It is curious with what persistency the Tories go on
asserting that the Liberal Government is much more prodigal in its expenditure than the late Tory Government, taking as their only test the sums paid out of the Exchequer, a very consider- able element of which consists in money spent on paying debts, and debts incurred by the Tories. Lord George Hamilton made this reckless statement in his Middlesex speech of Wednesday. The fact is that the total Liberal expenditure, exclusive of the payment of Debt was considerably less in the financial year ending March, 1882, than that of the Tory Government, and that the sum spent in the payment of Debt was much more. Even in this financial year, which is burdened with the expense of the Egypt-- ian war, the expenditure, not counting payment of Debt, will be little more than that of the last year of Tory administration; while no less than £1,900,000 will be spent, as Sir John Lubbock showed last Friday week, in repaying debts incurred by the Tory Administration. Tory figures are almost more misleading than Tory rhetoric.
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