The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-02 00:00:00

perusal of the despatches before presuming to give
an opinion, the truth is that all the time without
reading them the skilled in the savoir faire of
politics may know that the much-vaunted despatches
are in fault without glancing at them. Had they
been at all in accordance with what ought to have
emanated from a great country like this, so little
need could hardly have been paid to our requests,
intirCations, remarks, or whatever polite phraseo-
logy may choose to call the communications that
have taken place. Mr. DISRAELI also alluded to
the noble lord': favourite way of meeting any cen-
sure on his Cabinet, by twitting and taunting his
opponents with blaming them without being capable
of doing better themselves. "I should be very sorry
to be in the position in which the noble lord finds
himself," remarked Mr. DISRAELI, but he went on
to say that had he and his friends been upon the
Treasury Bench that calamity would not have oc-
curred, A just reproof was given to the Foreign
Secretary for the remarkable reticence which he
displays in producing the papers that are chiefly
wanted, and when we consider the significance
of this remark, it must be confessed that any
amount of criticism seems justified. It has
twice happened with the present Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs, that at critical periods,
when he has been obliged to furnish Parliament
with voluminous papers, the question has been
decided, not on the papers laid before Parliament
by the Minister, but on papers which, in conse-
quence of their publication, appeared abroad,"
When we recollect the very unsatisfactory answer
that was afforded to a question asked some time
back, as to whether all the papers would be pro-
duced or not, it must be confessed that there is more
than suspicion to justify the fears expressed by the
leader of the Opposition. At the same time, it is a
very serious fault in a Minister to confuse the public
mind after this fashion, The means employed are
unworthy, the end gained is comparatively trivial,
and if the stratagem be successful and the man ceuvres.
triumph for a time,still the "trick," for it is neither
more nor less than one, discovered. Can anything
be more preposterous than for a member of the legis-
lature to sit down and peruse voluminous despatches,
whose advent has been announced by a great
flourish of trumpets, and yet to feel morally certain
in his own mind that he has not got the information
which he especially needs, and ought particularly
to have. Lord DERBY the other night observed
that papers were laid before Congress which that
House was not allowed to receive. If some very
fundamental change is not made in this re-
spect, the representative assembly of England
will soon become the laughing-stock of Europe,
indeed of the world. It could not have been
a very pleasant discourse for the Treasury Bench
to listen to from the Conservative leader the other
night, and as he reviewed the past, denounced the
present, and dimly foreshadowed the future, many
a member who, at a pinch, would support the Go-
vernment, must have acknowledged to himself that,
after all, the great Liberal Administration had been
rather a failure in its pertinacious struggles for
place and its reckless retention of place. It is at,
any rate satisfactory to find that the tortuous policy
and inconvenient mode of procedure adopted by the
Government is stigmatised by one of so high and
influential a position as the leader of the Opposition ;
and whether or not parties change sides this session,
at all events, he and his friends will ge in the ap-
proval of the country for the fearless efforts and
bold demeanour which they have exhibited at a
trying time in the position of affairs and a critical
juncture in the history of nations. It is at such a
period that we recognise the use and necessity of
an Opposition. It keeps alive the public attention,
awakens thought, and compels comparison. The
spirit of the people is more represented by the ad-
verse interchange of opinions, no matter whether
the questions be foreign or domestic ; and if we find
this advantage in times of tranquillity, we may be
sure that the effect is doubled in epochs of confusion
and disturbance. Whatever shortcomings may
have been witnessed on the part of the Government,
no one can say that their opponents are to be
blamed for lukewarmness. They have displayed a
zeal, a consistency, and a fixed purpose which do
them infinite credit, and if their efforts do not put
off the evil day of their country's dishonour, at all
events they may mitigate the evil, and modify the
extent of the calamity, and they certainly prevent
the uninitiated and the inexperienced from rushing
into dangers with their vision dazzled by the
specious promises of Ministers.