The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-15 00:00:00

qtg :.S Ant

LONDON
FRIDAY MORNING. APRIL 15, 1542.

We see with satisfaction that the House of Com-
mons last night ratified Mr. T. DUNCOMBE'S resolu-
tion, that petitions should be received against an im-
pending tax. It was, however brought forward by
Lord F. EGERTON, who bound it up with some other
things, that his friends the Ministers might not
actually seem to adopt the very resolution on Thurs-
day which they had opposed on Monday. They did
so, however. As Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said, the Noble
Lord let his friends down tm the bare ground.

It was perhaps to be .expected that Lord JOHN
RUSSELL, who has been a Minister, and may be one
again, should support the practice of not discussing
petitions, but it is not on that account the more
pleasing to us to find him and Lord HowicK taking
what we regard as the Tory side. The Noble Lords
dread lest the House of Commons should be too much
occupied with the petitions of the people, and not have
time enough to make laws. In the case of the
tariff, for example, Lord JOHN supposed that
diEcussing petitions might 1_ e very inconvenient, but
it seems to us that it would be very just. The tariff
has been brought forward without any communication
with the parties concerned. It inflicts serious injury
on several trades, and if those who carry them on
cannot have their petitions discussed, how can the
House of Commons as a body become acquainted with
their claims ? Will all the Members read their petitions
They will not ; and to abstain from discussing those
petitions before the House agrees to the tariff, is to

legislate in ignorance. But that is commonly donr.,
and legislators like to do it. They think that their
knowledge is all-sufficient, and they are apt to treat
with contempt the representations of those whom they
are about, by their laws, to injure. We regret to see
Lord JOHN RUSSELL taking such a decided
part in favour of the modern practice of stifling
discussion on petitions, and beg leave to tell him that
such a course will not restore him to that public fa-
vour, which we regret to say he has lost. Sir Ro-
BERT PEEL has lately set him the example of earn-

ing popularity, and though we would pot recommend
Lord JoHN RUSSELL to imitate the cunning and de-
ceit of Sir ROBERT PEEL, he may learn from Sir
ROBERT'S success the value of that popularity which
Lord JOHN RUSSELL seems habitually to despise.

It seems that neither the deficiency of the revenue,
the disasters in Caubul, nor the desire to improve
trade, nor all these combined, are the sufficient mo-
tive in Sir ROBERT PEEL'S mind for imposing t n
income tax on the people. He has some knowlelge,
it is hinted, of vast impending difficulties for which
the income tax is to provide. From some prophetic
skill for which modern statesmen have been in general
so little renowned, that they have not been able
to foresee or foretell the consequences of their
own conduct, he has ascertained what will be the
condition of things in future, and to meet it nothing
less than an income tax, the rate of which, when its
machinery is in operation, can be increased at any
given moment, from 3 to 20 per cent., will suffice.
He sees much further, we are told, than the multi-
tude, and his income tax is to meet some great event
which nobody but himself yet dreams of. The Times,
in a leader from which we have made a short extract,
states, that the arguments used by Sir R. PEEL do
not carry anything like a conviction to its mind that
the emergency is sufficient to warrant the obnoxi-
ous remedy which he has resorted to. Our
Contemporary, therefore, pleads for confidence,
in the man " the people have chosen to be Prime Mi-
nister," and claims credit for him that he is only car-
rying out, with that secrecy which becomes a Con-
servative Government, the precautionary measures
which coming events demand. From his own friends
and partizans the Minister keeps the grounds of his
conduct secret, and requires them—and requires the
nation—with a true devotion and implicit faith, to
surrender their judgment and understanding to his
will.

Another Tory Journal, more perhaps in Sir Ro-
BERT'S confidence than the Times, and which was once
supposed to receive its inspirations from Mr. CROX ER,
informs us that the event for which Sir ROBERT
PEEL is providing is an approaching war. The al-
lusions of our Morning Contemporary confirm, if
they be not borrowed from, the statements of the
John Bull. We have announced in The Sun that
Louts PHILIPPE labours under a disease, which, at
his time of life, is rarely cured ; and it is, according
to the Sunday organ of the Tories, to bo ready for
the consequences of his death, as they are painfully
depicted to the vision of the Seer at the head of
affairs, that the people must at once submit to an in-
come tax.
At Louis PHILIPPE'S death a revolution is antici-
pated in France, and our Tory Government, in con-
junction with the despots of Europe, who are all, it
is said, preparing for war, is to employ the force of
England in another crusade against the development
of liberty in France. Such is the version given by
the John Bull of the origin of the income tax,
which throws some light on the elaborate peroration
of the Premier on propounding his budget. The first
French Revolution and the apprehensions of a third, we
must now believe were present to his mind, when he ap-

///
pealed to the patriotism of the Tories, formerly cd
life and fortune men, and conjured them by conse
ing to pay 7d. per pound out of their incomes, to sh
themselves worthy of their sires. For them to c
up at once is to awe in time revolutionary File•_
and maintain "that reputation " which "repels
tile aggression and secures extended empire."
• This conjecture receives some confirmation fr,
the Corn-law and the budget of the Right II /
Baronet. It is to be presumed from the an:
feelings which prevail in the United States and (
Colonies bordering on them, that in case of a v
with republican France, England would find t
United States take advantage of that circumstance I
settle the Boundary Question, and some other qu •
tions according to their own wishes.

In case of a war with France and America,
should find our supplies of timber, from our No.
American colonies, then more than ever need
partially intercepted. We c:ould not, in that case„
any of those supplies of grai n from the vast valet,
the Mississippi, which some fi )olish men, called phi
sophers, have supposed mighl serve to cement t io
two nations in peace by an in terest as strong as tl t
which preserves unfailing ham aony between Scotia
and England. Foreseeing the circumstances, it
R. PEEL encourages, by a Corn-keeping-out-law, t
growth, especially of wheat, tin t grain, or fou-,V,
almost the only food brought froti the Uniteci:States
and provides by an alteration of the timber duties fora
e:tensive supply of timber from the north of Eurol
wiith that
.part of the world we shall probably
allied againsi. France, and our supply from then
could not easily be intercepted by the Americans.

So the aerationsin the duties on cattle whi
may be bro& from the neighbouring Continen
and on meat and potatoes, all seem calculated to pr s
of food to help out t
cure some additional supplit;
scanty pittance to which a Cots.t;-law would doom o,
increasing people, rigidly denied the advantages
participating in the fruits of the rllch fields of;'i
West. If it be not time that Sir Ron.snT PEEL
preparing for war, as the John ,pull announces, h
commercial policy will of least tend to separate II
interests of this country froo those of the Unit,
States, somewhat concerned both in timber anei
corn-trade, and tend to isolate the two -
which is the glory of politicians.. '
We do not vouch for these conjectures, but
certain that Louis PHILIPPE cannot live long—near!;
certain that at his death the system which he hzet
established, which depends almost entirely (
him, must fall to pieces ; and it is a plain matt, 0
of fact, that for many years the fate of England h $
been closely bound up with the fate of Franc 2
The first French Revolution fatally arrested the Fr
gress of reform and political liberty in England. TL
Revolution of 1830 accelerated the destruction' of th r,
Tory Ministry, and promoted the Reform of th
House of Commons. In like manner, the subsequeuz4.
success of Louis PHILIPPE .in putting down tht.,
nascent liberties of France, alas emboldened Sir
1 ROBERT PEEL to pursue an arbi'tary course, and in-
troduce his income tax. If he succeed, it will to,
mainly owing to the previous success of kindre 1
tyranny abroad. He is but imitati.ng the tyrants ce
the Continent, who seek rather to mare their subject-‘-
' obey, than to convince them of the utility of the Go.
vernment measures.

Looking at the obvious assimilation which is now,
taking place in all the Governments of Europe, which.
)orrow the institutions of one another, there can be;
little doubt, were another revolution in a democratic:
spirit to take place in France, during the possession c
power by the Tories, that England would again unite
herself with the aristocratic and despotic Govern-
ments of Europe to arrest its progress. We have est!
authority of the Tory John Bull for warning th e
people of England that an income tar is to be im-
posed on them in order to enable the Government,
iu
conjunction with the Powers of Europe, to put don-
the democratic revolution, which the Tories anticipate.
on the death of Louis PturAPPE. We no long( r
wonder at Sir Ronrarr PEEL not laying before th_.
public his full reasons for proposing an income tax.
It might have marred the cunning :Premier's succes:
with the Chartists and the working classes, had he in..
timated in his speech that he wanted the income tax,
he asked then by no covert means to support, in orala
to crush freedom and republicanism abroad. ,

We understand that Sir James Carnegy, who eam.
forward as a candidate for the Montrose district
burghs, has withdrawn in favour of Mr. Hume, and that
tills long tried and consistent Reformer will most likely
take his place in the House on Monday night as t:
Member for Montrose,