The Express.
London, England, 1852-07-10 00:00:00

TU Mit RESPON

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LONDON, NA Tr/ WA I', MI 10.

Ins Derbyites have done their worst in the metro-
politan boroughs. And much they have made of
it. After poking and prying, and feeling their way.
and longing and stretching out their hands, and
luring heart and drawing them back, they have
tried for three seats, and gained two seats—out of
twenty.
It is laughable to hear them talk in the face of this.
They set themselves to count the votes given for the
Liberal metropolitan candidates; they find out that
they are fewer than at former elections. Why, what is
that to them ' The constituencies may love the
Liberal candidates less than they once did, but
assuredly they do not hate the Tory candidates less.
Except in two instances the mere appearance of a
Derby ite candidate sufficed to make the Liberals lay
aside their bickering* to drub the common foe. It is
ulcer that even if London Liberals mar grow indiffer-
ent to Lord JoliN Itu.sett, they are determined not
to have anything to say to LordDentiv. The position
and prospects of the I):rhyites are no more affected
by the more or fewer votes given to Liberal candi-
dates in the metropolis, than they are by the greater
or h-ss subserviency of Louis N irotnox's "
body" legu
lathe to the French PRESIDENT. Tho Der-
byites axe as decidedly off the ore field as the other.
But the spirit of mischief is strong within them.
No sooner is the door of one house where they hoped
to do h:um shut in their faces, than they set about
trying to force an entry into another. Pushed back
from the metropolitan borough.. the key turned, and
the door bolted against them, they arc now plotting
boa they may hirer their way into the metropolitan
county. They dream of filching Mr. BERNAL Os-
nowx e's *eat from him. They are sneaking about
among the electors—their fingers are on every man's
button, their noaeaare in every man's ear—they are in-
eimantly whispering that it is shocking to think that
the metropolitan county should be represented
by a liberal man like Mr. Osmium:. Those pious
men who can read the numberless sneers at
Chi Wianity with which Mr. Dt.a.tett's works are
replete. vet follow him as their political leader ;
these zealous auti•Ronianists, who could hear Lord
HENTINCE declare himself favourable to
the endowment of the Romish priesthood, yet not
root: from his standard. they forsooth arc scandal-
Med at the latitudinarianism, at the liberal tendencies
which they impute as a fault to Mr. OSBORNE. The
electors of Middlesex are not the men to be caught
by such ..lfu'riou.m cant. As long ago as the begin-
ning of the reign of Owens; 111., the electors of Mid-
dlesex saw through and scorned the hypocrisy
which sought to divert their attention from the
illegal oppression of WILKES to irrelevant bab-
ble about his religion. The electors of Middlesex
in s.-,2 will not so far degenerate from their sires,
as to allow whispered anonymous imputations against
the piety of an approved able and patriotic repre
'tentative to lead them to the fully of discarding''
him.

The metropolitan county and the metropolitan
boroughs—the heart of England—is sound. The
Melt% ministry will cling to (dice with the tenacity
of a sucking tish, the mouth of which does not relax
its hold even after the body has been piecemeal
chopped away. But as ministers they must conduct
the business of the state among a population of
whoii nineteen ,n every twenty scorn and detest
them. The First and Second CHARLES found such a
situation so uncomfortable, that they used occa-
sionally to shift the seat of government to Oxford;
hut the Damn ministry cannot scuttle off in that
fashion. They must walk about and transact busi-
ness where almost all men's eyes look coldly and con-
tumaciously on them.
In general elections, the decision of the metropolis
—though never servilely or unreasonably followed—
is always found to exercise a strong influence over
the decisione of the provincial constituencies. Now
as on former occasion., it is clear that the provincial
elector+ are emulating their London brethren, and
treating the appeal. of the Lterb,itee for their sup-
port in much the same unceremonious fashion. The
set of the English election. is hollow against them.
The voice of Scotland is beginning to make itself
heard, and it goes to the same tune. Edinburgh,
the intellectual capital of Scotland, will re-
turn two stanch liberals ; Glasgow, the capi-
tal of its industrial enterprise, though there
appears to have been some sad misunderstand-
ing and mismanagement among the Liberals there,
will do the same. And when Edinburgh and Glas-
gow are at one, the decision of Scotland is never for
a monicot doubtful. Some little time must elapse
before the temper of Ireland can be made manifest;
but it is already painfully obvious that the riots at
Stockport, Wigan. and Dublin, provoked by the
illtimed proclamation of ministers, have there cal.
ed up a spirit that may do mischief before it can
be laid again.
Lord Dxanv will have little leisure for the anti-
quarian studies upon which he promised Lord
MONTF.AOLE to enter during the recess. He must
throw aside his book to prepare to meet a hostile
rfiajority in Parliament. If Mr. ROEBUCK is in the
secret of the other Liberal leaders, ministers will,
at the very opening of the session, have to encounter
two motions—one asserting the soundness of free-
trade principles, the other declaring that the reali-
sation of • free-trade policy cannot be safely en-
trusted to men who only a few weeks ago were its
moat inveterate enemies. But even though opposi-
tion should humanely give ministers rope enough, in
order that they may have the melancholy satisfac-
tion of hanging themselves in the way most to their
taste, Lord Malay will find the labours of the next
ecemon much more arduous than those of the
session which is past. He will have to prepare
his own budget, and his own bills; he will
not be able to take credit for passing the mea-
sures of the opposition. His sayings anddoings
will be criticised and opposed in real earnest, not
applauded and promoted by their real authors,
or by men anxious to accelerate the close of the ses-
sion by any concession. Lord DERBY', real troubles
will begin in the parliament summoned by Lord
Deane himself.

or all Lord Dania's coUeagues in the House of
Commons, Sir 'mut PAKINGTON has perhaps made
the most favourable impression; he is intelligent,
courteous, attentive, and cautious ; anxious to gain
reputation for himself; and desirous of redeeming
the character of the Colonial-office in the opi-
nion of the country ; too fond, it may be, of
what is called currying favour by promising
to consider and remedy everything; but more
distinguished by plain common sense than by
fantastic " genius." Let us see then what Sir
low: had to say at Droitwich in favour of the
Dr.itsv cabinet; let us try to discover from him
what it has appealed to the country about ; let us
and out, if it be possible, what policy he assigns to it.
First of all he assures us that the present
_ is not ,
a dishonest government. They were Protectionists
--says Sir Joita—in opposition ; and they are, he
adds, Protectionists in office. But, then, he argues, they
ate not obliged by any considerations of honesty or
nonaistency to propose a return to Protection ; be-
.
rouse, they. did not come into office aggrcwvel or
on a question of Protection. Now, this reasoning,
with all respect to the Secretary of the Colonies, esta-
blishes the political dishonesty of the DERRY cabi-
net. For honest men act on their own conviction.,
not on the opinions of their adversaries; and Protec-
,ion is too large and important a question for the
councillors of the crown end the leaders of parlia-
ment to toy to their supporters, " our deepest con-
victions are all in favour of its restoration, and to ;
their opponents, " we have no present intention of
disturbing Free-trade, simply because we cannot."
The ministers who thus think one way and act an- ,
other, may be able, may he skilful, may even he sue-
woeful; but honest, in the best sense of that word, i
they are not.
It may be true that in the last parliament they
never brought forward a motion avowedly declara-
tory of Protection; but in all discussions on it

they announced that when a dissolution tea
place they would boldly appeal to the celatry
for its decision on that question. Itharefo-
mise and pledge, they are dishonest'', -breaking
and evading.'icy have not le& aiaLst.ch..
appeal. On the contrary, they are hy
means in their power attempting to escape anus
wriggle out of the promise they then made, and the
principles they then professed. They are either dis-
honest by adhering to their old opinions against their
new convictions, or, remaining unchanged in their
opinions, they are dishonestly refusing, for the sake
of power, to act on them. In either ease, they are
sipping the very foundations of political morality;
they are setting honour end truth (the highest of all
public virtues) at defiance. And so low have they
fallen, that the beat of them, Sir JOHN PAEINOTON,
can't or won't see and feel and blush for this.

And vet they arc men of strong opinions loudly
expressi.d on other subjects. Hear, then, even Sir
Jon; PAKINGTON tall about Protestantism, and
Popery, and democracy, and law reform, and colo-
nial policy, and there is no such shilly-shallying; no
inch hesitation, and stuttering, and stammering, as,
on Protection. When they. can either delude their fol-
lowers by strong declarations against I'opery and de-
mocracy, or can flatter the Liberal classes by advocat-
ing small improvements about which no one differs,
who so glib and facile of speech? It is only when
Free-trade is at issue that these honest ministers be-
come mysterious and gloomy, and speak in parables,
and ride off in generalities. Their language, before
so plain and palpable, and overflowing, becomes
only the medium of concealing their thoughts.
Now, this incertitude and practical dishonesty,
though not very dangerous to the freedom of trade
which we have already acquired, is full of danger to
the acquisition of that further freedom of trade yet
to he gained. Under free trade in corn, sugar, coffee,
timber, and the raw materials of our manufactures,
the revenue is so rapidly increasing, as to leave little
doubt that further reductions of taxation, of a large
and comprehensive sort, may in a year or two be
made. What these remissions will be, is tolerably
clear, with a government in power avowing a free-
trade policy; they will be directed to promote a
further extension of our commerce and so create
a further demand for labour, and greater
consumption of the necessaries and enjoyments
of life. But with a ministry in office who
proclaim that the landed interest has been " treated
unjustly • " and that the IWcst India interest has
been harshly dealt with, as Sir JOHN PAKINGTON
does—byi such a ministry a surplus revenue will be
applied to compensate the landowners of the United
kingdom and the planters of the colonies. So
that, though there may be no risk of losing what we
have gained, there is the greatest risk of not ac-
quiring what is almost withiu our grasp. They
want to raise a larger proportion of the national
revenue from taxes on imported commodities, and
for that purpose would augment such taxes ;
whereas Free-traders say that it is quite possible to
raise all that we want by reducing the duties on tea,
on tobacco, on wine, as has been done on sugar, on
timber, on raw cotton, and on corn. .

Besides freedom is a grand whole ; it is a prin-
ciple of.pniversal application; it is the foundation
for the entire national superstructure; and they who
in reasoning refuse us freedom to trade as much
as we can, to employ' our labour as much as we can,
to cat and drink and be as comfortable materially as
we can ; these men will be found trying to limit the
liberty of thinking, of educating, of acting, and of wor-
shipping. And so it is; the Ministers who would, if
they could, deny us cheap food, have plainly
told us that they will deny us further reform in par-
liament; they have already shown us how they will
deny us freedom of instruction, and they are pre-
pared to resist the further progress of what they call
democracy (using a big word to frighten silly people),
but what is simply informed public opinion.
If, then, any policy can be discovered in Sir 101 IN
PAAINVION'S speech, it is a policy of petty improve-
ments in small things, and of reaction in all great
and national matters; of reaction in commercial
policy, reaction in financial policy, reaction in parlia-
mentary reform, reaction in national education, re-
action in the great policy of religious liberty, re-
action in all our relations with foreign despotism.
How far, or how little, and how long, the country
will submit to such a policy, the elections will in a
few days show.