very essence—
and they would apply as much to sd. in the pound
(a significant rate, as we shall hereafter show), as
to 161, or to any other number of pence."
Adding, " I do not myself believe--and I have
stated so elsewhere in reference to the proposed
differential duty—that, as between permanent
and precarious incomes, the difficulties tohich would
beset any such plan have been sufficiently esti-
mated by the public." This is a sufficient indi-
cation of his bias, or rather, we should say, his
determination, unless he is satisfied- that the
nation will no longer endure the monster grievance,
and that any attempt to sustain it will be speedily
followed by his own disgrace and downfall, and
the overthrow of the Cabinet of which he is a
member. It is true that he retains a locus peni-
tentice—a loophole for evasion. He announces that
he is prepared to listen to reason, is " perfectly
ready fully and carefully to consider any facts
and arguments which may be laid before him
bearing on that question, and then to take into
consideration any detailed plan that may be
submitted for the purpose of carrying these views
into effect." Or, in other words, that he will do
nothing himself but criticise severely any sugges-
tions that may emanate from other quarters.
His trusty henchman of Printing-house-square,
once so eloquent on the subject of the gross ine-
quality and oppression of the existing apportion.
ment, follows up the hint. In the leading article
of the Times of Monday we find the following
passage :—" However objectionable the Income
Tax may be, it is evident that the objections lie
against the tax itself, and not against any parti-
cular augmentation of it, and that they apply
just as much to an Income Tax which takes 7d.
out of the pound, as to the one that takes Hid.
* The relief from the War Income Tax,
then, for one year sooner, would only be a relief The Mercantile Law Conference may be now
from the augmentation of the tax, not from the regarded as having commenced in real earnest.
tax ; it would only affect the productions of the Yeaterday witnessed the preliminary meeting of
tax—it would not touch the character of the 4x delegates from the Principal manufacturing and
itself. The machinery of the Income Tax would I commercial districts of the United ifingdota—
gino otnhealpnl tuhneds;amitewwouhledthbeer it raised 7d. or 16d. to-day the public inauguration of the proceedings
just as inquisitorial, of the Conference and or the auspices of the Law
'end importance T here
Amendment Associa'zion.
just aspartial, just as trying to men's consciences,
just, as provocttive of evasion. is not the degree of interest
assembledo.
3,.w a lasttero eveningo.iaee
amount, but the nature of the tax, which con- to the preliminary meeting wae
attached a
certaineven
demns it V'
And this is the same Times that once so un- at the society's chambers,
yptrheseidgerenatteitst
presided over, as it was, by Lord B
will be observed at
La:touortax him
„toss denounced the gross and palpable injus-
tice, that issued such I Reformer of
once of the Conferences and of the Association.
against the unfair assessment ! A'aS3 "Quantum
mutates ab ill° Hectore." It is
'hunth'ring philippics , histime,seifihemanpdartahbel
now as mute as a Although taking no partin the merely preparatory
whipped hound. Tee possibility of raoclification , and pun* business-like discussions of last evenin
or revision does not apparently enter into its con- Lord STANLEY and Sir FITZROY KELLY, and vgal
It quietly acquiesces, without resin-lrious other conspicuous Law Reformers
templation.
tance, or even remonstrance, in the conclusion of the proceedings the encouragement of thgeaivrepetro-
to our mind •
the Financial Minister respecting the difficulties! bona]. attendance. Scarcely anything

We have already referred to the significant
allusion by Sir G. C. lawis to the rate of sd. in
the pound. The Right Hon. Gentleman for the
moment forgot that the Association was only de-
manding the removal of the war 9d. in place of
the war 11d., to which, unless the "pettifogging
quibble' was resorted to, it would be entitled. If
the acts doubling the Income Tax, and afterwards
adding 2d., expired en the sth of April next, as
in justice and equity they ought to do, ad. in the
pound only could be levied for the year 1857-8,
4d. for the year 1858-9, and *d. for the year
1859-60, when it would entirely terminate. Let
the people, then, direct their attack against the

war 11d., and when Sir et. C. Lawrs sees that
they are really determined, he will easily avoid
the difficulty that now assumes such formidable
dimensions in his sight. He will much rather
amend than altogether repeal the Income Tax.