The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-30 00:00:00

LONDON?
SATURDAY MORNING. APRIL 30, 1842.

The discussion i❑ the house of Lords last •night con-
cerning the appointment of Magistrates, is quite a jewel.
It reflects all the virtues of our partisan legislative Judge;
and Government in the most brilliant light. It is a
matter of history that from the long period the Go •
Yernment had been in possession of the Tories prior to
1830, the bulk of the Magistrates, as well as of all the
officers under the Government, were Tories. No man,
before 1830, could get any appointment who was not a
Tory. When the Whigs came into office, and during
the time they were in office, they acted avowedly on the
same principle, and, as the rule, placed their own friends
and partisans on the Bench, as well as in all public
offices. Now, again, the Tories are in office, and they
are again having recourse to their old practices.
Last night the Marquis of NORMANBY presented a
petition from Gateshead, complaining of the late addi-
tions made to the Magistracy in that borough, and
referred to several other instances in which similar• addi-
tions of Tory Magistrates had been made. The LORD
CHANCELLOR defended the appointments, on the ground
that the Tories only followed the example of the Whigs,
but did not go nearly so far. Between both parties it
comes to this—that the Bench is jobbed, and men
appointed to administer the laws, and do justice to the
people, not because they are fit for the high office, but
because they are Whigs, or because they are Tories.
Well might Lord Rumen, with that honest indigna-
tion which he s 9 well knows how to express, say Of
such conduct, and say particularly of the LORD
CHANCELLOR'S defence of it, that it excited his disgust.
He stigmatised it; - too, as unconstitutional ; and he told
the Loan Clia-c.3,1,0rt, if he believed what he had said
of the Whigs, and thought bar could substantiate his
charge, he ought to get some of his friends i❑ the Houst
of Commons to impeach the lute Ministers. Such eli-
mination and recrimination let in a flood of light on the
purity of statesmen, not one of whom, whatever may be his
professions, cares for the people, but all of whom study
'their party interest, even in appointing Magistrates to
administer justice to the people. The practice dis-
cussed last night is bad enough, but it is infinitely
worse, as Lord RAnxou observed, to have it defended
by the LORD Q.HANCELLOR.

he House nf Commons debated last night for a con-
siderable time-Mr. ROEBUCK'S proposition to reduce th,
duty on professional and trade income, from 7d. per
IL, to 31d. The lion. Member's motion was lost by It
majority of 146. Mr. GOULDURN'S chief argument
against the proposition was, that all taxation was un-
equal, that is unjust, and he would not, therefore, lessen
the injustice of the Income-tax. lie wishes to per-
petrate as much wrong by taxation as possi-
ble. He also urged that some incomes derived from
trade, such as those of established banking-houses, were
as secure as those of landed property, and that it would
only be adding to the injustice to exempt such incomes
from the full weight of the tax. Mr. GouLatmies
statement proves that the measure is more anomalous
and mischievous than was at first supposed, and no
doubt the more the discussion is continued the more
enormous will the anomalies appear.
Mr. GOULBURN'S argument is as anomalous as the
Bill. Because, said the Hon. Gentleman in substance,
some bankers have an old hereditary business, which is
almost equal to landed property, 1 will tax all profes-
sional and trade incomes at the same rate as the safe
and certain incomes derived from an estate, or from an
hereditary banking-house. While such a spirit presides
at the Treasury, it is in vain to expect any modification
of the Income-tax Bill, and it will probably be for the
advantage of the public to allow the Bill to pass unim-
proved. It will be the sooner kicked oft'. Were pro-
fessional men and traders spared, that would give them a
strong motive for adhering to the Income-tax : if it be
unmitigated, all classes will combine, we hope, to resist
and defeat it.

Among the Bills which received the Royal Assent
yesterday, was the Corn-keeping-out, or, in Parliamen-
tary language, the Corn Importation Bill. That mea -
sure, which goes to inflict poverty, hunger, and starva-
tion on the people, is now the law of the land, and, like
other such bad laws, will be obeyed, however much it
may be execrated through the length and breadth of the
land. Though less wrongful than the law it abolished,
which all parties at length admitted to be unjust, it is an
unjust law, and all the decrees of all the Parliaments
that ever existed, cannot alter its character.

At this moment, the people are riotous in severe