The Sun.
London, England, 1838-04-16 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The Committees of the various trades unions have deter- I
mined, it seems, to celebrate the release of " the Dorches-
ter labourers" by marshalling some thousands of their fel-
low workmen this day upon Kennington-common, to march
from thence with bands and banners, accompanied by the
five uncaged lions, who will be exhibited gratis through the
principal streets of the metropolis. From a published pro-
gramme of the procession, drawn up, we presume, by some
amateur King-at-Arms, we learn that there will be the
usual complement of heralds, pursuivants, and trumpets.
That this mass of skinners, tanners, and curriers are to
begin their day's work at " the Horns," and not to stop
till they come to the usual terminus of the Rump—which,
of course, is White Conduit House : and that on this
special occasion neither a glass of gin nor a draught of
heavy shall whet the whistle of a single processionist until
the solemnities are over. The working men of London
have generally had the reputation of being shrewd and
sensible fellows : but they are sadly out, we
think, in this foolish and unseasonable demonstration.
Whether the Dorchester labourers were guilty or innocent
of the particular misdemeanours for which they were tried
and condemned, is not what we are now concerned about.
But taking their case in the most favourable point of view,
no man can deny that the effect of conferring anything like
importance or celebrity upon them is calculated to operate
injuriously upon ignorant multitudes, who, conceiving that a
public testimony against the harsh application of a law is
identical with a general approval of bold and suspicious ex-
ploits, are not only apt to cherish a vulgar appetite for dis-
tinction, without being over scrupulous about the means of
gratifying it, but in following the example of their models,
are almost certain to avoid what is least objectionable, and to
imitate, exclusively, what is palpably vicious and bad. To
see these returned convicts charioted and cheered by thou-
sands of their fellow-labourers is enough to excite half the
journeymen, and 'prentices in London to covetanalogous hon-
ours,and to emulate the occasions which have raised them to
such notoriety. The perambulations of immense columns of
men through the most frequented streets cf the metropolis
is farther objectionable on the score of inconvenience and,
danger. On any day in the year an interminable proces-
sion marching in throughfares crowded with omnibuses,
stages, and waggons, could scarcely fail to be productive
both of serious interruption to passengers, and also of
personal peril to those throngs of women and children who
have not philosophy enough to turn with contempt from
the unindictabie nuts .nee which these unionists are about
to inflict upon public forbearance. But on Easter Mon-
day, when thousands of apprentices and children are re-
leased from work and school, such a procession is infinitely
more hazardous than on any other day we could name,
though we strongly suspect that this identical Mon-
day has been fixed on chiefly because the overgrown
boobies who lead the strut expect to be proportion-
ably glorified by the eclat of a holyday mob. Then,
for the sake of preserving order, an immense posse
of police must be stationed along the entire line
of procession ; and as this concentration of forces
involves their temporary withdrawal from other parts
of the town, the more experienced thieves are
well aware that such a circumstance, aided by the absence
of the sight-gazers from home, affords peculiar facilities for
their professional operations. But one main object in
calling attention to this affair is, if possible, to prevent con-
fusion and accidents. Parents and masters who permit
their youthful dependents to go near it will incur a serious
responsibility. Even people of riper age would do
well to leave the Unionists to be their own exclusive ad-
mirers. At all events the police, we dare say, are duly
instructed to conduct themselves with the utmost extent of
good temper and forbearance compatible with the preser-
vation of order. When numerous masses of men, indignant
at the recollection of past irritations, and marching under
the present excitement of music, flags, and strong poli-
tical feeling, are brought into conflict with the police (as
is not uncommon in such cases), it is impossible to fore-
tell the disasters which may follow. The calamitous
results of the assemblage in Calthorpe-street ought not to
he forgotten. Indeed, we have very grave doubts whether
such a meeting as this, partaking so much of a political
character, and pregnant with such elements of public dan-
ger, should have been allowed to take place at all. At any
rate, with the sufficient notice which Government have had
of it, we consider it their bounden duty to have created a
simultaneous diversion, either by a grand review in Hyde
Park, or by some other plan, whereby this procession
might have been left to drag itself along amidst the silence
and security of streets comparatively deserted. Could not
Mr. Spring Rice have undertaken to dance on the tight-
rope on ine top of the Bank? or Lord Gleneig to walk
through the part of the Somnambu'i,t. at Greenwich fair?
or Lord Melbeurne to play the " Gastronome sans a:gent"
at Pimlico?—Tinres.
Amongst the assaults in detail made by the Tories, in
their lack of argument against, the general policy of the
Government, the time and mode of the Coronation afford
a fa% ourite. point of vituperative attack. Not only in lead-
ine articles, but in correspondences—the mercenary force
and the volunteer auxiliaries—are the most frivolous and
malevolent objections made against every proposed arrange-
ment of this national ceremony. First, the day is objected
to, because, as a correspondent of the Times, who signs
himself " Roger Old Style," observes, " it falls on Tuesday
instead of the more usual and more convenient Thursday."
'For our own part, we cannot recognise any just cause of
preference to Thursday over Tuesday, unless from the
latter being connected with Shrovetide, the Tories, front
the conscious enormity of their offences, may have an anf-
p Ally to crerything reminding them of the necessary puri-
fication :—and next, because " that fine old King, George
IV., of munificent memory," died on the 26th of June,
the day selected for the Coronation. This fine old piece of
fustian crumbles to dust from its intrinsic rottenness, anct
therefore it is not necessary to pollute our pen by dipping
into the character of " that fine old King of munificent
memory!" " George the Fourth !!" The next ground of
objection is the curtailed expenditure. The very parties
vvf'o arc so furiously and indecently indignant ag tinst the
reputed extravagance of the Duchess of Kent, and against
the anticipated expenditure of the mission of Lord Dur-
ham to Can Ida, term the arrangements for the Coronation
to be "a beggarly piece of short-sighted economy." The
Tories can be profuse or economical, as the suggestions of
factious interests may prompt them. But the gravest
acce,ation of all is " tee omission pro hac vice of the time-
honoured services, and trivial, but no doubt valued, p
eileges of many of our Ba, ons," as it is termed, " a mean
and petty device of her Majesty's low-born advisers to cast
contempt on the patricians of the State." What, reader,
do you think is the " time-honoured service" of which the
omission is here complained ? Why, nothing more nor less
than the privilege accorded by an ancient and absurd custom,
to the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of kissing the Sovereign on
the left check at the Coronation ! This would be lip service
with a vengeance. No doubt the Barons would esteem it
a bonne bouche. But how would her Majesty, we should
like to know, relish such a close approximation of grey and
grisly beards to her Royal countenance ? It would be
perfectly disgusting, even in a single instance ; but for some
hundreds of young and old Lords, many of them not of the
purest character, to be allowed to press their liquorish lips
on the cheek of a young and innocent Queen, would be a
downright abomination, to which we would not consent
even if the Peers were to promise a full acquiescence in all
popular claims for the concession. If it were merely to
kiss her Majesty's hand, or her toe, or any part less ap-
proximating to her Royal visage than the cheek, the objec-
tion might not be so insuperable ; but the bare idea of re-
ceiving such proofs of lordly allegiance on the cheek, must
be to her Majesty too shocking for endurance. Yet this
is one of the privileges for the sake of which our hereditary
and spiritual legislators would throw the kingdom into com-
motion. Faugh !—Morning Advertiser.
" The Session has now lasted upwards of five months,
and yet nothing has been done." So say the Tories. Is
the statement true ? Its truth is not to be denied. Who,
then, are the parties who are to blame for this waste of the
public time, and the disappointment of a nation's hopes ?
The men in power ? Lord Melbourne and his colleagues ?
Assuredly not, they are altogether guiltless. On whom,
then, does the blame rest? Why on the very faction
themselves who bring forward the fact of nothing being
done as a charge against Ministers! To the Tories, and
to them alone, attaches all the guilt of the non-transaction
of the business of the country which has characterised the
five months of the Victoria Parliament which have already
elapsed. They have interposed insurmountable obstacles
to the introduction of new measures of great national im-
portance, and to the progress of those which have been for
some time before th'e House. They have got up
party motions for the express purpose of impeding
the public business, in order that they might
turn the fact of the public business being so im-
peded into a weapon against Ministers. They had
soothed themselves with the grateful hope, that seeing the
business of the country was retarded, the nation would,
without inquiry, and without thought as to who the actual
parties were on whom the responsibility of the delay rests,
at once throw the blame on Ministers, and get up a demon
stration of public opinion against them which would at
once scatter the Administration to the winds of Heaven.
In this the Tories have reckoned without their host. The
country is not only too quick in its perceptions as to the
conduct of parties, but has had too much experience of the
desperate and discreditable expedients to which the present
Opposition to Government are capable of resorting, to be
so easily deceived as the adverse faction had assumed they
would. The nation know that all the obstruction to useful le-
gislation proceeds from the Opposition ; and that Ministers
bave shown every disposition to get through the business
which the exigencies of the country so urgently require.
And thus discriminating between the innocent and guilty,
the country is not, and never could be, so unjust as to ,