The Sun.
London, England, 1838-12-28 00:00:00

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WITH WHICH
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INCORPORATED.

LONDON :
FRIDAY EVENING. DECEMBER 28, 1838.

We heartily congratulate the people of Birmingham
on the result of the contest in which they have been
engaged during the last eight days, on occasion of the
election of a Town Council under their newly acquired
municipal constitution. Our readers will find in
another column a statement of the numbers polled for
the respective candidates in each ward, which, we are
sure, will make its due impression on the public mind.
The Tories, it appears, tried their strength in every one
of the wards, and in every one of them did they meet with
a signal and memorable defeat. It is only necessary to
cast a glance along the numerical columns of the
polling-lists to see the immense superiority of the
Reformers over their opponents. Let it be borne in
mind, too, that much artifice was used by the Tory
party—and not without effect—to divide the Reform
interest by mixing in their lists professing Reformers,
though in reality favourers of Toryism, with the thick-
and-thin supporters of the party. But all would not
do ; the reforming tide set in too strong against them,
and swept everything before it.
We have had it incessantly dinned into our ears of
late by the organs of Toryism, that a mighty re-action
had taken place in the public mind on the subject of
Reform, and that nowhere were the outward and visible
signs of this conversion more evident than in the town
of Birmingham, the great workshop of the hard-
ware trade. Let the result of this election bear tes-
timony to the veracity of the Tory Press. The matter
has been now put beyond the province of vague specu-
lation; it has been subjected, as the faction deeply
feel, to the experimentum crucis, and, if we are not
mistaken, it will take them a long time, and more
talent than they can Command, even with the help of
OLD GLORY, to regain even that position in public
opinion into which they had contrived, by pertinacious
falsehood to wriggle themselves. The truth is now
out, and their weakness made manifest to the world.
We cannot close these few hastily penned observa-
tions, without strongly urging upon the Town Council
the propriety of signalising the triumph which has
been achieved by the people, by some act which shall
have the good of the people pre-eminently for its
object. There is no part of the population of the
United Empire which suffers more from the baneful
effects of the Corn-laws than do the inhabitants of
Birmingham. Let then the very first public act of
the new Town Council be to draw up and present a
remonstrance, such as becomes the representatives of a
large and enlightened community, to the Sovereign,
and to the Legislature, against the continuance of this '
scandalous, trade-devouring oppression.

The Tory Papers pretend to be dreadfully alarmed
at the progress of Popery in England, and they are
filled with solemn admonitions to the people to buckle
on the armour of their faith, and prepare for the last
and greatest battle with the Sorceress.' We must ad-
mit that there is some ground for their alarm. On
Wednesday the Times inserted a long article from
the Church of England Quarterly
Review, pro-
ving, beyond a doubt, that Popery is embraced
by a large number of the Professorsannudthteeraitcyheirisl
of Oxford. Those gentlemen, seeing no
Scripture for many of the observances and doctrines of
the Church of England—as, for example, the observ-
ance of Christmas-day, and the adoption of St. Atha-
nasius' creed—have boldly declared that the Scriptures
are not sufficient to teach men their creed, though that
can be proved from them ; and that the creed must
necessarily be learned from tradition, as expounded by
the priesthood, who are its organized and authorized
possessors. Entertaining such views, they are
only consistent in claiming for the priesthood
an Apostolical succession, and in denying to all
but those who are included in this succession, ability
to teach men their creed or to fulfil the true functions
of the priesthood. For the defence of the Anglican
priesthood against the Dissenters such doctrines are
indispensible, but they are the very foundation of
Popery, and they cannot be espoused IA ithout at once
admitting the superiority of the ltomish priests, from
whom the Anglican priests derive their Apostolic
succession, and at once giving up the only ground on

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-The publication °I nn SUN NEWSPAPER commenced this day
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The cotton manufacturers of Manchester, and the
suffering hosiers of Nottingham may learn from the
article which we copy from the ?horning Post, that
the Tories and the landowners are not only resolved to
ruin them, but to find sport in their destruction. The
decay of our manufactures, the rising superiority of
other nations, the decline of England, the heart-rend-
ng sufferings of her skilful and industrious people,
now afford themes for mockery to the enlightened
Tory scribes. Already our skilful artizans and even
our capitalists are leaving the country day after day,
and carrying with them the marrow of our greatness—
already those who employ hundreds of persons, like
Mr. GREG, are diminishing their establishments, and
inform the public that they must curtail them still
more ; and this disastrous proceeding, which threatens
to reduce Manchester, at no distant day, to a similar
condition to Nottingham, is considered a proper sub-
ject for ribaldry by the religious, pious, patriotic,
humane Tories. A bitterness of heart may, perhaps,
be detected under the poor jokes of the Post, which,
finding no arguments on which it can support the rob.
bery committed by its patrons under the sanction of
law, bringing all law into discredit, hopes to revive their
spirits, and conceal the badness of their cause, by
mocking at the misery produced by their unhallowed
selfishness, which they are determined shall continue
to be the law. We are not sorry, however, thus to
see heartless Toryism peeping out from its many dis-
guises of patriotism, love of the working classes, hu-
manity, etc., etc., as it will at once convince the manu-
facturers that from the Tories they have nothing to
hope but ruin and scorn.

From the Corn-laws another danger, according
to the City article of the Times, threatens the
country. Making no regular demand on the Con-
tinent for grain, those who grow it there take
nothing from us. There is no reciprocal barter be-
tween England and the countries from which we have
of late been obliged to import wheat, and wish to im-
port more whenever it can be obtained. The conse-
quence is, that the bulk of the supply lately brought
in, has to be paid for by gold, and at present some dis-
quietude is felt in the City on account of gold leaving
the country. If, as the Times appears to apprehend,
another commercial convulsion impends over us—if the
circulation should now be curtailed, and much mis-
chief ensue, it may be clearly traced to the Corn-
laws, which compel us to buy corn with gold, instead
of exchanging for it hardware and cloth.