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664, THE LEADER, fNo. 433, July 10.1 rkq
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CHTJKCH RATES DOOMED. Notwithstanding th...
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CHUECH RATES DOOMED
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Austraua.—By the last Australian advices...
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Lady Bui.wkii Lytton. — This unhappy l«d...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Services And Pensions. The Superannuatio...
who had paid towards the fund , which recom mendation seemed to be based on an equitable consideration of the subject , as those who had entered the public service prior to 1829 , and had not paid towards the fund , drew their pensions by that scale . What strikes us as a fair adjustment of the matter is that according to the payments -which have been made to the supposed lund , tlie claims of the contributors should be graduated , and that for every four years' payment at five per cent , towards the fund by these who entered the service between 1829 and 1858 , they should have £$ more on their being superannuated . This would not amount to anvthine eaual to the
sum o € the contributions , and the accruing inierest which would have taken place for the last twenty-eight years , had the payments been funded ; and when we consider that this tax has produced more than 1 , 500 , 00 ( W . which the jniblic have been relieved from paying , we think that those who have sown should reap , at any lute , a small proportion of their earnings . It may possibly be urged that those public servants who obtained their appointments after IS 29 accepted them with the full knowledge that they were to pay the superannuation tax . But this is an entire mistake . The act of 1834 was
inade retrospective . Here lies the injustice . It was framed to include appointments dating from 1829 , when ' no provision was in existence or contemplated fur a superannuation fund . The names of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mr . Hamilton are at the back of the bill . It wul be superfluous to say that neither of these gentlemen would willingly lend himself to the infliction of a piece of palpable injustice on any class of deserving public 'servants . . . ¦ ¦' " . ' : ' : ¦ . - . '¦ '¦ - • " ' - ¦ ¦ : ' . ' . - ' ..- ' ; . .: . .. " ¦ - ¦ ¦ . -
664, The Leader, Fno. 433, July 10.1 Rkq
664 , THE LEADER , fNo . 433 , July 10 . 1 rkq
Chtjkch Rates Doomed. Notwithstanding Th...
CHTJKCH RATES DOOMED . Notwithstanding the bold face put upon their opposition by the Peers on Friday , cliurcli rates are -doomed ; and the day when they shall have become matter of unpleasant history is not distant . The Earl of Derby gave up the principle on behalf of his Government when he held out the offer of comproinise . He will resolutely resist total abolitionso will the bishops , so will the 187 Peers who recorded their votes ; but he and all the reasonable Opposition are nevertheless open to any reasonable offer . Well , the question is now narrowed to its sordid aspect . How much will the Dissenters consent to give ? Mother Church will not budge an inch from the assertion of her doubtful right to the pelf , but pay her a round sum down , and she will pocket the affront , and say no inore about the matter . We do not altogether object to this mode of settlement . It is the readiest way of getting rid of heart-burnings , of dissensions , of contests that certainly confer no honour on true religion nor add one jot of credit to a Christian Church . The church rates , however , are not the only church imposts assuredly doomed , looming in the future are other imposts which , from their abuses , are going rapidly out of favour even of sound and conscientious churchmen , and which will follow the road of church rates . But the conflict will be severe , JEven in regard to church rates , the victory is gained hut the reward is not yet reaped . Lord Portman , in the Lords , gave notice last night of a bill on the subject before the session closes . The Chancellor of the . Exchequer , however , in the Commons , pointblank declared that Government would do nothing thia session , but would introduce a measure next session . Nona verrons .
Chuech Rates Doomed
PARLIAMENTARY PEMMICAN . The debate on Church Rates , in the Lords , on Friday , verified the opinions we ventured to express in our last . The abolition bill waa rejected on the second reading by a large majority—151 , and the Earl of Derby sketched a plan of compromise , founded on voluntary commutation , which , -with some modification , will probably be adopted hereafter . At present , both parties are playing a game of " brag , " as it were , each taking up grounds which , in their hearts , they know thev mean to abandon ,
notwithstanding their blatant note of defiance and cry of " no surrender ! " The opponents of church rates , in the Commons , declared against compromise only to obtain a favourable one , whilst the Lords rejected the bill by as large a majority as could be mustered , avowedly for the same purpose . It is impossible to doubt that the antichurch-rate party were influenced in their course by motives of policy , unless , indeed , it can be supposed that they are prepared to act unreasonably and unjustly , a supposition which -we will not for a moment entertain . The Dissenters must then claim to be relieved from the
payment of church rates , on the broad ground of justice . When , therefore , the Church party in the Commons announced their willingness to give up the contest , and concede the Dissenters' demand , it seemed somewhat perverse and unreasonable in them to say that they would not be satisfied with being relieved themselves , but must insist on total abolition , from philanthropic regard for the pecuniary interests of churchmen . Their intention , doubtless , was to make the Lords understand that the time had arrived when the question must be settled by completely exempting Dissenters from an impost to which they object as violating of conscience and infringing the principle of Teligious liberty . The Lords have taken the hint , so plainly given , and the question will be settled in the spirit indicated .
In the Commons , great progress was made with the India Bill , both at a morning and the evening sittings . The motion for going into committee on Lord Lucan's bill for the relief of the Jews gave arise to a short discussion , in -which the only thing worthy of note was a short speech of Lord Lyndhurst . Every fresh effort of this remarkable man—now in his eighty-sixth year—increases one's admiration for him . Such sagacity , such eloquence ! True eloquence—apt thoughts clothed in fitting words . Inexperienced persons listening to Lord Lyndhurst would be likely to think it an easy thing to speak as he does , so lucid his ideas—so simple his style —all that he utters seeming to well forth , as it were ,
without premeditation . Yet these are precisely the qualities which are so difficult of attainment in oratory , and , therefore , are so rarely met with . The apparent spontaneity and unstudied character of Lyndhurst ' s eloquence is the result of the severest mental discipline , in combination with refined taste and logical power . Duriiig the last half-century -we have had many—and still have some—speakers who could delight by their rhetorical skill , or kindle enthusiasm by fervid appeals to the imagination ; but Lyndhurst has stood alone . No man but lie could enchain the attention of his audience for a whole hour simply by mastery over their judgment .
Well , " the old man eloquent" a 3 he may justly be called , took the first clause of Lord Lucan's bill , and tore it to pieces . He sarcastically inferred , from the verbose superfluity which characterized the clause , that it had been drawn by some person who was accustomed to bo paid by the number of words which he used , a sort of legal " penny-a-liner . " Having brushed away the draughtsman ' s verbal " rubbish , " Lord Lyndhurst pointed out that the learned gentleman had committed a gross blunder by providing in the clause that the words , " and I make this declaration upon the true faith of a Christian , " should be omitted from the oath of abjuration when , in fact , that oath does not contain any such words ! If the unlucky draughtsman happened to be present on the occasion , he must have writhed under the vigorous application of the noble and learned Lord ' s critical scalpel . Lord Lucan took the dissection ' of his bill in good part , and promised to amend it .
The droll aspect of this important question—for- it has its droll aspect- —may excuse a passing observation . Up to the present time much angry feeling prevailed on the subject . Tho Oaths bill had passed from the Commons to the Lords , with the certainty of being rejected there , and on that rejection depended consequences the most grave and even alarming ; for politicians could not contemplate without apprehension the possibility of tho disturbance of the constitutional balance by the House of Commons passing a resolution which was to override tho law . That the law would have been put in operation cannot be doubted ; and if it had coma to be a question between Jews and Judges , there ia no knowing what turn popular opinion would have taken , and whether the Commons might not have been vanquished by Westminster Hall . In that case all tho work would have had to be done over agitin .
Well , at this critical moment— -when contending parties were preparing for a groat struggle—Lord Lucan unexpectedly enters upon the scene , like tho Beefoatcr in tho Critic , and with like nuccetis ; for the belligerents at once throw away their weapons , an amicable arrangement ia immediately effected , and tlie audience , the while , can only look on and wonder at tho simple ugency
by which the " dead lock " has been removed Wh-f ever his motive , it must be confessed that Lord LucaHna done good service , and his bluff , honest manner has n ^ been without its effect on the Peers . W ? l % ? £ Y % ? sd ! l rt before us Lo ^ Lucan ' s amended bill , atfd find that an important alteration has been made in the second clause . It now enacts that either House of Parliament may , in the case of a member of the Jewish persuasion , omit the words " and I maketlik declaration on the true faith of a Christian " from the oath , " which by an act passed , or to be passed , in the present session of Parliament , has , or maybe , substituted for the oaths of Allegiance , Supremacy , and Abjuration in the form therein required . " Thus the relief to the Jews is made dependent on the passing of the Oaths Bill but as this measure is a good one , and will assuredly be accepted by the Commons , we shall have the pleasure of seeing Baron Rothschild take his seat before the end of the session .
On Monday the India Bill got through committee in the Commons , and on Tuesday the report was discussed . On this occasion Lord Palmeraton courted and sustained two or three fresh defeats . In one instance he led fortyfive " Liberals " into the lobby in opposition to the wise provision that the Government should not be allowed to carry on wars in the East—such as the late Persian war —without the knowledge and consent of Parliament . Not content with obtaining a road for vehicles between Buckingham-gate and Marlborough-house , the hundreds or thousands who are able to ride in carriages and cabs , regardless of the safety and comfort of th «
millions who are obliged to walk afoot , are now seeking permission to drive over nursery-maids and children on their way from Marlborough-house to Storey ' s-gate . For what object ? "Carriage folk" are not likely to visit the classic regions of Tothill-street or Strettonground : no , the points to be reached are the Houses of Parliament and Westminster-bridge , and it is actually nearer to them by -way of Pall-mall , Charirig-cross , and Parliament-street , than it -would be by the Park and Stdrey ' s-gate . The subject was broached on Monday in the shape of a question ; but Lord John Manners properly set his face against the project .
On Wednesday the House assented to the second reading of Mr . M'Mahon ' s bill for giving criminals the right of appeal against conviction . Mr . Bowyer , illustrating the optical proverb about the mote and the beam , sarcastically observed that if the existing state of the English law on this subject prevailed at Naples , we should probably resolve on sending a three-decker to our ally , to erifore a . demand for its reformation . The proposed amendment is just ; but we would have the appeal directed , not to a jurj ' , but to a tribunal to be established for the purpose , composed of three judges , to whom the judge ' s notes should be referred , and who should have power to re-examine witnesses and call for fresh evidence .
On Thursday the Lords were called on to go into committee on Lord Lucan ' s bill , previous to which , Lord Lyndhurst addressed a few observations to the HCouse . His Lordship called attention to the alteration which had been made in the first clause , and as noticed above ; by which the relief of the Jews is made to depend , or , to use Lord Lyndhurst ' s more idiomatic language , " to hang" upon the Oaths Bill being adopted . It gratifies us to find that the noble and learned lord confirmed the views which we had , by anticipation , taken of the subject , aud expressed his conviction that both the Oaths Bill and Lord Lucan ' s Bill will pass into law this session , and in this conviction Lord Derby shared .
Lord Lyndhurst added that , under these circumstances , he would refrain from moving some amendments which ho had prepared , and he also stated that , on the part of the Jews , he assented to tho introduction of a clause by the Duke of Marlborougli , to prevent members of the Hebrew persuasion from presenting to benefices . This id tho spirit which should animuto men who aspire to settle great questions of public policy . The bill passed through committee , and the third
reading was fixed for the following day . In the Commons , tlie India Bill was reml it third time , after many compliments to young Lord Stanley , in whom men seem to recognize a mind of no ordinary calibre . Lord Pulmerston came out well at last , saying that although he disapproved of some parts of the measure , he gave the third rending of tho bill not a grudging , but a willing and hearty support . And so , after a neat little speech from Disraeli , the famed India Bill was sent up to the Lords with cheers to speed it on ita way .
Tho now Colonial Secretary explained the provisions of his bill for placing Vancouver ' s Island ( the new gold fields ) under the authority of tho Crown . Tho ineasuro obtained general assent , and was read a second time . In the course of tho wook twenty-one divisions hayo taken place in botli Houses on various subjects , and in every case tho " weak Government " had u considerable majority .
Austraua.—By The Last Australian Advices...
Austraua . —By the last Australian advices we learn that tho line of railway from Melbourne to Sandhurst has been contracted for at 8 , 857 , 0007 . Tho electric telegraph Is completed from Melbourne to Adelaide . The production of gold is on the increase , the supply being about 25 , 000 ounces in excess of last year . Money was plentiful at the last dates , trad « t healthy , and prices tending upwards . A hill to increase the number of tho House of Assembly from sixty to ninety-three passed the Lower House on the 26 th of April , and is now before tho Legislative Council . A new gold-field has been opened on tho New South "Wales side of tho Murray river .
Thk Law Amicnoment Society-. — This society wound up ita legal labours for the season last Saturday evening , by a dinner at the Albion , Greenwich ; Lord Brougham in the chair . His Lordship delivered a speech , In which he reviewed what had been done in tho w » y of law reform , and the company were also addressed by tho Attorney-General . Tho day passed off with much enthusiasm .
Lady Bui.Wkii Lytton. — This Unhappy L«D...
Lady Bui . wkii Lytton . — This unhappy l « dy » whose strnnga proceedings in connexion with tho lato re-election for JHcrtfordahiro caused considerable conversation , has recently boon placed in a lunatic naylura near London . Tho Morning Post unile rstands thut hor friends ore about to take steps to endeavour to eatabliaU her sanity .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), July 10, 1858, page 16, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10071858/page/16/
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