Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-11-04 00:00:00

treatment

inaug,urate a system of amendment and progress ;

but he is the worst of all agents to guide and

continue it. The blind and rough strength of

Phaeton, perhaps, was safe enoughtin freeing the

traces. of the chariot, or brushing away an

obstacle to its first onset; but it required a
judgment of far different temper from his
to guide it through the heavens without setting

the world on fire

The energetic reformer of

1831, sweeping away a few dust-heaps, putting
here and there a thing into its place, would in
1860, be a dangerous. madman turning everything
upside down, throwing the best furniture through
the doors and windows,. and destroying the

very instruments of further improvement. The
Whig-Radicals, under the leadership of Lord
JOHN RUSSELL,. who has begun to show himself

more reckless than even:we were merciful enough

to think, are not the spirits to rule any future

internal crisis of the Constitution. "Finality
John," with all his inconsistency and positive un-
trustworthiness, is not qualified, has no claim, to
re-open the- questions which he took up only from
another, relinquished, even in promise, when it
ceased to yield political capital, and has shirked
and evaded ever since. The reforms we want

are gradual; in detail, not in principle ; a prose-
cution of inherent theories, and not an introduction
of new and different doctrines. For this work the
Conservative paity, properly so called, are the fit
and proper agents; and for this work they are
ready, and getting readier every election and
every Parliament.

With these views, we are not altogether averse

from accepting the dictum of some of our adver-

saries ; namely, that the present competition be-
tween the prevailing parties is in a great measure
personal. And agreement on this point, per-
supposes agreement on another and much more
important one. Our critics tell us that Conser-
vative principles are uppermost, both in Parlia-
ment and the country. We admit it; but the
inference would seem inevitable, that a Conser-
vative Government is alone able adequately and
willingly to administer them. "No matt" says the
wise BURKE "can say how far he will go,

who joins with those who are avowedly going to
the utmost extremities." Lord JOHN RUSSELL

if he were left alone,—if there were no personal
feeling, no small ambition, no factious rivalries,
to tamper with the free course of his convictions,
or the straightforward dictates of his conscience,—
might, perhaps, be trusted to as a tolerable Con-
servative. What wisdom teaches him, when
there is leisure to hear her voice, we learnt at
Aberdeen. But he is exactly on the descent
which BURKE here characterises as so easy and
so inevitable. He has played into the hands of
BRIGHT, sanctioned his parliamentary claims,

and given open encouragement to many of his

hopes

Why did the Libe

ral party compiai:

with an evident appearance of reason and justifi-

I ,1.41,11111., I.U.La, I,IIG -1,11,1,-/ IL/ 1 GPI, 111.11,01V1/ IA 11,,r ,••.,
present Ministry was not large enough ? Why

Will any one tell us—if the Times expresses the
necessity of the day,—why- Lord DERBY'S Reform
Bill should have been. rejected by the moderate

Jo, /if-Conservative party

:n the House of Cora-

s?' Listen to what the censor says,

reproaches the Conservative party with holding

the conviction.

?nd th

that ti

representatior

not unfit

people,

be done in the way of Parlia-

" mentary Reform without giving a vote to
every man whose wages enable him to pay two

shillings and sixpence a-week

his lodg-

This " much withbut," was actually

what Lord DERBY'S bill most effectually did.

But because it did not touch the principle of the

representation, Lord JOHN RUSSELL called to his

aid the extremest sect of politicians to defeat it!
That lac to, defeat the only policy which all mode-

rate parties admit is the only practicable, and the

only wise one,. Lord JOHN RVSSELL has com-

mitted himself to the designs of a knot of revolu-

tionists, who' not only wish to the

the electoral

system; but to change the face of the Constitu-

The adinissions then, the complaints, the aci

sations of our adversaries, record unconsciously,
the mission of Conservatism, andsthe true strength

of the party that alone consistently professes it.
The seeds of the one must certainly be laid deep

The bright promise

referr

SurelY

done with

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