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Leader (1850-1860), 18th December 1852, Edition Country of 2, Page 1

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    • Jto nf-ik IP«fc
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      v I OfD " W cy ^ " ©^^ V V ~ V X' -V ?

      • ¦ " The One Idea Which History Exhibit...

      • ¦ " The one Idea which History exhibits as evermore developing itself into greater distinctness is the Idea of Humanity—the noble endeavour to throw down all the barriers erected between men by prejudice and one-sided views ; and by setting aside the distinctions of Religion , , Country , and Colour , to treat the whole Human race as one brotherhood , " having one great object—the free development of our spiritual nature . "—Hwmboldt ' s Cosmos .

      Contents:

      Contents :

      News Of The Week— Miscellaneous 1204 Oar...

      NEWS OF THE WEEK— Miscellaneous 1204 Oar French Cook in the Foreign PORTFOLIO— _ PAQB Health ofLondon during the Week 1215 Office 1208 Passages from a Boy ' s Epic 1 ^ 1 * The Parliament of the Week 1198 Births , Marriages , and Deaths 1205 TheBudget .-2 ffo . il 1209 Joy and Despondency TheFrail-Beresford Committee ... 1201 . ; 1 on _ Beef as a Theological Influence ... 1210 THE ARTSAati-Budcet Meetings 1201 POSTSCRIPT 120 a The Duty of the Lords 1210 The Miseries of a Dramatic Critic 1215 Tje Kan / War ^ ., 1 . 02 pUBL | C AFFA , _ OPEN COUNCIL- f ^ tTS ^^^ t . 3 f The Burmese War 1202 _ The Case of Mr . Kirwan 1210 Zoological Society 1216 Cuba and the United States 1202 The National Prosperity and the The Stafford-House Ladies 1210 Little Toddlekins ! 121 « Letters from Paris 1202 Working-Man 1206 Edith Heraud ' s Debut 1216 Continental Notes 1203 Spain T 1206 LITERATURE— Winter Exhibition of Sketches 1216 American Gossip ..... 1203 The Budget and Beer 1207 St . John ' s Isis ... ¦•¦••• 1212 COMMERCIAL AFFAIRSThe Gold Fields 3204 Kirwan ' s Case— Circumstantial Evi- . Mr . Commissioner Phillips as Stu- ,, , Paa W ;« rn « , ts *<• 1217 1220 ^^ Interdicted at Eotherham 1204 , deuce and Capital Punishment ... 1207 dent and Judge 1213 Markets , Adyertisements ^ l 217 ^ 122 O

      .. Ii ¦ ¦ ¦! ¦ , ¦' ¦ " ' ' ¦¦¦ ¦ ¦ I, —...

      .. ii ¦ ¦ ¦! ¦ , ¦ ' ¦ " ' ' ¦¦¦ ¦ ¦ I , — , ¦ ¦ ¦ ' ¦ ¦ ' ¦ ' ¦¦ —— - i . ¦ i ¦ ^^~ " *~ —_ — , ¦ _——^————^— — VOL . III . No . 143 . ] SATUEDAY , DECEMBEB 18 , 1852 . [ Price Sixpence .

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      Throughout The Week The Ministerial Part...

      Throughout the week the Ministerial party has been agitated by the fear of its own dissolution ; for that has really been in question , although the public did not concern itself much about the matter . The Ministers have effectually used up the Protectionist party , which must cease ^ when they cease . The Budget , with which Mr . Disraeli was to astonish the world , and to reconcile town and country , has caused nothing but displeasure by its innovations ; and the conduct of Government in the debate has exhibited an absence of

      self-reliance which lowered it more and more in general estimation . Just before the recent debate on Free-trade , Lord Derby declared that he should stand or fall by the financial policy of Mr . Disraeli ; early in the present debate , Mr . Disraeli announced that he should stand by the Budget as a whole , reserving to himself the right of

      accepting modifications in detail ; later in the discussion , he agreed with the leaders of the Opposition to take only one vote before Christmas , technically on the commencement of the resolutions , but virtually on " the vital principle" of the Budget , which he described as being the extension of indirect taxes in lieu of taxes on

      consum ption ; btxt last night he again shifted his ground , saying that Members who voted for Govern ment would only vote " materials for a bill , " without reference to the details . The distinction was practically this : At first Lord Derby said—Accept ° » r financial policy , or we resign ; secondly , Mr . Disraeli said—Accept our policy as a whole , with

      'Sentiments ' , if you like ; thirdly , he said—Sanction *» c vital principle of our measure , and in com"Httec apply it how you like ; fourthly , he abandoned the issue on jmnciple , and entreated merely * ° r leave to bring in a bill , with an intimation that tllc Opposition itself might frame the bill in committee .

      hi the course of the debate , two grand facts < -ani (! out , fatal in their character . The first fact ) V 11 S . that the Budget was worthless or mischievous 111 'ill that distinguished it from any annual Budget ° f an y Chancellor of the Kxchapsr . Minor l )() i "tN , such as the remission of the Light-duties , M ( re recognised us meritorious , but obvious and n concessions to justice . The chief exception to ins ure was the remission of Tea-duties , which lni also have been in any Budget . »* ' *< tlu > "wtinctivo features of the present Budget , the vc-[ Counthy Emtion . ]

      mission of half the Malt-tax and . half the Hoptax , the doubling and extension of the Houseduty , the extension and peculiar alteration of the Income-tax , and the appropriation of the Loan Fund as annual revenue , underwent a damaging exposure at the hands of successive speakers . Mr . Gladstone , Sir Charles Wood , Mr . Cobden , Mr . Lowe , Sir James Graham , and many others , brought proof after proof that the remission of the Malt-duty would benefit nobody but the brewers ; that half the Hop-duty would be a ridiculous object for retaining a system of assessment peculiarly silly and mischievous ; that the extension of the House-tax and Income-tax would create hardships

      for very numerous classes of the people ,- ^ -a gratuitous infliction , since it was rendered necessary only by- the deficiency wantonly created in the Malt-tax ; and finally , that in appropriating a Loan-fund as revenue , the Chancellor of the Exchequer had violated the commonest principles of public credit . It was not once in any single masterly speech that these facts were made out , or the effect would have been less , for logic has

      no peremptory hold over the public mind . But the facts were broug ht home to men ' s bosoms and businesses by the representatives of their own class . Out of doors , the apathetic public was gradually rousing itself to look after its threatened pocket . It is said of the Englishman , that of all his viscera , the pocket is the most sensitive ; and that the Englishman should be slow to resent the imposition of new taxes , shows the degree of lethargy to which we have attained : especially when there was no occasion for the new taxes . The fact is ,

      that the mere name of remission is so popular , that the unguarded public was at first inclined to give Mr . Disraeli credit for having done something to cheapen beer . But the discussion has effectually corrected that fallacy . The public at last admitted to itself , that if Mr . Disraeli were suffered to go on , we should be called upon to pay twice our House-duty , and more of us would be called upon to pay House and Income-duty , without the slightest necessity or the slightest return . At last the public began to move , not very hurriedly , -it must be confessed , but enough to show honourable Members that they would be

      expected to resume the almost forgotten duty of guarding the public purse . The metropolitan districts , Liverpool , Manchester , ami many country places in England and Scotland : Dublin , too , and Ireland generally , pronounced , or prepared to do so . Within Parliament , the demeanour of the

      Opposition became more resolute . To independent Members , who had given way to a morbid squeamishness which they took for " impartiality " or " candour , " the expression of public opinion acted as a tonic , and the Minister ' s blandishments lost their effect . Mr . Disraeli ' s position was additionally weakened by the other disclosure of the debate , —less certain , but not less important than the worthlessness of his Budget , —that his colleagues were not

      really with him . Evidently they had put him up as a clever fellow , on the strength of his own assurances that he could bring them off with credit ; but their manner betrayed more than an ordinary " split" in the Cabinet . In spite of studied assurances from the more courteous and humane , it was evident that bis important colleagues neither trusted him , nor respected him , nor desired to stand by him if he should fall . The effect on disinterested observers was twofold ;

      Mr . Disraeli ' s prestige was seriously damaged ; but towards more aristocratic statesmen , who could use an instrument which they despised , and which they were preparing to disclaim even while they used it , the feeling excited was that of hearty contempt . * The most mortal coil must be shulfled off at last ; and the fox of Protectionist Free-trade was brought to the end of bis doublings on Thursday night . He made one of his most masterly speeches , in which , through all its polished finish , the inward bitterness burst forth with volcanic

      fire , in the fierce avowal that he was not a " born Chancellor of the Exchequer , " but " one of the Parliamentary rabble . " His speech was powerful ; but Mr . Gladstone followed ; and in the division , Ministers were beaten by a majority of 1 J ) . Mr . Walpole had sustained one of his disasters . On the Wednesday of last week be assented to the suggestion of Mr . Serjeant Slice , that Mr . Shnrman Crawford ' s bill of Tenant Right should he

      sent to the Select Committee on the Government bills ; but this week Ministers repudiate the arrangement . The occurrence is scarcely worth note , excepting i » so fur as it exposed the indiscipline in the Cabinet , and the very slight disposition amongst Ministers to show a respectful attention to the real representatives of Ireland . The report of the committee on the Derby election cast its damaging shadow on Ministers ; not diminished by Major Beresford ' s revival of his vulgarly idle asseveration that it is all a " vile conspiracy . " He , a Minister , is virtually convicted .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 18, 1852, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_18121852/page/1/