The Press. — London, England, 1853-05-28 00:00:00

ilerilas.` THE PRESS. Sir B. HALL : I understood, my Lord, that the principles upon which your Lordship's Administration were formed were Liberal. Lord ABERDEEN : Yes, they are Liberal ; I look upon Liberal and Conservative to be synonymous epithets. Sir R. Nous : Will your Lordship have the very great goodness to inform the Commissioners what may be the meaning which your Lordship ascribes to the epithet " Conservative" ? Lord ABERDEEN: I ascribe a negative meaning to it. Sir B. HALL : And to the word " Liberal" ? Lord ABERDEEN : I use that word with the same signification. CHIEF COMMIssIoNER : Then your Lordship would have us under stand that, by the definition of a Government as one of Libe ral Conservative principles, you mean a Government with nu principles at all? Lord ABERDEEN ; I believe that is about my moaning. CHIEF COMMISSIONER : The Commissioners will not trouble your Lord ship further at present; they must pursue this inquiry in other quarters. Let Lord John Russell be sworn. His Lordship was sworn accordingly. : I believe, my Lord, you were Prime Minister CHM COMMISSION] in 1851? Lord JOHN : I was, GMT COMMISSION)! : And had been so for several years ? Lord Jo HN : Yes. Cnizir COMMISSIONER : I believe 1 ant correct in stating, that the last witness tried to turn you out in 1850, and that you de feated him, ho being then looked upon by you and your col leagues as " a piece of antiquated imbecility"? Lord JOHN : Yes : what you say is quite correct. CHIEF COMMISSIONER : You have since accepted office under him ? Lord Joa.; : Not exactly ; I have no office, but I serve under him. CHIEF COMMISSIONER : You are, however, Leader of the House of Commons ? Lord JOHN : It is very difficult to lead the House of Commons with out holding office, but I believe I am, at least, nominally, Leader of the House. CHIEF COMMISSIONER : When you were Prime Minister you wea a Whig? Lord JOHN : Yes 1 was. CHIEF COMMISSIONER : Do you still call yourself a Whig? Lord Joni, : I call myself now a " Conservative Democrat." CmEr Commission!' : What arc the principles of a " Conservative Democrat"? Lord J OHN : Well, we have not yet settled that point : it does not press—there are several matters that do—the Budget, and also India. But I have no doubt the principles, when they are settled, will be very good principles. CHIEF COMMISSIONER: Has your Lordship any further explanations to offer the Commissioners? Lord JOHN : No ; I think the least said the soonest mended. CHIEF COMMISSIONER: Call Sir William Molesworth. The Right How Sir William Molesworth sworn. CHM' Comasstotan : The First Lord of the Treasury has described the principles of the present Administration as Liberal Con servative, to which he says he annexes no meaning, and Lord John Russell has defined his own principles to be those of a Conservative Democrat : as it is of great importance to ascer• taro what the principles of the Government really are, the Commissioners wish you to favour them with your view of the case. Sir WILLIAM 11101.E8WORTH : I have no hesitation in unequivocally expressing them. My principles are Radical principles, and I joined the Administration of Lord Aberdeen because I be lieve those principles will be carried into► effect. CHIEI► COMMINIONEk : You are a Radical Reformer? Sir W. MOLESWORTII : Tam a Radical Reformer, like Bentham and like Grote. Sir R. 'sous : Will you have the extreme goodness to state to us, Sir William, whether you are of opinion that the colleagues with whom you are associated arc likely to carry those prin ciples into effect ? Sir W. MOLISWORTH : Certainly ; otherwise I should not be their colleague. I take office to advance my principles. I could have wished to have seen Mr. Cobden or Mr. Bright in the Cabinet, because they are the public men with whom I most entirely agree ; but it is not for me to dictate who shall be members of a Government. All I can do is to take care not to be a member of a Government myself which does not sincerely intend to advance my political views. B. HALL : You are of opinion that a Radical Baronet is a very proper person to be a Cabinet Minister ? Sir W. MOLESWORTII : Without entirely assenting to the position of the Hon. Commissioner, I have no hesitation in saying, that it is my opinion that Ministers should be Radicals; whether they should also be Baronets is a separate portion of the proposition. Sir B. HALL : You see no objection to a Radical Minister being also a peer ? • Sir W. MOLESWORTII: I do not feel called upon to give any opinion on that point, or how far the duties and privileges of a peer of Parliament are reconcilable with the principles of Bentham and of Grote. At present, a Radical Reformer, I have be come a member of a Cabinet which I believe will carry out the principles of Radical Reform, and I am satisfied. Here Sir ROBERT INGLIS observed that he was not satisfied, and that he should wish his colleague, Mr. Gladstone, to be examined, who was accordingly sworn. Sir R. IsoLts : It being our duty to ascertain the political opinions of the present Government, and generally to understand the principles which they propose to uphold, and consider able perplexity having been occasioned by the varying and somewhat contradictory evidence offered to us on this head by the noble Premier and several of his distinguished col leagues—Lord Aberdeen stating that the principles of his Government were Liberal Conservative, to which epithets his Lordship added he attached no meaning ;—my noble friend, Lord J. Russell, leader of the House of Commons, having described himself as a " Conservative Democrat," and the Right Hon. Gentleman, the First Commissioner of Works, having unequivocally announced that he was " a Radical"—l have to ask you whether you are prepared to state what, according to your understanding, is the political character ofthe existing Administration? Mr. GLADSTONE : I have no hesitation in definitely answering your inquiry. The present Administration of Lord Aberdeen is a " strictly Conservative " Administration, and in that character I alone consented to become a member of it. ' Sir R. Nous : May I take the liberty of inquiring to what party in the House of Commons you look for the support of that Go vernment ? Mr. GLADSTONE : I look to the great Conservative party, formed on the principles of the address to the electors of Tamworth in the year 1835. • Sir B. HALL : How do you reconcile this statement with that recently made by Sir W. Molesworth ? Mr. GLADSTONE : In this way : the statement recently made by Sir W. Molesworth is his own statement. If he, avowedly a Radical Reformer, chooses to sit in a strictly Conservative Cabinet, he must settle that with his own conscience. Sir B HALL : What do you understand by the term " Conservative Democrat" ? Mr. GLADSTONE : No follower of Sir Robert Peel ever made use of such a term. It was only used by a distinguished but subor- dinate member of the Government ; and therefore goes for nothing. I look upon these phrases in general as methods to disguise an unsatisfactory position ; but that does not con cern the followers of Sir R. Peel, whose position is peculiarly satisfactory. CHIEF COMMISSIONER: Do you ascribe the same meaning to the epithets Conservative and Liberal which Lord Aberdeen does ? Mr. GLADSTONE : As united I do. I think the phrases, then, really mean nothing further than a general expression of confidence in Lord Aberdeen's Administration. Without Lord Aber deen the epithets would revert to their original significance. Sir B. HALL : Am I to understand that, if a question of making peers arose to-morrow, you would feel it your duty to select the individuals for those honours from the "strictly Con servative " party ? Mr. GLADSTONE : Clearly ; I should be very surprised were Lord Aberdeen to contemplate any other course. Sir B. HALL : Then all I can say is that a more unconstitutional Government never existed. Mr. GLADSTONE : I understand the taunt, but I hope I shall be able to restrain myself. Sir B. HALL : Did you ever hear of such a thing as an " organised hypocrisy" ? Mr. GLADSTONE . If this line of examination is proceeded with I am afraid I may get into a passion. Sir R. INnus : My Right Hon. Friend, I think, had better retire. Sir B. HALL : We need not trouble him again. His evidence has only added to the perplexities of the question. However, I, for one, am resolved to get at the bottom of this business. There must have been many confidential letters pass during the negotiations for forming the Government. They must be produced. In the meantime, I give notice that I shall summon Sir James Graham for examination, as to the principles of the existing Government, at our next meeting. (dcijounki to Friday wt.) SATURDAY ; Sir 1 4 ♦! t ~~~ 6111 lir*