The Press.
London, England, 1857-05-23 00:00:00

PRESS.

party man, and I believe every man here is a party
man, because in a free country it is the duty of every
subject to have definite ideas on all the great clues.
tions of the day. Party politics are, however, much
suspended for the moment by accident, and it is only
when the great questions to which I have adverted
shall be brought forward for determination in the
House of Commons that parties will again appear to
assert what are on either lido the opinions of the
great body of their followers. With regard to purty
politics I will only venture to say that I made two
predictions at the time of the elections which hare
been realised, although the first of them was much
questioned when I expressed my opinion that a year
of legislative progress would be wasted. It is, how.
ever. now pretty evident that nothing will be done
during the present year. I also made a reference to
the future. I said that I looked forward with no
dissatisfaction to the dissolution of Parliament coun-
selled by Lord Palmerston, because I felt that it
would at least have this beneficial influence—that
it would tend to bring about in the House of Com-
mons that wholesome state of the two great constitu-
tional parties with distinctive principles and ideas
which I thought was necessary to the right action of
our Constitution, and the want of which during the
last ten years has been conducive to so much die.
satisfaction and disaster. I think that a great step
has already been taken in that direction. I look
forward myself to the late appeal to the people
without any apprehension. I wish to speak of all
those who for a long time sat in the House of Com-
mons with due respect, but unquestionably we bad
there sections of men and individuals self-satisfied
with their own power. which everybody was willing
to a certain degree to acknowledge, but who would
neither govern themselves nor allow any one else to
do so. (" Hear, bear," and a laugh.) It is greatly to
the public advantage that although they were men
highly gifted, and great ornaments of that assembly,
they no longer hold seats in it. The public busi-
ness will be carried on more efficiently ; for, in the
exact proportion that party distinctions are not
respected in the House of Commons, that house will
fall in the esteem of the people. As long as yon
have two great organised parties of men acting upon
distinct principles and avowed policies, parliamen-
tary government, especially for this country, is the
best government that can be devised. But an
assembly of 651 gentlemen, with no political con-
nection or discipline, each willing to follow his own
conceits and to gratify his own ambition, would soon
subside into the most inefficient and corrupt
assembly in the world. (Hear, hear.)

We may not have obtained all that we desire, but
at any rate we have now a House of Commons free
from those anomalies, and I have no doubt that if
public opinion is as enlightened as I believe it will
be before the impending changes are proposed, you
will have it declared that such a policy as I have in-
timated to you will be pursued—a policy that will
maintain the institutions of England. I hardly
know how I may venture to describe this policy. We
live in an age of a novel nomenclature of parties;

but I am sure you will bear with me—for it is an
ancient weakness—if I say that these great princi-
ples—principles which would promote the prosperity
and greatness of England through the preservation of
her institutions—are, in my mind, Tory principles.
(Cheers.) They are principles which I think will
yet triumph in this country ; but they can only
triumph by discussion, which they do not fear ;
by the circulation among the people of accurate
information on the great questions of the day;
and by that sympathy from public opinion without
which in the present age no political organisation
can endure. (Cheers.)
The right hon. gentleman concluded amid
vociferous and prolonged cheers.