Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-10-18 00:00:00

THE article. from the Observer, on :the approach-
ing Conservative Demonstration at :Liverpool,
which we copied into ow, columns- yesterday,
was doubtless. a 'sincere, as :it certainly was a
significant declaration, of the feeling with which
the great paitieal manifestation we are about to
have here, is regarded in theranks of the Liberals ;
and more particularly, we think, it may be taken
Vpr granted, in the ministerial ranks,—since the
journal in question is well li;nown. to be an accre-
dited organ of that section of the Liberal party
et which tO113: PALMERSTON: is the head. It is.
1
evident, from the- tone of the- article referred to;.
as well as froinisome of the- terms in which it is-
expressed, that-Ministers ane uneasy at the pros-
fleets before them, They dnaipt like our Derby
Banquet a bit_ They contrast it, in anticipation;
with the political am/ party distractions
• among themselves and their followern; and
the result is. most discouraging to them. It is
admitted that during the necess the Conservatives,
"-have been. stadiously. quiet.."' Even where any
of the Conservative leaderahave spoken in public„
as at the usual agricultural gatherings, they have
not, we are- reminded, touched on polities. Rat
although they have been: thus politically silent,
they are,. we. are assured', far from being; indolent
or indifferent. " They are, on the contrary,"
the ministerial, print declares, " bent en, mischief;
"and tha first pubkie manifestation of their course
" will take place on. Saturday, the 29th instant,
" when, at the great Conservative- Demonstration,
"at Liverpool,. Lord. DERBY and Mr. DISRAELI
"Will it is understood, shew themselves in their
" tune colours."' Why of course• they will. In
what other colours could they possibly be ex-
pected. to show themselves ? They are Conserva-
tives,, and. their true colours are Conservative
'.colours, in which they hate been invited
here to shew them:selves. by the Conser-
vatives of Liverpool ; and in no other colours
whatever could it for a moment be supposed
that they would think of shewing theniselves,
on such or any other political oeeasion. It is on
this very account, however, we may rest assured,
that the ministerial party view with such evident
anxiety and •apprehetksion the Conservative De-
monstration we are about to witness. -" This
" demonstration is expected to be a great political
" event," the ministerial journal further pro-
claims; and, it is added, "Lord DERBY will, on
that occasion, give, doubtless, an outline of his
" course next session ; he will profess himself to
"be, as perhaps virtually he is, the leader of the
"majority in Parliament, and he will naturally
"endeavour to gain some further adherents from
" among the old Whig party, by advocating a
"Reform Bill a little in advance of his list, but
" still widely different from that proposed by Lord
" JOHN RUSSELL, which many of the old Whig
" families dislike as much as do the Conservatives."
Such 'are some of the ideas of our forthcoming
Banquet which are already disquieting the
ministerial party.

And well may a " Motley Administration,"
like the present, be discouraged by such a politi-
cal event as that which they are contemplating
with so much anxious interest. It is that liberal
and intelligent Conservatism, the important event
is to enunciate and illustrate here, in the midst
of a vast and intelligent mercantile community,
which the ministerial party have such great reason
to fear,—and to fear in its connection with
nothing, perhaps, so much as that of a Reform
Bill; for there are differences in the, present
Cabinet as to Reform which already appear to
threaten its very existence,—differences which
the ministerial print declares to the Liberal party,
" instead of discouraging them, ought to induce
" them to increased exertion to prevent the return
"of Lord DERBY to power, by sinking minor
" matters and agreeing to some salient principles
" which would be acceptable to the Liberal body
" generally." But how this can ever be done,
with safety to the Constitution, it would be
in vain to imagine. Lord DERRY'S Reform prin-
ciples are constitutional, and therefore conserva-
tive. Lord PALMERSTON'S are, no doubt, the
same—and so are those of several of his colleagues,
especially Mr. GLADSTONE, Mr. SIDNEY HER-
BERT, the Duke of NEWCASTLE ; and even Lord
JOHN RUSSELL himself, if his recent assurances
at Aberdeen are to be believed. But then, unlike
Lord DERBY and his followers, the Reform
principles of the great bulk of their sup-
porters arc of a very different character,—
are not conservative but destructive ; and their
application to any measure of Reform in Parlia_