NEWS OF THE WEEK.
'THE Tariff has taken the place of the Income-tax as a measure under the practical consideration of Parliament. In bringing it forward
again, on Tuesday, after the lapse of many weeks, Sir Roamer PEEL made a long and elaborate statement, distinguished for its excellent temper, its clearness, and its singularity as delivered by the Conservative leader. He went carefully over the several sections of the subject, showing how the removal of prohibitions would benefit everybody ; how the reduction of duties on raw material would stimulate trade ; how the diminished duties on provisions would make living cheaper for all; and how the lesser protection to manufactures would injure none. This brought the Premier to the curious part of his speech—a lecture on Free Trade, Protection, and Smuggling ; illustrated, in the true style of popular lectures, by specimens—a specimen of a bona fide smuggler's letter, and a genuine packet of smuggled straw-plait neatly disguised in a roll of unmanufactured straw. The smuggler offered to bring in certain goods at a low price, and there was the straw which would have paid a penny duty instead of seventeen shillings and sixpence : "see- ing is believing," and probably Sir Roam's specimens carried con- viction to several who would have been impervious to the logic of Mr. ViLuvits or the rhetoric of Mr. COBDEN. This remarkable. lecture, delivered from the Tory Treasury Bench, was wound up by the avowal that the principles of Free Trade are now beyond question, and that the rule to buy in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest is the only valid theory of commerce. The as- sertion may one day be made with a more extensive practical application, but it could not be made with greater em- phasis. The simple declaration is perhaps not less important than the Tariff itself. The latter Makes the first great step in simplifying and reducing our complicated restrictions; it re- moves much that is outrageous to common sense, and does it in a way that rather facilitates than obstructs future improvements. Such the framer himself obviously contemplates; as we might infer from the single remark, that the free admission of Colonial timber will be a bar to objections against further concessions in respect of Foreign timber : the Canadians, says the Minister, are put out of court by the satisfaction in full of all their demands in the case ; and now you can make what terms you please with the Baltic dealers. If so, why not make the best terms with them at once? The answer is probably to be found in the ominous silence of the Premier's own party : his able speech, his best hits and most meritorious passages, were listened to in silence by them ; his apologies for going beyond them in economical intel- ligence were received in sulky taciturnity ; and at the last an Essex and a Lincolnshire Member uttered a few angry sentences, which showed how little their understanding had been penetrated. The position of their leader becomes at each turn more anomalous : he is in party-conflict with professing Free-traders, whose practical measures he outdoes while they reproach him with shortcoming; and he appears at ill accord with friends who have avowed hatred to Free Trade, yet support the most efficient Free-trader in Par- liament, because they cannot find a man out of the class of Free- traders, professed or active, who could undertake to lead any party. The circumstance marks the progress of opinion. At the same tune, it denotes a kind of -degeneracy in the High Tory party : they can neither assert their own opinion, nor' accepting Sir Ro- BERT PEEL'S as the price of the leadership, do they generously adopt it with a hearty concurrence. They cheer a SIBTHORP or a FERRAND, but they leave their own elected leader to find his cheers with a reluctant Opposition.
We saw that the week which was ushered in by the Chartist petition closed with those startling questions from Mr. ROEBUCK that surprised the House, on Friday last, with the charge of corrupt practices, general and particular. That movement has resulted in a Committee to inquire, and in a marked impulse to the attempts to provide remedies. Objections were taken ; the most specious being, that when general bribery is notorious, it is unjust to pick
out particular offenders for obloquy which they merit no more them others. But, it may be answered, corruption has been notorious before, yet it was winked at instead of exposed; and had the reformer merely gone upon notoriety, the reproach would have been, that his grounds were too vague, and particular instances would have been demanded. The objection, however, assumed no shape of obstinate resistance ; though attempts may be made to frustrate the labours of the Committee. Difficulties were thrown_ in its way from the first. Sir ROBERT PEEL hinted that its mem- bers must be remarkably immaculate,—which was almost tanta- mount to saying that it should not be composed of members of the House of Commons ; and Mr. DUNCOMBE improved the hint by giving notice of a motion which is neither more nor less than a Parliamentary paraphrase of the saying, "Let him that is without sin cast the first stone." Without, a disposition exists to quarrel with the Committee, because in the list proposed there is a powerful infusion of party-spirit on Mr. ROEBUCK'S own side, without an ade- quate counterbalance in the other half. The objection is not easily surmounted. Mr. ROEBUCK was perhaps placed in this dilemma, that he must either give the Committee obvious preponderancy on the aide of inquiry, or expect to see every division nothing but a drawn battle : but it might have been possible to allot to parties in the House a more judicious representation; and others will probably mend his mistake. One Member wanted to know how Mr. ROEBUCK was to make witnesses answer? And altogether he may find his course one of ceaseless obstructions. Still, the grand object has been accomplished : the arrangements corruptly to traffic in the seats of the House have been dragged into light.; in some cases the charge was admitted, in others pithily justified on the plea that it is a "private" arrangement, and in others again all answer was refused. Take these replies as a whole, and they are an emphatic admission that the charge cannot be contradicted. Grant, then, that Mr. Roasuca may be unable to make out his case technically, through all the difficulties which will be sought to impede him, still he has fastened the stigma on the House, which it must shake off by dis- proof or by amending its courses. Till then, "bribery and corrupt compromise" is written on the portal of-the House. This main proceeding has been attended by some lesser con- current acts. .A writ was asked' for Nottingham, one' of the im- pugned boroughs ; Sir GEORGE LARPENT, according to the allega- tion, having stipulated to retire in order to avoid investigation into the bribery by which his seat was obtained, and to admit the other party to the composition, Mr. JOHN WALTER: few Members had the face to support the motion, and at Mr. ROEBUCK'S " recom- mendation " it was deferred. Sudbury, a precursor of the five accused boroughs in the order of time, is threatened with disfran-
chisement ; a bill for that purpose having been introduced by the Chairman of the Election Committee. Newcastle-under-Lyne election has since been pronounced void, on account of universal
bribery. Brighton has petitioned for disfranchisement as the only way to free its honester inhabitants from corruption ; at the last election the town was one scene of drunkenness and disorder. In short, instead of representation being "coextensive with taxation," it proves merely to be coextensive with bribery and corruption.. The juncture has produced three general bills on the subject,—one by Mr. ROEBUCK, to indemnify his witnesses ; another by Lord BROUGHAM, to indemnify witnesses and enable the two Houses of Parliament to inquire in concert ; and one by Lord Jowl RUSSELL, to prevent bribery,—for it has been said that Lord JOHN would undertake the command of the Channel fleet, or the building of St. Paul's, or any other impossible enterprise. Sir JAMES GRAHAM has at last produced the Tory new Poor-. law Bill. It continues the Commission for five years and a session ; it abolishes the Gilbert Unions ; it removes or diminishes some of' the stronger objections to the existing practice—such as the issue of special orders by the Commissioners, or the ease with which the seducer may escape retribution and cost ; and it makes some minor improvements. It may be said of it, in brief, that it fills up the desip of the Whig Poor-law, curtailing a few redundancies, and placing the whole in a complete shape, with a character of greater permanency.
