The Press.
London, England, 1857-07-18 00:00:00

GOVERNMENT MEASURES.

Is our remarks a fortnight ago upon the mean-
ing of the word policy, we drew attention to
the recklessness displayed by recent Govern-
ments in their introduction of measures. We
attributed this evil to the protracted insubor-
dination of their own party, which rendered
Parliamentary defeats of such frequent occur-
rence as to deprive them of all significance.
But an inevitable consequence of this state of
things we did not expressly mention. We
mean the difficulty of discovering what are
looked upon by Government as questions of
principle, and what are not. Formerly, when
Government announced its intention to bring
forward a proposal in which it conceived a
great principle to be at stake, it was usually
an understood thing that the existence of the
Cabinet depended on its success. Thus, as
we have said, Governments were preserved

690

from precipitancy, and Parliament was pre-
served from anarchy. The country then knew
what questions of legislation were deemed of
vital importance by the statesmen selected for
its leaders, and on this knowletilge could satis-
factorily determine the amount of confidenCe
to be placed in alai. .
But in the pre 04 day A. Anvernthe 1
motion is a phrase ivittout a. Vne&fiing. T a
words are still u t
se ,Atit theitfhiphsinpiqx6' ,
Io i
or withdrawn, al. in ,dlWed. with acct-
modating ease that nobody is the wiser fit
hearing them. On the 15th of May last the
Oaths Bill was a " Government measura.
. Lord PALMERSTON apologised for taking it out
of the hands of Lord JOHN RUSSELL, alleging
in excuse that his only motive was the advan
tage of introducing the bill with the whole
• weight and sanction of Government. The Bill
was defettLed by a larger majority in the
House of Lords than that of last year. In the
Upper House one Cabinet Minister—Lord
HARROWIIY—and in the Commons two official
supporters of Government—Lord CASTLEROSSE
and Mr. MoNSELL—purposely absented them-
selves on the occasion, and the Premier at
once evades all embarrassment by denying,
forsooth, that the Oaths Bill is a Government
measure ! We will venture to say there
is scarcely another instance upon the Parlia-
mentary records of a Prime Minister delibe-
rately accepting the responsibility of a mea-
sure, introducing that measure himself in the
Lower House, and then, when the Bill is
thrown out in the Lords, excusing his defeat
by denying its paternity.
During the last three years this kind of '
thing has grown far too common. Individual
popularity and individual talent aro only
useful Ministerially to give effect to what a
Government conceives to be judicious mew
sures. If that cannot be done, what claim has
a Ministry to the continued occupation of
office ? They may purchase the sufferance of
Parliament by allowing full scope to its
caprices, as a nurse may obtain a reputation
for the management of children by never
refusing them a request. But in each case the
reputation must be very shortlived. The
results- will sooner or later become manifest
Discontent is sure to follow. Men are made
to be koverned, and those who are always per-
mitted to do what they like generally, after a
time, cease to like what they do. Satiety and
restlessness, impatience and languor, reign by
turns; wren's minds grow averse to a resolute
grasp of their difficulties, and at last it becomes
evident that nothing but quiek and violent
changes can succeed in resuscitating their dis-
sipated energies.
People have hitherto acquiesced in the
jaded rule of the Liberals, because they ex-
pected from a new Reform Bill some such
stimulus as we describe. But the probability
of any such measure is becoming fainter and
fainter. Even at the best, it will probably be
proposed pro forma by sonic Liberal Minister,
who will see it mutilated with philosophic in-
difference, and, finally, when it cannot be
carried, will deny that it is " a Government
measure."
Under these circumstances, it is high time
that this system of irresponsibility were put an
end to. With great events impending which
imperatively demand sagacious councils and
vigorous deeds, Government must not be
without the spur of self-interest. It must
• show itself competent to introduce measures
which it will not fear to designate " Govern-
ment measures," in a genuine sense. It must
either do this, or pay the penalty. The com-
monwealth has been brought to that state
when a Minister must, like an Eastern physi-
cian, risk his own existence in prescribing
fJr it.