The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-24 00:00:00

There aris,liewever, restrictions on the parsaits of
industry whichatill.require our attention,
The transfer of land is still clogged by 'legal diffiettl-
ties, expensei, and delays whioh unfairly diminish the
value of that !necies pf property, and to a - great
_degree
prevent its becoming au investment for the Un-:
the industriOus classes.
The machinery,
.of the department of the Customs.'
ought to 'Amplified to the utmost extent consistent- .
with the safety of the revenue.
It should-be -theobject of the Legislature to remove,
as far as possible, •those remaining burdens or reetric-
Leaving questions of commercial policy,'l must now
ptiroonsspeuriptoyn. interest which still impede its 4
advert to other subjects of importance whieh, during
_the,
career of the late Ministry, required from time to time
merce induced usito wssnme the responsibility of ens- -
our attention. 1n'1847 the perils and alarms -or Am-
pending die •laW, regulating the - issues of the Bank-of
England. 4.1448 ,the revolutions on the.corninenLof • - -
Europe led to a threatened disturbance pf fbe ',Ade
peace In-England, and wild projects of insurrection in - •
Ireland. Th. se dangers were met, and Overcome. -In - •
1846, 1847, i,nd 1848 occurred, the, ,tearful destruction
of the poutto crop in IrelineChy an unknown -and
mysterious disease. The ravages 'of a dreadful
famine were mitigated by the expenditures of nearly. ,
8,000,900 of money in wages .to the unemployed and
food for the starving. Such were the meaaures of im•
mediate relief. The Acts of Parliamenet which have
been passed for promoting the great trunk railways, for
loans for arterial drainage and land improrement. for the
sale of encumberidestates, for amindieg the provisions
franchise,.will, his hoped, lay, the groundwork for tbe
Permanent welfare of Ireland.
The last five •yeare have aeon the wise enjoyment and
upon other colonies' in
_sound exercise of con titutional freedom an the great
of the Poor law, add lastly, fora large exteesion of the
united province of Canada. 'lnstead of bickerings be.
tween the upper and lower provinces, dissensions between
• or upon the Legisla
the LegislatiVe CoiinCils' and Representative Aminabliea,
and an eiechtive vibrating-between arbitrary power and
at homsiea.lices
the last five years, it has
helpless inactionore have seen all the Perm! 9f the-
turecircum
13113-.W.Q4tiog harmoniously together, and a marvellous
-tuPrea4o arid population reward Vie*
I.
laiyatsaisfeatoatiinoend,totauxses
crust that :this aexample will not lie .10st, either
whoeheea,ve
thperespie'eple
in
largelyr
• In the West Indian
effected-within twenty Colonies the ta
and from monopoly to years,
co
Reviewing the policy of
increased means,
severely felt, bat, genurairpetition,
that policy to witness, on leaving
pear to be now leaking for speaking, these colonies Bli-
the enjoyment of greater comfortand
t
alone it can be found,—ia
from
improvedh methods
slaveryrooeemthnoowde
doubt
of
tuerbhe similar,
eb ogemeens,
revival of prosperity where
ded
reduced withover
arettedirtoffu
cultiva-
tion and manufacture.
pbe:alicm:
scarcely any loss-of revenue, peace
name of England respected throughoutp theeserved, and the
world. The chief cause of these results must not,
ici3rld.
sought in any existing men, or in any recent
be
They flow from the spirit of our people, from Magnant
Charts and the Bill of Rights, from the freedom of
public discussion, and the temperate use of power by
the Crown, the Parliament, and the people. It was emit -
a confidence in this wise and considerate use of popular
strength that we thought it at once just and prudent to
extend the right of voting for Members of Parliament.
It appeared to us that the advance of the working
classes in knowledge and intelligence ought to be accom-
panied by an increased share of political power. I am
aware how difficult a task it is to adjust in any plan of .
representation the respect due to ancient prescription
with the claims of advancing trade, increased population,
and growing intelligence; but it appeared to us wiser
to endeavour to make this adjustment when various pro-
positions for the purpose could be calmly weighed and
deliberately settled, than to wait for the storm, when
the conflict of the elements might overpower the voice
of reason, and the rush of the encroaching tide oblite-
rate the footmarks of experience.
There is a subject not strictly connected with the
franchise, but which has an important bearing on the
safety of our institutions,—l allude to education. Vo-
luntary effort has dune much, but the means of in-
struction, even in reading and writing, are still unattain-
able by a great portion of our working classes. I can
only say, I shall pay unremitting attention to a ques-
tion which so deeply affects the future condition of the
people.
Upon another question, which last year so greatly
absorbed the time and attention of Parliament as to stop
the progress of many useful measures, I have but a few
words to say. In arresting what we considered to be an
invasion of the temporal rights of our Sovereign and of
the nation, we were scrupulously careful to maintain in-
violate the sacred principle of religious liberty. In the
same.spirit in which I proposed the repeal of the Cor-
poration and Test Acts, and constantly supported the
concession of the Roman Catholic claims, I shall con-
tinue to act.
One portion of our fellow-subjects is still excluded
from the privilege of sitting in Parliament or holding
office under the Crown. The ensuing elections must
determine whether the representatives of the people will
be prepared by large majorities to remove those useless
and degrading disabilities. The oath taken by Members
of Parliament ought to be the same for all—simple and
not complex—a bond of union, and not a badge of dis-
trust or a source of religious discord.
I have now laid my opinions before you on many sub-
jects of past and future interest. I have shown you that
while much has been done, much remains for us to do.
You will rejoice, as I do, to observe that contests for
just and useful reforms, though baffled oft, are ever
won. hies-ures of religious, civil, and commercial
1113?.rty have in our own time had their origin, their
periods of discussion, perhaps of discouragement, have
suff<ted their hour of crisis cud doubtful victory, have
nad their day of signal triumph, and finally have taken
their place among our permanent institutions. Thus it
has been with the question of Roman Catholic disabili-
ties; thus it has hi en with Parliamentary reform; thus
it is about to be with free-trade. In this last struggle
I have played a secondary, but not unimportant part.
It will be no mean glory it, honoured with the name of
your representative, I•shall be enabled to pri m ,te thtt
great eauso which is about to obtain from tie electors
of the United Kingdom its final and irrevocable triumph.
Let it, however, be recollected that if the adverse
party is to be encountered with success, it must be met
by the free.trade reformers in a body. Large and useful
improvements in our laws and administration can only
be effected by the cordial union and untiring energy of '
all friends of enlightened progress, commercial freedom,
and civil equality.
I remain your faithful and obliged)
ervant,
RUSSELL.
Pembroke.lodge, May 22.