The Express.
London, England, 1857-07-18 00:00:00

THE WEEKLY PRESS.

The Saturday R. ,icte thinks there is no question
that fir the failure of the Jew Bill we are it debted in a great

measure to the general impression that the present adminis-
tration will stand quiet under any rebuff. " Somehow or
other, we certainly du nut appear to bo getting all the
advantages we were promised from a strong governmont.
Considering the gender provision of legislation with which
the ministry tact the parliament, the defeats and enforced
compromises which it lics had to undergo have been extra-
ordinarily numerous; an I, indeed, on the whole, OUCOC33
does nut seem to have been greater than that of administra-

lions which had to litter a dittiVult course amid the map

and sawyers of broken-up faction. In the present inatence,
the obligation of carrying through the Jew Bill weighs the
morn heavily on Lord l'almerston, because there is one
part of his policy which has directly contributed to
ha rejection. The Cabinet gained the not very impres-
aye adhesion of Lord Shaftesbury, and it had, of eouracy
the Whig vote of Lord Clarendon's episcopal brother,
but the Bishop of Ripon, the yremiees most signiqoant
appointment, divided against the bill. The theolo-
gical partnianahip of Lord Palmerston has, in fact, been a
heavy blow and severe discouragement to the cause of religi-
ous liberty. It ie impossible to promote with impunity the
extreme members of on extremely bigoted party. People have

. .
a diflically in persuading themselves that the patron of Dr.
Bickenteth is really sincere in his hostility to a grievance
which would been removed long ago but for the Scree oppo-
sition of Dr. Ilickerstetb's school ; and thus while Ministo-
enlists feel themselves at liberty to hesitate' as they dearly
did in the instances signiGeantly alluded to by Mr. Ifor,mon
on Thursday, the opposition is templed to make the most of
the equivocal situation."
The exhibition of Sir James Graham, says the
rum, at the meeting of members of the House of Com-
mons, in Palace-yard, on Thursday, was highly character-
istic of the man. "It was a regular ease of ' Criekbe in
search of a party.' He recited all his vote. in favour of
'religions liberty,' but he took no notice of his conservative
votes from 1831 to 1845, of his bitter allusions to death's-
head-and-emu-hone denunciations, and more flowers of
rhetoric in the IMMO vein. Ile disclaimed having had com-
munication with Lord J. Russell' —a point apparently
uppermost in his heart—and he spoke of the ' very
liberal opinions of Sir R. Peel's later years.' Sir
lessors Graham then, in a set style, talked of yarning

the House of Lords, and assumed a menacing air. We
must pretext against any stiecieuan taking such a tone
to either branch of the Legislature. It wee the tone
used in the Sebastopol committee by Sir Jainee Graham, but
the House of Commas laughed at his threats, and his imi-
tation Cruker's ecklaated pair's, in the Reform-
Bill debate about Creswell and ' that bauble, the mace.'
Oa that occarden Sir Jam. Graham was told that 'he wan

• groat proficient in the oratory of terrer,' and it is a style
of eloquence not calculated to away Englishmen of any
rank. A politic= injures his eau= by employing it, as was
found by Roused tha Anti-Corn-Law League Legislators, who
mewed to use it as they acquired more experience. Sir
James Graham has many talents, but to improve
by ago is not amongst his qualities. His displays have
always something of that heedlessness which was a reproach
to him in early =ye For ono who prepares his speeches,
ho is singularly incautious. We like to ass a public man
improve, and we call to mind what pleasure was felt, even
by avowed edversaries, on seeing the late Sir Williams Ittleto.
worth improve every year up to the time of his early and I
regretted death. Bat Sir James Grebe= remains hard and
=rah in his tone; he does not mellow with time, and his
ability is depreciated by his acrid air and mina( ious mintier.
It is the peculiarity of this eminent person to damage
any eat= which ho takes in hand. Nobody has so
often contradicted himself ; ho la eternally fighting a bard
struggle against the ghosts of his former acts and speeches.
After his 'actual' with so many menthe= of the Howe el
Commons, from the O'Gorman Mahon to Mr. Thomas Dm-
combo, it is possible that Sir J. Graham would wish to dose
Lis public carter by getting up a' tot= own glorifica-
tion with the lieu= of Lords. But we trust that he will be
disappointed; sad we feel assured that, while the peas of
England will always remain open to conviction from argu-
ments of real ability, they will disregard such a peculiar tone
as that employed with sinister effect by Sir James Orallala
in his ill-expressed speech at Palace-yard."
The Economist stye there is great danger of Eng-
lish opinion becoming unworthily suspicious as to aced
partiality and patronage. There is • very natural disgust at
the administrative blundering and dull spirit of routinewhich
has Mane to light in the public service during the last few
years. But what is the true moody Y "Certainly not the
subatitution of one sort of mechanism for another sort—the
mechanism of cram aurainatiens for the mechanam of
official patronage; but the infusion of a higher spirit of
respotudbility into the management of public affairs.
The excessive reliance on the competitive es dis-
tinguished from the comparative principle, tads to
leaven this sense of =Tenability. It exempts our
higher authorities from all influence in appointments, and
so tends to diminish their answerability for thu result If •
mere system, if the Maria' given by examiners are to
make the appointment, the system—the marks—will be
alone responsible. The end is likely to be as gross a failure
as before, while there will bo less personal responsibility
than before for that failure. Our adminiatrative system
cannot be saved by any mechanism. There must to indi-
vidual responsibility far the nomination of cendidetee an well
as free competition amongst the notninees, or we =all
lose half the cheviot on improper selections and half the
sense of responsible authority in our riding men.
There is no better example of this than the army. It has
been inn state of atagoation from the absence of all healthy
emulation and competition. But no man in his senses
would regard aura= in examinations as the polo and suf-
ficient matron for the promotion of an ordinary regimental
officer. Other quidihmtions far more than oullalanee in his
moo the qualifications of knowledge and literary diligence.
An officer who could prove the binomial theorem or find the
horizontal range of • cannon bell in a resisting medium,
would not, perhaps, be necessarily fit to command In the
field. The absurdity is visible in this case, hut is certainly
exista, though in a leas degree, in the civil service, and wo
believe it will be found that the principle of ' limited com-
petition,' es It iscalled, involves a far less limited comparison
of the real qualifications of candidates than its more boastful
rival."

We read in the Weekly Dispatch The alight
put by the House of Lords on the Commons by the seventh
*seeks of the Parliamentary Oatbs Bill, begins to do its
work. The minority of Peers and majority of Commons are
both very indignant. There is' a very pretty quarrel uit
stands' between ' Derby and Dim.' The former threw out
a taunt about a Jewish Chancellor of the Erchequer. which
the latter neither forgets nor forgives. Lord Granville takes
ory good care to work upon the 'raw' which that taunt
has begun. Sir John Pakizigton begins to inured that
Derby is 'no statesman,' but only a leader of faction.
Sir Fitzroy Kelly is of the mine mind; and Lord Stan-
ley ban bees heard to declare that, ' for a man of genies, his
father is the most ignorant man he ever knew.' Up wards of
a hundred members of the House of Commons have gone to
Lord Palmerston and told him ho enact either give a pledge
to make the seating of Baron Rothschild • government gees-
time, or they must look to another minister ; and Lord John
Russell stands by, playing the part of ' judicious bottle.
holder.' Well may men exclaim,' Woe unto you, ye law-
yers; for ye will neither go in yoarrelves, nor let others enter.'
There is a very large majority of the Hours of Commons
ready, even anxious, to seat the member for London by a reso-
lution. The Government lawyers, who really do not un-
derstand the Nee, and declare that in the fare ad the &deka
of the Cowl of &soberer ea Salmons' case, such a step
would be illegal, hays fairly 'stopped the administration, and
Lord Palmerston declares that the thing can't be dons'
Meanwhile Lord John Russell brings on a motion imme-
diately, the purport of which is to have it found and declared
AM sham Bow of Parliament shad are power to seat its