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SPIRIT OF- THE DAILY PRESS.1…

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SPIRIT OF- THE DAILY PRESS. LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TAXATION. The debate in the House of Commons on Monday night, the l"imC8 notes, was chiefly remarkable from the evident desire of all parties to avoid coming to the point. Mr. Fawcett's speech gave the freshmen of the present House flome notion of the power of memory he displayed during 1:>te Parliament in discussing an Indian Budget. Facts lid. figures, quotations from returns, ard quotations from speeches were given one after the other with invariable correctness, and with much greater ease than is commonly by members who have a bundle of extracts by 'theni to which they can refer and which they can read at proper moment. It was a striking exhibition. But what s the result of it? One result he rIm. manage to -fcrins about, which we could not help foreseeing as a pos- sible and dangerous consequence of his motion. While ,t no support from the Ministerial side of the House, ought to ahead the discontent that had been latent .benches. If there is a difference of opinion in the iet on the subject of increasing the subventions In I >oal rcvtes, tb« advocates of an increase will, aeri ^th froiu the debate: tliey will point toitasprp^"? n this way, an J in this way only, that their J e kept together. It is true that no injur.^ ^s- :es can immediately follow, because the Cfoaiweuoroi /'xchequei- hag no fun(Js out of which he ca ed grants; but a surplus next year noa £ mSLV ythatis now wanting and the que«t'on ™ay become ic*\ whether the surplus should be a} P I reduc- )f. Imperial taxation or distribute WHAT SIR FAWCETT'S SPEECH REVEALED. ,eGo«em»ent, the SASV TO\*re aware how imperfectly fastings pledges have been ;rto fulfilled, and can onlyP^f through Sir Staf- Xorthcote, that they haV ,much as lay in power. Mr. Fawcett's »Pe8ch pearly revealed that i the country relief from the en of local taxation/8 ,lef for themselves. r wish, above all th^K1B» 1co lighten the load on the ami tliey are 10 lree it even from those tens which, being hereditary, are in the nature of re- ed rout, payable to Jt."ern but to the community, ile equally anx«°u5 re"eve the ratepayers, Mr. Faw- knows that the pressure is chiefly felt by the piers of small houses in the great towns. It is them that the increase of local taxation has in most hea.ly, and it is they that Mr. Goschen would 3 specialty *rief» to relieve. But such a reform would suit the views of Mr. Disraeli's followers. They would ier trust in subventions from the Consolidated Fund, iuse the land wilt thus be the first to profit; and hence, hey take short sighted views of .self-interest, they do 0 right to distrust Mr. Fawcett s eagerness to reform 1 taxation. irotw'thstanduig^ the hesitation of the -eninieuf, and the glenderdegree in which it has yet L illed itti promises, they that they can wring :er terms from Mr. Pisraelt than tliey could from Mr. dstone and that i" the £ eau"ni ^ey opposed a mo- i with the verbal terDls ° ™ *ca *bey must have agreed. MYSTERIOUS POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT. Ir. Fawcett's w*s, 111 every respect, the Daily News con- <ls, a rem.ir u it had some qualities which I bably will cfise it to e legaided as the ablest he has delivered in the Commons. It was a piece of et, steady, convincing argument. It wore away-we think of no better way of describing its effect—the ole case which fjcates^ °f the Government might supposed to ul' Fawcett shewed that the ire system of local taxation is a mass cf inconsistency I injustice, and that the present Government have not even professed any intention of setting it right. aker after speaker on the Government side >ngthened 5/. awcetts arguments unoon- )usly detailing new instances of the anomalies, the ects, the inequalities, the all but intolerable absurdities I grievances of the present system. It hardly needed elaborate argument ot Mr. btansfeld to shew how soon strong Government had taken refuge in the excuses t only plead for weakness, and found that the compre- isive scheme which they proclaimed indispensable when iy were out of office ought to be considered impossible en they had got in. in the meantime we, like Lord Vtington, must be content with the assurance that the Vernment has a policy, though "apparently only a xmall J. What it is, it was not given the House to know :h any precision ana the division, in which the Minis- had a majority of seventy-four, illustrated the triumph political faith over reason. A VINDICATION OF ITS POLICY. the discussion raised by Mr. Fawcett will, the Standard raks, prove useful, since it afforded the Government an tortunity to declare its policy, and set itself right with lie impatient supporters who were beginning to grumble !ause their leaders were not travelling rapidly enough their desires. We are willing to believe that in bring- forward his amendment Mr. Fawcett was actuated by 1 worthiest motives. Still we cannot doubt that his xiety to jifomote local taxation reform was whetted the hope of embarrassing the Government. By ) exclusive use which he made of the reports 4 speeches of the Local Taxation Committee of ) Central Chamber of Agriculture lie betrayed desire to div»<lo the Conservative party, and to Uv a portion ot it into opposition to the Ministry s pUrpnSe was toiiea, and served, indeed, only to afford "PI)OI*tllr. tity.to the members below the gangway to give )',f of their disciphne, and to the Government to explain <1 justify their policy. The whips of the Opposition had ;nted the <leba as one of the first importance; and it is II known tl)» S eat hopes were entertained of seducing th LiUeia y some of those Conservatives who had I'ashly l'Je< ? *s^ves to tlie opinion that no Govern- int which di at once satisfy etery claim of those >o feel "Sorl ,orty tl'e present system of local taxation s worth si 11 • Jhe result was a most decisive Mority for the ^Daent and conclusive vindication of policy. v|° A ^COMPLICATED QUESTION. When -e f.}.^ come into office last year, the r>rnin<j J Were not pledged to take any Hiculav cOlllse ivitil reg""cl*to the question of local Nation or l°ica' woni.i ,ent. They had given a general S'lge that tliey » Dro<wi they were free adopt any which fliey might deem advis;i^e# 11.„v therefore be pretended fit the steps hariVe taken have disappointed e expectation ca(.' raised. In dealing with subject so c detaii the only prudent course to deal wit'1 ,rTn:nej a. is the course the Go- *mnentliave fJ .v woni^They have prepared ^eral bills ^"ch ^Ve introduced if there 4 been any h°Pe 0, the r! 'hem during the present ssion. But sti'011^ • fi1Q^e.^nment is it cannot put ore work into the s ^nsiderablL wil1 hold. It is, how- er, possible that a f ti.e ni, «*ep will be taken to- krds the solution 01 11 of local govern- by a nieasviy -r)Qar(j ^the President ot ■e Local Government rifi r B^ortly introduce >on boundaries, in order t0 •»., a of some of the ano- alies which stand in the^y local administration. Vpn then the Government to deal with many flieult points. WJienever *a ^aies to deal with 'e expense of local „„„if.ave a most diifi- ilt question to decide. In the meantime all that it can issibly do is to clear the ground by legislating on those lints on which there i. a general agreement. MR. FAWCETT AND PARTY OBLIGATIONS. The effect of Mr. Fawcett's speech, the Hour remarks, Ag greatly marred by the manner and time^ of its intro- ltction. Mr. Fawcett might haye pleaded hia party obli- Uions v.-bi'f'fc hn fnen^g ver0 in office. But he ha« Uays afi'Ji'tt<\thoAil^ter of a man above party ties, •uring the w]10 9 p.ygr,.??4 Parliament he made repeated Uacks on <he or ,1* then ia °.ffice 5 but he ever had a ] vote for the ratepayer, tow he has s Wakened to the magni- ide of the qiiest. »^f 'u a Bpeech nearly two ,°Urs long declares h ^uJ^Payer's only friend. Mr. awcett very wisely office t Prudent disclaimer of >>y intention to tie men in omce } Heiv pvofe^ioj. out ^office, ifJ the converse of incons^ are blind to the i^ho, whilst their ^nds are m » Onnosition, sudd5°rtance a quea- 1(>n, yet become, ? And to t??y oppressed by a «« „f it, »»ppS? « »«t »ii- «ite the general v tboge who which Mr. a^wcett received „i +l,e case of the ratT6 80 lonS •fled with or scoffed ?-» never i08t sighVtMw*er- The f>vernment, however, the action of tv this ques- »ou. It is admitted no*' J however ^a<Jvanced ^dicals that struggles m on behalf of j^fh they be scoffed at, were strUggIeS ly ono reu^e. In they have proceeded to ^PP t will after pother and Parliament and the co ne^f«r to "yupon their consistency rather tnau *«ader« the camp of their old opponents. ram ATE. GENERAL CHABACTEB OF THE debate V The interest which was manifested m tu by strangers" was, the Morning Advertiser pojn 'ery marked contrast to that shewn by the House. ^llenea were full to repletion, whilst for hours tog £ er -here werenotmorethanfive-and-twentymembersinvie ;he mace. Yet there is really no point of public policy^1?11 touches more ))ear]y the pOC'kets of the people than doestm?. government does not say these bills are sufficient or final. Ul that it does say ia} that they are necessary steps to a 'ettlement which may be attained in a select^ committer 5 Llid if this 18 not heroio policy, at any rate it is what is Huch better, practical and modest statesmanship. On the ^hole, Mr. made the best speech of the evening; and 5ii' George Jenkinson"drove the nail home" in telling 'he Government that the debate must have taught lhera much, as it certainly ought; but then it does not follow J that the Government should'be forced to legislate when it candidly confesses that, in order to form its policy, it needs the sanction of Parliament to these preparatory bills, on which it also asks the advice 'nd experience of a select committee. /Mr. Sclater-Booth'i on behalf of the Government was sufficient. The k PiU is one of tentative financial regulation, and is not '^tended to be 1a ^nlfilmeni the rdsdfreft of the Government, tiy whi511 sun hold tli-einsefrda- bound, and which they will redeem as soon as hey can themselves h We vield to none, says the Times, in our abhorrence of cruelty in all its forms and varieties but we hold, when experiments up animals aie calcu,a,ed to prolong human life or to lighten the load of hunian misery, that their nerformanoe by competent persons v; not only not culp fj v,ut, that, in the recent emphatic worJs of Sir Thomas Watson, it may eve ecome a P°sitiye duty. There are e it is said, who would not assent to this proposition, and who believe, or profess to believe, that the infliction of and who believe, or profess to believe, that the infliction of pain up animals is not under any circumstances to be justified. There are many others, how- ever, who are prepared to assent to a more reasonable view of the case, who admit—it may be sorrowfully, but who still a(ililit- that experiments must be performed, under certain limitations and restrictions, and whose on;y desire it is that these limitations and refitrictions should be such as are reasonable and right, calculated, on the one hand, to afford to the brute creation all proper protection, and yet not calculated to impede inquiries which, in the best and truest sense, are works of mercy to mankind. The present agitation, however excellent in its intentions, is largely based upon a misconception of facts. It is satisfactory to know that the Government has determined to recommend the appointment of a small Royal Coin- mission to take evidence on the subject, and thus to avoid the dangers of hasty legislation.

._----A BISHOP ON HONESTY.

CORPORATION OF FOREIGN BONDHOLDERS.

THE JEFFERSON BORDEN MUTINY.

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