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    MR. GLADSTONE'S KESTftJCTIOTS ON Tit AD E.

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    W E have no sympathy . with Mr . Diskaeli s attempt to stop the discuis ' sion on the Budget . The impatient jmblic requires that the substance of this " bold and comprehensive measure" should be '' . thoroughly sifted , and cares nothing for points of order . It . feels ^ the . pressure of taxation , it sighs for the relief Mr . Gladstone pretends to give . If some classes are enraptured by his promises , others regard them as a mockery , and all desire ' that ¦ ¦ the in vestigafion should be swift and search - ing . The public is well a ware tliat relief , from . tnxnti'o-n'is identical with " reduction , and the lea dors of both , parties agreeing in a seale of expenditure Avhicli prohibits , rod uel ' i ' ou—which appropriates the saving by the falling in of annuities , for which the . public lias previously paid , and no \ y has : a rigiit . to-r-4 t despairs , we believe , of any real , relief from either , and looks for hob ) beyond both . ¦ . . "; _

    Mr . ' Gladstone ' s ingenuity .-surpasses his -sagacity ; it b :--wilders , Jjut fails to gniii confidonoc . The—various reductions ,-oi custevris' duties he proposes— £ 1 , 19 0 , 000 . under the treaty , anrl . € , 910 , 000 independent , of the- treaty , together £ 2 , 1 1 ) 0 , 000— - will give , he says , a . relief to the public to the exU'iit of £ .-3 , 771 , 000 . So he says that by his abolition of excise -duties and duties oil hops , lie sacrifices revenue to tin : amount of £ 990 . 000 , and gives tho public relief to the extent of Jb' 1 , 1 55 , 000 . One set of these figiuvs represents , facts , and tin : other set represents results ' . imagined hy Mr . Gl . ydstonk . ' The pecuniary relief mast lki . identical with the amount oi" ivdiielion of taxation , and can Uj neither more nor less .- Wiia . t Mr .

    G ladstonh is understood to m : an hy these mystifying-an . I contradictory statements is this . '' . Every abolition or reduction of taxation releases industry from restrictions im ]> c > s : td on it for the sake of so much revenue , Being released from these restrictions , it becomes . productive , in a much greater hut . unknown ratio than , win ; n it . was- restricted . The wcillh of the nation is increased . Of the increase , as well as of the whole , the Government continues to exact a share ; and its share !) i : iug proportionate to tho wliwlo , when the ( javbrhmciit rodiu-es taxation , it . never loses as much revenue tu the amount of taxation reduced , l ' u oth . ii- words , all taxation impedes jit some very great but unknown dcgivto the weakh of the nation , uuhv . than the revenue it actually yitslds to the Government . This is the real

    fact , rather hidden thnit explained by Mr . Gladstones contradictory figures . Rjs . true e (| u . illy of the new taxation he is to impose , of all the y « ut sum of-old Uix . uliou ! i ; j retains , as well as of that he is to ubolidl ) . All taxation injures the community in a greater degree than it yields revenue . () i \ , his showing , taxa * ( jon—shnpe it as he may—is the groat artHieial iinpndiinent-to national progress ; yet , instead of reducing it , ho propones to raise tho enormous ' amount of . t ; 7 0 , 5 ( 1 1 , 000 . lie ought not , therefore , to b ; i surprised that . his mystifying ingenuity has failed to obtain the confidence of the wine merchants ; the shipowners , the silk munulacturora , the publieims , the wholesale grocers , and of the other interests lio pretends lo beneiit .

    lie in . guniou . sly do fond a our « , s . p < mditiu \ j by comparing it with the . moroiiso of the nuiioiiiil wealth , Including legally authorised local as well us stutu expenditure , it , increased—according Lo Mr . Gladstone ' s figures—as follows ;— -r

    TotnlH » ponditur « in 3 K 42-JJ £ , 18 , 500 , 000 ] fto 2-ir 7 , l ( 12 : $ , () OO „ 1 H 59-00 « 7 , 0 i ) 7 , f , J 0 Q Tn the cloven yours which elapsed between 1813 and 18513 the expenditure ineronsed 4 } pop oont ., nnd in tho hIx . y Hiiro \ vhioh elapsed between 1853 nml 1851 ) , S ^ i- per cunt . . Hut this indlados tho National Debt , whioli lias no influmoo on wliut Mr .

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    schemes were only postponed , and by no means abandoned . In si letter to Lord Cowley , dated 16 th August , 1859 , Lord John Bussell observed , " Neither the safety nor the paramount interests of Austria are menaced by the choice of a new dynasty to rule over Tuscany , On the contrary , the restoration of the Grand Duke of Tuscany , or the Duke of Modena , by foreign forces , would be a return to that system of : foreign interference which for upwards of forty years has been the ^ misfortune of Italy and the daiiger of Europe . " These views were communicated to the Austrian Government ; and in a letter to Mr . Fane , at Vienna ( dated 24 th August , 1859 ) , Lord John- Russell thus alluded to the defects of the Zurich treaty : et The difficulties arising out of that treaty appear to Heii Majesty ' s Government so grave that they cannot well understand the slight attention they seem i& receive from the Governments of the two powerful empires of Austria arid France . Her Ma ., j estv ' s Goveinment do not understand -how they are to be got over . If , indeed , the idea of an Italian Confederation , were abandoned ; if the Emperor of Austria , being left to frame his future government of Venctia according to his own ideas , the inhabitants of Central Italy were left to pursue their happiness according to their own . conceptions , uninterfered with by any foreign power ; then , indeed , peace in Italy might be stable and permanent . " This is excellent , except the concluding sentence , which is unreasonable , as there can be no permanent peace in , Italy Avhile Austria holds an acre of it , and makes her evil government a constant source . of annoyance and alarm . ' When Mr . Fane read to Count . E-ECH ^ ekg a despatch from Lord . JoilN liussELL , containing the same words as those addressed to Lord Cowley , the Austrian Minister replied , " He could not conceive that it " was . -possible , in speaking of interests , to forget rights ; and Austria , possessed ru /' hUin rvnerxioii ' mboth the J ) u 6 liies of Tuscany and Modena "— " rights " which , he dc- . clared , Austria would riot ' renounce . ' . . This : subject is fnrtlieiv insisted upon in a despatch from-Count IIeqiiuerg to tlic Austrian Minister in London , and which was communicated to Lord John . 11 ussi : ll . In this Letter the Austrian Government denies the . non-intervention doctrine laid down by . the English Cabinet , and ¦" reserves to itself ,-with , regard to future , eventualities , its rights , and entire liberty of action . " , In September , ' Covint Kecilbeiio , alluding to an article in the Moiidcnr-, told Mr , F . Vne , " 1 like tlic adinissiou ol" fclio priaoiple that if the Archdukes are not restored , 'Austria ' . is freed from the engagements she has contracted , at Villafranca . One of . the especial conditions of the cession of Lonibardy was the restoration of the Archdukes ; and if it be not fiillillecl , we are not . bound to execute our part of the bargain . " In iurthrr elucidation of his nefarious schemes , this unprincipled-minister said that " Sardinia Avould hold Lonibardy da / r / c / o , and not dcjure ; that the possession of a . state on such terms wiio . neither secure nor satis-. factpry , and that the attitude-of Austria would , for the moment , be one of lranc | iiil ex-pectntion . " This is a distinct threat of war ' against , Sardinia the moment Austria has the courage to recommence aggression , and she . keyps an immense ' force in the Quadrilateral , and in Tenetia , ready to pounce upon Central Italyif any circumstance should lessen her wholesome fear of France . On the 8 th December , the English Government zignin attempted to obtain . from Austria somo promise of non-intervention in the duchies , and Count liiscnmcuG replied , "that the Austrian Government reserved to themselves complete liberty ' of action . " Ho added , " If Sardinia wore to occupy the duchies , Anstria would have an ecpial right of interference . " A few ' dnys later , Lord A . Lo ' -m'us spoke of the rights of the Italian people , and , in allusion- to U ' io declarations of Count JijccnB . icito , that the population . of the duchies wished the return of their fonner rulers , proposal to nppenl to thorn on the subject . Upon this the Count exclaimed , " that any Austrian ininistor wlrt ) would ngTce to such a proposal would deservo the ]) uuishment for high treason . " "Never , " said . his Excellency , " will an Emperor of Austria assent to a measure of this nature— -defeat , destruction even , is preferable to such au abandonment of priuoiple . " Ho ngnin refused to ngroe not to employ force for tho restoration of tho Dukes . Theso extracts provo to n demonstration tho bud faith of Austria in ceding Lombtircly . They show that she watches like a tiger for an opportunity of regiuiung her pi'ijy , and that with her , a most solemn treaty is no belter than . « Tknnvish truce . Tho t'loliborato falsehood of hor Government is also proved by Count Era oh hero ' s stiitements , when C [ nestioncd about tho enlistment curried on by General Mkykiiuoi'K'k , and recently explained in this journal , When Lord Lorrus first mentioned this , matter , on the 1 st December , the Count declared " lie knew nothing nbout it . " On tlm 13 'tl-i DooiMnber tho subjeot was ronewed , nml mot with a similar untruthful evasion . Thus it will bo scon that these . important documents acquaint us with the foot , that Austria is prepared to mako tho

    non" whether , it' the neutral Powers had taken part in the contest , and if thereby a general conflagration— -which would have been inevitable : —had ensued , he did not think that "far greater dangers would have menaced Austria , and that she might have coine . less advantageously out of the contest than- now had been the case ?" His Excellency replied , " Certainly not : we should never then have been obliged to sign this peace . " > . The hope of'Austria then lies in the benevolent project of setting'the world in flames ! The Pope is to blow the bellows , and wcsbali -be ' much astonished if the Impcr ' ici-1 and Pontifical conspirators' escape the blaze .

    restitution of the Dukes a ground for claiming the repossession of Tuscany , and that she bides her . time , fully arined , and constantly threatening the little SardiniaLn kingdoimu It may be asked , what can she expect from fresh hostilities ? And we have her own explanations in reply : " she prefers defeat and ruin to the recognition of popular right . She also speculates upon the chances of a general war , which it is her desire to bring about ; and we have in these papers a remarkable observation of Count liECiiBEBG to Lord A . LoFTUs . in July , 185-9-. The former inquired

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    Feb . 25 , 1860 J The Leader and Saturday Analysts *~ 177

    Mr. Gladstone's Kestftjctiots On Tit Ad E.

    MR . GLADSTONE'S KESTftJCTIOXS ON TJtADE .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 25, 1860, page 177, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2335/page/5/