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

MISPLACED CONFIDENCE.

IN the present number of the Quarterly Review
we find in an article entitled " The New Par-
liament and its Work" the following remarks
upon the conduct of those Conservatives who
have lotely elected to follow Lord PALMERSTON
as their chief:—

There is no reason so narrow and so trivial as to be
insufficient, in the view of electors of this description, for
withholding support from those with whom on every point,
except the favourite crotchet, they agree, and so letting
into Parliament those from whom on every poiat, including
the favourite crotchet, they differ.
On the justice of these strictures we need
not say that we most fully concur. They are
suggestive, moreover, of a few reflections which
in no unfriendly or unconeiliatiug spirit we
would submit to the consideration of all such
supporters of Conservative principles as may
have been tempted to reason in a similar
manner to Messrs. BENTINCK and TYRELL.

It should be remembered that in adopting
the Palmerstonian colours gentlemen do but
gain the support of one man in exchange for
a whole party—even supposing Lord PALMERS-
TON is all they imagine him to be—and of a
man, too, who as a Conservative must always
be essentially weak. At the head of the
Liberals he can only act as a very partial
obstructive for a very brief space of time ; and
were he to join the Opposition to-morrow he
could never lead the party. In the one case
he would be a hypocrite to no purpose ; in the
other a proselyte without power.
The idea that any party really follows Lord
PALmErisroN because of his supposed Protes-
tantism, can only raise a smile. Messrs.
SroosErt and NEWDEGATE know well enough
that such men as TRENCH, MILMAN, or Hoox,
are every whit as good Protestants as Drs.
BICKERSTETH, BARING, and TAIT. That they
may choose to arrogate to their own views the
peculiar title of Protestantism, is nothing.
The nation knows better, and only smiles at
the ineffectual audacity with which they seek
to monopolise an epithet common to the whole

THE PRESS.

Church, and to disguise party passions under
a plea for purity of faith. This reason, there-
fore, for supporting Lord PALM ERSTON cannot
he accepted as genuine, but it is the best
which these gentlemen can find. As a pre-
tended Protestant, the Premier can pay them
well. As a real Conservative, he would aid
them little. We think it probable that,
blinded by what they try to believe zeal for
true religion, their particular party do not
quite perceive the aspect under which their
conduct presents itself to the eyes of the
country. This it is which we wish to lay
clearly before them. And we beg them to
believe we are actuated by no other than a
friendly motive in doing so.
Something, too, remains to be said from a
somewhat different point of view. Are the
ties which unite party so light, the sympathies
and associations which bind men together who
•have so long fought side by side so utterly
worthless, that they are to be snapped asunder
fur the sake of a caprice, and whistled dawn
the wind for the enthronement of a crotchet?
Has all that served to ennoble party connec-
tions and lift them above the character of a
mere sordid combination, been heard of for the
last time—the sacrifice of personal partialities—
and reservation of individual aims—till both
could be gratified by the triumph of the
general principle which the party might
espouse ? Then, indeed, is the chivalry of
political warfare at an end, and the age of cal-
culators and contractors has succeeded !

The Conservative party can never be
weakened by the secession of men of this
stamp. We are willing to believe that such
have not been the motives by which certain
Hon. Members have been actuated. They
have, perhaps, been blinded and dazzled, and
may still be true to their connection. We
only warn them once more that their enemies
make no such allowance. That in their eyes
their conduct will seem to have been prompted
by motives they would, we hope, themselves
be the first to repudiate. That they will bear the
reproach of those who sacrificed their party to
themselves, and betrayed their principles in
order to save their prejudices.