Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/389

 1850.] Resignation of Sir Robert Peel to his Death. 375 attaining all that its advocates desired, the agitation in and out of Parliament had not been without result. The Govern- ment had entered honestly into the desire for retrenchment, and the budget of 1850 exhibited decreased estimates, and a balance favourable to some reduction of the national bur- dens. Encouraged rather than satisfied by this, Cobden, on the 8th of March, upon the motion for going into committee of supply, moved an amendment in favour of a reduction of the national expenditure, and based his argument on the fact of the unnecessary increase which had taken place since 1835. Hume, of course, joined in this debate with the greatest readi- ness, and he and Cobden were tellers in the division, when 89 members voted with them, and 272 against. An unexpected turn was taken in this direction by H. Drummond, the eccen- tric Irvingite Conservative, who on the I2th of March moved a resolution for the reduction of taxation. Whatever were the objects of the mover Cayley, the seconder, openly advocated protection the Radicals looked only to the terms of the motion, and voted for it, thus swelling the number of Ayes to 150, the Noes being 190. Connecting the principle of responsible representative government with the desire for financial reform, came the proposal of Milner Gibson to establish county financial boards. This was the formal commencement of the move- ment for extending to the counties the same privilege of local self-government enjoyed by the boroughs, a movement which is yet awaiting its legitimate result, and the inception and early advocacy of which were due to the Radicals. The bill was favourably received by the Liberals generally. It was introduced on the 5th of February, passed the second reading on the 1 5th of March, and was then referred to a select com- mittee a gentle method of extinction. Many other important questions affecting the good government of the country and the principles of civil and religious liberty, by which alone that can be secured, were raised and supported by the Radi- cals in the course of the year. Some of these were of a character which deserved the early attention of Parliament,