_Tuesday, April 4th._--When introducing a Budget designed to raise a
revenue of seventy or eighty millions, Mr. GLADSTONE was wont to speak
for four or five hours. Mr. McKENNA, confronted with the task of raising
over five hundred millions, polished off the job in exactly seventy-five
minutes. Mr. GLADSTONE used to consider it necessary to prepare the way
for each new impost by an elaborate argument. That was all very well in
peace-time. But we are at war, when more than ever time is money, and so
Mr. McKENNA was content to rely upon the imperative formula of the
gentlemen of the road, "Stand and deliver."
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[Illustration: A STUDY IN COMPARATIVE PHYSIOGNOMY. _A Peace Budget._ _A
War Budget._ MR. GLADSTONE. MR. McKENNA.]
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For a moment, it is true, he reverted to the old traditions of
Budget-night. After observing that there was no parallel in history to
the willingness to be taxed which had been displayed by the British
people, he declared that it would be a mistake to drive this spirit of
public sacrifice too hard. The difficulty which many people had in
maintaining a standard of life suitable to their condition was described
in such moving terms as to convince some of Mr. McKENNA's more ingenuous
hearers that the income-tax was not going to be raised after all.
They were quickly disillusionised. The rich will have to contribute
(with super-tax) close on half their incomes; the comparatively
well-to-do a fourth; even the class to whose special hardships the
CHANCELLOR had just made such pathetic allusion will have to pay an
additional sixpence in the pound. If in the circumstances some of them
feel inclined to echo _Sir Peter Teazle_'s remark to _Joseph_, "Oh, damn
your sentiment," I think they may be excused.
That, however, was Mr. McKENNA's only lapse. The rest of his speech was
ruthlessly and refreshingly practical. The millions were ticked off as
rapidly, and almost as mechanically, as the two-pences in the other
taxis. Five millions from cinemas, horse-races, and other amusements,
three from railway tickets, seven from sugar, two from mineral waters,
another two from coffee and cocoa (even the great Liberal drink cannot
escape under a Cocoalition), and nearly a million from motor vehicles.
Forty-five years ago Mr. LOWE proposed to extract "_ex luce lucellum_"
by putting a tax of a half-penny a box upon matches, and was duly
punished for his pun. When the matchmakers of the East-end (quite as
dangerous in their way as those of the West-end) marched in procession
to the House of Commons, the Government bowed before the storm.
Undeterred by their fate, Mr. McKENNA now proposes to put a tax of 4_d._
on every thousand matches, and expects to get two millions out of it.
But it must not be forgotten that there are substitutes for matches; and
I should not be surprised if Mr. McKENNA himself has to put up with a
spill.
Not much criticism was however to be heard to-night, though Mr. WILLIAM
O'BRIEN gave it as his opinion that Ireland ought to be omitted from the
Budget altogether. With him was Mr. TIMOTHY HEALY, whose principal
complaint was that the tax on railway tickets would put a premium on
foreign travel. People would go to Paris instead of Dublin, and
Switzerland instead of Killarney. Here somebody tactlessly reminded him
that a war was going on in Europe, and shunted him on to a less
picturesque line of argument.
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[Illustration: Sir George Reid refreshingly cheerful.]
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_Wednesday, April 5th._--Congratulations are due to the Earl of MEATH on
a long-delayed triumph. For fifteen years he has been trying to convince
the British Government that there is an institution called Empire Day.
Throughout the Dominions, May 24th, QUEEN VICTORIA's birthday, is kept
as a public holiday, and even in the Old Country, despite official
discouragement, the Union Jack is hoisted on thousands of schools and
saluted by millions of children. To the suggestion that the public
offices should be similarly adorned the Government, under the erroneous
belief that patriotism and militarism were identical, has hitherto
maintained an unflagging opposition. But to-day Lord CREWE admitted that
the proposal was reasonable.
Sir GEORGE REID has made the surprising discovery that there are a
number of excellent speakers in the House of Commons who do not speak,
but concentrate themselves upon the despatch of business. Perhaps this
was his genial way of indicating the more obvious fact that there are
others of a precisely opposite kind. He himself is an excellent speaker
who speaks; but concentration is perhaps hardly his strongest point, and
he wandered to-day over so many fields that the CHAIRMAN had more than
once, with obvious regret, to recall him to the strict path of the
Finance Bill, which ultimately passed its first reading, amid cheers
that it would have done the KAISER good to hear.
Mr. PEMBERTON-BILLING, having been prevented by the Budget from making
his usual Tuesday speech, delivered it to-day, and had a success which
was, I trust, as gratifying to him as it was surprising to the House.
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[Illustration: _Wife._ "DO YOU THINK THE ZEPPELINS WILL COME HERE?"
_Husband._ "VERY POSSIBLY, I SHOULD SAY."
_Wife._ "THEN I SHAN'T START THE SPRING CLEANING."]
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At the close of his now customary catalogue of the defects he has
discovered in our air-service, he offered personally to organize raids
upon the enemy's aircraft headquarters, and ventured to believe that he
could bag as many Zeppelins in a day as the Government could bring down
in a year by their present methods of misplaced guns and misplaced
confidence.
Mr. TENNANT did not think our confidence was misplaced. But he would
certainly accept Mr. BILLING's offer, and would confer with him as to
how to make the best use of his services. It seems probable, therefore,
that for some little time the House will have to do without its weekly
lecture from the Member for East Herts. Under the shadow of this
impending bereavement Mr. TENNANT is bearing up as well as can be
expected.
_Thursday, April 6th._--Everyone was delighted to see the PRIME MINISTER
back in his place to-day after his three weeks' absence. Members on both
sides cheered loudly and long as he entered the House. They also
displayed a gratifying curiosity regarding his views on various
subjects, and to that end had put down no fewer than thirty-two
questions for his consideration. The amount of information they received
was hardly commensurate with the industry displayed in framing them. Mr.
ASQUITH made, however, one announcement of great moment. The Government
are now considering how many recruits they have got, and how many they
still want. They will then announce their decision as to the method to
be adopted for obtaining more, and will give a day for its discussion.
This is to be done before Easter. Asked how long the House would adjourn
for, Mr. ASQUITH replied, with obvious sincerity, "I hope for some
time."
The great crisis of which we have heard so much in the newspapers is
thus postponed. But a little crisis, not altogether unconnected with the
other, had still to be resolved. The Government had a motion down to
stop the payment of double salaries to Members on service, and to this
Sir FREDERICK BANBURY had tabled an amendment providing that
Parliamentary salaries should be dropped altogether. Mr. DUKE and other
Unionists subsequently put down another amendment, designed to stop the
discussion of the larger question on the ground that it was a breach of
the party truce.
The SPEAKER however decided that Sir FREDERICK was entitled to first cut
at the Banbury cake. He made, as I thought, a very fair and not unduly
partisan use of his opportunity, arguing that the conditions of
Parliamentary life had changed since the War, and that as Members were
no longer called upon to work hard they should save the country a
quarter-of-a-million by dropping their salaries.
No one, I think, was prepared for the tremendous blast of invective
which came from Mr. DUKE. In language which seemed to cause some
trepidation even to the Ministers he was supporting he denounced his
right hon. friend for introducing "this stale and stinking bone of
contention," and plainly hinted that it was part of a plot to get rid of
the PRIME MINISTER. If that eminent temperance advocate, Sir THOMAS
WHITTAKER, had not poured water into Mr. DUKE's wine, and emptied the
House in the process, there might have been a painful scene.
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