The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-27 00:00:00

THE DERBY POLICY AND THE OPPOSI-

TION.
(honk the Dear News.)

The opposition to the Derby ministry is com-
posed of three allied but independent bodice—the
whigs, the so-called Peelites, and the independent
liberals. With a view to unanimity, and also be-
cause the Derby ministry were understood to be
more directly and inveterately hostile to the prin-
ciple of free-trade than to any other article ot the
liberal political creed, it was agreed at the outset
that battle should be given to the Derbyites exclu-
sively on the question of protection. As matters
then stood, this arrangement received the arrest and
Sou almost all real liberals.
approbation
all such compromises it is understood that
every party is entitled to insist that no steps shall
be taken by its allies to make use of their agreement
for the purpose of weakening it, or insidiously
defeating oilier aims it may have at heart.
Now, with regard to the question of par-
liamentary reform, the threefold opposition is
divided. The independent liberals seek • com-
prehensive measure of reform; the whigs are
disposed to go a good way along with them : the
views of the so-called Peebles are somewhat ambi-
guous. The designation Welke is applied to two
distinct shades of peliticisuis who have little more in
common thin the confidence they reposed in the late
Sir ltoseur l'ext. and his policy. One of these—
and with the exception of Sir JAMES GRAHAM and
Mr. CARDWELL, it embraces most of the parliament-
ary members of the party—is still conservative at
heart, and would, if the permanence of free-trade
were ensured, coalesce ut once with the Der-
byites. The other consists of a pretty numerous class
ot society which in general takes little active con-
cern in politics, but which, when some great material
interest is at stake, throws itself into the scale et
some statesman whose ability and patriotism, or
judicious caution has won its confidence. This divi-
sion of the I'eelitce has not transferred to those who
assume to lead the party the confidence it reposed in
Sir Kola= _ .

sow, matters standing thus, it behoves the liberals
to be on Leir guard lest the tory Peelite* should
take advantage of the agreement, to give battle to
Lord ])stint's ministry. exclusively on the question
of prutectiun, to turn the flanks of the reformer., and
obstruct the progress of liberal legislation. It is
" palpable to sense" that the Derbyites are coquet-
ting with the tories in the free-trade ranks. At
Liverpool, at Bristol, and elsewhere, candidates have
been brought forward, or electors have declared their
readiness to vote for candidates who would support
Lord DERBY in everything except his efforts to
restore protection. At Canterbury, an attempt to
raise the question of free-trade, at a meeting held to
start ISerbyite candidates, was put down by the
unblushing assertion that free-trade had nothing to
do with the prixredings. 'rho partisans of Lord
Deese receive these conditional recruits with
open arms; they are prepared—at least until
the elections are over—to hold protection for
"an open question." And leading tory free.j.raders
at Bristol and elsewhere do not hesitate to avow their
approbation of this policy. They. declare frankly
that they fear, should a liberal ministry succeed Lord
Mawr'', that a reform bill would be introduced and
carried that would put au end to the tory party ;
and that they believe the free-trade minority in a
re-constructed tory party would be able, with the
assistance of the whip and independent liberals in
opposition, to prevent the protectionist majority
among the tories from restoring protection.
That there are sincere free-traders, who are equally
sincere conservatives in their general politics is
certain. The Anti-corn-law League was organised
on the principle that every member retained his
peculiar polit,cal views on all other question'. That
these tory free-traders would be quite entitled to rejoin
their old party, were the party which has been formed
solely and exclusively for the resuscitation of pro-
tection once finally dispossessed of office, and, free-
trade assured against all assaults, open or insidious,
is admitted. But they are not entitled, before
these ends are attained, to desert their liberal free-
trade allies, and seek to strengthen themselves
against the general policy of those allies, by joining
their antagonists on the calculation that the party
they have deserted will forgive such treatment, and
come to their aid when they require to tie up the
hands of their protectionist friends from doing mis-
chief.
As parties at present stand, the liberal free-
traders have it in their power to deter their tory
allies from promoting, by intrigues, the return of a
re-actionary majority to parliament. The tory free-
traders an flo . profoundly seasible of the vital bee
portance of * -trade to endanger it by childless at
neutrality on other questions of relbem, if they are
held to their bargain. But if they are allowed to
conspire with the Derbyites to return a tweedersary
majority, they will have it in their pelisse to
the liberal free-traders to purchase their moppet%
waiving all other reforms. If the muse et progress
is not to be materially endangered, c:Linne neast
be taken to prevent the coquetting
pron=
item and tory free-traders tram bag
ripened into a thorough union of those porde&
There is another considers** that esinherates
this view of the policy that ought to be phased by
the great liberal party. The Dein miskstiy have
obviously made lip their dads sot to pee the
hustings exclusively on the quietism of
even to allow that question to be fairly id
put to them at the hustings. They feel that try
of protection has dune all ter them it ass do. They
know that it has enabled theta to seek into ellse,
bet they are more thee dsubtfal whether it sea keep
them there. may hue pandits sub, bet they
love place—with ha pnistreir and
Esther than risk the fiteiture==
accept • substitute far protectiesore it used be,
negro it—though reluctantly— arewilling to purchase continuance is alba
iag
tory free-traders into their ranks, altllo fare.
see that they will thereby enable time by
216.
calling in the vats el the liberals, to
to forego protection. It is sot more a
than a general Neetirmary, prona.
Mk nt that is to be eppord at the passel
elastics.

--letheso circumstances the duty and the interest
of liberals of all shades and degrees seems pretty
obvious. It is to widen as moth se possible the ag-
gregate of questions urn which they appeal to the
say for support. The tory traitors in the boo-
tie& camp are a minority, who may safely be dim-
=if they persist in their treacherous in-
The far most weighty sad influential seo-
-
of the go-called Past, party—the great moneyed,
masulegituring, and ngereantile believers in Sir
Hee= Past.—have more in common with the
liberals than with the tacks. Though timid and
somewhat apathetic, their leanings are all liberal. If
obliged to choose, they are certain to prefer whir-
ring' or rational liberalism to Orange emendasey.
submiesion to continentalliespots, and other tavoarite
Cetsila of the Dew motion. To emus anything
g:stisfactory mink for the coming sleeks%
there met be 1110didatis who, in oddities
to their Oki= as frestratini, present tlosnoodreo to
the siestors—es the awe may be-as trustworthy
seggeetars of parlisness=aelbes. the extension of
send esettles 'decodes. of war expendi-
ture► end a non-intaresodna Aladin policy. By
Vthew mad dui* noseleas in abeyance at
post thew is ionised of allowing bigoted
ourisagalans reastientesise to slip into parlia-
ment sensintisesd.
TheDsebyitss weetramirisigalleered asap Item
Tionolegio dissuades wither* betraying the attest
and bristsreey albeit to any rakes. The
whip sod the les at the Isispendent
NM& have sospisisit so lukewsoin in their
auggant ed reform The ses4nry semen of the
mo-cieSsi Pselites ateesigied to undsonstlusts
the impartnaos WNW to this gamin by
CT=rekrasea. The flaw et Aso-
and hive reform of oar elesteral
as nuessadmika to the essildeose of
estegoolses es• it as a greand of their
diebnet-40e be eeken This all-
willed. rail then it ether-
Viroldnscedullosso, to taw •let sole be many
thulium buttress the and the of
Led Danny, Was liberals make
obpe
soil wide,
mad wise, arrangements for future

' ASISSZA hex Com,ANL—Yesterday a swift
g 4 Wit Won Nostra la Chasm, BsaioroP
_ariqp
TM wed vine mama
mr!
,tharriamige/iogreers;
nu.
Inielf=fetii, jairskiciftell.