The Express.
London, England, 1859-06-10 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, JUNE 10.

THE division on the Amendment to the Address
takes place to-night, and to-morrow Liberals
throughout the country will know who is on
their side. To-night it will be decided whether
the emintry is to have the benefit of the states-
manship and experience which are peculiarly
seeded for the conduct of its !Mira at this
critical moment, or is to be the victim of the
hocus-pocus practised by the Tories at the recent
elections; whether it shall be governed by
the political " sinaahers,' who have been detected in
the attempt to pass off a counterfeit mea-
sure of helium, or by those who are ready
with the sterling money in their hand.
We would make a but appeal to those few honour.
able members of the Liberal party who have hitherto
stood aeon( from the general agreement of their
party. One of their number, Mr. Hoasatsx, has set
a worthy example by courageously declaring his in-
tention of voting, notwithstanding recent differences,
for the amendment. It is never too late to rectify a
false position, and no man voting with the Tories on
this critical division can expect hereafter to be
acknowledged as a Liberal.

Tne "silent system" adopted by the Government
on Tuesday evening was abandoned last night, but
the result, instead of improving the position of the
Ministry, goes far to justify the wisdom et their
original policy. So skilful and experieteed a testi-
eian as the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER would
indeed be sure to have good reasons for the course
he determined to pursue. The defence of a desperate
position is too difficult and dangerous a task to be
committed to any but the most wary and experi-
enced hands. And when the leader of the Conser-
vatives in the Commons directed his followers to say
nothing in reply to the attacks of the Opposition,
he well knew that their total silence would be more
nodal to the Government than their most eloquent
speech. So desperate was the posi,ion of the
Government, that the Cu.excel.t.oa of the EXCHE-
CiU as evidently felt that he alone could he safely
entrusted with its defence. Mr. BRIGHT justly
compared his situation on Tuesday evening to that of
a skilful counsel, who, having a very bad case to
defend, commended the prieoier at the bar not to
speak a word on peril of his life, as it would
be impossible to avert a conviction if he opened
his lips. The defence having practically
the seemed is now at liberty to
say what he likes. But the restored liberty of
speech amongst the Conservative ranks is a peso-
deal confession that all is lost. All that can be said
in behalf of the Ministry has already been said by
their ablest representative. They put up their best
man first, to make an exhaustive speech, and try to
force a premature division. In adopting such an
enusuel and extreme course the Government re-
vealed their hopeless position, and betrayed an alarmed
sonaciousness of beveled og defeat. Having played
cut their best card, and thee showed their hand,
the game is already virtually decided. To keep up
appearances, and preserve to some extent the de-
cencies of Parliamentary warfare, one speaker after
another will probably be put up by Ministers till the
fatal hour of division arrives; but it follows as a
natural consequence of the policy they have pur-
sued, that the defence of the Government will grow
weaker instead of stronger as the debate proceeds.
This was illustrated in the resumed debate last
eight. The charges against the Government not
only acquire emphasis and strength, but increase in
number sa the various sections of the united Liberal
party explain in detail the grounds on which they feel
called upon to support the amendment. Mr. Ser.
joint De sst, for example, who opened the debate
last night in a temperate end effective speech, added
an important item to the general indictment pre-
ferred against Ministate, on the ground not only of
their legislative and diplomatic failures, but of the
anti-national sympathies betrayed both in their
home and foreign policy. lie pointed out what we
have often bad occasion to notice, that the con-
stitution and conduct of the Irish executive
tinder Lord Beitee's Administration have been of so
exclusive and one-sided a character as to excite gene-
ral dissatisfaction throughout the country. This
' injurious one-sidedness has been manifested not
; only in the conduct of the executive, but in the
I administration of justice ; not only in the appoint-
! meat of Crown officers, but in the composition of
I juicy, so that the very fountain of justice has been
I corrupted in
,Ireland under the rule of the present
Government.!

But the =dß interest of last night's debate
mitered in the speeches of Mr. 8. FITZGERALD and
Mr. BRIGHT, both of which were mainly occupied
with the foreign policy of the Government. It is
true Mr. FITZGERALD attempted to excuse the nu-
merous legislative failures of the Government on the
ground already taken by the CHANCELLOR Of the
Blame:es—that other Governments had made
similar Whine before. Such a weak and irrelevant
defence will not, however, bear repetition. These
champions of legislative blundering and incompe-
tence select the isolated failures of different Go-
vernments on special subjects extending over a long
series of y can, and offer them as a justification of their
own systematic failures on every important question
they attempted to deal with within the space of one
abort year. Few Governments succeed in every-
thing they undertake, but it was reserved for the
DERBY Government not only to fail in everything,
but, on the ground of Udine, to claim as a right the
opportunity of trying again—to demand, in a word,
the confidence of the House of Common', not on the
ground of what they have done, but on what they
propose to do. Turning to the foreign policy of the
Government, Mr. FIIZGERALD asserted—without,