The Sun.
London, England, 1850-10-23 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1850.

This day her MAJESTY'S Ministers will assemble
in Cabinet, to consider and decide on the measures
to be brought forward, and the line of policy to be
pursued, during the approaching session. Their va-
cation has already terminated ; they must now ad-
dress themselves vigorously to the necessary prepara-
tion for the forthcoming Parliamentary campaign. It
will be one of unusual importance to the Government
and to the people. Not only must the several matters
standing over from the last session, which were ruth-
lessly sacrificed at the annual " massacre of the inno-
cents," be brought forward, and finally disposed of, but
there are other questions of the deepest interest
which cannot be postponed or evaded. Ministers have
to maintain a position of considerable difficulty, and
if the popular representatives are only true to them-
selves, and turn to proper account the extraordinar)
advantages within their reach, they may easily ob-
tain many valuable concessions, for.which it would be
vain to hope under different circumstances. There
will, indeed, be a golden opportunity which must not
be neglected or thrown away. It is a tide in the
national affairs which, if taken at the flood, may lead
to results of no ordinary magnitude.
We are quite prepared for a great display of
liberality on the part of Government. Something
will be done, and much more will be promised.
Every effort will be made to conciliate the Parlia-
mentary and Financial Reformers, and to induce
them to surrender the 'vantage ground on which
they are placed. The doctrine of " finality"
will be formally abandoned, and an ex-
tension of the suffrage in this country, as well as
in Ireland, will probably be brought for-
ward as a Government measure. Some ob-
noxious impost—the window-tax, for instance, may
be relinquished, a modified house-tax being substi-
tuted, if the Commons should; appear in very good
temper and inclined to submit to the finan-
cial tricks of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The utmost deference will be exhibited for
public opinion. Nothing will be left un-
done to cajole the people and their representatives;
and why ? Why is it that we indulge in such
pleasing anticipations and so confidently rely
on this disposition on the part of Ministers ?
Simply because the property and income-tax imposed
in 1842, and twice renewed for successive periods of
three years, will expire in 1851, and if not renewed
there will be a loss to the Exchequer of about five and
a half millions of pounds sterling, an amount which
Sir CHARLES WOOD, to use his own stereotyped ex-
pression, " is certainly not prepared to relinquish."
This tax, which imposes an equal burden on in-
come of every description—which makes no dis-
tinction between the precarious earnings of the
hard-working professional man or the industri-
ous tradesman, and ground-rents issuing from
landed property, or dividends from the public funds—
is so unjust in principle, and unequal in operation,
that we trust a firm resistauce will be opposed to any
attempt to renew it in its present oppressive and
inequitable form, or to grant it for any prolonged
term. The people, through their representatives, will
be enabled to insist upon a total revision of our taxa-
tion and expenditure, and that many of the burdens

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