The Sun.
London, England, 1836-05-31 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

Mr. Grove Price has very prudently withdrawn his
notice. Why he should have been so ill advised as
to give it is the wonder. That the reform of the
Lords is as proper a subject for discussion as any
which could come before a House of Commons will
only be questioned by men in utter ignorance of the
very object of legislation. Lord John Russell ob-
served that " it is certainly my opinion, that as it is the
undoubted right of this House to introduce Bills to
regulate the succession to the Crown, and to reform
the representation of the people in Parliament, so
likewise it is the undoubted right of this House to in-
troduce, and to favour if it shall think fit, Bills respecting
what is called a reform, but which I do not consider a re-
form, in the other branch of the legislature." His Lord-
ship rallied the Hon. Member on his having taken
the advice of the Right Rev. Prelates of the Church,
as it would have been a bad compliment to those Right
Rev. Prelates, if the House, after entertaining a mo-
tion for the removal of the Bishops from the House of
Lords, had declared that they could not entertain a
motion for a reform among the lay Lords. It may be
thought that we have bestowed more attention on the
notice of Mr. Grove Price than its importance de-
served, as no Hon. Member could do 'otherwise than
cover with ridicule a proposition involving an abnega-
tion of the very principle which lies at the bottom of
all constitutional legislation. It is quite clear the ob-
ject of a legislature is to make laws ; and if, from any
defect in the machinery, that object is defeated,
common sense tells us that the defect should be
remedied. If, for instance, the consent of the
King, Lords, and Commons be necessary to the
'making a law, and it. should happen that King, Lords,
or Commons refuse to act, the machinery is necessarily
at a stand-still, and means must be taken to remove
the impediment. To declare that any branch of the
Legislature shall in no case be liable to be questioned
by the others, is to proclaim a principle essentially ar-
bitrary and tyrannical. But, absurd as was the notice
of Mr. Grove Price, there were not wanting individuals,
who ought to have known better, to abet him in his
folly. Loid John Russell, while he did not hesitate
to expose the absurdity of the notice, took the
opportunity of declaring that it was his intention,
whenever it came forward, to oppose the motion
of the Honourable and Learned Member for Kil-
kenny, as he did not consider what he called a
reform to be really a reform in the constitution
of the other branch of the Legislature. We hope
his Lordship did not mean, by this declaration, to say
that the constitution of the Lords does not require re-
form, but merely that the particular reform which has
been proposed by Mr. O'Connell in his letter, is objec-
tionable. That his Lordship is satisfied with the con-
duct of the majority of the Lords, or that he enter-
tains any sanguine hopes of their amendment, we can
not for a moment believe. There is at the bottom of
the collision between the Lords and Commons much
more than a difference of unbiassed opinion. The
Lords are obviously governed by interests irrecon-
eileable with the interests of the people of England ;
and, sooner or later, it will be found necessary to pace
their Lordships under such a responsibility to the
people as shall secure the nation against the influence
which is now found so detrimental to the StatL—
Morning Chronicle.

There are times when Reform as well as Conserva-
tive Members may enjoy their otizun cum dignitate,
or, in other words, be present or absent from a debate,
as may best suit their wishes, inclinations, or conve-
nience ; but the present are not the times in which
such indulgence can be legitimately granteel. In the
course of the present week, some of the most im-
portant motions which were ever brought before the
consideration of the Commons in England will be dis-
cussed and debated, and, in consequence, it behoves
every representative of the people, and every true
friend of Reform, to be present in his place, from day
to day, and from hour to hour, without relaxation -or
intermis:iion. We are not aware whether the Govern-
ment has or has not intimated_ to the supporters of
its measures the necessity of constant personal atten-
dance ; but whether it has or has not, we shall,
assuredly, not hold that man guiltless who shall ab-
sent himself, whether in. consequence of private or
public engagements, from any discussion or any vote,
implicating the rights, the privileges, or the benefits of
the community, during the present or the next week.
The questions to be discussed are most important : and
we beg to remind Hon. Members who may be in-
clined to shroud their opinions in the mist of absence,
that the day of dissolution and reckoning may be at
no great distance, and that the plea of absence may
avail them but little in that time of trial.—Morning

Aa'v rtiscr.
We collect from the Morning Chronicle that the
Cabinet is not so cordial and unanimous as to give
wuch promise of longevity. What surprised us was,
that among a body of British Noblemen and gentle-
men there should not have been some individuals to
whom the slavery in which they have all along been
held by Mr. O'Connell had become intolerable many
months ago. The taste and judgment of our contem-
porary are, it seems,, different from ours. He is sur-
prised and indignant that even now any Members of
the Melbourne Cabinet should prove restive in the
piing and odious harness which yokes them to the
Agitator's car. We wish the Morning Chronicle
would be a little more explicit, and inform us which
are the Members of the Administration who haveho-
nourably distinguished thems6lves from their baser
colleagues, by affording occasion to the following ad-
*

moult ion
The Tories would no doubt be rejoiced to see the Re-
formers at variance among themselves ; but Reformers will
be careful to avoid such courses as might have a tendency to
afford that satisfaction to their opponents. The most dan-
gerous enemies are those of a man's own house ; and the
pretended Reformer who shapes his conduct so as to pro-
mote the views of the Tories ought to be unmasked
without scruple or delicacy. We care not how high or
exalted the parties may be from whom mischievous advice
may come ; they must be treated according to their deserts.
if those whose names we have been accustomed to asso-
ciate with the proudest exertions in favour of liberty should
sully their/fair fame by indulging in unworthy jealousies,
care must be taken that the cause of Reform be not sacri-
ficed from any delicacy to individuals. History will do
justice to their services in the cause of liberty ; it is our
part to see that a reputation obtained by these services may
not be turned against the people."
But we suspect that the Chronicle cannot be more
explicit if it would ; that it is only half trusted by its
masters—told, perhaps, that all is not right in the
House, and that somebody must be bullied—and then,
venturing without instructions to guess at the parties
to be assailed, guesses wrong. We cannot regard the
following as anything more than a mere blunder of our
contemporary :
‘c The language of Lord Holland and Lord Lansdowne
forbids our entertaining for a moment the suspicion that
they will abandon the high ground they have taken, and lay
the Commons prostrate at the feet of the Peers. We can-
not suppose that they will disappoint the expectations of
the people. They must know even that were they them-
selves disposed to forget what is due to their own reputa-
tion and the character of the House, their recommendation
would be indignantly spurned by a great body of Reform
Members, and that the duration of a Ministry reduced to
rely for support on its political opponents must be brief in-
, deed."—Morning Post.

We are happy to perceive in sundry quarters some
indication of a break between the more respectable
members of the present Administration, and the ultra-
Radical party. We are not surprised that matters
have come to this point, considering the disgraceful
lengths to which Mr. O'Connell has of late endea-
voured to push his peculiar views, and the public opi-
nion of the connection between Mr. O'Connell and
the Government. Although the language of some of
the Ministers respecting the amendments of the Lords
to the Irish Corporations' Bill seemed to be but too
much in the O'Connell key, we deem it to be very
possible that the leisure of the recess has given rise to
a calmer estimate of the state of public affairs, and
that the firmness of the greatest personage in the
realm has had the happy effect of producing some re-
solutions on the part of those in his confidence, which
will give as much satisfaction to the well-disposed and
constitutionally liberal people of these kingdoms, as
they will disappoint and enrage the revolutionary faction.
To the symptoms of this satisfactory disappointment
and agreeable rage we at present wish to draw some
attention. A daily Journal, which is often called
Ministerial," but which seems to borrow both its sen-