The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-20 00:00:00

THE WANT OF NEW MEN.

Ma. COP POCK'S visits to the Treasury have of late
been suspiciously frequent ; and his appearance there
is u ominous of election storms u the appearance Of
the petrel at sea is of physical storms. A dissolution
in the midst of a war, which his been so mismanaged
that every nerve must be strained to set the nation
right again in the eyes of the world, appears indeed
sufficiently incredible. Yet the temper of the old
Parliament has become so moody and wayward that
Lord P.u.staasToN may find it necessary to try his
chance with a new one. Besides, Lord PALMERSTON

can imarcely be said to have a personal following in
the existing House of Commons, and a general elec-
tion whilst he is Premier will be pretty sure to give
him one. The likelihood of an early dissolution is suffi-
ciently strong to make it incumbent on the indepen-
dent liberals throughout the country to be on the
alert. It is better to incur a little extra trouble even
with the risk of its being thrown away, than to be
caught napping.
Upon the character and composition of the next
House of Commons may depend the future fate of
England. We yesterday endeavoured to show that
the capabilities of the Reform Act of 1831, for good,
have not yet been completely realised, because our
administrative Government has not yet been adapted
to the change in the political circumstances of the
country wrought by that measure. We may now
add that the electoral body have not yet availed
themselves of the power placed in their hands
by the Reform Act to mead a better clam
of members to Parliament. For this the con-
stituencies are not exclusively to blame. It
is true that, with every disposition to promote
measures that may put a check upon corruption and
other abuses at elections, one is at times tempted to
get impatient at the "petitionary vehemence" with
which electors implore the Legislature to make them
virtuous by act of parliament. If the electors are
sincere in their professions of desire to put an end to
corruption and intimidation, and otherelectoral abuses,

cannot they of themselves give up these bad practices,
even though there be no effective law to prevent
them ? Still the great obstacle in the way of returning
proper members to the Home of Commons is the
' want of proper candidates. How are the electors to
know who are the men able and willing to serve

them well, if these men do not come forward to
offer their services ? There are many able
men among us, ambitions of entering upon a
Parliamentary career, who fastidiously hang
back, under an impression that their services ought
to be courted. If they persist in hiding their light
under a bushel, how are men to know that it is
there? It is true that there is something disagree-
able to a high-minded man in being obliged to come
forward to sue for leave to serve his country, and to
advertise his own good qualities. There is something
disagreeable in having to compete with quacks or
jobbers. But this is one of the necessities of eleo-
torsi government—one of the disagreeables by which
we purchase its benefits. If the right men do not
offer themselves, the electors must of necessity put
up with the next best—or even with worse. Self-
assertion is the duty of able and honest men in
popular governments. We hear frequent sneers
at the composition of vestries, and even of the
House of Commons ; but these sneers come with a
bad grace from the men who, by superciliously stand-
iog aloof, leave the people no better choioe. When
the right men present themselves—men who with
principle and information combine courage and
activity—they have uniformly been preferred. And
when the people get hold of such a mao, they cling
to him through good report and bad report.
_ _

We hear from various quarters proposals for
Associations ; the House of Commons may be made
the best Association for amending the faults of oar
Executive. Associations are only, in the far greater
number of instances, mere pretexts for finding
jobs for a numerous paid staff. The labour
and skin in organisation so often wasted