The Sun.
London, England, 1831-03-04 00:00:00

by voting for the present measure, would be the faithful in-
terpreters of the wishes of the people of England. He had no
hesitation in saying, be should feel indispeserl to object to
any plan calculated to let in any class of his fellow-sub-
jects to the enjoyment of privileges which they could
exercise with safety to the state and advantage to them-
selves. But he should be acting unjustly by the Right
Hon. Gentlemen opposite, unjustly towards the country'
and the great cause to which he had all his life devoted
himself, and used his feeble but sincere exertions to pro-
mote, if be were now able to do his best in support of the
Noble Lord's proposition—(Hear, hear)—a propositinn
which he trusted, and believed, would be supported by the
great mass of the people of England,—(Cheering.)—
And here let him warn the people against being led away
by certain insinuations that had been somewhat insidiously
thrown out in the course of the debate, and against the
quarter in which they originated. The Hen. Member
for Newport had said that the Noble Land's plan would not
satisfy the people; but he begged to say he knew as much
of the sentiments of the community on this subject as the
Hon. MembsCr possibly could, and he boldly asierteds speak-
ing upon that knowledge and upon the communications
which had alieady reached him from various quarters,
(although it was true only forty-eight hours had elapsed
since the platewas made known), that the people generally
would be satisfied, and, he might add, ought to be satisfied,
with the meesure.—(Hear, hear.)—Taunts had been
thrown out against Ministers, but the people of England
cared nothing about such taunts,—they cared only about
the measure; it might be a very good joke to mix
up comments upon a little mistake in the budget,.
or on suspected divisions in the Cabinet, with the
discussion of the Noble Lord's proposition; but the
people cared nothing for all this, their only care being
to ascertain who her this measure would give them
what they bad a right to expect, and what they had
loudly raised their voices to obtain. As to any changes
of opinion in the sentiments of a Noble Lord, or a Right
Hon. Gentleman opposite, what had that to do with the
msrits of the present question ? Well did he recollect the
conduct of the Right Hon. Baronet (Sir R. Peel) below
him, when he pursued that manly and magnanimous
career with respect to an important subject some time
since disposed ofee—a career which never would be for-
gotten, and which had secured the Right Hon. Gentleman
the everlasting gratitude of the country. And what had
happened to the Right lion. Baronet at that time? He
was reviled, not merely by his former political associates,
but had the pain of hearing one of his nearest and dearest
relation', who" rose up behind him and read an extract
from one of his own speeches, against himself. If the
Right Hon. Gentleman had shrunk from doing his duty on
that occasion, and abstained from avowing the change
that had taken place in his sentiments, through a weak
fear of the obloquy to which the avowal must expose him,
instead of the station which he now held in the estimation
of the country, and the -prowl and unsullied character
which he had maintained—a character to which posterity
would do justice as well us his contemporaries,—what
would have been the Right lion. Gentleman's position?
He would nut be considered the great and wise politician,
which most acknowledged him to be, but would have
been looked on as a man unfit to play a distinguished
part on the theatre of public affairs—unfit to take a share
in governing empires, because unable to govern him-
self.—(Hear.)—He (Mr. Hohhouse) repelled the cant of
inconsistency, when the charge applied to a conscientious
and wise change of opinion. But the very same diverting
jokes had been cast upon the Right Hon. Baronet which
were now again dealt forth against the present Ministry—
(Heer)—and from the same quarter. It was not then
as now, " Altherp and Cu.," but " Peel and Co."—
(" Hear," and laughter.) He recollected the very words,
the refined and facete expressions, learnt, no doubt, by the
Hon. and Learned Member in the academic groves of
Oxford, or the congenial bowers of Lincoln's-Inn—
(Laughter)—and so pleasantly and unsparingly applied by
him to the Right Hon. Gentleman. The phrases were
too expressive and witty not to deserve being revived, and
accordingly revived they were, in nil their original splen-
dour, by the facete Member for Boroughbridge, the last
time he treated the House to the erambe recocta of "Peel
and Co."—(Cheers and laughter.) Last night it was
" the expiring Member for Boroughbridge," formerly it '
was " the expiring Attorney-General."—(Laughter.)
This was another of the waggish and facete gentleman's
jokes, too good not to deserve and bear repetition, and it
had been again inflicted on the house by the Hon. Mem-
ber, who originally rung the changes on his then also last
dying note, so very long that one would have thought it
might content him to utter it once in his life.—(Hear.)
But no : the Hon. Member's joke I were not so easily worn
out : it was then his turn to be waggish with the Right
Hon. Baronet below, and try how far a good-humoured
sarcasm and a joke might divert him from his great
object of saving the nation, and securing the tranquil-
lity of the country even at the expense of the friendship
of " the expiring Attorney-General."—(Laughter.) Now
the expiring representative for Boroughbridge applied his
stores of humour to an attempted diversion of the present
Cabinet from its important determination, he (Mr. Hob-
house) trusted with precisely the seine degree of success
as before.—(Hear, and a laugh.) All public men must
make up their minds to things of this sort, and the pre-
sent Ministry, like their predecessors, would bear as beet
they could, the sarcasms and wit icisms of the lion, and
Learned Member. He must here observe, that the House,
in showing itself so delighted with the lion. Member's
jokes, evinced either that it had very little memory, or
that it reckoned tire jokes so good that they might be re-
peated. However, as lie had before observed, Right Hon.
Gentlemen must make up their minds to listen to the
facet lee of the Hon. Member. Supposing that Right Hon.
Gentlemen opposite had not thought it necessary to bring for-
ward this great and healing measure,—and in doing so to
sacrifice some degree of private opinion,—let him ask where,
how, or by whom, was a Government to be formed? Could
gentlemen who now opposed Ministers so violently, make up
a Government among themselves ? When the Right Hon.
Gentleman failed to do so, could any one else succeed in
the attempt, if made upon the same principles? If the
tiring were to be made by mortal man, the Right Hon.
Baronet 'could have accomplished it. But a ministry
could only he framed on one of two principles—anti-
Reform or Reform. 'fhe late Government went out
chiefly because it was found impossible to carry on the bu-
siness of the country on principles of anti-Reform.—
(Cheers from the Treasury, iniugled with cries of "No,"
from the Oppositions benches.) He certainly understood
the Right Hon. Gentleman to say, it was not so much in
consequence of the ill success of Ministers upon the ques-
tion of the Civil List, that the late Government had re-
tired, but rather because it appeared that things had come
to that point in the country, that it was necessary to try
some new principles of government, and a new set of
men. He again asked where was a Government to lie
harmed unless from among the ranks of Reform ? and
what Government but one thus constituted could carry on
the business of the country ? It was because he was se-
tisfied that no Ministry but a Reforming Ministry could
act with safety, that be had felt so anxious to see the late
Government (earning the humble supporters of which,
upon many points, he had long been,) quit their places.
He might here observe (as he had made up his mind to
take the first opportunity of doing), that if on the night
of tine division upon the Civil List he had shown any ap-
pearance of indecorous haste or improper exultation in
proposing a question to the Right Hon. Baronet, as to
whether it was the intention of Ministers to go out,
he now frankly begged the Right Hon. Member's par-
don, and expressed himself sorry fur it. lie was not
actuated by any hostile feeling against the Right Hon.
Gentleman or his colleagues, he was merely convinced, and
on that conviction he spoke, that so long as Ministers at-
tempted to go on without a majority of the House in their
favour, and with the people against them,
it was hopeless
see
o
to expect tranquillity or security.—(Hear.) He hoped to
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Under such circumstances, it was possible,
and he hnped
not improbable, that the Right Hon. Gentleman and some
of his friends might be induced, in the great crisis of public
affairs, to put their shoulders` to the wheel and endeavour
to drag the car of state to a place of security. He had
seen great changes inn his time,—lie had seen great and
long-rooted prejudices give way,—he had seen penal re-
atrictions removed, commercial re,trictions abolished, reli-
gious disabilities disappear, before the spirit of inquiry and
truth which was abroad, and its all these great triumphs
the Right Hon. Gentleman had borne a distinguished part,
and in one of those conquests he had achieved a still
greater victory—a victory over himself. lie trusted that
the Right lion. Gentleman would yet be induced to add
iris own nanny to those who, late converts though they
ivere, had at length become advocates of tlnis great cause.
—(lean) In acting thus, the Right Hon. Baronet would
not have to encounter the difficulties which best him in
the Catholic question. lie called upon the Right Hon.
Gentleman to take this course, and add another wreath to
his laurels, and, inn recommending this course, he asked for
no destruction or annihilation of ancient and established
rights; but he asked the Right Hon. Gentleman and the
House, in the words of the poet Waller, in his famous
speech on episcopacy, " to Reform, that is not to abolish,
the Parliament."--(Cheers.)
Mr. H. DAVIS and Mr. BARING rising together, the
latter was loudly called for by the House, but gave way to
the Hon. 'Member for Bristol, who proceeded to speak