But the Government, even when they had fired their own
matches, had not made sacrifice enough. In the two days before Thursday there must have been plenty of Lord George Caven- dishes to represent that they would join the Opposition rather than submit to the increase of the Succession duty, for on Thursday, on the order for going into Committee of Ways and Means, Mr. Gladstone rose to announce, in the gentlest possible way, that they had evacuated every one of the positions against which the enemy's guns had been pointed. Not only was the Match-tax given up, but the Government had discovered that it was not fitting to argue the case of the Legacy and Succession duties on OCOA- don of a transitional Budget, brought in to find ways and means for temporary expenditure. These therefore, as well as the match-duty, were surrendered, and their place would be supplied by putting 2d. instead of lid. (or thereabouts) on to the income- tax. As the addition was to be exactly 2d., of course the mode of computing the income-tax by a per-centage would not be neces- sary, and would stand over "for an impartial expression of public opinion." The transparent veil thrown by Mr. Gladstone over these two last defeats roused inextinguishable laughter. The House does not feel so much comfort as some Frenchmen do in being assured that positions have been evacuated only for "strategical reasons."
