The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-18 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, JULY 18, 1864.

The do .nothing system in politics turns out, after
all, to be by far the best. Never mind what you came
in for. Forget it. Undertake, when once you are in,
to do anything but that. Supposing, for example,
just by way' of argument, that you came into office
distinctly for the purpose of carrying triumphantly
through both houses a really good Reform Bill.
Shelve it—pat it aside altogether—that is, the
notion of any Reform Bill at all. Supposing even
(again, of course, purely for the sake of argument)
that you have ousted your predecessors in office
from power because the Reform Bill they could
have carried, through bog:. Houses, if you would
only have let them, was, when you came to look at
it, really not by any means good enough. For your-
selves—when once you are comfortably settled down
into your places—quietly cushion the whole subject,
by submitting no Reforest Bill whatsoever to either
Lords or Commons, no reform of any kind, partial or
comprehensive, good, bad, or indifferent. Supposing
the man of men amongst the whole of you had con-
trived to persuade people of all parties.botla in Parlia-
ment andout of it, that he at least, if no one elseamong
our public men, was staunch to the backbone, to
the core of his heart, through every fibre of his
being, as the greatest of all living Leaders as a
Reformer. Supposing this arch advocate among
the champions of Reform had himself been the
one to Place your opponents as mere would.
be Reformers in a minority by moving a series
of cleverly contrived Abstract Resolutions. Let
him as the
sequel to those Resolutions—on the ex.
pnlaion from
office of your before-mentioned worsted
predecessors--let him, this arch-Champion of Re-
form, the staunchest of all staunch Reformers, be
raised from the Commons to the Lords, be re-
warded with a bran new Earldom, be invested
with the George of Diamonds and the blue.silk-
ribbon of the most noble Order of the Garter.
And then, when his own career has been
thus satisfactorily accomplished--let him dry
those eyes of his, for once and for all, those eyes
that were wont to shed tears at the failure of his
st abortive efforts
as a Reformer. And let him
hush up the babble of all those who would fain
probably follow steadily in his footsteps
(as a Re-
former) by that Lot charming little axiom of hie,
b, Rest and be thankful!" No matter what invi-

dious constructions may be put
upon such
prance.dings as these by some vexatious mal-
contents—Fay' no heed to them whatsoever. The
course you have chosen may be mean—but it will
sunned. Thus much in regard, to your rule of con.
duct internally—that is, in respect to your wisest
schemo for carrying Cu safely the affairs of the
GZVerrlraellt. Now for the best plan among
alt conc;.livablo plans upon which to construct the
foreign policy of the country, Wel!, in regard
to that—.start, first of all, 'upon the die.
tinct understanding, that you shall scrutinize
and generally estimate all foreign questions from a
purely commercial point of view. Never mind
troubling yourself about the honour of the country
—see what will pay—and what wont. The honour
will take care of itself—test perfectly well satisfied