The Sun.
London, England, 1837-07-31 00:00:00

hitherto professed to love, of incalculable service to the
interests of that faction he has professed to abhor, and
of irretrievable and utter ruin to that fair fame which
his former services have acquired for himself? Sir
John Burke, it appears, was ambitious of representing
Galway, but having discovered that the constituency
was not impressed with a similar passion, nor ungrate-
ful enough to turn out an old and faithful servant to
make room for one who, though a Catholic, has
not seldom been suspected of an anti-popular lean-
ing, this honest patriot is determined to wreak his
little vengeance upon the county, and to aid in
returning two Tories—to assist, as far as in him
lies, in overturning the Government of the Eerl
of Mulgrave, and bringing back the reign of a faction
nho brand him as an alien, and would treat him as a
slave. To this base and hateful game Lord Clanri-
cards (if common report be not a liar, and we would
fain believe it so) has stooped to become a party, in-
fluenced, it is said, by some miserable animosity against
the Government for not acceding to a late request.
Lord Clanricarde has declared that he will remain
neutral in the ensuing election. But we tell this No-
ble Lord that to affect neutrality at such a time as
this is to confess dishonesty. If his sentiments
are indeed changed—if he consi lers the Qieen's
Government deserving of an overthrow—if he yearns
for the revival of the Orange faction—if he eschews
his former political associates, and renounces his
former principles, let him honestly say so, and boldly
act thereon. Such a course would be manly and
noble compered with that he is now pursuing.
But now to adopt neutrality, when the mightiest
interests of mankind are trembling in the balance—to
manifest indifference as to whether the principles he
has himself espoused and advocated should prevail,
or those he has denounced should triumph—is to avow
that all his conduct hitherto has sprung, not from
principle, not from a conviction of its rectitu le, bur
from some ignoble purpose. We tell Lord Clanri-
carde, and we speak to him more in tenderness than
in anger, that his truth, his character, his honour, are
at stake. On the course he will adopt in the ensuing
contest, on his cordial support of the Government,
must depend whether he is to be.considered either as
one whose tongue belied the dictates of his heart-
--•shose professions were just as ardent as they were
insincere—or as one who, to a paltry feeling, sne'n as
a g nerous mind could never harbour, would sacrifice
the best interest of his ccuutrv, the respect of every
honest man, and his own hitherto unsullied character.
—Moving Chronicle.
Considering the unparalleled exertions and enormous
amount of corri:pt influence employed by the Tories
to make an inroad on the representative trust in the
present elections, the cities and boroughs of England
hare for the most part well discharged their duty, and
nobly repelled or bravely resisted- the assault made
through them on the general interests and liberty. Lon-
don and the metropolitan boroughs have preserved their
representation unpolluted by the presence of a single
Tory ; other constituencies have expelled the eneeiy
who had previously been in possess.on, and though in
some instances, owing to the most barefaced intimida-
tion, gross bribery, and the want cf protection by the
ballot, the result has been the reverse ; yet so far as
the elections have as yet proceeded, there have been
import:lnt accessions to *the cause of Reform. Now
collies the tug of war in the counties, and as here is
where the Tories place their greatest reliance, and in
reality have their greatest strength, it behoves the ho-
nest end independent tlecters to make a proportionate
effort to protect their own and the public rights. The
next is likely to be a long Parliament—and in pro-
portion to the chances of its duration are the dan-
eers of leaving the late Tory minority in a position to
delay or to defeat, as hitherto, the renovation of rot-
ten dilapidated institutions. Were the electors left
to the free exercise of the franchise, we should
scarcely feel it necessary to make any appeal to them ;
but when the Tory landlords are threatening to per-
secute with their utmost vengeance every tenant who
will vote for a Reformer—when a calculation has been
made and published of the expense which would be
necessary to purchase every county in Great Britain,
and estimated by the Standard, accustomed as it is to
debasing associations, at so low an average as four
hundred pounds each, allowing for other undue in-
fluence, we cannot too frequently nor too impressively
urge upon the county constituencies the dangers with
which they are threatened, if they basely yield up the
representation to such atrocious appliances. Well
may the Tories afford an outlay not of thousands,
but of millions, to purchase a seven years' lease of
the national purse. Well may they expend one year's
income to secure more than a similar amount of
pensions and patronage for seven years, with the
chances of a perpetuity. Well may they purchase
votes at 101., 201., 501., or 1501. each, or stick an
apple full of sovereigns as a present to the voter's
child, if by a recovery of the representative trust they
might continue to plunder such elector by indirect
means of treble the amount, and entail upon his
child burdens similar to those which their former mi-
nistration have inflicted upon himself. These golden
apples, like those flung before Atalanta, are intended
merely to delude the electors to their own overthrow,
and by diverting them from their course to cheat them
of their inheritance. Lord John Russell, in his admi-
rable speech at an entertainment given to himself and
colleague, Mr. Poulett Scrope, at Stroud, gives an
exposition of Toryism to which we refer every elector
who has a doubt of the side on which his true interests
lie in the present struggle. One part of this speech,which
is all excellent, and which, from the Noble speaker's
known moderation towards those of his own order who
differ from him in politics must produce a powerful
effect, we cannot refrain from extracting in this place :
" The taxation," said his Lordship, "had been raised
to an intolerable amount, to meet monstrously extra-
vagrant and wasteful expenditure, and to defray the
interest of a debt which that had increased from
250,000,0001. to 850,000,0001.—a debt incurred
not merely in maintaining a long, and for the
most part unnecessary war, but farther it: con-
tinuing many most extravagant as well as mast
useless establishments. And as if all these things
were not enough, they depreciated the currency, where-
by those burdens of taxation become more intolerable.
l'hey marred the Poor-laws so as to defeat the object
of Elizabeth's Act, defraying the wages of the poor
out of funds meant only to meet their wants and ne-
cessities when in poverty or infirmity; so as to re-
duce the labourers, to quote an expresston once used