The Sun.
London, England, 1837-04-03 00:00:00

no other sense than that the agitation of them is neces-
sary to the existence of the Administration. The House
of Commons is employed night after night with the dis-
cussion of questions which are brought forward merely
as Ministerial shifts and expedients to please the de-
mocratic body in the House of Commons, and to pass
the time during which Parliament must be occupied
with something. This is the time of public men
thrown away—the deliberations of Parliament ren-
dered well nigh ridiculous—the Government of the
country degraded—the popular mind kept in a state
of agitation—the useful business of Administration
neglected, and all for nothing but the carrying on
of the trick, by which a set of persons without spirit,
intelligence, or capacity for Government, hold their
places and receive their pay. We are no advocates
for headlong violence in politics, but we really think it
is high time that the Conservatives in Parliament
should speak out, and let the country understand the
degradation which the conduct of these Ministers is
calculated to bring upon public affairs generally. The
Opposition contents itself with merely a defensive and
resisting policy, and we are sensible how much the
country owes to that policy, and to the steadiness with
which it has been conducted. But we believe the in-
terests of the country demand something more. It is
due to the moral sentiments of the people and to the
dignity of Parliament, that an exposure should be
made of the measures of the last two years, and of the
men who have resorted to such expedients either to sa-
tisfy their spleen, or to retain official benefits which
they cannot well afford to part with. How long is this
system to continue ? We wish to see it meet with its
just rebuke, in a place and in a tone which would rouse
the manly feeling of all England into a demand that
such a system could no longer continue. It is time
that Conservative leaders should show - the people of
England that they are in earnest. Let them not
mince the matter. They would find plenty of sym-
pathy with their indignation, for it is not in the na-
ture of the English people—using, that term in its
large sense—to be anything but indignant at a system
of sordidness and petty craft—a system in which every
thing lofty, everything noble and-virtuous, is sacrificed
to party and private interests—to the political virulence
of one set of men and the jobbing rapacity of another.
We are aware that if the system of the Opposi-
tion were changed into that of attack it would in-
volve some risks, and many difficulties ; but these
should not deter an Opposition who really believe
that a vile and degrading—a treacherous and dan-
gerous—system of misgovernment is going on The
adversaries are formidable only on account of their
readiness to do mischief. The more reason that an
effort should be made to render them no longer for-
, midable in any way. Let us remember the argument
of Demosthenes to the Athenians, when the difficulty
' of subduing Philip was suggested. " If," said he,
" Philip had been swayed by such suggestions, and
had not dared to attack the Athenians because they
had numerous garrisons, while he was comparatively
weak, he would not have engaged in those enterprises
which are now crowned with success. He knew that
the dominions of the absent devolve naturally to those
that are in the field ; the possessions of the supine,
to the active and the intrepid." Let the Conserva-
tives be everywhere active and intrepid, and their in-
fluence must prevail in the direction of public affairs.
—Morning Post.