LONDON.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1912, 22 June 1869, Page 3

LONDON.

(From our otvii Correspondent.)

23rd April, 1869. For some time back the great Irish Church question has furnished the principal item in my monthly budget, and for this present writing it must still command the place usually assigned to u the Ladies. Such is the position it occupies in the public mmd here, although all speculation on the issue appears to have quite died away. In fact, the whole thing resolves itself into a matter of time. The Bill is now in committee, and there, from the start it has made, there is every reason for believing that the details of the measure will be arranged according to the views and intentions of the Liberal party. Mr Disraeli, still writhing under the severe defeat he experienced on the second reading, made another desperate attempt to throw out the Bill on the motion for going into committee, hut here the previous majority of 118 was swelled into one of 126, Even this did not satisfy him, for in a very insidious manner, lie, at the next sitting moved the omission of the second clause of °the Bill, which dissolves the union between the English and Irish Churches, and declares that “ hereafter ” the Irish Church shall “ cease to he established by law.” He maintained that the omission of this clause would still leave power to “ despoil the Church of her property, and contended, as he had frequently done before, that to dis-sever the two Churches was to break the Act of Union, and to destroy the Royal Supremacy. Mr G'adstone denounced the amendment as one intended to he fatal to the Bill, and Mr Disraeli admitted that it was ; whereupon the voice of the House was taken, and the division which followed showed a majority against the amendment oi 123. Such repeated and decisive demonstrations of the feelm" of the House, appeared to have at last disheartened the wily leader of the Opposition, for be spoke in a manner betokening anything but confidence in the results of his efforts, and it is accordingly beginning to be hoped that during the progress of the Bill through Committee, he will see the futility of opposing the measure at its every step. His followers wid, no doubt, “educated” as they have, been, fight it out to tlie death : a mo t undesirable state of matters, since it cannot possibly end in a victory for them, but only tend to exasperate their opponents and the country generally, postpone the progress of other most important measures, in every way retard business, and be a sheer waste of time and wind. To their credit he it written, the Liberals, on the motion being made to throw the hill out of Committee, wire silent. They felt that further debate on the general principle of the Bill was quite unnecessary, and would not waste timp in replying to the speeches of the Opposition. The Times commends the Ministerial party for abstaining from answering arguments on the Irish Church Bill which have been answered over and over again •Another proof, it says, was thus afforded of the loyalty of the party ; another instance proving that they are as one man in supportin'* the disestablishment and diseiidowment o {°the Irish Church. The amendments in the notice-book are not numerous, and they are easily divisible mto classes ; so that if one of a class is rejected, the others will fall into it. We cannot, for example, suppose that when Mr Disraeli has been defeated on his first suggestion to endow the Church body with some large multiple of the aggregate income of the Irish incumbents, he will think it consistent with his dignity ri> persevere with amendments precisely similar in scope, though varying from it in terms. Indeed, the end of the warfare is already at hand. Mr Disraeli showed it by the few hesi at’ng words he spoke at the closo of the debate.

Mr Disraeli’s amendments, above referred to, are in striking contrast to those tabled by Mr Gladstone. They were arranged at a great meeting of the Tory party at Lord Londsdale’s house, on which occasion, as is to be inferred from the amendments which Disraeli tabled the same evening, it was deemed prudent to alter their tactics. The new Tory plan is to very nearly consent to disestablishment, but to maintain the union between the two Churches of England and Ireland, and to save the endowments. The scheme is ingenious, and that is all that can be said for it. Mr Gladstone has also, as I bare already hinted, proposed a string of amendments, but they do not show a single departure from any principle of the Bill. They are intended apparently to facilitate the progress of the Bill through Committee, by removing ail cause of just complaint against its provisions. As they are very lengthy, I need not give more than this general description of them. Up to this time the progress in Committee has been marked by most unusually turbulent proceedings, ami the Speaker has a particularly hard time of it in preserving order. Jt appears to be a matter of general consent amongst the Liberals not to waste time in replying to the attacks of the Opposition, limiting themselves to oh-olping and laughter. This is peculiarly exasperating to the Tories, who say thej r would take their defeats with much greater equanimity if the Liberals would only reply to them. Not doing so, and being thoroughly “mettled,” the language they use is as rabid as that of any Fenian, and as bitter and—what you will—as that of any Orangeman. And so the battle rages. Mr Lowe has delivered his budget speech, and agreeably surprised the country. Everybody wondered how many taxes were to he imposed to meet the great deficit bequeathed by the late Government; and be lias told us that he will provide lor that, and td;o oil' a lot of taxes besides. The '/'inif-s describes the Budget as the most ingenious of the piesent century. Mr Lowe had to tell a wretched story, and, behohl, it is triumphant. But I presume you will like to glance at iiiii figures ; and Imre they arc, as briefly as 1 can put them : Estimated expenditure for ISGO-7O ... LG8,22.'{,00d Do. revenue 1/72, Soil,<(<)() This shows a surplus of L4,G.'J2,00() ; hut Abyssinia’s cairiago stops the way. Tim total cost of that affair would he 1,0,000,000 ; and of this sum there was still upwards el 1/4,000,000 to pay—say L 4,000,000 leaving a surplus of LIl-’,OOO But tins would slid leave the Income Tax at Gd, and scveial other taxes would stid be levied which it is desirable should cease, and therefore Mr Low# makes a scries of proposals of very

great importance. He, in short, proposes to abolish tne system existing in England (hut not in Scotland), under which about a fourth of the assessed taxes and the property tax exigible within the year, are not received until the next financial year. The amount he estimates to receive in the current year—which under ordinary circumstances would not be paid till next year —is L 3,350,000, which, added to the already mentioned surplus of L 32.000, makes up a total of L 3,382,000 ; with this he takes a penny oft the income tax, who’ly repeals the nre insurance duty; tea dealers licenses are abolished ; duty on hair powder (bringing in now only L 925) is repealed ; other assessed taxes are simplified and their rates re-ar-ranged, and, amongst the others, one change is to shift the tax upon shepherd’s dogs onto the shoulders of the masters. Hie effect of all these changes is, that the estimated revenue will be lessened by L 2,940,000, which being deducted from L 3,382,000, leaves a net surplus of L 442.000. One important item I was nearly omitting to mention. Mr Lowe takes off the Is. a quarter on imported corn. He concluded by saying that his plans allowed the Exchequer balances to gradually recover themselves.

The Dally Telegraph says if taxpayers are willing to hear some extra pressure for three months next year, in order to secure a more than equivalent gain, which will begin t® be available at once, Mr Lowe may be congratulated on one of the most successful schemes for converting temporary depression into permanent prosperity that any Finance Minister of our time has attempted. The press generally speak in high terms of the Budget, though those of the Standard stamp describe it as a surprising and somewhat inexplicable failure ! Of course. The other business got through does not admit of much comment. The Bankruptcy Bill is getting along stage by stage, and in the Lords the Committee on the Scotch Education Bill has been postponed till 10th proximo, to give time for the opinions of the county meetings being ascertained. Replying to Mr Sartoris, Mr Monsell lately stated that the 18th Regiment had been ordered home from New Zealand, and that the Governor had no authority to detain it.

It lias also been stated that the Hudson’s Bay Company have accepted the offer for their territory, hut the affair must receive the sanction of Parliament.

The Government is experiencing difficulty in dealing with the Telegraph Companies, and I believe they are now holding back till it is ascertained whether it would be more economical to buy them out, or provide new lines. This ought to bring the companies to their senses, especially if coupled with a hill giving the Government line a monopoly of the messages, as has been threatened. Mr Gilpin has got leave to bring in a hill to abolish capital punishment. The Royal Assent has already been given to a hatch of bills of minor importance. In the Lords, the Laud Tenure (Ireland) Bill has passed its second reading. This is a measure which the Government do not accept as a final settlement of the question, hut only as a basis for legislation which would have their attention as soon as possible.

Mr Disraeli is suffering from an attack of gout, which prevents his being in his place in the House. Mr Ward Hunt is taking charge of his amendments, (To he continued.)