The Press.
London, England, 1858-06-05 00:00:00

delusive scheme, he lost one-half of his sup-
porters.
It cannot be a pleasing thing to hear from
advanced Liberals" in the House of Commons,
or to read in ultra-Liberal journals, "We
prefer this Ministry to Lord PALMERSTON'S, be-
cause we expect that we shall be able to extort
more from its fears." Such reasons for support-
ing a Conservative Government are precisely
those which most annoy a Conservative's ear.
And, so far as he gives credit to them, just so
far is his attachment to the Ministry weakened
and his fears excited.
No one who has watched the recent proceed-
ings in Parliament can be at a loss to understand
the drift of these remarks. We tremble at every
symptom of a policy resembling that of Sir R. PEEL.
Still, we admit that there is nothing yet to excite
alarm, beyond a symptom or two which bear that
appearance.
A Reform Bill we have already advocated, and
we fully admit that it will be an easy thing to im-
prove the measure of 1832. But the whole
question should be taken in hand at once. We
do not mean in a single Bill, but in a connected
series of measures bearing upon each other. Mr.
LOCKE KING'S motion for a ten-pound county
franchise might be a Conservative proposal if
properly carried out, and if the 100,000 electors
for a county were rationally subdivided ; but
the same measure, if passed in a crude state, and
alone, would merely create a vast mob-consti-
tuency in every county. In the same way the
Abolition of the I:B7crerty Qualification is not a
measure to be pa suddenly and alone, but a
single feature in what may be a great scheme.
All these proposals should now stand over, until
the whole question of the representation can be
properly dealt with, at the beginning of the next
session.

As for that ancient grievance and nuisance,
the Oaths Bill, we scarcely know how to speak
of it, inasmuch as we do not pretend to under-
stand its actual predicament. There is a talk of
" the Lords giving way," and, unquestionably,
two or three Noble Lords who have always
hitherto opposed the admission of Jews to Par-
liament, did speak on Monday in a tone which
savoured of concession. " Whereunto this may
grow," we know not. As we have observed
elsewhere, all talk of " compromise," or a" iniddle
course," is mere delusion. Ibis a naked question
of being admitted, or not being admitted. The
only "middle course " that is conceivable is, that
of being stuck fast in the doorway.
But, joking apart, we must once more repeat
our general caution, that a policy of concession
may be more perilous than even a policy of obsti-
nate tenacity. The idea of gaining over oppo-
nents by such a policy is sheer delusion. The
Whigs gladly helped Sir ROBERT PEEL to endow
Maynooth and destroy the Corn Laws; and when
DELILAH had sufficiently shorn the political
SAMSON, the word was given, " The Philistines
"are upon thee," and the once powerful Govern-
ment was instantly found to be as weak as water.
The Whigs knew that in aiding the Conservative
leader to break up his own party, they had been
helping him to dig his own political grave. And
while men and circumstances change, self-in-
terest and human passions endure and pass not
away. If any statesman could now be found so
blind as to tread over again the course of Sir
ROBERT PEEL, he would find, at the end of that
course, the same calamitous termination.