The Press.
London, England, 1858-06-19 00:00:00

evrrtsgoraenct.

CONSERVATIVE REACTION.
TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS."

Sir,—An interesting chapter in a work devoted to
the history of parties might be written on the
decline of the great Tory party in England. Early
in the present century (1809) a small knot of men
occupied seats in the House of Commons whovebryy
soon became distinguished for tile freedom with
country
yal
and
n questions.
Parliament They ee-
ieed
osalmiicoh
ktlnieoywn iu di s
th
the name of' "Economists." It is no derogation of
this pnlitical and economical sect, so far as their
real merits are concerned, to say that their confi-
dence in their own ju lgment, as estimatel by them
selves, wa.s considerably above their real deserts as
practical statesmen. They carried about with them
a kind of economical and critical foot-rule, by which,
in their own fashion, they gauged the mental
and legislative capacity of most members of the
Legislature. Perseveringly and energetically they
worked their way, being especially sedulous
to win over as many young men of talent to their
views as possible. In 1819 the successful result of
these efforts was reflected in the bill for tha resump-
tion of cash payments, commonly known as " Peel's
Bill." On the passing of that measure, the first Sir
Robert and the late Sir Robert were found in oppo-
sition ; the statesman whom the father had trained
to follow in the footsteps of William Pitt seceded
from the Tory policy, and walked side by side with
Mr. Huskisson. The old Tories, backed by an im-
portant portion of the landed interest, were in oppo-
sition to what might be called the young Tories
instructed by the Economists. A serious breach
was thus made in the Tory party. It was widened
by the part Mr. Huskisson took on the question of
Free Trade, which he,in part, subsequently regretted,
but which was finally adopted by the late Sir Robert
Peel. The two questions of currency and corn
continued to divide the Tory party less or more
until tho memorable di-ruption in 1846, which
()centred on the motion for a repeal of the Corn Laws.
The effects of these questions on the mind of the
country, and in their varied modifications on the
state of the Tory party, would to any political
student form a useful subject of inquiry ; briefly, to
the Tory party they were seriously disastrous. The
late Sir Robert Peel, so early as 1824, in a debate on
the silk trade, declared in favour of the free principle
as applied to commerce—a proof, among others, of
how his mind was influenced by the teachings of the
" Economists." The next two important questions
may be classified under the popular heading of
"Civil and Religious Liberty." The Roman Catholic
Relief Bill of 1829, and the Reform Bill of 1832, were
sources of great discord. The leading Tories main-
tained that the " Emancipation of the Catholics"
struck at the very root of the Protestant Constitution ;
they held that, under the pretext of equality, the
Roman Catholics really desired ascendancy, that from
the very tenets of their religion they were, in con-
science, bound to obey the Pope, rather than the
Queen. The leaders of the Tory party, under the
plea of " State necessity," granted " Catholic Emanci-
pation," to the great annoyance of many sincere and
ardent Protestant Tories. These proceedings weakened
the Tories, and strengthened in a mush greater ratio
the Whigs. The passing of the Reform Act was
popularly believed to be the death knell of the Tory
party. It is not my present business to discuss the
merits et' any of the merits named ; I wish only to
call attention to the circumstance that after several
shipwrecks on the stormy sea of politics, after having
been repeatedly shattered, and by their opponents,
times out of number, declared to " have been anni-
hilated," an unmistakeable reaction has set in, and
the Tory party is once more in office. The effect
with which this reaction has taken place may be
judged by the confessions of the principal opposition
organ in the press. In a leader in the Times of
Monday lass, devoted to the interests of the Peel
party, arc the following passages :—" The late debate
was to decide whether the conduct of the national
affairs was to he left in the hands of a Tory Go-
vernment, or restored to the party which has
guided the destinies of the country for nearly the
last quarter of a century." This is just and
candid. In a quarter of a century the Whigs,
supported by the Radicals, have been success-
ful in ruining their own reputation. The verdict
of the country and of the Parliament has been
recorded against them. Having read the events of
the hour critically, after disappointment had found
its usual reliefin &neer, and rea-on had regained her
seat, the Times editor observes --" l'he time, too,t
has come when the Peelites should be absorbed into o
the two greet partit s which seem likely once more
stand in well-defined antagonism." Of the one party
Lord Derby is the leader; of the other, Palmerston