The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-27 00:00:00

~~~

__--~
_J

-

it will injure them, they must help themselves or
to ruin.

Some of the electors of the City of Loudon, it appoars,
have called a public meeting for this evening, to take into
consideration the propriety of demanding the resignation
of Lord JOHN RUSSELL, as Member for the City, on the
ground that he is doing injury to commerce, by the fac-
tious opposition he offers to the measures of Sir ROBERT
PEEL. Persons styling themselves London merchants
write to the Tory papers to enforce this view, and affirm
that the delay has already caused much disorder and
embarrassment to trade.

We admit the disorder, the embarrassment, and the
delay. Are they caused by Lord JOHN RUSSELL ?
We answer positively no. The embarrassment is
caused by Sir ROBERT PEEL. He announced, six
weeks ago, on the 11th of March, that he meant
to make an immense number of alterations, some
trifling, and some of great importance, in the Customs
duties, and he has not yet thought proper to move a
single resolution by which those alterations can be car-
ried into effect. He might, on the next Wednesday or
next Friday, have proceeded to move resolutions in
order to establish the new Customs duties, and relieve
trade from the embarrassment he caused by his announce-
ment; but he chose to introduce an obnoxious, unjust.
and inquisitorial Income-tax, with which he has occupied
the House of Commons from that time to this. With
that course of proceeding Lord JOHN RUSSELL had no-
thing whatever to do; it was entirely Sir ROBERT PEEL'S
own choice, and he is responsible to the people, not only
of London, but of the empire, for the embarrassment of
trade which has ensued.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL is Chargeable, we admit, with
having opposed the Income-tax Resolutions and the
Income-tax Bill. His conduct is justified, for he was
bound to resist an obnoxious impost, which, he says, is
alike unjust and unnecessary. Was he, or were
the Members of the House of Commons, to pass that
tax by acclamation, in order to enable Sir ROBERT PEEL
to settle the Customs duties which he had unneces-
sarily and prematurely cast adrift ? It is unrea-
sonable to expect it, and the blame of the embarrass-
ment belongs to Sir ROBERT PEEL for unsettling the
Customs duties ; the blame of the delay also belongs
to him for taking up an obnoxious tax bill, and occupy-
ing himself and the Parliament with that, instead of at,
once passing the Tariff.

We believe that we are hardly justified in treating this
meeting and this demand otherwise than as a Tory
trick ; but supposing it real, and bona fide as the
Tories assert, it places the citizens of London
iu a despicable light in relation to the liber-
les of the country and to the rest of the empire.
They are willing and anxious to impose an obnoxious
impost on the whole community, that. they may get rid:.
of the temporary embarrassment caused by Sir R. PEEL.
Their conduct is extremely selfish and unpatriotic. They
disregard the interests of the community, and are willing
to sacrifice all liberty, even frowhing on those who op-
pose headlong oppression, in order to gain a few pounds.
Such conduct is worthy of the character they have of
late acquired. Gentlemen who make forced sales of their
Creditors' goods—gentlemen who make fortunate pur-
chases of bankrupts' property a few weeks before the
bankrupts stop—London correspondents of bankrupt
!!ountry bankers, who- lose nothing by the bankruptcy
that ruins and injures every other parson who has deal-
ings with the bankrupt, are proper persons to demand
that Lord Jour; Itussta.t. should resign his seat because
he has resisted the progress of the Income-tax. They
Are acting in their selfish vocation. From such men,
'alter only to gather a little more gold on any terms,
Av. naturally expect profound submission to PEEL, and
hatred to all those who contend for the freedom and
would promote the independence of the people. Are
such the men who are moving in the City to unseat Lord
JOHN RUSSELL ?