The Sun.
London, England, 1838-12-19 00:00:00

PIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS

The Earl of Durham has returned an answer to the
letters of Mr. Prout, as chairman of the deputation of the
Westminster Reform Association. It will be found in an-
other column. Mr. Prout having laid before his Lordship
the rules for the government of the Westminster Reform
Society, and disclaimed, on the part of himself and the
majority, the insincere and dangerous purposes avowed by
some of those who took a prominent part in the proceed-
ings of the meeting at which the address was agreed on,
his Lordship could no longer have any hesitation in receiv-
ing from him the address in question. Believing that the
Society was instituted by honourable and conscientious
men, honestly devoted to the cause of Reform, and of the
true interests of the working classes, his Lordship felt
himself called on, by a sense of justice, to distinguish
between the Society itself and the individuals whose
speeches led, in the first instance, to his refusal to re-
ceive the address. Lord Durham takes the opportunity
of imploring the Society, at the present political crisis,
to use their well earned influence with their fellow-coun-
trymen for the purpose of deprecating all violence and
turbulent proceedings, and to draw the line cf distinction
as broadly as possible between honest and sincere Re-
formers, and those who assume the character for other and
pernicious designs. And here we may observe, that
though it may be true, as Mr. Prout states, that "in the
proceedings of public bodies it is impossible to prevent the
expression of sentiments at variance with those entertained
by a majority of the members ;" yet with submission to
that gentleman, it is at all times, but more especially at a
time when principles are openly avowed, not merely dan-
gerous to the peace of society, but subversive of the right
of property itself, the dutyof sincere and honest Reformers,
the instant these dangerous and anarchical principles are
broached ;n their presence, to call en the Chairman
as the organ of the majority, to vindicate the So-
ciety from the disgrace of sufferieg it to be inferred
that by not reprobating they share such principles. By
not adopting this course, the ultra-Radicals of the manu-
facturing towns of the north have identified themselves
with the Reverend Mr. Stephens, Mr. Feargus O'Connor,
Mr. Oastler, and others, who have endeavoured to excite
the people to arson and bloodshed. The stand which the
Birmingham Polital Union was at length driven to make
against recommendations to violence, ought to have been
made the instant the dangerous doctrines were first promul-
gated. Mr. O'Connell was quite justified in meeting the
defence set tip by the ultra-Radicals of England, through
their agent, or emissary in Dublin, that the sentimeuts con-
demned by the lion. and Learned Gentleman,though uttered
by the speakers, were not the sentiments of the meetings,
by the damning fact that no marks of reprobation on the
part of the audiences accompanied the utterance of
the horrid sentiments, and that it was an insult
to common sense to pretend that the atrocious sen-
timents uttered by the Rev. Mr. Stephens were not shared
by his audiences when he was the delegate of no fewer
than thirty-six towns in the north of England. No large
body can expect to be able to prevent the intruion of im
proper persons ; but it is due to the character of the ma-
jority, as well as to society at Large, to let it be seen that
the dangerous opinions and reprehensible c anduct of in-
dividuals are not countenanced by the rest. 'When honour-
able men have the misfortune of getting into bad company,
they cannot blame those who, till better informed on the
subject, are led to confound them with their associates.
The presumption was so far against the Westminster Re-
form Association, that Lord Durham, without the expla-
nation which Mr. Prout gave him, could not with propriety
have received their address ; and Mr. Prout is entitled to
commendation for the fair and candid manner in which he
gave it. But it may be as well in future to obviate the
n:cessity of similar explanations, by adopting a course a
the meeting calculated to leave no doubt as to the senti
meats of the majority.—Morning Chronicle.