The Express.
London, England, 1851-10-15 00:00:00

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LONDON BRIDGE.
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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15

Tut dispute which has arisen at Bradford be-
tween the radicals and the whigs, and which will
probably not be confined to that town, forms a
subject upon which the whole body of liberals should •
reflect, in order to see how the natural differences
between them may be allowed their fair scope
and rivalry, without producing that mutual invete-
racy and uncompromising hostility, calculated to
injure both, and to retard the further progress of
those principles which they have in common.
Conciliation must, however, not be one-sided. If big
whig burgesses will in their grandeur ignore the very
existence of radicals and thorough reformers in their
towns, they must expect their reward in mutiny and
opposition. And if radicals, though forming a mere
knot of restless people, will get up a rivalry and put
fellow-citizena to trouble and expense with no real
advancement of any principle or cause, they must
expect to be run over and pitched into the gutter by
those in full possession of the political highway.
If radicals are sometimes ridiculous and rash, whigs
are as often solemn and stupid; and, with the present
limited franchise, the tendency even in manufac- '
taming towns is often for folka to put on a
political nightcap in the shape of a member,
who is to do nothing and to sly nothing
for seven long purliamentary yearn. Some folk rts
Bard the post of member for the borough to be a
kind of honourable reward that may be conferred
upon a gentleman in years, who has run a long in-
dustrial caner, and who is of an age and temper to
require ease of body and leisure of mind. Parliament
is thus converted into a kind of political Greenwich
Hospital, for which a certain qualification of defunct
liberalism, good private character, and independent
means are required. But as to truly political qualifi-
cations, a knowledge of the interests, the business, the
parties, the great requirementsof the country, who looks
for them in a candidate? We see every day great
commercial communities elect the member who is to
represent them in parliament on grounds that would
not warrant his being made a clerk in a third-rote
counting-house. And this is the true reason of the
Reform Bill having produced so little fruit.
It is with satisfaction, therefore, that we shall
behold certain boroughs stirred up" by the Reform
Association, or by any other cause; although idle
contests, got up without any fair chance of enemas, and
for the mere glorification of some radical candidate,
not more talented or more capable than his antago-
nist, are not to be tolerated. The true rivalry be-
tween the two sections of liberals would indeed be
to see which of them would bring forward the best
candidates, the most promising and efficient legisla-
tors. This exertion is even inure incumbent upon
radicals than upon whigs ; for radicals at present have
not so much to advance their cause in parliament by
numbers as by the talent, the eloquence, the practical
knowledge, and eminent political reputation of their
champions. Whigs and tories may aim at achieving
victory by counting noses. But radicals have need of
brains in the present position of their affairs. And
we natty should prefer a liberal reformer of capa-
city, though moderate in his views, to any blockhead
of a radical who might seek to make up fur his
political inability by going the orthodox length of
Mr. Wm:.
These remarks arc general, and not intended to
apply specially to Bradfuni, of the merit of whose
rival candidates we profess ourselves to be as
yet uninformed. Our advice to electors is not to
elect a drone, merely because he is respectable, has
made his money in the borough, and still employs
men therein. 'flail is making a nomination borough
of a free constituency. What the reform party
chiefly want are young men, vigorous minda, capable
of having political ideas of their own, instead of
taking whatever the old parliamentaries whisper
to them. When we, organs of the move-
ment, express such wishes as these, the
Was., or any other organ of the stationarics, in-
stantly turns round and twits us as to radical candi-
date* toeing no better. Reform constituencies ought
to enable us to meet such a retort. They should put
their best men foremost, and mot wait till the eve
of a general election to look for such men. There
ought always to be sufficient intellectual and
political life kept up in a borough to facili-
tate the development of public talents. The
hunidrums may not like this, and would
call it agitation ; and by these means the
humdrums themselves get elected. But that is the
fault of the constituency in not employing the requi-
site means to procure their first political necessity—
a fit representative.
In old times the idea was that property alone
needed to be represented, and that property was the
best qualiticution fur such a duty. According to
such rule there was no difficulty in finding the
fit men to elect. There was then but one
kind of property that existed or predominated,
and we ace the consequence in our statute
book. where every land tux and burden grows thin
by degrees and beautifully less ; whilst taxes on con-
sumption, on furniture, as expnwcive of personal pro-
perty, are indirectly augmenting in proportion. ‘Ve
have somewhat redressed that inequality. But still
ditfivent kinds of property are very uuequally and
indifferently represented; mid yet people seem to
bear this with stoical patience, although they must
be aware that a re-distribution of taxation within
the next few years is inevitable. Them is a
mountain weight lying upon Rots Bust., and, giant
as he is, he still must turn 116 weary side to
enable him to bear it. For the great re-settlement
of taxation, all interests require their best intellects
and champions to be put forward; and whatever
class is badly represented will pay for it in the
pocket, as well as to public consideration. And vet.
with all this, never was a period marked be greater
activity on the part of the aristocracy to strengthen
their power, or by greater indifference on the part of
the people to strongthen position, in
order even to keep what they have already got.

Wi: cannot yet bringourselves to believe that the go-
vernment of the SULTAN will persist in throwingserious
obstacles in the way of the railroad, not only projected,
but contracted fur, between Alexandria and Cairo.
For we cannot conceive what interest the Porte
could have in throwing up obstructions to our coin-
municatiims and our trade, and planting itself us a
hostile Colossus over Egypt, and telling those two
rather fonniilable powers of the modern world, Eng-
land and steam, that they must not pass or progress
that war.
The citizens of London have. we sce, been stirring
in the matter, and at a meeting yesterday loud ex-
pressions of astonishment and of resentment were
vented against the SULTAN fur his apparently "dog
in the manger" policy. The manifestation is well
timed, and cannot fail to have its due weight
both at Constantinople and in Downing-street.
We think, however, that the more simply English-
men regard and treat the matter the better. What
English interests require is the railroad, and the less
they are mixed up with the political relations of the
Porte and the News, the better. For if we take up
the position of defending, nut merely the Pncn,►a
right to make the railroad, but his independence ge-
nerally, we shall get entangled in a dis-
pute, from which it may be difficult to
emerge. What, for instance, has the right
of life and death, claimed by the PAOLA, to do with
the railroad? Or why ought the road and its
undertaking be mingled up with the private quarrels
of ABBAS F.tena, and the families of toe-Antal
PACIIA, and of other descendants of MeLmaier
Au ? These are said by some to have made
heavy demands upon ABMs for sums accru-
ing to them from Mutest er's will. Whilst,
we believe. truer accounts represent ABBAS P.tciLt as
re-claiming from them certain advances to facilitate
the great work. The feud between these cousins is,
tt the bottom of the whole affair. Some of
them are in Constantinop!!, where gold will do so
much; and there is a knot of intrigues and coaster-
intrigues, entangled as only Orientals can make
than, in the midst of which the plain interest of