The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-19 00:00:00

resolution in the teeth of Mr. COBDIEI'S speech.
The threats of an extension of the naturally odious
income tax, the terrors of a loan, and every appeal
drawn from the purse, were all in vain. A few
brethren of the Friends deputation to St. Peters-
burg, Christians who believe in the unlawfulness
of any war, who would send supplications only to
a conqueror threatening their own dwellings and
firesides, were the sole supporters of the amend-
ment. Such a result of a meeting called at Mr.
COBDIN'S own wish will do excellent service. It
should refute all the calumnies which have some-
times been too freely cast on the great manufactur-
ing community. It is quite clear, if we may use
Sir Conni CsatrnEtn's language respecting his men
abroad, that at home our manufacturers " are
bricks." Nicnones, for his comfort, will wen
know it, and, if he really be thinking of peace,
this resolution of our men of business to conquer
a peace, will materially serve the purpose of peace-
making. Nothing would prolong the War more
than the English people voting for a Vienna-made
peace.

As to Mr. COBDEN'S arguments, they had
nothing of novelty in them, though of course his
" unadorned and homely eloquence " was not
wanting in some happy hits. When, for instance,
he remarked that this is a War " in which we have
a despot for an enemy, a despot for an ally, and a
despot for a client, and that for twelve months
we had been endeavouring without success to
make an ally of another despot," the merit of this
epigrammatic statement of his case is undoubted.
But a moment's reflection shows that the merit
is that of expression only. Our despotic ally
is the elected of his own nation, and fights for
national independence. -Our despotic client is,
even by Mr. COBDEN'S confession, the unquestion-
ably wronged party ; the despotic Ally we would
have is the pet of our Court only ; the English
nation loathe Austria hardly less than Russia ;
while our despotic enemy uses his despotism singly
and simply to wrong and rob every neighbour—
to break even the Treaty of Vienna, by absorbing
Poland, and giving Cracow to the other treaty
breaker, Austria, and to filch mischievous treaties
by combined fraud and cunning from the " sick
man," till he thought him really at his last gasp.
The argument employed by Mr. COBDEN illus-
trated most happily the strong English sense
of justice. He relied mainly on the sacrifices
which our Taxpayers must prepare for. When
the great Anti-Corn-Law agitator used it
against the Corn-laws, it was indeed a telling one.
The cheap loaf was a reason with every pater-
farnilias ; but, the dearness was an injustice. That
was the real point of the argument. Paying an
unfair tax, a mere class tax, was the strength of
the plea. Could a bread-tax have been shown to
be just, Englishmen would have net to uphold it
to their cost, rather than to abolish it. The case
was now reversed—it was the experimentum crucis.
Mr. COBDEN was again arguing for immense sav-
ings ; but, as all his hearers felt, for unjust
savings. A vast English meeting of the classes
who feel an income tax and a beef tax severely,
yet manfully voted for both, because demanded
by justice to the oppressed. Whether to spare or
to tax themselves, whether with or against a
people's orator, Englishmen voted for justice.
It is not for us to canvass every statement in
a speech of an hour-and-a-half, its only arguments
of weight were the pocket one just adverted to,
and the incompetency of the war management.
To the latter, the reply of course is, mend it.
Our readers well know that we perfectly agree
with Mr. COBDEN on the thorough exposure made
by the War, as to the utter inefficiency of our
aristocratic administration under any strain. The
exposure is complete. We believe that just now
it is the thing which makes our aristocrats sigh
for peace. The nation charges the " homicide "
of thousands, at Varna and in the Crimea, at the
door of aristocratic office hunting, and office keep-
ing, and its shameless nepotism. Thousands are
in their graves, and tens of thousands in England
are clad in mourning for them, because proved
capacity is neither noticed, encouraged, nor sought,
while party and family have engrossed the salaries for
which the nation ought to have had all its work
done. ABERDEEN and the COBURGS will sign utterly
worthless preliminaries, if they dare, the one to
save places for a useless set of aristocratic
brothers, nephews, cousins, and supporters ; the
other to save despotism ter despots. If the War
lasts men must come into office and yawning dan-
dies go abort their business. This, above all
things, makes us fear we shall be sold. Our hope
is rather in the roguery of the Czan than in the
uprightness of our Cabinet. He, we have some
hope, may be demented a little longer. It was
somewhat absurd for Mr. COBDEN to dilate "to
democrats" on the inconsistency of upholding
Turkey against Russia because the governing
class in the former are in a minority. Why, if
Russia were polled, too, how would Finlanders,
Poles, Tartars, Caucasians, Persians, and ifty
smaller communities ♦ote ? Would not Musco-
vite Tartars be in a minority f What he
stated from Lord CARLISLE of the wretched-
ness of the Turkish country beyond the
great towns is, at least, quite as true
of Russia ; let any one but read Da CIISTINIeS ad-
mirable work, or, among the last, the " Eng-
lishwoman in Russia, and they will be satisfied on
this point." Mr. CoBDEr thinks the coun-
try was deluded with the supposition that this was
a war for Polish and Circassian. freedom. The
country thinks it ought to be so. It thinks these
the essentials of a safe peace, but it knows that
ABERDEEN and his colleagues have quite a diffe-
rent end in view. It only hopes they will be
forced by events to do their duty. We believe
that no sentence ever uttered by Lord J•RN Rue-
SELL was more repugnant to the feelings of the
nation he professes to act for than his declaration
that we did not want to deprive Russia of any of
her territories. In one sense we agree with him.
The Crimea, Poland, and Circassia, are not Rus-
sian territory—we would restore them to their
owners. But that is the reverse of the Courtly
Lord's meaning.

Universally admitted and pretty generally

obeyed ac the maxim, " Be just before you are
generous," is, it now and then happens that a
kindred obligatiom, that of being just after being
generous, is overlooked. Cases of distress, where
much misery has been undeservedly endured,
;rarely fail, when brought to light, in finding ready
uympathy and effective relief ; but it quite as
.rarely happens that justice is dealt out in an
vaccinate degree to the wrong-doer, more especially
if, in an elevated position aid urging a colourable
plea in his defence. The British public is seldom
vindictive,
'which is so far well ; but it is often
natrue to its own interests in failing to award the
moral reprobation it is bound to dispense. Its
generositygenerosity
by
yno
means too great ; the defect
i 8
is too impulsive too
tila tits is
little governed by fixed principle. The natural
con sequence is, that while effecting immediate
goo(i, it occasionally is the cause of permanent I
evil.

Ti w present War furnishes us with a ease in
Point. No one needs to be reminded what cruel
• uffer in in the tent, the geld, and the hospital