The Press.
London, England, 1858-08-28 00:00:00

THE PRESS, AUGUST 28, 1858.

for his insulting remark touching the hotel-keeping. This he refused, in
the genuine spirit of. martyrdom ; and, after ten days' endurance, on the
oggestion of the ship's doctor, the chain was removed, and Mr. KROG set
. The outrage has, however, just been submitted to the judg-
at liberty
ment of a British jury ; and compensative damages of 375/.—on the whole
$ very moderate assessment—awarded against Captain FitANKLIN may
suffice to teach the commanders of all passenger vessels that the practical
despotism which they are allowed to exercise at sea is mitigated by serious
responsibilities, certain to be enforced on them should they venture upon
any abuse of their powers.

Liberty and Property for aver ! This was the old patriotic
toast—liberty standing first in estimation. With regard to a peculiar
class of Englishmen, by no means insignificant either in numbers
or position, while the rights of property are maintained to the utmost
extent, those of personal liberty have become seriously compromised.
The man may be kidnapped away by stratagem into a dungeon,
may be shut up in a dark room, subjected to the gentle restrictions
of a strait-waistcoat, have his head shaved, and be fed on bread
and water, under no other authority than a "certificate" signed
by two medical practitioners. This, we say, may be done : there is
nothing to prevent it. And the worst of it is, that this state of things
does not in the least prevent a great many real lunatics being at large
who ought to he confined. A raging lunatic, if he happen to be a compa-
rative pauper, may go at large ; while in the case of a wealthy man a very
slight hallucination is enough to consign him to captivity. The case of Mr.
l{teK, which has just taken five days' prolonged investigation, and filled
many pages in the daily journals, shows very curiously the different esti-
mation assigned by the English law as at present constituted to issues in-
volving liberty and those relating to property. The particular hallucina-
tions to which this unfortunate gentleman was subject were really
immaterial to the question. He fancied that his wife was unfaithful.
Othello entertained similar suspicions on equally valid grounds. But Des-
dcmona in this case, being surrounded by skilful advisers, sent her jealous
lord into a lunatic asylum, instead of affording him the opportunity of be-
coming hero in a tragedy. This was perhaps a fair device on the part
of a calumniated spouse. As the husband, however, was possessed
of a considerable income, the question of lunacy had to undergo
a further sifting. His liberty was taken away without difficulty or inquiry;
hut his property could not be appropriated without a protracted investiga-
tion—such as terminated yesterday in a decision declaring that the supposed
lunatic was fully competent to manage his own affairs. After this pro-
tracted ordeal, and through a process entailing an expenditure of several
thousand pounds, Mr. RUCK has been enabled to establish his sanity. If
there had been no property in the case, he might have remained in the
lunatic asylum for the rest of his life; and a year or two hence would no
doubt have been in reality quite sufficiently mad to bear presentation before
the Commissioners at their periodical visitation.

The horrible railway accident of this week, far from being one of that
class of occurrences, too common as they are in our railway records, against
which no human foresight could have provided, is precisely one of those
which it is perfectly easy to account for, and for which the real culprit
should be made to suffer most severely. There was no inexpli-
cable misconception of signals, no sudden irruption of cattle upon the
line, no fog, no darkness, no earthly reason, in fact, for the accident
but the gross negligence of the authorities. Here was an unusually
monstrous train, which had to ascend in its journey an incline of more than
ordinary steepness, and yet positively no precautions whatever seem to
have been taken to ascertain that the machinery was in a fit
condition to support the vast additional strain ! This stolid
stupidity, or reckless carelessness, of the particular class of
people who are in this case probably to blame is almost proverbial. And
seeing the frightful risks they involve, whenever an opportunity occurs,
they should be severely punished. It is seldom, indeed, that anything so
bad conies to light as the conduct of railway servants in this case, for they
actually had warning that the carriage fastenings were insufficient. Their
foolhardiness is almost unintelligible. We trust something may be done
that will make it long a terrible warning to people in similar situations.

THE WORD " LIBERAL."

TO THE EDITOR OF " TUE PRESS."
Sir,--I have read with pleasure the remarks which have appeared in
your columns, first on the vagueness, and more recently on the ambiguity
of the hack word Liberal. And I don't doubt you will easily prove, what
in a closing paragraph last Saturday you rather implied than affirmed—
viz., that the party or knot of parties who now style the:uselves " Liberals "
can establish an original or exclusive claim to very few of the really
Yheral measures of the present century. But it seems to me
that you arc passing over one important question with regard
to this precious word " Liberal," considered even in its party
'ense• Have the present Opposition historically any right to
!lain' the name even as a political designation ? Not a bit of it.
am old enough to remember the first introduction of the term. It was
when, after Lord LIVERPOOL'S death, the other chiefs of the Tory party—
whether from a wise distrust or a discreditable jealousy, I don't pretend to
.decide—refused to serve under CANNING, and threw hint on a few personal
mends, principally moderate Tories, like himself, for his Cabinet, and on
theri hig-Itadical party for his "following." Then, when Lord GIIEY, in
t,e
Per House, was assailing the new Premier with withering sarcasm,
and.. in the Lower House Bilotniti4m and littitoErr, I Lump, and llonnousE,
the word
in CouRETT's phrase, "sticking their knees into Calistso's back,
"rd first came into vogue to distinguish that great man's
the + n
N4iti t m
- ••107 Fluty, from the mass of the Tories 01; fhe on?

829

hand, and from the Whigs and Radicals on the other. CANNING
was a Tory still—inheriting Purr's last views on the "Emancipation"
question, as llesucissox, his friend and colleague, inherited them with re-
gard to commercial freedom. And thus his friends and admirers—both
numerous classes—assigned the name of Liberal, by way of complimentary
distinction, to that section of Lord LIVERPOOL'S former supporters of whose
views he was the ablest exponent. It would be tedious to trace the steps
by which the word gradually lost its distinctive signification when CAN-
NING'S death had left the original " Liberals " without a leader of suffi-
cient ability to maintain their position as the advanced guard of Toryism.
Enough to say that first the " Relief Bill " and then the " Reform Bill "
went far to remove the old landmarks of party, and to establish the broad
division of politicians into " Conservative" and Destructive." Then did
the Whigs cast about for some decent name under which they might co-
operate w►th Conservative or Chartist "as humours should determine."
Then did they beg, borrow, or steal that name of " Liberal" which has been
at once a striking instance of their knack at " appropriation " and a standing
satire on their narrow and selfish policy. Finally, when their own greed and
jealousy, even more than their maladministrat►on, had broken up the
" Coalition," they resolved nominally to cast in their lot with the "move-
ment " party, and to turn the name of "Liberal" to the uses, first of Lord
PALmEirroN's dictatorship, and then of the present motley Opposition.
This—as far as memory and inquiry enable me to trace the facts—
is the mystery of this wonderful history—the theft of a name to assist a
verbal fallacy.

Si quid novisti reefing
Candidua imperti—gi non, his were Inman.

I am, Sir, yours truly,

EPISTLE DEPRECATORY.

INDAGATOR.

FROM TIIF. RIGHT HON. It. L. TO VISCOUNT PALMERSTC
Are croakers prophets ? can the tale be true
That Palmerston to party bids adieu,
Hides from the public gaze what all admire,
And sinks the Statesman in the Country Squire ?
Oh, say not so ! let such averment be
A weak invention of the enemy—
Offspring of Lib'ral spleen, or Tory chaff,
False as a leader or an epitaph !
Say you're dyspeptic—out of sorts—amiss
In lungs or liver,—anythin(,• but this !
But if; untrue as yet, such rumour seem
The forecast shadow of a half-forni'd scheme,
Pause yet, and think how Fate has link'd with thee
The Lib'ral cause—whatever that may be !
Ilow will the party fare, when thou art gone,
'rwixt Cardwell, Roebuck, Bright, and Little John ?
War in the camp, and Chaos come again,
Factions and fractions battling might and main,
Greedy and obstinate, but all unled—
All paunch and—sitting-part—without a bead!
Oh ! skill'd to soothe Reformers to repose,
And teach the restless Chartist how to doze,
To merge in compromise conflicting views,
And in blank Zero blend ten thousand hues,
Think to what lengths may innovation run
Should jobs grow obsolete, and work he done !
Thine was the task to close our straggling line,
Direct our movements, and our fire combine;
To thee we look'd to promise or refuse,
To snub the Ballot-men, or coax the Jews,
Wile 'l'ory votes from many a country knight,
And whisper progress to the school of Bright ;
So had the Treas'ry bench been ours by storm,
Nor Dizzy sat to vex us with Reform.
How mean a change for triumphs such as those
Can model farms supply, or rustic shows,
Where some fat ox receives the chief applause,
Or laureate swine a gazing circle draws!
For him, whose train'd assurance might surpass
Ovidian records of an age of Brass—
Whom none durst question, tho' their case were good,
Whose lively banter friend nor foe withstood,
How low the grazier's cares—how poor the charm
Of morning rambles on a well-kept t'arm,
To pat sleek bullocks, sip at labourers kegs,
Or walk sonic stray attache off his legs!
But if such contrast leave thy dire intent
Unshaken still, at Friendship's call relent !
Full little know'st thou, that halt never tried,
What hell it is the Protean Times to guide ;
To screen ambiguous, blacken honest acts,
Misconstrue motives, and entangle facts,
Rashly affirm, unblushingly deny,
Endorse a job, or circulate a lie!
All this, and more, for many a weary day,
I've done and sidled, in my humble way.
Ousted from place, but not of hope bereft,
Whigs might revive, while Palmerston was left !
And thus, when others fled, I held my post,
And sung your Paeans to a routed host.
Ah! must I then that cherish'd hope forego?
Leader of Leaders ! cheer me with a " no "
And save
Your owg devoted _ _

It lowg,