Mr. Goschen ascribed much of the waste of time in
the House of Commons to the frequent absence of the leader of the Opposition, and the not infrequent absence of his chief lieutenants from their places. The truth is, that they wish it to be shown that Ireland stops the way, and therefore, of amuse, they are very languid in their efforts to prevent Ireland from stopping the way. But Mr. Goschen justly reprimanded them for their want of fairness in first accusing the Government of having no policy for Ireland but Coercion, and then doing all in their power to prevent the passage of any Bill,—like the Bill for extending the grants under the Ashbourne Act or the Irish Drainage Bills,—which are founded on a policy for Ireland quite different from Coercion. Mr. Goschen exposed the unfairness of attributing the fall in Goschens " to anything but its obvious cause, the great demand for money which has always caused a fall in Consols whenever it has occurred ; and he drew a very amusing picture of the agitation against the Van and Wheel Tax, under pretence of describing how any proposal to tax " mural advertisements " would be met by Willing and his employes. Mr. Willing would call a meeting of his bill-stickers, and they would be told that if they did not support him in agitating against the tax, a number of them would be thrown out of work. Then the sandwich-men would go in procession, headed by a few Members of Parliament. The most famous of the advertisements would all be there,—Colman's mustard and Pears's soap, and the four-post bedstead which goes " free by post,"—and Members of Parliament would be frightened by the talk of a new tax on industry, and the result would be to render such a tax impossible ; in other words, to drive back the Government, when it wants money, on the Income-tax, and to drive back local bodies, when they want money, on the ratepayers. " That," said Mr. Goschen, " is simple finance, but I do not think it is sound finance."
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