The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-15 00:00:00

the far-famed Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gen
PEEL was venturesome enough to criticise him, and
to remark that though he gave him credit for being
an excellent financier, and admitted his budgets to
he good, he considered that more money was
now taken from the pockets of the people
than when this Government took office. The
chief reduction in expenditure has been in
that " extra expenditure" that the Chan-
cellor and his colleagues incurred with one thing
and another. There is sound- sense in the criticism
of the General respecting the manner in which the
other offices of the Administration were filled. He

said there was nothing which raised the Govern-
ment above mediocrity, and, " from the Lord Chan-
cellor downward, he did not think that there was
anything to raise them above the ordinary charac-
ter of English administrators." It is a great dis-
credit to a government when a political opponent
is able to declare, as General PEEL did, that he
defied any of the supporters of the Ministers to de-
fine the future policy of the Government, or to pre-
dict anything that they would be lilkely to do,
except to follow any course which for the moment
was in the ascendant. They have, in truth, nothing
definite or decided in view, but trade or the acci-
dents and occurrences of the hour, and then defy
any one to outdo them in wit or wisdom.

General PEEL observed, with great accuracy,
that " there were some questions on which the
country so unequivocally expressed its opinion that,
no matter who might be the Ministers of the day,
it would be impossible to oppose that decision."
After expressing a conviction that the old do-
nothing policy would not do in the next Parliament,
the gallant General went on to consider the pro-
bable changes that might be made. Concerning
the extreme alterations which some proposed, he
assured his hearers that there was as much danger
in having the advanced guard too much in front of
the main body as in having the rear guard too
much behind. This warning may be of service to
some sapient individuals who have neither method
nor moderation in their mad desire for change at
any cost. The General is in favour of an extension
of the franchise, and, in giving his opinion, he de-
clared that he spoke as a member of a Government
that had brought in a Reform Bill. He trusted
that the more dignified term of " lateral franchises'
would bring more favour than the old one of fancy,
franchises." He amusingly illustrated the notion
of the new members for Westminster that every one
who could work a sum in arithmetic should be ad-
mitted to the franchise. " Now," said Gene-
ral PEEL, " I imagine all of them with
slates and pencils prepared to answer some such
questions as this : "If the value of the 15,000 th
part of the right to return a metropolitan member
is so much, what would be the value of a similar
right to return all the metropolitan members." On
the whole this was a very successful speech, and
General PEEL showed the advantage possessed by
the Conservative candidates over their opponents of
being able to critise the past without reproach, and
look to the future without fear. Broken promises
and wasted opportunities rise up in judgment
against those who endeavour to prop up a Ministry
that has failed to secure public confidence, and has
not rendered any service to the country at all com-
mensurate with its professions when it forced itsel f
into power.