The Sun.
London, England, 1837-01-09 00:00:00

ail .

a., cure—it would rather, in his estimation, be a continuance
of the disease.--(Hesr.) People might startle at the idea
05 a change ; but he must state that the aspect et the
House of Peers as an elective House, was not a new prin-
ciple in the. British Constitution ; it was a principle acted
upon already in the case of Scotland and Ireland. . But
whether it was to be elective or not, a change must; and
ought to be made.—(Great cheering) There was nut a
*Lye while the Peers were sitting, in which they did not ie-
friage on the rights of the people.—( Hear, hear, hear.)—
Something, therefore, must be done, and before mans
-years or months pass over their heads, unless it wee
wished to see the country thrown into confusion, from aa
obstinacy on the part of that House, which was alto-
gether unparalleled in the history of the nation.—(Cheerto
lie had no hostility to the Peers. He was wi.":inig to make
Any allowance for their prejudices of birth and education ;
but while he had no hostility to theen whatever, he had a
great anxiety to see them give tip what he considered the
untenable ground they ocetapied, and if thcy persisted in
the same line which the'; had followed during the last. two
Sessions of Parliament, some measure must be adopted to
bring them to a Letter state of feeliae.—(Cheers.) There
was just one point more to which he would shortly advert
—it was in, relation to the present Administration. There
were sorae people who thought that that Administration, as
. well as the Ministry of Earl Grey, went on with too much
timidity, and he was one of those who thought so.--
(Cheers.) With regard to some measures, perhaps, thee
exercised a proper timidity ; but the tiraid:ty with whiela
be always accused the Ministry of Earl Grey, as well as
the present Ministry, lay in their desire to conciliate their
opponents.—(Hear.) Now he believed that nothing less
than walking out of office would ever conciliate them.
(Cheers.) He blamed the Ministry, therefore, for this ;
but he had too great confidence in Lord Melbourne's ho-
nesty and courage to suppose that he would permit any
body. to remain in the Ministry who was not made of the
same stuff with himself ; and lie had as much confidence
in him and his colleagues as to believe that in the next
Session they would again bring forward measures bene-
ficial to the country, and that they would stand or
fall by those measures, and that they would have we
more attempts at conciliation.---(Great cheering.) While
• Lord Melbourne's Ministry was supported with deter-
mination by great numbers in the country, there was at the
same time others who orrposed them because they did not go
so far as they wished. To this party he would say, that
whatever might be the opinions of any one man, or of any
body of men, those opinions, when yielding them for a
time did, not imply a disregard of the dictates of con-
scienc% ought not to be too much pressed, when the ques-
tion tame to be, were they to have a Tory Administration
or a Liberal one, taking into connection with the open op-
position to the Liberal Ministry, the fact of the Court in-
Silence opposed to them, an, influence much greater than
that company was aware 'of ; or even if they did not
come up to the wishes of some of the most ardent Re-
formerss he would ask them to support that Ministry ra-
ther than put them in peril by opposition ; because, though
he did not believe any Tory Government could last long
in this country, yet he believed that if a Tory Government
was permitted to resume power, there would be felt a real
re-action. Let them, in such a case, go to Ireland, and there
they would see a re-action—an attempt made to carry on
the Government by the sword, in the same way in which it
had been carried on till the commencement of the peaceful
reign of Lord Mulgrave.—(Cheers.) One week of an at-
tempt on the part of the Tories to bring about the old_
system would inflict more evil on the country than could
be cured for seven years to come. He trusted, however,
he would see no such attempt, but that a cordial, close
and distinct union among Reformers would effectually
prevent it.—(Cheers.) In one thing they ought to imi-
tate their opponent;—they never quarrelled among them-
selves. Let Reroc:ners then join in " a long pull, a strong
pull, and a altogether," proceeding stedfastly on Re-
form princi.pi.es ; and they would still see this country
flourishing in every department, and We power of the
Conser vntives gradually die away—(Cheering)—and then
in Ireland they would see the Tory Orange parties for-
gotten, and in time vanish for ever away.—(Great cheer-
ing.) Mr. Oswald then gave as a toast—" The Reform
Acts, may their principles be practically followed out."
He trusted that the principles of the Reform Acts would be
followed up—he hoped that many defects, in these Acts would
be amended ; but from what he saw in Parliament, it was
apparetit that unless a Reform Ministry was kept in, no
alteration in those Acts would take place but for the worse.
They were aware that in the counties the Tories had been
bringing forward fictitious votes ; and he believed that,
in following that curse, they were laying the foundation
for a wider extennion of the suffrage.—(Cheers.) Mr. Os-
wald then proposed the toast amidst immense cheering.
Mr. W. STIRLING said the next toast had fallen to his lot
to propose, and happy he was to do so, as he knew the sub-
ject of it was a matter on which most of their minds was
made up. The Speaker then went en to ridicule the fix-
ing the suffrage at ten pounds ; those who had done so dis-
played a degree of discrimination perfectly unintelligible to
him, when they, in point of fact, declared that there could
be no virtue under that sum. He then avowed himself an
advocate for the ballot, which was the only resource for
the poor, but independent man ; and concluded by propo-
sing ‘! Triennial Parliaments," which, he observed, was the
only remedy for keeping renegades in check, and who made
professions on the hustings which they never intended to
realize.--( Drunk with much applause.)
Sir J. MAXWELL craved a particular bumper to the
health of the other Hon. Representative of Glasgow, Lord
W. Bentinck.—(Cheers.)
Mr. SPIERS, of Culcreugh, said that, as one of the ear-
liest advocates of the ballot, it gave him great pleasure to
see the increase of converts to the system ; and he felt
little hesitation in anticipating that, at no distant period,
this protection would be extended to the honest and con-
scientious—but perhaps poor—elector. At present the
sentiments of the great mass of the constituency were
unknown. Any one who had canvassed, as he had done,
must know, that on the property of a Liberal landlord they
found Liberal tenants ; and on the lands of a Tory laird
the contrary. In the course of the canvass he was now
engaged. in, he had repeatedly been told, when asking after
some elector, " His heart is with us, but he dare not vote
against his laird." Now, surely this is a state of things
that calls for amendment ! The present system was ineffica-
cious, and it was their duty to amend it. But he was told
the ballot was an " un-English" system. He confessed he
did not understand the meaning of the phrase. Was it
un-English" to afford protection to men exercising a most
valuable and responsible right ? Was it " Ito-English" to
emancipate the honest poor man, from the undue influence
of the dishonest rich one? If to do those things was " un-
English," the sooner the whole aystem was changed the
better would it he fir the empire. previous to sitting down,
Mr. Spiers proposed—" Vote by Ballet."—(Cheers.)
Mr. WALTER BucHANAN said, so far from there being a
re-action towards Torism, we firmly believe that there is,
and has been, since the passing of the Reform Bill, a steady
and rapid progression in the minds of all classes towards
Liberal ot•.'inions.—(Cheers.) That great measure is now
bearing, its legitimate fruits. Men have insensibly, aye, in
many cases even involuntarily, adopted its language and its
spirit. Has not Sir Robert Peel declared, that the man
would'he insane -who attempted to govern this country in
oppositien to the principles of the Reform Bill ?—(Cheers.)
Has he not stated, that it is in the floor of the House of
Commons, and in the Registration Courts, that the
battle of the Constitution mast be fought. Who, that
recollects the declaration of the Duke of Wellington,
that the Constitution of this country was perfect, and ut-
terly incapable of improvement, but must feel astonished at
the rapid change of opinion, it he shall not rather call
it the gross inconsistency of his party, who tire now
daily advocating the very improvements which his Grace
so emphatically denounced. They are now all of them
Reformers. Reform is as familiar in their mouths as a
house`oold word. Improvement, gradual—practical im-
provement—is their constant theme. Most assuredly the
Reform of the Tories would he of a moderate character,
the least in quantity, and the latest in time ; but who does
not see, in all this, a submission on their part, a bowing of
the head to the ascendant spirit of the age ; and if, after
all, it should be •hypocrisy, even that vice itself has been
called a trlbute paid to virtue,—(Cheers.) In all this, is
there a-ey proof of re-action ? But their progress has not
in r'.ality been to small. The Tories of the present day
a\ow opinions, and defend them too, which, twenty years
ago, even the stanchest Reformers would have considered
bold. What is the name Conservative, but a concession
to the claims, and an evidence of the progress of reform.
Disciples of Pitt and Castlereagh, can you brook this foul
disgrace ? Tories of the days of the Georges ; loyal
Church-and-King men, can you remain unmoved, while
your honoured name is thus renounced and despised ?
But we take the change in good part, and we congra-
tulate our friends on their new name ; they have acted
wisely and well. Discretion is at all times the better
part, of valour. But how stand matters in our own city ;
there no re-action there ? True, our friends are about
to hold a high holiday in honour of their great leader,
and loud and boastful are the appeals to the number and
the influence of those who are about to assemble to cele-
brate the jubilee of Conservatism. But is Sir R. Peel, in
reality, the man whom they delight to honour ? Is the
emancipator of the Catholics, is the author of the Tamworth
address, is the liberal propounder of Church, and Law, and
Corporate Reform, is he in very deed the darling of the
Tories?—(Cheers.) Why has not Lord Lyndhurst been
fixed upon, or, better still, why has not his Grace of New-
castle, or Lords Winchilsea or Londonderry, been selected
as the fitting object of Tory admiration ?—(Great cheer-
ing.) We will tell you why ;it is because Sir Robert Peel
is in some degree a Liberal ; because he has felt and ac-
knowledged the necessity of Reform ; because he has loug :t
his best battles, and gained his proudest laurels, ranged side