The Press. — London, England, 1856-08-16 00:00:00

77 . _ No. 172.—V0L.1V. Et Vrtss. rate capacity, and to look to public objects and the public welfare rather than to the attainment of their own particular ends. LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 1850. Unless this spirit largely prevails in a country there never can be any security for good government, or even for public freedom. The divisions of sentiment which shiver a people into innumerable sects, deprive them of weapons of defence against either popular disturbance or corrupt Ministries. For this reason continental nations have constantly failed in their efforts to establish a solid sys tem of constitutional liberty. The fractions into which the community is split up are unable to sink their differences for the attain ment of some great common object. Unity of action is impracticable owing to the perti nacity with which they cling to their special views, and their very earnestness becomes a snare for their destruction. _ _ A MORNINCi JOURNAL, in allusion to recent articles in THE PRESS, reiterates the cry of " Conservative disorganisation," and in sup port of its assertion cites some instances which we are glad of the opportunity thus afforded us to examine. Oue evidence of disorganisation is inferred from our admission that in " every great party " considerable differences of opinion must " prevail." It is urged that such differences ought not to extend to the principles of the party, and ought not to lead its members to rebel against their most prominent chief. Let us see what amount of truth there is in these assertions, and what amount of force in the argument drawn from them. It would have been more satisfactory had the writer condescended to explain what those essential principles are concerning which the Conservative party cannot agree. In politics it is extremely difficult to determine what kind and degree of diversity of sentiment should lead the members of a party to sepa rate themselves from it. The minds of men are constituted as distinctly as their faces—no two are alike ; and without very great tolera tion of diversity of sentiment, and a wide and enlightened view of the great advantages to be obtained by 'party association, it would, apart front all selfish interests which may bind followers to a Ministry, be impossible to get any considerable number of politicians to act together. A party must be more than a sect. To be really powerful, and to fulfil its first use, it must absorb sects. It must em brace men of very opposite opinions on ques tions in themselves of verb great importance. is:arrow minds are commonly unable to take this enlarged view of party necessities. They think some shred or accident of a principle of more importance than the principle itself, and they are perpetually seeking occasions of division by forcing into prominence the in significant objects they alone can comprehend, while more enlightened men are seeking occa sions of union by enlarging and strengthening the foundations on which party should rest. The point for rational politicians to determine in choosing a side is—whether subjects of agreement or disagreement are on the whole most numerous and important. Some sacri fice of individual inclination there must be to obtain the great advantages of party co operation. _ _ _ In England the ties of party are elastic. They do not repress individual thought. They allow of considerable freedom of action and even of eccentricity of movement, without ceasing to be a bond of union. They do not compel a minority to be bound by a majority, nor do they enforce the rank and file of a party to follow on all occasions the lead of their officers. It is their peculiar merit that while they allow full scope to conscientious conviction, they keep men prepared to act together when the necessity for action arises. There must be many open questions in every party, and weakness, not strength, must result, from any attempt to lessen their number, or to make men vote against the opinions they sincerely entertain. It is not tolerance of such diversities, but intolerance of them, which is the peril to party ; and it is only when such intolerance meets with encourage- ment, or when attempts are made to give effect to its spirit, and to produce a union which is incompatible with the essential diver sity and honourable independence of high minds, that a party is in danger of being dis organised and of going to pieces. Nothing could be more fatal to the influence of any party than to see the whole of its mu►ubers invari ably voting one way. We must decline to treat with equal serious ness the second evidence alleged by our con temporary of Conservative disorganisation. Mr. DISRAELI'S summary of the session attracted only a scanty House, and therefore he cannot possess the respect of his party ! We must remind our contemporary that the attendance in Parliament is not always propor tioned to the reputation of the orator, or the importance of the subjects he discusses. Mr. BURKE rarely spoke without causing a general rush of members to escape the sound of his voice. In very recent times the House was counted out upon the debate of the present Premier's motion respecting the Ashburton Treaty. It would have been wonderful had the House been otherwise than thin at the end of July, when all the business of the session was at an end, and the day had passed which had positively been assigned for the prorogation of Parliament. Mr. DISRAELI'S object was not, we apprehend, to attract a large audience, or to obtain the cheers of his party, but to place before the country a fair statement of the re sults of the session, ar►d to cause it to reflect whether the public business had been con ducted in a satisfactory manner. Judged by the attention his remarkable statement has excited, and the discussion to which it has On religious subjects men naturally feel more strongly than on any other. We are familiar with the heats which have arisen be. tween High Churchmen and Low Churchmen. But is it to be supposed that both classes, with all classes of intermediate opinion that mingle with them, may not act together in a party which has for one of its principal objects the maintenance of that Church to which they all belong 9 To urge inconsistency in such cases, is only to urge that men have the good sense to prefer great objects to little objects, and that they are animated by that true principle of patriotism which enables them to merge their individual in their corpo- LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 1856. UNSTAMPESTAMPED .-. SIXPENCE. D-FIVEPENCE. given rise, no motion was ever more suc cessful. _ _ It is a curious argument to use, that the Opposition is entitled to little credit for de feating many measures of the Government, because those measures were bad in principle, or imperfect in detail Surely it is the part of an Opposition to defeat, not good measures, but bad ones. Nor is the argument more suc cessful that when a Government fails to fulfil its legislative duties, the Opposition should supply Ministerial deficiencies. The Opposi tion cannot do so. It is rarely in a position to pass measures. It must content itself with ex pounding principles. On principles the Right Honourable Member for Bucks certainly cannot be charged with reserve. When the adherents of the Govern ment were declaring that a war of extremity must be waged against Russia, Mr. DISRAELI stood forth to explain the principles on which the war might be satisfactorily concluded ; and those principles, though with less com pleteness than Mr. DISRAELI proposed, were substantially embodied in the Treaty of Peace. When the Tripartite Treaty of the 15th April was published, Mr. DISRAELI called attention to the peculiar and embarrassing position in which it placed our ally the King of SARDINIA. At that time it was asserted that the Austrian alliance was intended for no other purpose than to secure the integrity of the Turkish empire ; but now it is not denied that the Cabinets of St. James and Vienna have been in confidential correspondence on the affairs of Italy. The leading journal, so constant for a time in its denunciations 'of Austrian per fidy, now congratulates its readers that Austria has not evacuated the Principalities, as eight unarmed Russians have landed on Fidonisi. When unprincipled attempts were mado to excite insurrection in Italy, and hints were thrown out that the assistance of this country would not be wanting, Mr. DIShAELL showed that no interference of the kind was practi cable ; and did the best service that could be rendered to the Italian people by revealing the true state of their political situation. When the differences with the United States assumed a threatening aspect, Mr. DISRAELI penetrated beyond the surface, inquired into their cause, and indicated the policy by which they might be effectually removed. It is not surprising that the opponents of the Right Honourable Member for Bucks should endea vour to depreciate his public services, but on a fair review of his conduct during the past session, it is impossible to deny that he has displayed in a marked manner two of the highest qualities of statesmanship—sagacity and moral courage. FALLACIES OF " HERO-WORSHIP." SOMETHING still remains to be said on the singular state of feeling in which the country embarked in the late war. At. the outset, and before hostilities in the field actually com menced, there was a universal confidence (ex cept in a few quarters) in the extraordinary superiority of our military and n rvices The confidence was carries the exi.e:bt of presumption, for the yids:Au/ha and ni)411,!:: tainty always attendant as. NtELKS might have.- taught a lesson of catitioie; Atm} it vi-Juld:ba, well to pay attention to cr ,110Fr40 of that presumptuous state Elf • - 11..• . : C;•••• I 1A (/ "7 A ;T -EN, ez.