The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-21 00:00:00

poses of war and for the time of the war. The taxes upon
property and income, tea, coffee, and sugar, would lapse by
Act of Parliament. These taxes, making 4,470,0001., were
dependent upon Acts of Parliament, the repeal of which was
not due to the grace and favour of the Parliament of this
session, but which expired by virtue of the construction of
the Acts of Parliament under which they were levied. This
sum of 4,470,0001. made a considerable hole in the right hon.
gentleman's remission of 11,970,000/. It was believed by
the country and by the House of Commons that the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer was going to grant a remission of
9,000,0001. of income tax applicable to the year 1857-58, and
that there would be a surplus of 900,0001. The house had
heard a good deal of criticism, if not cavil, that night from
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, upon the practicability of
balancing income and expenditure. It was certainly a con-
venient course to leave future years to destitution, and,
when called for an account, to say that it was impossible to
balance income and expenditure. He contended that the
Chancellor of the Exchequer was going to give away
4,600,0001. of income tax for the year 1857-58. The gift for
1858 59 would be 9,120,0001., and it was on the score of that
liberality in respect of 1858-59 that the right honourable
gentleman would now be called to account. (Hear,
hear) The right honourable gentleman proposed to remit
half the ninepenny income tax for the present year, and the
whole ninepence in the next year, but in fact deducting
*
1,460,000/. on account of tea and sneer, he would really only
remit 3,184,000/. The total amount of remission which they
would therefore enjoy under the plan of the Government
would be 7,654,0001., and the total amount of remission it
invited this house to enact, and which would take effect partly
in this year and partly in the next, would be 7,2 !4,0001. ; but
the total remission to be enjoyed in 1857-58 was 3,184,0001.
Under these circumstances he (Mr. Gladstone) thought he was
justified in the statements he had made, that a most exten-
sive misapprehension of the facts had gone abroad throughout
the country. If it were true that we were about to surrender
9,000,0001. of income tax, and if it were also true that while
they made this surrender for their own benefit, they were
going to keep their hands off from the tea and sugar of the
poor, he ventured to say the opposition to the budget of the
Government would have been of a very light and airy charac-
ter. (Hear.) But he would not admit the surplus of 900,0001,,
whieh had been referred to by his right hon. friend, when
he recollected that they had two wars proceeding in the East,
and that the right hon. gentleman (the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer) had not yet called upon the house to vote, nor told
them what they would have to vote to the extent of one farthing
for the China war either in 1857 or 1858, while in respect to the
Persian war his right hon. friend confined himself to the con-
venient course of keeping, at least, a year in arrear of the
charge. (Hear.) If the House if Commons had any regard
for its constitutional duties it would never allow the Persian
war to be conducted en such a principle. (Hear.) He, for
one, gave notice that he did not understand it to bo his func-
tion, as a representative of the English people, to come there
and allow wars to be begun and carried on by the Govern
ment while the discussion of such wars was to be escaped by
them—(hear)--and no estimate of their charge was to be sub-
mitted until they were brought to a close. (Hear, hear.) But
if hon members were not to conform to such an estimate of
their duties, it was plain they would have to invite or to
urge, or, if that had not the required effect, to endeavour to
coerce the Government into submitting an estimate of the
probable charges of the Persian war, so that they might exa-
mine them before the fact, and not after it. That being the
case, so far from thinking that 900,0001. surplus was a sum
immodest for the right hon. gentleman to ask, he (Mr. Glad-
stone) thought it was an extremely narrow sum for the pur-
pose ; but he could not regard it as a surplus bona fide fa-
vourable. Ho saw plainly they had two wars going on, and
that it was incumbent on them to assume the whole charge
of one and the half of the other. He, therefore, contended
that 11,930,000/. of taxes were not repealed, that 9,000,0001.
income tax were not remitted by the proposals of the right
hon. gentleman—(hear)—and that a surplus of 900,0001. did
not remain under them. So much for the description of the
budget of the Government, and of the remissions it proposed
to effect. The right hon. gentleman the member for Buck-
inghamshire spoke of the difficulties attendant upon pro-
spective finance, and no doubt they were serious. With
regard, however, to his (lir. Gladstone's) plan of 1853,
ho felt it was justified and required by the circumstances
under which it was proposed. At any rate, as it was
peopoeed by tho Government and accepted by Parlia-
ment ; and especially as -it was accepted by the very Par-
liament in which they were now discussing the budget
of 1857 it was a great deal too late td say they had no means
of estimating the expenditure of the future. His right hon.
friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer was not in the Parlia-
ment of 1853, and probably in his remarks he did not consi-
der the severity of the censure he wits bestowing upon hid
colleagues ; he did not recollect that in 1853 the Government
did pretend to form an estimate of the revenue of future
years. (Hear, hear.) What they ought to do was to inquire
whether the proceedings of the Government were reasonable;
and if reasonable, they were bound to abide by them, or to
show why and how far they were justified in departing from
them. One word with regard to what followed the proceed.
ings of 1853. Had he (Mr. Gladstone) been capable, for the
sake of some temporary advantage, of coming down to the
house and making demands at the cost of future years, he
should have been the veriest charlatan and the basest swindler
who ever stood at the table, for ho thought there was no
mere solemn obligation than that under which a Finance
Minister stood to the people of England. (Hear, hear.) So
far as experience had thrown a light upon his plans, there was
every reason to believe that the expectations held out weal('
have been more than realised. In April, 1853,-a probable
surplus over the expenditure was shown, amounting to about
500,000/., and at the close of that year there was a surplus
of 3.000,0001. In contemplatieg the expenditure of 1854 lie
(Mr Gladstone) was able eJ say that had it not been for the
war the Government. v;ould have confidently calculated upon
a surplus of nearly 2,000,000/. ; and he had no reason to
doubt, as far 2 4 the ordinary circumstances of tho country
would have iefluenced the revenue and ext_euditure, that
the expectations held out would have been fully realised.
(Hear, bear.) The duty of tho house was to inqu,ro can-
didly and dispassionately into the intervening circumstances
—as to the amount of difficulty which they had laid upon
the Government—and then to consider whether that dim-
culty was or was not sufficient to absolve them from the
pledge they had given to the people of England. ( `lsar,
hear.) He contended that the circumstances which bad inter-
vened would not suffice to absolve them from their pledges.
(Hear, bear.) His right hon. friend stated an item, as it ap-
peared to him (Mr. Gladstone), rather inaccurately; for ho
said they had not only incurred a new charge for debt, but
had likewise abandoned a good deal of revenue since 1853.
The right hou, gentleman gave the sum of 760,0001. taxation
abandoned since that year, which he afterwards, on sugges-
tion, reduced to 475,0001., but still contended they were
worsened since 1853, not only by the debt created, but by
475,0001. permanent debt. He must say that ho reversed
the statement of his right hon. friend, who appeared altogee
Meer to have forgotten the spirit dues, (Hear, hear.) The
right bon. gentleman himself told them the spirit dues brought
in 1,500,0001. a-year. Out of that sum 460,0001. was levied
i i 1853, and the consequence was that 1,640,0001. of new re•
venue had been created since, Therefore, deducting the sum
abandoned, he found au absolute balance in excess of the
permanent revenue impbsed, since 1853, of about 600,0001.
a-year, and that applied to the additional charge left the
real increase of the permanent burden at 650,0001. a-year.
That alteration was brought about since 1853, and it repre-
sented what might he called the permanent financial loss of
the country in conseauence of taxing and borrowing in con-
nection with the war. •He thought it must be plain to the
house that it was not an item of such magnitude as woull en-
able them to escape from the promises they had given and
the expectations they had held out to the people in 1853,
and by which promises and expectations they had raised their
own political credit and prosperity at the moment, and like-
wise added to the stability of tho finances of the country
during the war. (Hear, hear.) As the person upon whom,
more than upon any other, the weight of the promises given
in that year might Os said to rest, he (Mr. Gladstone) must
say that the charges incurred did not, in his opinion, absolve
him in honour or in conscience from the duty of straining
every nerve still to maintain these promises, and fulfil them to
the satisfaction of the people: He now came to the question
eminected with the essential merits of the budget.
In his opinion there were in the buget four fatal
flaws—flaws and faults which he felt bound to say
nothing could induce him to tolerate. That objection was
based upon the existing expenditure. He subscribed to what
had been said by the sight hon. gentleman the member .for
Buckinghamshire on the subject of our military expenditure.
He deprecated any rash proceeding—may wholesale proceed-
ings—but he agreed with the right hon. gentleman in ex-
pressing a conviction that much reduction could be effected
safely and prudently, and yet tho establishments remain in a
state of perfect efficiency. The right hon. gentleman had,
however, expressed his opinion so fully that he had no de-
sire to add to what he said. In tine royal speech, delivered
on the 3d of February, Parliamentwas assured that the esti-
mates were framed with a duo regard to economy. His opi-
nion of estimates was, that they ought to be drawn accord-
ing.to the judgment and conscience of the Government, and
not according to any pressure or inconvenience which, from
political circumstances, they might anticipate. He took this
the earliest opportunity of saying that when it was proposed
the Speaker should leave the chair to go into committee of
supply, it was his intention to propose a motion to- this pur-
pose ; that in order to secure to the country that relief from
taxation which it was justified in expecting, it would be ne-
cessary, in t'ne judgment of the house, to revise, and farther
to reduce, the expenditure of the country. He claimed no
authority in matter, of finance, but he claimed such atten-
tion as an earnest ap dication of his mind and a conscientious
judgment
says
pe
e that
a.tf
bteluipon this subject could entitle him to. Ho must
withpolitical had never known a time when the financial pro-
spects
time wh.icpelo.eusteltnryteawfeorre so mixed up as they then were
Niel affairs and pledges of the Admiuistration—nor
culties. In his opinion it such
ad
and expenditu choensaid emraotaito nasrodumoauanytdasiffik:
during the next five years,re
aware of the mode w
to preserve the balance between
araekvee(l,ue
and
of the House of Commons, he
ex-
penditure had been growing e Hethe would
would rate at which our
any details, On a future occasion it
so, and to consider whether theedi-
hisn t d
hu ta
dy tof
udl
o.
t
filiod its special obligations of controlling coenrnonn
le n
rho ow enter into
ture of the country, and of checking the House of xl3erl
when it showed an undue disposition to expenditure,om moHnes
would, however, call their attention to a few facts. From
1842 to 1853, iu these 12 years—which were years of in-
proyement and social development—such was the expendi-
ture of the country, that there was no increase--at least ae
increase of a sum very trivial. In 1853 the expendite• ---- I
anapahses:jediele-"vve7tL7l
greaterim3
whicht h an
was i n 18
n42otbya
n only
inactive 2 34, 00
yearo/. , ;
the
. 'expenditure was
less than in 1842. Since 1842 a chani:::, had
spirit of our dream—a change in 4...ne temper of the Govern-
) nent—in the temper of the ‘lepartments—in the temper of
the House of Comma!: and of the country. Do not let
them seek to shift :lee blame from their own shoulders. He
believed it was the natural and the necessary result of war,
If they were governed by pure reason, no doubt the argu-
ment would be that when a larger expenditure than usual
was needed for the purposes of war, they ought to be more
economical in other respects. Bht instead of this, practi-
cally the case was just the reverse. In time of war, we
cofntracted the habits of extravagance. (Hear, hoar.) War
complain, ire tied reckless expenditure,
diture— It was useless to
pen for it was in vain to attempt to control this ex-
-nothing worth naming could be done. But not
Only the -„,,..„,,,_ , .
out the civil expenditure of the country was In-
creased ..._the te
In-
to ee raper of the House of
themComons was infected
tali: latter
dr_ety
as
sotxeipnweanid i ture, and they saw result from 1842
year they discharged their first
t'coloa.lt
-54!:Withstanainto the people of England, aud showed
penditure was not g
what h the increase of
greaterash than in populationlB4
2i l 2
yearn rho
bexe:
;yienaral2froymearisstrhe
them, was the case noW / Look
afotrtelie But, what
f0re18.6!71, as compared with the expen-
/
Llit ethoef lfoBnsr3
7,000,0001. To be sure
the expenses of collecting something
row included; but still, aft growth was only 234,000/.
3.600,0001.° •
er makine this there was an increase of 6,000,000/. 1,
80.2 to 181 g.
es,7me ieutuset. was
hv
ten
ho
ill
aehisds
were
thanefroer
deduction,ri ei m an e
t
sethisethe military
expenses of the country ;
estimates, 1,750,0001. civil service, and about 750,00011 for
the additional charges of the public debt. Now
thatdefra WYja.nsg, he submitted, a state of things calculated to •
rise tc' the most serious reflections. He believed this stag°
ment would bo new to the country; the public mind had not
yet realised the fact to itself. Without speaking of the addition
of expemliture by war, there was an enormously increased ex-
emelt= in, the Jast four years. Were they prepared to dil3-