The Press. — London, England, 1858-06-19 00:00:00

• L 1 ° •, ( • •.. ;.. A -.. r=. 1 F ~'~ LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 1858. No. 268.—V0L. VI. STAMPED ....SIXPENCE. UNSTAMPED..FIVEPENCE. PROSPECTS OF THE GOVERNMENT. No one can doubt, and it would even tax to the utmost the assurance of the "Liberal" journals to deny, the rapid advance made by the Govern ment within the last few days. "Living by sufferance,' " existing only by the permission " of its opponents, as it was said, a fortnight ago to do,—its course, for the last week or ten days, has been one of calm and easy triumph. Six weeks ago Lord PALMERSTON'S India Bill was to he his battle-axe, with which he was to hew his way back into Downing-street. His Lordship only waited for the day to be named for the second reading of Mr. DISRAELI'S rival measure, calculating with confidence that whenever the debate did actually occur, he should be able to satisfy the House of the superiority of his own plan ; and justly feeling that the substitution of a rival measure for that of the Government, would give a blow to Lord DERRY'S Administra tion, from which it could not easily recover. Lord JOHN RussELL's recommendation to proceed, in the first instancOr Resolution, frus trated, for the time, this plan. Still, if in com mittee Lord Pat.mmnsros's proposals had gene rally been accepted, and those of the Govern ment refused, the result would have been nearly the same. Whoever could "lead the House" in the construction of the India Bill would be, practically, the ruler of the country. A week since.these questions began to be sub mitted to the House, and in two great divisions, on different days, the House adopted the pro posals —not of Lord PALMERSTON, or of Lord JOHN RUSSELL, but of Me Government. Two great features of the Bill—a Council of fifteen members, and an admixture of elected with the nominated members—were carried by consider able majorities. Lord JOHN RUSSELL, then, in effect, retired from the contest, suggesting that the main features of the Bill having been settled, it was needless to keep the House in committee any longer, but that the Government had better forthwith frame and bring in their Bill. Lord STANLEY at once acceded to this recommenda tion, and the Bill was introduced, and Thursday next fixed for its second reading. These proceedings very materially alter the position of the Government. It is true, that just befi)re this the Church-rate Bill had been carried, and so had Mr. LOCK}: KrNa's Franchise Bill. But both these Bills had been carried in former Parliaments and under Liberal Adminis trations. Mr. DISRAELI suffered defeat just as Lord PALMERSTON and Lord ;roux RUSSELL had suffered defeat on the same questions; hut no loss of position or of reputation could attend a circumstance of so ordinary a cha racter. The real test of strength was found in the India Bill. The Government had a Plan, and Lord PALMERSTON had a plan: which should be preferred ? The House of Commons has accepted the proposals of the Government, awl thus negatived at once the idea that Lord PALNIF:RSTON had a majority of supporters in that House. We would not, however, overstate the case, or represent that the present Administration has gained, fur all purposes, a sure working majority in Lord PALMERSTON'S House of Com mons. The fact is not so. But at least this is clear, that no other party in the House has a numerical superiority over the present . Ministry. The prospect, then, is on the whole a satisfac tory one. As far as present appearances go, Lord DERRY'S Administration is likely to endure ; at least until it has had an opportunity of developing its views of Reform; by which ques tion, obviously, any Government propounding a bill must be content to stand or fall. The cry of " a Government by sufferance" ought to be heard no longer. It has now no meaning. llostile menaces will now cease to alarm us. If perils there be, they must he found within, not without, the Conservative camp. The threats of our Liberal foes we can bear better than their taunts. Thus we feel painfully such allu sions to the Jew Bill as the Times favoured us with last Monday. To wit : " Thus, that which was the greatest of all pos sible abominations so long as Lord DERBY and his friends were in op ..sition, has become practi cable, and even ex . • sent, so soon as they find themselves install- • in office. The very measure which for fifteen years they have steadfastly resisted, they are now ready to promote. So long as there was nothing to be got by yielding they were inexorable, for yielding would not have obtained them office. But, though yielding would not obtain office, resisting might chance to lose it ; and so the Jews are to have their birthright, because their old opponents love their places more than they hate the Jews, or the civil and religious liberty which their cause in this in stance represents." The only real dangers that we dread are of this class. We are old enough to recollect Sir ROBERT PEEL, triumphant when firm, but de feated when conceding. Thus, in 1829, and again in 1845-6, he gave away a noble posi tion. Nothing could ever have deprived him of the reins of power but his own needless concessions. With a fact so recent and so striking, it does appear somewhat strange that there can be even a thought of a third instance of folly resembling that of 1829 and 1845-6. When two noble ships have been lost upon the same fittal rock, we naturally expect that future pilots and commanders will take especial care to keep at a safe distance from so perilous a spot. But we understate the case, when we cite only the cases of 1829 and 1845-6. The combination which we now witness, of all the enemies of the Church of England to carry one Liberal measure, is nothing more than a repetition of the politics of 1686 and 1687. When a besotted creature of the Jesuits took his seat upon the British throne, the one object of his life was to undermine the Church of England, and to bring the realm again under the dominion of the " Holy See." And what was the course which, under the coun sels of the most wily of mankind, he was instructed to take ? It was a Liberal one. " A declaration for liberty of conscience " was his chief reliance. Nor was it a vain reliance. It immediately brought to his aid all the BRIGHTS and MIALLS of that day. Then, as now, Quakers and Independents were prompt to combine with Jesuits and the friends of arbi trary power, if the result might be a nominal Liberalism, but a real triumph over the Church and over Protestant Christianity. In fact, from the days of ELIZABETH down to those of JAM= 11., there never was an hour when the Jesuits were not actively scheming against the Church and the Monarchy ; and in most cases, the garb of Puritanism and of an assumed Liberalism was that which they preferred. Hence it can be no matter of surprise to find the like game going on now. There bas not been a division, we believe, in either House on the admission of Jews to Parliament, in which every Roman Catholic has not been found at his post, ready to vote for the most Liberal pro posal that could be made. And what a singular contrast ! In Rome itself—the holy see—the pattern city—the children of ABRAHAM have been for centuries confined to one dismal corner, and commanded not to pollute with their presence any other part of the city. But in England the adherents of the Pope are eager for the admis sion of the Jews, even into the Legislature itself. The motive is sufficiently obvious. The Protestant Church of England is the grand obstacle to Rome's universal dominion. Just as, in the palmy days of NAPOIXON 1., he complained, that wherever a ship could swim he was sure to find the English counteracting him ; so now in the East, in Sardinia, in Switzerland, in Florence, in Belgium, and in all heathen countries, England's flag of freedom and Eng land's Bibles check the advances of Popery, and encourage freedom of thought and religious inquiry. Unable to cope with England abroad, Rome, by her most subtle agents, aims to dis organize her at home. The Jesuits know well how to manage the most stubborn of the Dissenters and the most meekly sly of the Quakers. Into the Church itself they can creep, and they can seduce and poison. meat itself rests guarded by time that can be really one which will Make the Legislature all kinds of unbelievers the Jew, and kinds of persons creep, and some of its ministers and poison. But the Establish, ts on ancient foun. ' • . 14 Le-hallowed , . it i t 4 ally efficient :. t I. ' . introduce a . . , ..'' ` 4, 7'. 21 mi t gin ;islature a.to,, A _ ' 4 ~,, 41 relievers and .. , 1124 ' v !' ?• f by the ~ 2. 1 1 ° ;1• ' r 41: '' 1 00. 4 ._IPAIP'" I- _, is who den St ;I ..