The Sun.
London, England, 1839-06-19 00:00:00

Commissioners to adjudicate. Mr. RICE thought
it his duty to resist that motion, and he was de-
feated by 95 to 32.

No persons are more ready than we are to praise
economy in a Minister, and to support him in re-
sisting the numerous stimuli to lend himself to
one job or another, which are continually applied
to him. • But when Mr. RICE saw that such econo-
mical and conscientious men as Mr. WARBURTON
and Mr. HUME approved of the grant, that would
have been a complete justification of his acceding
to it. But he loves to show his independence and
his stoic virtue at the wrong time. He stoutly re-
sisted, and declared that he would not undertake, in
obedience to the vote of the House, to include the
3UM in the estimates, that he would not be respon-
sible for it, and that he would resist Mr. CRESSWELL
at every subsequent stage. He talked of having a
call of the House, and, of course, of bringing
down all the Tories to bolster up the in-
justice originally done by a Tory Govern-
ment, and now patronised by the Whigs. Sir
ROBERT PEEL found it impossible to resist the
majority of the House of Commons, and we can-
net think that Mr. RICE will succeed where Sir
ROBERT has failed. We regret to have so to
speak of any Member of the Ministry, but we
must ask who is Mr. SPRING RICE, with his
Bills to improve the Shannon, which one of our
Contemporaries characterises as a gross job, that he
should take it on himself to resist the vote of the
House of Commons and the cause of justice ? -If
he had always shown himself extremely careful of
the public money, we should have given him credit
for resisting this motion from a love of economy, but
there are too many facts fresh in our recollection to
allow us to suppose that Mr. Rica resists the
claims of the Danish sufferers from an invincible
horror to squander the public money. There is
more presumption and pride in the resistance, we
are afraid, than a regard to the public purse.
Why the demand should be resisted, when a sanc-
tion was elves to compliance by two such Members
as Mr. HUME and Mr. WARBURTON, we cannot.
conceive, unless it be that Mr. RICE is determined
on making the rest of the Ministers, who are
equally responsible with him for his conduct, as
unpopular as he deservedly is. Greater injustice,
united with greater arrogance, than he last night
exhibited, has not of late been witnessed in the
House of Commons.
We cannot conclude without observing that Mr.
CRESSWELL, Mr. HUME, and Mr.WARBURTON,
severally made clear and forcible statements, and
the persons whose cause they advocated will owe
them a large debt of gratitude.

A somewhat curious debate took place la! t night
in the House of Commons, on the London and
Blackwall Railway Bill. According to the Bill,
obtained by the Company in 1836, the London
terminus of the Railway was to be at the Minories.
It has, however, been judged expedient, in order
the more. effectually to carry out the objects in-
tended to be promoted by this Railway, that the
terminus should be advanced about 415 yards far-
ther westward, which brings it into Fenchurch•
street. To this extension of the original plan, cer-
tain parties, for reasons well known to themselves,
are strenuously opposed. Mr. CRAWFORD, the
City Member, and Mr. DANIEL WHITTLE H AR-

VEY, appeared for those parties, but they made out
a miserably lame case for their clients. When a
man of Mr. HARVEY'S acknowledged abilities fails
so utterly to give even plausibility to the objections
which he brings forward, there _is good reason to
suspect that- the cause which he has undertaken to
advocate is none of the best. In this instance
too, the Honourable. Member had to contend
against a very powerful adversary. He had
to answer the very cogent, and indeed, conclu-
sive arguments which he himself had urged on a
former occasion in favour of that which he now
condemns, and which the promoters of the Bill
have thought so valuable as to deserve to he repub-
lished, by way of advertisement, in all the news-
papers.

The principal objection to the Bill seems to be
the great expense which the projected exten-
sion will cost. It is an enormous waste of money, says
Mr. HARVEY, to layout 200,0001. on 415 yards of
railway. A mile at this rate would cost a million of
money. Now, we take it that this is a consideration,
not so much for Mr. HA RVEY and the persons whom
he represents on this occasion, as for those who sub-
scribe the money ; and as to the destruction of the
property he bewails in such mournful terms, it is
pure moonshine. The parties whose old houses
are pulled down will receive full compensation for
any loss they may sustain, and a little fresh air will
be let in where it is much wanted. If the destruc.
tiou.of property were to be allowed as a valid objec-
tion to a Railroad, bow many ofthese highly and
justly lauded improvements should we possess ?
Then again it is said that this railroad ought
not to be encouraged, because it is not connected
with a wharf. Was it proposed to be so connected
when it met with Mr. I-1 A R VEY'S unqualified ap-
probation before ? We suspect not. And how
many railroads can the Hon. 'Gentleman enume-
rate:which are so connected ? To take an in-
stance at hand and in point—is the Greenwich
Railway so connected, and what are the great
disadvantages which have been experienced by that
railway's terminating ilear London-bridge, in the
heart of as crowded a population as is
to be found in any part of the City of
London ? In short, not a single objection
or shadow of objection has been brought against
this Railway which does not apply to every under-
taking of the kind. Such, indeed, seemed to be the
feeling of the House, for notwithstanding all the
exertions, and they have. not been small, which
have been used by certain not altogether disinte-
rested opponents of the measure, only 73 votes could
be mustered last night against a majority of 17i;.

It is now nearly nine years since the Tories have
had almost uninterrupted possession of the Oppo-
sition.benches. According to their Journals, and
to their own very intelligible insinuations, they are
by far the most superior statesmen of this and per-
haps of any age. For nine years nearly they have
been unincumbercd with the cares of office, and
have' had full leisure to employ their capacities in
improving the laws of their country. It cannot be
said that no improvement is needed. Inquiries
were instituted severa 'years ago into the Courts
of Chancery and of Common Law, into the Eccle-
siastical Courts, and into the Criminal Law, and
in all these branches and offsets of the State
grievous errors were announced, and great demands
were, made for improvement. Our fiscal system.
requires amendment in all its parts. Since the
Tories have been in opposition commerce has been
convulsed, the currency has been deranged,
and both agriculture and manufacture have
been alternately distressed. Complaints just
and well-founded, have been made by numerous
classes of the people ; crimes have not decreased,
the general rapacity has augmented ; and our so-
cial evils, or those which are not directly caused
by legislation, have been as numerous as those
which, like defective Courts of Law, and improper
and unjust taxes, have their exclusive origin in the
ignorance or the malevolence of the legislator. Here,
then, has been a great field for the hardworking,
skilful Tories to till. Never had men a better op-
portunity of gaining immortal reputation, and even of
acquiring power. What, then, has this powerful,
intelligent, and skilful band Of statesmen performed?
What Courts have they improved—what laws have
they amended—what taxes modified or reduced=
what social evils have they ever sought to redress—
what measure of likelihood have they ever proposed
to Parliament? We must answer, none. Never
was greatness so undiscoverable by its works.
Some efforts the Tories have made to extend the
Church in Scotland, and to botch up the Church
in England, but otherwise their nine years' opposi-
tion is a blank, save as it may also contain
the history of their miserable factious strife.
Their mighty champion, the first statesman
of the age, who has passed his life in office and
in Parliament, their great GOLIA H, the very hero of
has in his nine years' seclusion from
officeil' produced nothing, we believe, but the Bill
to settle Controverted Elections. He offers that
to the world as the fruit of nine years' labour in the
service of mankind. Pshaw !--,the hatred inspired
by their love of oppression is not half so profound
as the contempt we feel for this wretched crew of
boasters and charlatans. The Tory quacks, with
their mighty promises and their utter failures,, both
in office and out of office, are infinitely more
offensive than the gentlemen who chalk the walls,
and delude only the most ignorant and the most
credulous.

Our readers will I-TaT7aserved, by our report of I
the Parliamentary proceedings of Monday night,