Punch (63.1872)

December 14, 1872.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. 243

SAUCE FOR GOOSE, SAUCE," ETC.

Intelligent Officer. " Yer can't, Sir! Wert Sorry, but it's past Twelve
0 Clock. ' [Poor Jones, after his six songs and long walk, would have given his
head for--Hut no matter ; a time will cornel

THE PESTILENCE OF STRIKES.

Toadies of the " Working Man,"

See to what your Cant has led.
" Strike," the Bakers said, " we can ;'

Struck, and tried to stop our bread.
Next the Guardians of the Peace,

Even, struck against us too.
" We will," threatened the Police,

" Leave you to the ruffians' crew."

Then struck Stokers, of a class

Public servants, at our light;
All they could they did, of gas,

London to deprive at night.
Mutinies are strikes like these;

Thus its head Rebellion rears.
Soldiers, sailors, if you please,

Next will strike, turned mutineers.

A Long Affair.

These is news from Japan. " Four native priests
have left for Europe, to study the various religions." It
is to be hoped that these priests are single men, without
wives and families to lament their absence, for many a
day must elapse before they will see their own country
again. England alone has claims upon their notice,
which they will find themselves unable to attend to
within anything like a moderate period of time. Should
they extend their investigations to America, no date for
the return of the studious party to Japan can possibly be
fixed. _

Republican Loyalty.

Her Majesty's friend, the Member for Chelsea, has
asked the Times to contradict the statement, in a report
of the "English Republican Conference," at Sheffield,
that the appearance of a Post Office Order from Sir
Charles Dilke was received with cheers, and to say
that it is not true that he has subscribed to that asso-
ciation. For all his attachment to Republican prin-
ciples, Sir Charles Dilke refuses to sacrifice his
Sovereign.

cally is to cheat whilst they are able. The Government, in adaptation
of what Dr. Johnson once said to Dr. Percy concerning politeness,
has in effect proclaimed to the sufferers of exaction :—" Sirs, we have

Ihe (iovernment may be congratulated on the happy circum-

END AND MEANS.

u-oyernmem; may oe congratulated on tne nappy circum- thrown away m0rality : we are to be as fraudulent as we can."
stance that the system of fancy surcharges for Income-tax under | Action on this understanding, if it were to become general, would
Schedule D is at length, after a long period of laudable perseverance j S00Q render tne coiiection of the Income-tax impossible ; and
rn it, beginning to answer its purpose. A resolute agitation against j then the possibility of finding a substitute for it in England as well
that impost is becoming general among those who are plundered by ! as in other countries would be discovered.

its unequal incidence. In particular, the subjoined pleasing an- , In the meanwhile, it has perhaps occurred to the promoters of the
noucement has appeared m the Times.— | Anti-Income-tax meeting in the City that the existing relations

The Income-tax.—The Lord Mayor, in compliance with a requisi- ; between the Governors who impose, and the Governed who evade,

excessive and partial taxation, are demoralising, and that injustice
on the one side had better cease to develop roguery on the other.

tion, numerously signed, both by liverymen and merchants rin the City of
London, has convened a public meeting to be held on Friday the 13th inst.,
at half-past two o'clock, in the Guildhall, to consider the incidence of the
Income-tax, and the justice of its final repeal. His Lordship himself will
preside on the occasion."

It was a wise and beneficent thought to aggravate the Income-tax I RITES AND LIBERTIES,

so as to make it absolutely intolerable, with a view to arouse an It ma appear remarkable to observant foreigners that, whilst
agitation against it which would enforce its repeal. In no other : puDlicans are compelled to close their houses during certain hours on
way could the Ministry have counteracted the discouragement of all gun(iay, dealers in tobacco and vendors of drugs are allowed to keep
demands for the abolition of it by the persistent repetition of the cry 0 gh Apprise(i 0f the unlimited toleration accorded in this
that there can never be an end of it, and that the Act which created , conntry to every form of dissent, perhaps some of our lively neigh-
it is like one of the laws of the Medes and Persians, which altered bours ^ ^t suppose that, like Methodists, Baptists, and Non-
not. The plan of surcharging its victims, under Schedule D, served conformists otherwise named, Tobacconists, and Chemists and
to bring home to the British Public, and set vividly before their Druggists, are members of peculiar denominations enjoying rights
eyes, the point that m regard to taxation they are practically placed of conscience in the observance of a Sunday. So that, for example,
in the same state of things as the people of Sparta were respecting ! if one 0f tt asked, " Are you a Sabbatarian ? " his answer

theft. There it was held not at all morally wrong or dishonourable to , ^011i(j pe " j\[0 • j am a Tobacconist."

steal, only the thief had to take care not to be found out. Stealing
was regarded as merely a malum prohibitum ; not a malum in se at
all. So, as regards the Income-tax, the people, that is, that part of
them whose earnings it confiscates, have had impressed upon them
by extraordinary extortion on the part of the instruments of the
Inland Revenue, that it is all fair to cheat the Government by making
false returns if you can, only risking the consequences. The Income-
tax Assessors set the example of fraud by surcharging traders and
earners, and the class of those likely to be surcharged are thus
taught that fraud is at least as fair for one side as extortion is for
the other, whilst their only self-defence from being cheated practi-

It is not generally known or imagined that we have in our midst
a sect of Buddhists. That name, however, has been applied to
nursery gardeners, whose cult includes both grafting and budding.
Toleration for ever!

Fine Art Gossip.

We understand that an eminent Equity Draughtsman is engaged
on a work of Art, which he hopes to finish painting in time to be
able to send it to the exhibition of the Royal Academy.