The Sun.
London, England, 1831-11-23 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

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The proclamation which the Crown has at length I
thought proper to issue against Political Unions,
usurping the functions of regular government, under
the pretence of preserving the public peace, is In
accordance with the sentiments which we repeatedly
expressed touching the unconstitutional nature of
such novel and dangerous societies. We only regret
that this proclamation has been so long delayed. If
it had issued some time ago it might have been
more useful, especially as Journals in this metropolis,
professedly Ministerial, had taken the lead in not
Only recommending the formation of such societies,
but in vehemently urging the further step of their
military organization, under the name of " conser-
vative guards," as a necessary means of carrying the
question of Reform, and supporting the power of
the present Administration. There is a sort of zeal
in proselytes to any doctrine, the motives of whose
conversion are doubtful, which surpasses that of old
and authentic believers. They are afraid their con-
version will not be thought sincere unless their fer-
vour should appear extreme. It is only OR this prin-
ciple we can account for the violent, or rather the
frantic, appeals which have been made to the people
on the question of Reform by certain Journals, which,
when we were supporting the principles of the Con-
stitution, about a year ago, were the zealous advo-
cates, the immoderate flatterers, of an Administra-
tion which had more the character of a military dic-
tatorship than the constitutional Government of a
free country. Against such appeals to the passions
of the people, which could only tarnish a great and
noble cause by the irregularities of error, or the
crimes of violence, we felt it our duty to guard the
public, and we did guard them. We also warned
the Government of their danger; and if they did not
then listen to our voice, they have at length adopted
our sentiments. We told them that if they allowed
those self-constituted societies, which were starting
ep in every part of the kingdom at the bidding of
the intemperate or treacherous advocates of Reform,
to usurp the functions of the executive power in pre-
serving the public peace, and in performing other
acts of irresponsible authority, Government would
be thereby virtually deposed--public confidence
would be transferred from the legally-constituted
powers to voluntary associations--another source of
authority would be set up in the State than that
which the Constitution recognises, and all the mis-
chiefs of an imperiunt in irnperio would follow, lead-
ing, at last, to a conflict between voluntary
and responsible power, in which the latter must
crush the former, or be crushed by it. We
did not argue this question as one of dry law—
we thought this ground too narrow, because there
are many laws on our Statute-book which we should
be ashamed to defend ; but we entered the contest
against the advocates of such political associations
upon the broad ground of the Constitution. If
there had been no laws against political unions, of
the nature of those which we opposed, they would
nevertheless be, in our opinion, not the less danger-
ous and unconstitutional. It only required the
exercise of common sense to ascertain the mischiev-
ous tendency. It was only the other day we said
of them—" if voluntary associations were as power-
ful to protect the peace as they have yet shown
themselves powerless (witness Bristol, with its Po-
litical Union), our objection to their existence would
not be removed. There could be no more porten-
tous symptom of the decline of a great nation than
having a Government either too imbecile or too
supine to protect the peace, or to inspire confidence
or afford security, while voluntary associations took
the sceptre of popular authority out of its feeble
hands, and calmed or raised C the stormy wave of
the multitude' at its pleasure. Every power un-
known to the Constitution, and irresponsible,
that has such influence in times of danger
and excitement as to protect the peace, has
also the power to subvert it." There is a
point where popular freedom ceases and anarchy
begins. Snch permanent conventions of or-
ganised bodies of the people as the National Poli-
tical Union of the Crown and Anchor, the Political
Union of Birmingham, and others of that descrip-
tion, whatever may be the intention of their original
founders, have always a tendency to encourage those
proceedings which transgress the limits of constitu-
tional liberty, and endanger the safety of its most
estimable institutions, They furnish the means and
the opportunities for bold and unprincipled adven-
turers—for political quacks, who go any lengths in
stimulating the passions of the people, that the
people may go all lengths in supporting them—to es-
tablish a turbulent and dangerous ascendancy. The
French Revolution has given us instructive exam-
ples. Poland received, as we have before observed,
its deadliest blow from that political club which
overthrew the regular Government, and placed in
the hands of a traitor the reins of power. The
Constitution of the Spanish Cortes found its worst
enemies in the popular clubs of Madrid. For those
minds which such example cannot instruct and
warn, history has been written in vain. We are net
surprised that Government has issued the proclama-
tion to which we alluded, though we could wish it
bad appeared before. We stated, some time
ago, what might iced our readers to suspect
that something of this kind would be done.
Here are our words :—" What objects journals,
professedly the organs of Government, had
in view, in causing the friends of Reform
to plunge themselves madly into associations
where they must be made the tools of the
selfish and dangerous ambition of men, having their
own extravagant arid unconstitutional measures to
carry, by the intimidating force of organized num-
bers, it is impossible for us to tell ; but there is
reason to believe that Government has begun to see
its error—that it has become alarmed at the exhi-
bition of its own weakness, and already shrinks
back from the precipice over which itself, and all
the most valuable institutions of the country, would
one day be puehed by the new power of club-
supremacy, which, apparently, its own connivance,
if not positive encouragement, was raising in all the
giant energy of confederated physical force through-
out the land." As friends of reason and temper-
ance, we oppose the dominion of the passions; as
supporters of rational liberty and order, we wish
for a peaceable Reform ; as belonging to no patty
but that of the Constitution, we wish the rights of
the people to be restored by means that will not der
stsoy or impair the just privileges of the Aristocracy
and tLe prerogative of the Crown. In short, we
wish for such a Reform as will consolidate and
strengthen the Constitution of .England, and not
raise upon its ruins either a military despotism or a
fi►ce de mocracy.-4eforning Herald.
'We trust the consequences of the important deci-
sion of the Court of King's Reuel), in the case of the
parish of Camberwell,t reported in the Chronicle of
yesterday, symilnot have escaped our readera. That
decision is, iir tact, pregnant with the moat import-
ant consequences. tt will at once remedy the glare
itio abuse to which the erection of new churches has
led—that of levying an
additsc•eal taxation for the
benefit of the children of the eyristoeseacy. If new
churches are wanted, they will always pay them-
selves, if proper preachers are appointed to tbe4,
and the throwing the eapence of a church on the
inhabitants of a district necessarily destroys the only
guarantee for proper appointment, mid !TAkes sine-
curists of the officiating clergymen. aell the
beds from under poor men, to keep up churches for
lazy drones who cannot fill them, and who would
consume all the pew-rents themselves, and Slosow
Ole expense of repairs, &c. on those who derive no
benefit from their ministration, is an abomination
which cannot be too much reprobated. But the evil
is at an end, thanks to the spirited inhabitants of
Cainberweiir---Morning Chronicle.
We yesterday prepared our readers for a pros!,,
mation on time subject of Political Unions. We
have elsewhere inserted a letter irom some of the
members of the National Union, written in order to
remove the misconception, that the proclamation ap-
plies to them. We need not inform our readers that
a proclamation does not make the la.v, but merely
warns the people; in cases in which it hsa been via