The Press.
London, England, 1858-04-10 00:00:00

THE PRESS, APRIL 10, 1858.

difference between Liberal and Conservative.
But then the same difficulty will lie.found hero
which exists in the case of the Ballot The
Whig leaders, the statesmen of the Liberal
party, do not mean to disunite the Church from
the State. They have not yet screwed' their
courage up to that point. Lord JOHN RUSSELL
is one of the stoutest maintainers of Church-
rates, and when he strives to gain entrance
for Baron .ROTIISCHILD, he does it on the
express ground that the House will not be
the less a Christian House of Commons for
having a few Jews in it.
And here it is that we see the practical
working of the fact stated by the Birmingham
Reformers. " The Liberal section is disjointed ;
"it has no constructive unity of action.' On
the Ballot, on a large measure of Reform, and
on the separation of Church and State, the
Pahnerstons, Russells, Cavendishes, Grosve-
nors, Ho wards, and all the other ancient
Whigs, are not of the same mind with the
Roebucks, Brights, and Milner Gibsons.
Their object is totally different. The latter
may help the former into office, "to keep out
the Tories," but, before many months are.
over, they grow tired of their bargain, and
declare publicly, with JOHN BRIGHT, that 6` the
" Ministry of Lord PALmEasros was the very
" worst they ever saw." Upon this belief they
act; they kick down and demolish their own
idol ; and then loudly lament " their disunited
condition," and yearn for " the creation of
a truly popular party."

ON " THE CREATION OF A TRULY-

POPULAR PARTY."
THE old Liberal party being " disjointed," ac-
cording to one of its oracles—" distracted,"
according to another—" disunited," according
to a third—and " demoralized," according to a
fourth—" there is growing up,' says the Daily
News," an earnest longing for the creation of a
" truly popular party."
This " longing" is a natural and proper
feeling. Were it not to exist, we should begin
to despair of England. For it was justly re-
marked, in the very first number of the Satur-
day Review, that " the true and healthy growth
" of Representative Government naturally de-
" velopes itself into organized parties.''
When, therefore, many thousands of English-
men, who have been led by the term of
" Liberal " to attach themselves to certain
leaders, find that they have been drawn into
a quagmire ; when they find that they have
been entrapped into what the Spectator calls
" a demoralizing union under false colours,"
they must, of necessity, either fall back into
mere selfish apathy and despair, or else, if
.patriotism be not quenched, they must "long
" for the creation of a truly popular party."
To the existence of such a feeling, and its
widespread character, the Daily News bears
witness. But there cannot be a stronger
proof given of the utter failure of " Liberalism,"
as hitherto organized. Having had every-
thing put into its hands, for more than a
twelvemonth past—having had a large majority
in the Commons, and no active opposition in
the Lords, it finds itself disunited, demo-
ralized, disorganized ; it is publicly given up,
even by its own leaders and journalists ; and
the yearning desire of its own disciples is
declared to be, " Bury it out of the way, and
"let us have a truly popular party."
So let it be, then. Clear the ground, mark
out your camp, set up your banners, and let
us behold the rising power.
Avoid, however, the errors which have
proved fatal to " Liberalism." Do not let us
have, again, "a demoralizing union under
"false colours." The new and "truly popular
party" must thoroughly agree, at the outset,
as to its principles and objects. The system
which it adopts and maintains, among the
people, it must be prepared to carry into effect
in Downing-street, whenever the power of the
constituencies may seat it there. Let us have
no more anomalies, no more political monsters
—such as a party with Voluntaries and Ballot-
men for its legs and body, and a Palmerston
for its head. The new party, to be prepared

339

to rule, must meet the description of the
Saturday Review:—

" The policy of the country must be directed
with a steady hand in a definite course, and
the Government must dare to have, and to
declare, a settled purpose which it knows it
can carry out. Such a Ministry must walk
boldly in the light of its own convictions, and
not be compelled to grope in the dark for a
policy, thinking itself fortunate if it can only
escape a fatal collision."—Sat. Rev., No. 1.

" A now and truly popular party." Is such
a thing to be created out of slender materials ?
Can it stand upon the narrow ground of petty
or transitory questions? Can a party be
formed upon such a controversy, as whether
Lord' PAL MERSTON'S or Lord ELLENBOROUGH'S
India Bill is the best?. Can we unite men
in all parts of the country to maintain the
vital importance of putting a little ball into
a little box, or of pricking a little card with a
little pin ?
No! no ! If the heart of the country is to be
stirred, and a great party is to he formed, it
must have great objects. And where are the
great objects which can be placed before it?
A' Reform Bill ! No, for all men are agreed
that the'Act of 1832 is to be reconsidered and
amended; and no one can give the preference
to one bill over another, inasmuch as neither
the plan of Lord PALMERSTON nor that of Lord
DERBY has yet seen the light.
'How is a great party, then, to be formed ?
Without objects and distinctive principles,
the thing is impossible. Can any such be
found?

Yes, there can. And more, they have been
found ; but the banner has never yet been
boldly unfurled. A large number of those
who call themselves " Liberals " hold those
principles, and individually avow them ; but
in Parliament, and as a symbol of a party,
they aro not broadly and boldly announced.
One large phrase covers much. It is—