The Sun.
London, England, 1825-02-01 00:00:00

[MORNING HERALD.]

At a time when attempts are making to
shackle the Press in giving. to its readers even

the paltry details of a Police-office, it is some
consolation to see its paramount power and im-
portance every day exemplified, in the eager-
ness with w hick men of the most enlighten-
ed views and exalted stations resort to it as the
channel through which to convey their own
sentiments to the world, mid of eliciting the
opinions of mankind upon all proposed mea-
sures of State policy. In a free Government
like ours, public opinion is at once the compass
and the Polar star which directs the vessel of the
State through all the perils and intricacies of her
voyage. That directing influence which was
formerly acquired through the means of clubs
and coteries, is now obtained through a more ex-
tensive and accurate medium ; and when a States-
man would learn how a question of doubtful
policy is to be received, adopted, or acted upon,
he throws down the gauntlet to the public Press,
which in the various shapes of Quarterly, Monthly,
Weekly, and Daily Journals, soon elicits the',
opinion of the .world, both at home and _abroad,
upon any question of foreign or domestic interest.
Of this nature is the question which has just been
raised as to.the alleged intention of submitting to'
Parliament at its meeting a considerable augmen-
tation to the army. Some of our contemporaries have,
we think taken rather toomitch alarm upon this oc-
casion.. \Ve fear it is much too late to argue the
abstract question of the propriety of keeping up
a standing army in time of peace. " Things
change their titles as our manners turn ;" and
highly as we appreciate the sentiments and feel-
ings of our ancestors upon this subject, it is im-
possible to contend 'that the same measure can be
applicable to a State•possessing the territory, the
commerce, and dominion which now belong to us,
which might have been applicable when our situ-
ation and intercourse with the rest of the world
were more narrowed and confined. The differ-
ence is almost as great as between man in a
state of nature and of ci7ilization. Of true li-
berty we are as warm advocates as any of our
contemporaries can he ; but we cannot consent
that practical freedom and national dominion
shall he endangered or frittered away by a too
rigid adherence to theological views or Utopian
maxims. We should oppose- the increase of
force as warmly as any of them, if we could see
in it any indication of a warlike spirit in the Go-
verment; but experience teaches us that the
'maintenance of an adequate force is quite
as likely to maintain peace as provoke hosti-
lity. The real question is, can our present force
(of about eighty thousand men) he held suffi-
cient to guard Great Britain, Ireland, the
East and \Vest Indies, Canada, the Cape of Good
flop., our African Settlements, New South
Wales, and our various other Colonial Set-
tlements ? Without adverting to the particular
situation of any of these, we think that the
amount of their population alone (amounting
probably to not less than 150 millions of souls)
is a sufficient answer. To talk of having the
same kind of Peace Establishment now that we
had in the roign of Kin William is ridiculous.—
On the contrary, we may think ourselves fortu-

nate that our army has not increased in propor-
tion to our extended population. So far, therefore,
from censuring the Government, or looking with a
jealous eye to the proposed augmentation of the
forces, we look upon it as a measure both o
sound policy and of unavoidable necessity. Now
that we are recovered from depressions of every
kind, it is time to look to future safety and to
present defence. And as we trust this measure,
owing to the flourishing state of our finances can
be brought about not only without adding to the
public burdens, but without interrupting their
expected reduction, we hail it as a proof of the
wisdom and foresight of Government, and as one
which every man who regards the safety and in-
dependence of our extensive empire, both at
home and abroad, will at once see the necessity
of and heartily join in approving.