TOPICS OF THE DAY.
THE POSTAGE BILL.*
LAMENTABLE is it when a legislative assembly becomes a There arena for prize-fighters, and the interests of the nation arc pushed aside to make way for personal conflicts and party trials of strength. But still more lamentable is it when these very prize-fights lose the name of honour and manhood, and become themselves the mere medium of jobbery and collusion. The reader will remember, that sonic twenty years ago, in the palmy days of Mr. SPRING Bien), the pugilistic ring was in no small estimation in England; but that it has sunk into merited contempt " of late years," in con. sequence of the introduction of a certain manoeuvre, which from its application to the present time may deserve describing. After many preliminary ceremonies, calculated to raise ideas of the dreadful earnestness of the combatants, behold them " set to." One has evidently the advantage of the other, and soon becomes " theca. vourite ;" bets are offered and taken—two to one—three to one—to any amount in filet, for the general observation is that Dutch SAM, or Deaf BURKE, or whoever it may be, " may have it all his own way' Fancy the chagrin of the betters, therefore, on presently observing that the fitvourite is being scandalously beaten ; taking blows which he seems to be at no pains to parry, and—as the scientific per. ceive, though the vulgar do not—laying himself' open to attack while pretending to strive for mastery. The fact is, the whole is a vile, commercial job, connected with the betting-book, by which the best man undertakes to be beaten for a consideration, and the gaping public flatter themselves they are watching the natural in- fluences of strength and courage, while they are only assisting at a preconcerted farce got up by blacklegs. Such conflicts, we may observe by the way, are often found on the same ground, or in con• genial neighbourhood, with Thimblerig companies. Now, as we said before, it was bad enough that the English Legislature should become an arena of selfish party and individual struggles, justifying its comparison with the prize-ring ; but intl. nitely worse, that it should perfect the analogy so curiously' as for its very fights to grow disreputable through the introduction of the self-same scoundrelism. We don't know if Mr. SPRING Rice was christened after the celebrated " Champion of England," but if he were, we are sure he does him no honour ; for SPRING was a fitir, stand-up fighter, who never " did wrong"—to use a technical expression, particularly applied, we believe, to the manoeuvre above described. SPRING fought for prizes indeed, as SPRING RICH.. ail his life has done ; but if TOM SPRING could not win the prize he fought fbr by licking his man, he had no desire to fill his pockets by playing into the hands of blacklegs. Toni himself was no black- leg. Never did a political transaction bear a more exact affinity to the trick we have described, than that which the Chancellor of the Ex- chequer has now the credit of performing with regard to the Penny Postage. lie pretends to stand up for it ; but, for good reasons, he means to be beaten ; and he gives his enemy due notice how he may be beaten, by proclaiming that he can no otherwise consent to march to the said Penny Post but with a certain ridiculous ap- pendage hanging to him, which lie knows the mischievous dogs will twitch off before he gets half-way there. Those who so anxiously pressed the honourable gentleman to give them assurance on the subject, now discover bow well-founded were the suspicions in which their anxiety was founded. It is now evident that the Chan- cellor of the Exchequer not only did not mean to pass the Postage Bill this session, but did not mean, if he could help it, to pass it at all. The conclusion is a fair one. The first object was to put it off to next session ; the next would have been to put it off sine Elie, by raising embarrassments out of new circumstances, • and diverting public attention to other objects. The author of the measure detests the measure ; and now that he is forced into action, the true animus comes out : by the one desperate stroke he aims at the life of the measure, as the time for killing it grows short, we may judge of the exquisite malignity with which he was preparing to prosecute its destruction had he been allowed to adopt the lingering plan. his taking the measure into his own hands, makes nothing against this presumption, but rather for it we know that questions can be "opened" with a view to injuring them, and it is equally certain that the adoption or appropriation of a measure by an individual Minister is another way, and a very good one, to its destruction. This animus may be traced, by the curious, in every word and d. eed of Mr. SPRING Rieu since the ne-
cessity became apparent. Even in the incidental expressions used on Friday week in proposing his resolution, in gratuitous depreci- ation of the petitions for the new Postage, &c. But the main trick that stamps the character of the job, and shows that SPRING Rice (unworthy of his baptismal name) contemplates "doing wrong" is— the pledge. It seemed fiiir enough at the time, to common ob- servers, that a pledge to supply any deficiency that might arise in the revenue from the adoption of the new Postage-law should be demanded of Parliament ; but it did not occur to all minds, that such a pledge was the sure way to rouse the enemy and put a weapon in his hand; and this plausible proceeding is now re- cognized for what it is —namely, a low, miserable juggle— a base act. of' public treachery. It' it had been desired to give cheap postage to the People, SPRING RICE had nothing to do but bring in his bill, which the House must and would have passed ; and for the revenue, he knows well that no future Parliament would refuse • Written Leftwe the debate on Mr. Goutmilta's Resolutions.
him any powers rendered necessary by the operation of that uni- versally popular measure. He knew he had the whole country at his back, and that the cry, all round the ring, was " Spring might have it his own way." What does he do ? Finding his bill un- fortunately unobjectionable, but believing that the enemy wants nothing but a handle to throw it out, he supplies that handle, in the shape of a stupid and unnecessary clause. He has well weighed the said clause—has found, by exact admeasurement, that it is just sufficient to sink the bill : then comes he, and in full Parliament he swears, "By this clause I stand ; my dog shall to the water with no other millstone for a collar."
Thus is this last hope of a session, unparalleled in political dis- grace, fast retiring from us—or, to say the least, sorely perilled, by the conduct of a man who has so bedevilled the national accounts that he cannot shift a solitary item from one column to another i
without throwing every thing into disorder. The country would cheerfully make up a deficit of a million, if necessary, to secure the boon of cheap postage but what consolation is that to SPRING RICE, if in the mean time it shall be necessary to appeal to the good-will of this, or the forbearance of that class, party, or indivi- dual—he possessing the respect of none, and living at the mercy of all?
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