The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-21 00:00:00

We must, however, again remind the people that
the Ministers can only proceed in the path of reform
by their aid, and as it were by their commands, ex-
pressed through their representatives. In general,
we approve of the policy of which Mr. HARVEY
sketched an outline ; but above, and before all, we
are anxious to see the middle and the working clas-
ses reconciled and united. They are the real sinews
of the nation ; together they compose the
whole body of the industrious community—the
creators of all property, for whose especial use
and protection all the laws are made, all the other
classes exist, and are, some of them, magnificently
paid. They obtained the Reform Bill by union—
their unhappy differences and dissensions made the
aristocracy laugh with scorn at their demands for
the repeal of the tax on bread. By union they
may command the aristocracy ; industry may give
the laws to idleness, and honesty may triumph over
fraud ; by continued disunion they only ensure
the success of their common enemy. Let them
then unite, and prepare to send Liberal Members
to Parliament, whenever a dissolution shall occur,
so as to ensure in the House of Commons the
triumph of Liberal opinions, and make it the interest
as well as the duty of the Whigs to embrace a
large and Liberal policy.

The Tories are playing so desperate a game that,

like gamblers drunk with excitement, they cannot
help now and then betraying their cards. The tac-
tics they are resorting to for bringing together their
scattered forces exhibit as palpable a cheat on the
surface as the child's juggle of " shut your eyes
and open your mouth." If they can only get a ma-
jority of the House of Commons to " shut their
eyes and open their mouths" in the approaching
election of a Speaker, there is more simplicity in
the world than we had calculated upon.
One of their manoeuvres is to put out of view
altogether the question of qualification, as if it
went for nothing ; and to make the election a mere
trial of strength between the QUEEN and the fac-
tions. This is dishonest, as well as mean ; for not-
withstanding the elements of contention that are
paramount in the struggle, the qualifications of the

candidates present a consideration of the utmost
importance in a Reformed Parliament ; and we must
take leave to say that of all men living a Tory is the
last man who ought to be permitted to occupy a situ-
ation ofso much grave responsibility as the Chair of the
House of Commons; and of all Tories Mr. HENRY
GOULEURN is the worst who could be selected to
fill it. The Tories are always safe in the hands of
a Liberal Speaker, because justice is the highest
virtue in the creed of a Reformer; but we should
like to know what sort of justice the Reformers are
to expect from a Tory Speaker, especially under the
circumstances of the recent overwhelming discom-
fiture of that arrogant faction ? Would not such
a man avail himself of all the numerous opportuni-
ties which arise in the progress of Parliamentary
_ .

usiness to favour his friends and embarrass their
opponents ? Does any person with the smallest
amount of practical experience doubt that results of
this description would flow out of such an election
as naturally as poison is distilled by snakes, or
stings are inflicted by reptiles ? The public cha-
racters of the present candidates only help to
strengthen into certainty this anticipation of the
probabilities of the future.

The whole of Mr. GOULIURN'S political life
has been a series of pettifogging services at the tail
of a faction. Take away his Toryism, his blind, bi-
gotted, and subservient Toryism, and you strip
him bare of the only claim he over possessed
upon the patronage of his party. Mr. SHAW

LEFEVRE stands clear of that " low ambition"—
has preserved an independent and upright course—
is intimately acquainted with the details of public
kusiness—and brings to their discharge indefati-
gable habits, sound judgment, and moral courage.
Noisy men, men of prejudices, and partisans, who
are necessarily committed to a thousand registered
pledges, make bad Speakers. Now, Mr. GouL-
BURN, unfortunately, is noisy and troublesome ;
his mind, small as it is, is a monstrous composition
of prejudices ; and as a partisan there are few indi-
viduals, in or out of the House, who have commit-

ted themselves so irrecoverably. Besides all this,
Mr. GO eLßUßN—apart from politics—is an indi-
vidual of an extremely contracted understanding ;
his views are only distinguished by their narrow-
ness and obliquity ; he has the vision of a mole,
and the obstinacy that usually accompanies con-
tracted views ; and all these disqualifications are
rendered the more salient by a temper that would
mar the utility even of an expanded intellect.
It is essential that the Speaker should possess
the confidence and respect of the House. Mr.
GOULBUR N is personally unpopular—he labours
under a variety of disadvantages, which we confess
we are not very willing to expose. Mr. SHAW
LEFEVRE, on the contrary, is universally esteemed
for the urbanity of his bearing, the tone and con-

stitution of his mind, and that extensive knowledge
of Parliamentary usages in which Mr. GOULBURN
is notoriously deficient. No wonder the Tories
should exhibit a nervous and fidgetty anxiety to
keep the question of qualification out of sight I No
wonder they should be so reluctant to enter upon
so awkward an investigation !
But the best of it is, that they are actually can-

vassing the votes of the Radicals on the occasion,
‘, We cannot think of such men," says the Stan-
dard, " as Sir WILLIAM MOLESWORTH, Mr.
GROTE, Mr. LEADER, and the Messrs. JERVIS,"
voting for Mr. LEFEVRE. Such men, who, a
few weeks ago, were branded by the Standard
with the most opprobious epithets, but who, now
that they are wanted to back the Tory candi-
date, instead of being all that they were then de-
scribed—base, revolutionary, and unprincipled—
have suddenly become such men I Sir WILLIAM
MOLESWORTH, the advocate of the Canadians,—
Mr. GROTE, the advocate of the Ballot,—Mr.
LEADER, for whom no language was too foul in
the columns of the same Standard when he opposed
•Sir FRANCIS BURDETT in Westminster—such
men ! Oh ! this mean, crawling, servile spirit of
Toryism, how it debases and demoralizes human
nature ; and to what a depth, of degradation the
Tories are dragged down, when they are forced to
solicit, as their last hope, the votes of that party
upon which they have exhausted all the flowers
of Billingsgate I " If," continues the Standard,
a very few of the more respectable Radicals vote
for Mr. GOULBURN, or even abstain from voting,
a full attendance of Conservatives will ensure that
gentleman's election, and read a lesson in quarters
where it is unhappily apparent such a lesson is
needed." So, they want the Radicals to join them
in a conspiracy against the QUEEN ! They have no
objection to get up a little revolution on their own
account when it suits their purposes, and convulse
the kingdom from one end to the other to get
back into office, although there is nothing
they abhor so much as a revolution
which is not originated by themselves. But there