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    Untitled Article

    Coopeb continues a successful canvass ; at Chippenham , Mr . LrsLEr Las won over a large number of those -who formerly recorded their suffrages against him ; we are sorry to find that Mr . A-Kboyd has felt it necessary to sacrifice his chance at Huddersfield . ^ Northampton lias declared unequivocally in favour of Mr . Chajr : l : es Gilpin :. At Oxford Mr . Nil ate mates way , on the strength of his truly refreshing audacity

    Salisbury appears disposed to adojpt Mr . James Campbell . To the Sandwich electors the Liberal party could not offer a better representative than Mr . Johh Lano , whose principles are altogether those of a sound , hearty , and courageous reformer . We may point also to Mr . William Hackblock , who claims the suffrages of IReigate , and whose address , singularly wise and generous , lias an accent ^ of sympathy and sincerity seldom heard in Parliament .

    These are some of the names now presented to the consideration of the Liberal electors . Others remain to be discussed ; but , as the day of the great constitution trial is fixed , the Keforni party cannot be too active , or too early in the field , with closed and . united ranks .

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    GREAT BRITAIN AT THE HUSTINGS . Bucks has spoken . Benjamin Dibbaexi announces that a dissolution will take place in order that a year may be wasted for tbe benefit of Lord Paxmiebstohst . He , of all men , has the least right to talk in that manner . He tauntingly told the Premier ^ at the close of the Chinese debate , not to complain to the country but to appeal to it ;

    he next commended the policy of dissolution ; but he cannot make his way even through an electioneering address , "without one or more positive misrepresentations . He says that Lord Palmebston has promised to supersede his agents in China . That is not the fact . Lord Elg-in goes out to negotiate with the Chinese Emperor upon matters raised by accident between him and the British

    au-Sfc . Paul ' s , and such as threw a maw-worm interrogation in the face of the Liberal candidate at Brighton . A gentleman named yiEQO— we quote the Brighton Guardianmoved no doubt by a conscientious impulse , desired to he satisfied as to Mr . CoifiNaham ' s religious convictions . Mr . Moses BicA-Edo , the Chairman , very properly declined to countenance the putting of such a question , and Me . Conikgham gave for

    answer , thafc for his religious opinions he was not responsible to Mr . Yibgo , to the Protestant Defence Association , or to any mortal being whatever . A few replies of this kind should be given from the hustings in front of which do congregate the disciples of JSTewdegatb and Spoonbb ; they would be less enthusiastically received by the Blouse of Peers , perhaps , than by the very intelligent constituency of Brighton .

    -the political section of which he was then a member . Discouragement and despondency indeed , have crept into the language of Tory journalism , and the one hope of that faction - seems to be- —disunion among the Liberals necessitating a message from the Queen- to Lord Debbv .

    The influential Scotsman details the course of the Scottish election agitation up to the present moment . Edinburgh is talking of Lord John Bussell , as a substitute for Mr . Cavatt ; Mr . Adam Black being sure of bis return . Perthshire is restless under its family influences , and hopes to expunge Mr , Stiex / IngY of Keir , and replace him by Lord James Muebat , brother of the eccentric Duke ^ of Atholl . Mr . Meeet

    proposes to release the Falkirk burglis from , the absolute rule of "Baibd , Brothers , who seem to be magnates in those parts . Mr . Ewaut or- Mr . Oliphant , of course , go in . for Dumfries ;—but we cannot analyze the entire list . The general tendency , so far as we can trace its action , is , to increase the strength of the Liberal body in Parliament , and it will be observed that for the first ' time since the passing of the ^ Reform Bill , the question of the franchise has assumed an

    extraordinary prominence in nearly all the Liberal addresses . It may suit Mr . [ Robert Lowe , indeed , to disparage " mere electioneering cries , such as the Suffrage and the Ballot , " and to recommend direct reforms ; but this sort of positivism is plagiarised from Tory manuals ; everyone , Tory or Liberal , professes himself favourable to progress ; "but the Liberals affirm that social progress is most certainly obtained by means of political

    reform '; while the Tories say that no political reform ia necessary as a prelude to requisite social ameliorations ; and here is Mr . Lowe saying the same thing . Mr . Lo-we , who returned from the colonies to work his way in public life at home as a IReformer , who went into Parliament upon the cries at which ho now casts ridicule , who was a stout advocate of franchise extension in 1853 ,, and who in 1857 steals Tory trash , and announces it as the common sense of "Whiggery !

    Mr . Cobden told Manchester that a certain kind of " factious opposition" was very much wanted in Parliament . We think that a certain sort of "electioneering cries" very much wanted at the hustings . Twenty years ago , a Liberal member of the House of Commons was charged with having embarrassed the Government . "I mean , to embarrass it , " he replied . " I never knew a Ooverument do any good until it had been embarrassed . " Nor have we ever known the

    constituent body send up to AVestminster a worthy Parliament unless under tho stimulus of a general rallying cry . We shall have cries , at all events ; and if they are not " the Suffrago" and " tho Ballot , ' they will bo " Palmejiston , " or " No Pa-lmehston ! " for there is a chance of one aa of tho other . We feel more than ever assured that tho Tories will lose considerably during tho approaching elections . The battlo of tho Constitution , fought in tlio ^ Registration Courts , according to tlio advice of Sir Kokebt Pujai ,, has not conferred nvuch now power of lato to

    thorities . Then Mr . Disbaeli describes Lord Paxmerston as the Tory chief of a Radical Cabinet . That again is untrue . Lord PAI . MEBSTO 3 T has again and again assented to measures in which no Tory would ever acquiesce , and his colleagues in the Cabinet , so far from being [ Radicals , are Whigs of a pale complexion . But we knew what to expect from Mr . Disraeli . He is exaggerated , vague , and theatrical , and enunciates not one distinct maxim of public policy . Nothing could be more marked than the contrast

    between his statement and that of Mr . Cobbum- at * Manchester . Mr . Cobden's was , in every sentence , frank , clear , and powerful , the model of a popular oration . We cannot accept ifc altogether as representative of our opinions , but we can praise it without reserve ; it went to the marrow of the main question now before the electors ; it asked them to vote upon no special issue , but to secure a Liberal majority ia Parliament . Sir James Graham was less happy at Carlisle , though he , too , was energetic and courageous , and cordial in his utterances of attachment to the old Liberal

    mottoes , " Retrenchment , Peac ^ Reform . " The Liberal party , as he said , may hav © - to retire and re-form behind the lull At all events , it would bo a gross abandonment of principle to elect a hand of lukewarm Liberals for the sole purpose either of expelling Lord Paxmehston from office or keeping him in . If there bo a policy connected with Liberal opinions , let that bo followed without reference to changes of ministry . Lot it be disentangled , moreover , from the miserable maxims of bigotry such as would send Mr Wbstehton into Parliament to represent the candle-snuffing interest of St . Barnabas and

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    LORD JOHN IN THE CITY . Loed John Russell is not to be put down If he had made difficulties for himself Government had made facilities for him by Lord Pai , m : e : rsto : n ' s wanton declaration against Reform . We see Lord Geanville ' s repudiation of an anti-reforming position for Ministers , and we have no doubt that his representation is eorrect . But the avowal has unfortunately called attention to the fact , that Lord Palmerston himself has

    never been a Reformer ; that he has counteracted Lord John Russbli ; that he has sided with those colleagues in any Cabinet who have been against further progress ; and that he is— -so far as domestic politics are concerned—what Mr . Diseaeli calls him , a Tory Minister at the head of a Radical Cabinet . So far as Lord Palhebstok ' s individual influence goes , ¦ we are not to have Reform , and with that knowledge Lord John's position is decidedly improved . He did not weaken it by his address to his supporters on Thursday . His complaint is

    that he was being dismissed without a hewing . Even a private gentleman or a merchant desiring to part with an old servant , would give some ¦ ¦ warning ; would say , " John " , I think your faculties axe somewhat decayed . You are growing old . Xou have made several mistakes lately . Do you know I think of putting _ a young man whom I have sent for from Northampton in your place . " And then John would have " an opportunity of answering and saying why he thought his faculties were not yet so very much impaired as to render ' him unable to go on with his service for some five or six years longer . "

    JNjothing can be better than , this ; it is plain sense , —it is English feeling ; and Election matters are not governed only by reason or calculation . G-od forbid ! Peeling enters into them , and if Lord John had made ten times the mistakes he has , we cannot , we will not , forget what he has done . ' When it was the practice for all Lords to support Tory views , Lord John- stood up for the rights of those who had not the suffrage ; for honest representation instead of corrupt boroughs ; for

    the rights of Dissenters and . the removal of their odious tests and disabilities ; as , to this day , he is standing up for the rights of the Jews . It would have been wretched policy in the City if they had elected Baron Lionel de Rothschild solely to assert the right of every Englishman , of whatever origin , to equality before the law , and had cashiered the very man who had been sustaining that right in the days when others did not take it up , —in the days when Lord Palmebston was a Tory .

    To show the comparative value to the country , at this moment , of tbe two statesmen , we had a test lately . Mr . Looke King proposed a very moderate instalment of suffrage extension . Lord John voted for it , Lord Pat > MimsiON voted against it . Most of Lord Palmrjiston ' s colleagues would hav e voted for it if ho had let them . If ho had , it would havo been carried by a considerable majority and tho bill most likely would luive passeda suffrago extension helping us to other suffrage extensions .

    There was ono point which Lord John did nob explain , although lie was called upon . Somebody cried out , " What about Vienna ?" Sir Jaieks Giiaiiam did a public service lately , though ho did not sorvo his own repute , by

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    W 8 THE LEA ' dEB , [ No . 365 9 Saturday .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), March 21, 1857, page 278, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2185/page/14/