The Press.
London, England, 1857-05-02 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 2, 1557.

THE recuperative energy of the Conservative
party in rapidly gaining fresh vigour after
every apparent defeat is a truth that no
modern statesman can overlook. Three years
after the Reform Bill of 1832, the two great
parties in the country met on nearly equal
terms, and the Whigs were only able to retain
office at the price of the Lichfield-house com-
pact. Even in later years, when circumstances
becam( favourabl to th, the Whig party

became favourable to them, the Whig party while Lord PALMERSTON was unchecked by tile
THE DISSATISFIED LIBERALS. ..
broke down in 1839 and 1841, and failed in eminent personages just named. •
public estimation upon the financial manage- In presence of these internal and recurrent OLIVER GOLDSMITH once observed that "it was
differences could any Liberal Cabinet seek for " the characteristic of the Whigs to bear no
ment of the country. They (lid not recover favour only on the grounds of a foreign Policy ? " party in power but thsmselves," which is as
strength in Opposition, and they would not The question must be answered in the nee's, '"-
true now as when the remark was made.
.have gained office but for the schism of '46 ; tive by any practical politician. .
f
The Cabinet must, therefore all back on a What is more extraordinary is that in office
and even then, when again trusted with power,f - •
domestic policy. "Founding their actions the• Whigs are as discontented as-if they.weq :y"s
they broke down in '5l and 52, perishing from „•
upon the principle of progressive •reform. "coring fro* a perpetual proscription gibe . ' •
sheer ethaestioac am.)110 InoUthuhlistration b" they (the Ministers) would seek to introduce sweets •
of power. In the last few days (Thief •,
i.
of mediocrities in offiee. On their vicissi- ' " all practical amelioration in our domestic
tudes in the last five years we need say no- " institutions, said the CHANCELLOR of the Justice COCKBURN virtually whined at his ex- , ~
EXCHEQUER at Hereford. The same thing was elusion from parliamentary delights. liiie
thing, except to express our satisfaction that. , .
said ad nauseant by the imbecile Melbourne seemed to think that it was a sad thing .
parties once more stand clearly arrayed whies. "Progressive Reform" was their
he should have sunk into a Chief Justice, and
. .-
against each other. wateliword while the empire was drifting into he enlarged on what he had given .up in •1' ' '
'
Now, again, the problem for the Liberals in financial embarrassments. They also talked ..'edit-
_...2.
office is to prove their ability in affairs. They of " amelioration " while the national credit descending to accept his present station. We
cannot for ever hope to retain power by the was declining, and the Money Market nara- suppose that the learned personage is not yet
arts of political intrigue, by profuse expendi- lysed by the uncertainty of wavering finan- satisfied. A peerage, probably, will be required
ture of patronage, and by an unscrupulous ciers. Official aptitude is not the strong before the Chief Justice can be contented.
use of the public press. Against such courses feature of the present Ministry, and its best
there is always a reaction in England, and ex• energies (whatever may be their strength) But there must be two words to that. Is it
peetations cannot be awakened without en- will be required for dealing with law reform, usual to make peers of Chief Justices of the
countering the difficulty of satisfying the finance, and general administration, not to Common Pleas, and what has Sir ALEXANDER
extravagant or disappointing the credulous. count the huge difficulty lying in their path of COCKBURN done for the public that a coronet
Let us reconnoitre the circumstances under a new Reform Bill, which their supporters should be placed on his brow ? That there
which the two great parties commence a fresh demand, and which Lord JOHN RUSSELL will have been far too many law-titles conferred
campaign. not cease to urge. within the last quarter of a century is the , . 4.-
Government in a free country can conduct Under such circumstances, complicated and general opinion, and people do not forget
affairs successfully only when in harmony with embarrassing, we believe that the final issue that "Law Reform' still remains to be
the character of the age. It has been said and the palm of victory will rest with the achieved. They recollect, also, that Sir
that we are living in a period of material or- party which experience will prove to be most ALEXANDER COCKBURN was not fertile in prat- •
ganisation, with no political passions, but with truly English and most effectively practical. tical measures, and that his mental constitu-
a
strong dash of " Nationality." We cannot We have recalled attention how, even in " the tion (essentially rhetorical) is not well suited ,
accept such a characterisation of the Victorian age of Reform," the pure Liberal party has for a legislator. The lavish gifts of an earl-
Era, but it suggests the cue by which a Cabinet repeatedly broken down in office. The Cun- dom and a barony to Lord COTTENHAM, of two t(
without a policy may attempt to govern. The servatives have always rallied triumphantly peerages to Lord CAMPBELL, and of a title to
importance of " Foreign Policy " will by such a even after adverse dispensations. Their torte Mr. BICKERSTETH (Lord Langdale) are often
Ministry be unduly exalted, and the claims now is calm, cheerful, and prepared for erner- commented upon, and such things cannot be
of domestic legislation will be proportionately gencies. The Ministerialists count tin flying done again. It would be ridiculous to rank
disparaged and depressed. squadrons of faltering allies, hovering alter- Sir ALEXANDER COCKBURN as a lawyer with an
Now, " Foreign Policy "is the fatal rock on nately on their front, flank, and rear—morning ELDON or an ERSKINE, a BROUGHAM or a
which the Liberals have always split. There friends and evening foes, according to the LYNDFI uns-r, or a SEODEN. In debate he sig-
have always been divisions in their connee- chances of the day. The Conservatives have nalised himself prominently once on the
tion on the propriety of a merely insular or a a serried phalanx of tried and trusty sup- Pacifico question, but in 1851, when his party / .
positively propagandist Liberalism. The point porters. While sources of discord must mul- wanted his aid against Sir JAMES G , Mr.
to which " Nationality " should be carried has tiply in the Liberal connection, the course of GLADSTONE. and others on " bit :,1..Li'.!..
been perpetually prolific of discord amongst public events is obviously bringing the Conser- Titles Act," the Attorney-G .4, . '''''',-"."- iTs
the Whigs. It was so in 1783, at the Peace votive force into unity of will. Since the Reform singularly inefficient, and .;...;,t 4.--`l"' Itn
of Paris, terminating the American War, when Bill and the changes of 18-?9 the Conservative preached the House of Com amff ' r ' .il r
the Shelburne (or Chatham) Whigs went one party had been shackled by the Irish difficulty, FOLLET. He must reconcil: 'qL,.."'ik '- .'-% -"'.... . f/'•:
way, and the Foxite (or Rockingham) voted which has now happily passed away. it has ajChief Justice. Let him try '', • . ' .-76" 07,
in another; and again, in 179:m, when, on the no body of malcontents out of doors resent- of an illustrious predecess. - ".; '%;* ...-
propriety of intervention in French affairs. the bling the Radical chiefs excluded from the TINDAL. ire AkiiiC4?o
Duke of PORTLAND, Lords CARLISLE and FITz- present Parliament, who are able and willing Mr. HORSMAN is another ofttli.%s./;_ , A.,.4,..":
WILLIAM, and Mr. BURKE, left the " New to undermine the present Ministry, and who Liberals ; but the Right Hon. e l'i :,4 ..,:.:7" i -
Whigs," a schism which lasted all through the have received an amount of provocation sufli- better grounfi for discontent, as le 7-1 is.
A

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422

appear to he displeased with him. For many
years in the House of Commons Mr. HORS-
MAN was a malcontent Ratio Ll. He has now
become Chief Secretary of /rebind, and his
rule has made the Irish Members unanimous
in disapproving of him. Ministers, it would
appear, are also displeased with him. He is
blamed " for not having been more active at
" the General Election." (Innocent Liberals !)
If he had been so, it mighthave been so much
the better for our Conservative friends in Ire•
land. His repulsiveness when brought into
action would have caused a popular Con-
servative movement in two or three counties.
Going to Scotland was a good practical plan
for helping his political friends at Dublin
Castle. His absence was desirable eta deli.
cate crisis, and he left his office for his party's
good. What more could "discipline " effect?
Mr. Honsmas became conspicuous in politics
twenty years ago as " The Queen's Champion"
by demanding " satisfaction." He ought to
have what he wants at last, as all the II ish
Members are hostile to him, and if they are
not able to give him " satisfaction," we do not
know where the Chief Secretary is to look.
Mr. PHINN, ex-M.P. for Bath, is now ex-
permanent Secretary to the Admiralty, relin-
quishing fifteen hundred annual reasons for
being satisfied, and giving up a house, coals,
candles, and a waggon load of official et
ceteras, in order to return to the pleasures of
the Bar and the chance of finding a con-
stituency. The Learned Gentleman was
another of the great dissatisfied, and ho has
met his fate with resignation. He sat for a
short time in Parliament, making short,
smart speeches, delivered with an air of
81IteWdHeS4. We suspect that Mr. PHINN is
not the only Admiralty official claiming to be
gazetted to a " first-class" in the " dissatis-
fied." We can excuse Admiral BERKELEY for
pressing his right to rank in that class, after
the little affair that took place the other day
amongst his former constituents at Gloucester.
It is notorious that there are many other
dissatisfied people in the Ministerial connec-
tion. Some aro angry because they cannot
climb higher, and others wish that certain
persons would resign, in order that their
vacated places may be bestowed on new can-
didates for Ministerial favour. We can excuse
the Chancellor-cum-Wilson of the Exchequer
at not being allowed to have all his post to
himself, and a single office should not be
represented by a duality. His subordinates
may, also, be dissatisfied that his superior
and himself cannot be allowed to interchange
heads and places, in order that the Whigs
may, possibly, at last boast of a great financier.
At present Lord JOHN RUSSELL scarcely
ranks amongst the dissatisfied Liberals. He
beat the Government in London, in spite of
Mr. HAYTER and the Times, and the of
his former colleagues. Ho has his new Re-
form Bill, with which he is perfectly satisfied
himself, although, when it is propounded, and
the Ministerialists will at last be obliged to
speak out, there is every likelihood that the
final result will not be displeasing to Censer.
vatives, in increasing the number of dissatis-
fied Liberals, who say they wish something to
be done, though they are unable to say what
it is they want.