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    326 . THE LEADEB, [STo. 367, Saturday.

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    PAiMERSTON'S PURGE. XiOBD Palmebston has...

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    POLITICAL OSTRACISM. We said, when the d...

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    Dishaeli—A Study Of Statesmanship. Tuts ...

    not indisposed to a reform bill ,, though he deelares he will not go so far as the Charter ; be is for abolishing the Income-tax ; and there has been no company like his fop progressive improvements . Lord John Rtjsselii is fop " peace , retrenchment , and reform , " including a considerable extension of the suffrage , the completion of the edifice of religious liberty , and reduction of the tea and sugar duties . That is the programme of Independent liberals ; but their's is not the company which at present has the contract for public business .

    The Liberal Association of National Credit makes its advertisements through . Lord Pai-MEBSTQN , and it is quite ready to supply the Tery same articles , though there ia one which the principal partner does not much like to trade in . The Company would give retrenchment- —only with the reserve that there must be a military expenditure for an improved army ; it would reduce taxation—in due time ' T it promote improvement—upon , opportunity ; and it will even obtain from some other shop , if the public customer absolutely requires it , any kind of " reform . "

    It is curious that in this practical country , ¦ where they boast of having " self-government , " they consent to go on from day to day governing themselves by proxy , through these peculiar joint-stock cliques of men . who band together simply to "do" the public . IBut the reason i & quite intelligible ; electors and nonelectors agree , by their acquiescence or ¦ . their action , to keep up an exclusive constituency ; the exclusive constituency , based upon the shopkeeping middle- class , is manageable especially by humbug , palaver , and ' appearances . '

    It represents exactly those shareholders in a vast joint-stock business who are content , through selfishness and servility , to leave everything to the directors ; and because each elector is desirous of improving his own connexion , he will play into the hands of the Credit Company which holds the . public contract , or into the hands of the Credit Company which he expects to hold the contract next . So it is that this great English nation consents to be contracted for by this or that Credit Mobilier , which is half a stock-jobbing reality and , half-bubble .

    326 . The Leadeb, [Sto. 367, Saturday.

    326 . THE LEADEB , [ STo . 367 , Saturday .

    Paimerston's Purge. Xiobd Palmebston Has...

    PAiMERSTON'S PURGE . XiOBD Palmebston has garrisoned Downingstreet with new levies . But after repelling an attack he may have to struggle with an insurrection . Heform is at the head of the poll ; the Chinese question nowhere . And lord Paxmerston will speedily be where the Chinese question is unless he agrees to do the work of the Liberal majority . Two parties have been established by the general election —the Franchise and Ballot party in the

    House of Commons , and the Agitation party out of doors;—the one will rouse the people , the other may coerce the Minister . If it be true thai the Premier is a Tory from conviction , he has no longer any right to occupy an official position . A Reform Parliament has been elected , against his expectations , contrary , perhaps , to his desires . For ourselves , we do not count upon Lord Palmeus ' -ton's Tory tenacity . He ia a malleable man . In

    stress of politics he will make for the nearest harbour . With Canni . ^ . he opposed Eeform ; with aaE ^ ho carried it , a ^ criaced in its interest his seat for the University of Cambndge ^ woninits name the constituency of South Hampshire , and proved himself to possess elastic views . Suck was hi * ductility m former days ; he may have changed , fixed hardened , if so , the Government must be changed also ; for Lord Palmebston in purging the Hou 3 e of Commons of peace mea and factious men has introduced into it . < =

    system an element of powerful and active liberality . Is he content to administer the affairs of liberalism , or to be submerged ? That is the alternative . Moreover , in sending Mr . Cobden , Mr . Bbig-ht , Mr . Gibson , Mf . Miall , Mr . Fox , Mr . Lay-aud , Sir Joshua . Waxmsley and Sir Wiixiam Clay to the country , he Bas Left them with the country , and not being able to sit ; in Parliament they will stand on . the popular platform . The stir and excitement will not subside with the last formalities of- the general election , as they might have subsided had all the great Keforraers returned to the House of

    Commons . Some of the greatest will be excluded , and they will not take to the plough of Cinctiwatus . Their task is now to procure a revision of those electoral laws which allow a Government to tamper with the constituencies , landlords to control electors , and fundholders to buy them . ¦¦ "' . At least a hundred and fifty new members will take their places in the forthcoming session of Parliament . A majority of them are Liberals ; Lord Debby ' s general election

    weakened the Tory party by at least twentyfive votes ; Lord PatjMEbston has deprived them of more than the same number ; so that within five years Toryism has lost fifty representatives * The gains , however , are not Lord PaIiMEB , so : on ' s ; they belong to the Liberal majority . Lord John Eussell declared on Monday that , with such a preponderance of Liberal members , the Premier ¦ will have no excuse for not proposing a Reform Bill . Should he decline- or delay , Lord Job ~ st

    RuasEti . is ready ; if not , Sir James Gbabcam : ; in an emergency , Sir Fitzroy Keli ^ himself , at the bottom of the hill , will raise a forensic shout in favour of electoral change . Parliament , newly warmed by the embraces of the nation , will follow no faltering leader ; so that the " First Lord of the Treasury , if he expected a majority to be returned solely that he might sharp-shoot whatever he pleased in Asia , has been desperately disappointed . The cry is for Reform . AH other topics

    have been eclipsed upon the hustings by that one word . There have been attempts to hush the constituencies ; but they have ridiculously failed . Here a tyro contrasted the relative valuesof a vote and a dinner ; but the impatient burghers laughed ; there a rotund rural magistrate , practised in summary committals , sleekly talked of the Protestant succession ; one Ministerial subordinate , kicking away the

    ladder of his social promotion , sneered at the popular demand for an extended franchise ; in other directions , where counties and boroughs are only the saddles of the equestrian order , heavy Church topics suppressed all mention of the suffrage ; but in the main , the electors and non-electors have vigorously put the question whether the now Parliament will be moved to enactf a measure of

    general political reform . The Coalition has melted away ; the Manchester party has disappeared from the House of Commons ; the Peelibes return mutilated ; the Tories have been reduced by another dwindle ; . but is Lord Palmehston , therefore , the master of Parliament ? He appealed to the country , " Shall the British flag be protected ? " and the country answers " Yes ; and the British Constitution improved at the same time . " What does the Premier imagine he will do with such men as Sir Arthur

    Bi / rojr , Mr . Wichiam : Ouawioud , General Thompson , Mr . Inguiam , Mr . Wyld , Mr . Cowiw & ham , Mr . Kinglajce , Sir Joseph Paxton , Mr . M- 'CuMDAGii , Mr . Watkins , Mr . Nicoll , Mr . Towns knb , Mr . Haokblook :, Mr . Eoupell , Mr . Looktb , Mr . Ayuion , and the other jouivg representatives of Liberalism ? Do without thorn , possibly ? But they are his supporters . Ho has not the

    great Whigs with him unless- he acts with the party of Eeform . Lord John Bussell is pledged to allow him a , reasonable delay and then upon his dedication to take-the question put of his hands . Sir James GI-baham : is evidently prepared to coalesce with . Lord John . Eusseli . Neither the new Liberals nor the old "Whigs will consent to sacrifice theirs views for the sake of the Pax mekstow supremacy , which , taken by itself , is not worth one bought vote in a rotten borough .

    The Premier , with his thirty sworn officials , ean hope neither to fight the Tories on Ministerial questions with the aid of the Whigs and Radicals , nor to fight the Whigs and Radicals on -Reform , questions with the aid of the Tories . The Tories and the officials : gave him an inappreciable majority 021 Mr . Locke Kina's motion . Mr . Loniru

    Kin g's motion has new advocates far exceeding the numbers of that majority . So that Lord Palmerston is surrounded . For the first time since 1832 we have a House of Commons returned to try the great issue of Reform , and Lord PaTjMEbston must either act as the head of the Liberals or be degraded as the tailof the Tories .

    The attempt to elect a House of Commons solely with regard to the proceedings of tlie British authorities in China has been a total failure . The rejection of the Manchester leaders and of various members who voted with tlie Opposition , doea not modify tie general result . The new Parliament is Liberal , not Palmersfconian . We believe we are correct in saying that nearly four hundred of

    the gentlemen elected have , in their addresses on th e hustings , expressed opinions favourable to an immediate measure of political reform . Two hundred and sixty will be tlie utmost strength of the Tory party . If Lord PAiiMEKSTON , then , hoped to corrupt and enfeeble the House of Commons , he has not succeeded ; if he means to spread his sails for popular support , let him . introduce a Bill for tmproving the Representation of the People .

    Political Ostracism. We Said, When The D...

    POLITICAL OSTRACISM . We said , when the dissolution of Pai'liament was announced , that to reject Mr . Cobden , Mr . Bright , and Mr . Milner Gibson -would be to discredit tlie very principle of representation . Manchester and Huddersfield have been , disgraced- Bat the time-serving ingratitude of those constituencies has found parallels ia other parts of the country . Aylesbury has ostracised Mr . Layabd , Leicester Sir Joshua Walmsley , Hochdale , Mr . Miali ,, Gldham , Mr . Fox—four of the most honourable members of the late Parliament

    Oldham , Kochdale , Leicester , and Aylesbury have been dishonoured by their rejection . We will add to the list Sir William Clay ; a tried and trusted Liberal . Against Mr . Cobbext and Mr . Platt nothing is to be said ; Mr . Biggs and Mr . Habeis , no doubt , will be competent to take part in the legislative business of the country ; probahly Sir A . Ramsay is a respectable politician ; the same remark applies to Sir John Potter , Mr . J . A . TuitSTKR , and Mr . Ajcboyd ; but -what have been their public services that the upright , the incorruptible , the eloquent should be discarded to admit them into the House ot

    Commons ? Place the names in . j uxtaposition— RlCHABB CoBDEN , JOHN BlUGHT , Milneii Gibson , Edward Miall , Ht £ Try Austeh Layabd , William Johnson Fox , Joshua Walmsley—who have given way to John Potter , James Aspenatx TuntfEit , Mr . Akroyd , Mr . Bernard , Mr . BrG « S > Mr . Harris , At , t 5 Xanhi : r Rams at , Mr . Pi . att , and Mr . Cobbkt'x—tho contrast 18 that between insignificance and reputation ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), April 4, 1857, page 14, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_04041857/page/14/