The Sun.
London, England, 1836-09-19 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUB IC JOURNALs.

If Mr. O'Connell took it into his head to retire from
the stage of public life, what would become of the
Tories ? Above all, what would become of the Tory
journals in such an event i Without a doubt the
feed orators would be dumb, while the writers in the
livery of the faction must shut up shop. Every speech
that is spoken at a meeting of corruptionists—whether
the oratory exhibits the frigidity of a mid-day exhibi-
tion, or the spirit of an after-dinner effusion—and every
article that appears in the corruptionist press, teems
with ribald abuse of the Learned Member for Kilkenny,
and scandalous misrepresentation of his conduct. From
the honest and consistent Mr. Charles Wilkins, whose
late tumbling before a Tory assemblage at Newton-in-
the-Willows contrasts so curiously with his former dis-
plays in the midst of the Manchester Radical Reformers,
a sketch of -which was given in the excellent letter of
Mr. George Smethurst, published in Friday's Chronicle
—from this honest, consistent individual, whose talents
seem as versatile as his opinions, down to the dirty
reptile who—lrish Catholic as he is I—grubs among the
rubbish of old newspapers, and deposits his musty
gleanings in an apostate organ of the Tories, there is
not a renegade or a literary scavenger who does not
endeavour to obtain notoriety and to profit by slander-
ing Mr. O'Connell, and by traducing the King's Mi-
nisters, because their honest .intentions and statesman-
like views towards Ireland have wrung from that gen-
tleman assent and approbation. For the first time a
British Government have felt the necessity of ruling
Ireland in a spirit of justice. Penal Laws, Orange
Associations, the sword, ha'ving been tried, and Ca-
tholicism hiving withstood the combined oppression,
and the spirit of the people remaining unsubdued—
nay, acquiring strength and energy from the assaults
which were intended for its annihilation—a new course
of Irish Government has been chalked out, with a view
to the attainment of those desirable ends—peace, su-
bordination, and prosperity, which persecution not only
signally failed to achieve, but effectually retarded. 'The
Melbourne Ministry saw the utter failure of the coer-
cive system, and they wisely and virtuously resolved to
try the effect of the hitherto neglected system of jus-
tice in the making and in the execution of the laws.,
Behold the result, at once glorious to Ministers, and
gratifying to the nation ! Ireland is at last free
from those outrages which heretofore sullied the
character of the country, and, at the same time,
branded with infamy the policy of her rulers. Justi-
fying to the letter the remark of Sir John Davies, that
no people on earth loved equal justice more than the
Irish, that people, though little has yet been done to.-
wards the improvement of their condition—thanks to
Toryism and the House of Lords I—arc still tranquil ;
order is restored, or rather established, for the first time
among them ; and, for the first time since the connec-
tion with Great Britain, are they, at heart, friends to
the Union—this being the first time, it should be re-
coileeted, that Irishmen could be friendly to the Union
without being also the slavish huggers of their own
chains. Whence this salutary change ? It has
sprung from the honest intentions and generous de-
clarations of Ministers, cheerfully responded to by the
House of Commons—that the people of Ireland should
henceforth experience all the just and natural advan-
tages of British citizenship. In the last session of
Parliament much was proinisid to Ireland, though
little has been accomplished. But our fellow-stih-
jects saw the reasons why their hopes were temporarily
blasted. They saw that his Majesty's Ministers
and the representaCves of the people were anxious to
reilccin the pledges contaiiiM in the Speech which the
'Mug delivered from the throne at the opening .
sest-ion ; they felt,—the conviction was forced upon
them, by the admirable conduct of the Viceroy and of
his Chief and Under Secretaries—that, as far as the
Government could remedy tire evils arising from bad
laws and corrupt institutions, justice would be done
to them, despite the machinations of unprincipled
adventurers, corrupt schemers, and factious incen-
diaries ; and though a preponderance of malignant
Toryism in the hereditary irresponsible House of
Parliament baffled their expectations, and defeated,
for the moment, the excellent measures of the Ca-
binet and the House of Commons, still, relying
upon their own power, which, when concentrated, as
by the efforts of the General Association it soon
will be, must be irresistible again in the conflict
with the oppressors, as it was before against the
efforts of the same bad party—relying on the jus-
tice of their cause—relying on the sympathy of Great
Britain, and conVdins, in the integrity and wisdom
of Government, the Irish are tranquil and orderly ;
though the corrupt corporations are still a living,
- active nuisance, and the obnoxious tithe-tax still
galls the peasantry and damages the Established
Church. A Ministry who could effect so beneficial
a change in the conduct of the people of Ireland,
in so comparatively short a time as has elapsed since the
overthrow of the Peel usurpation, and by means so
creditable alike to their own heads and hearts, and to
the empire over whose destinies they are placed by the
voice of the people—such a Ministry must enjoy the
esteem of all the true friends of Reform, and of all
those who are interested in the peace of the United
Kingdom : it must command the inward respect even
of its foes, whatever the spirit and the motives of party
may urge them to say to the contrary. Even Mr.
Charles Wilkins, of the Inner Temple, who, "on the
10th of September, 1833, told the Radicals at Man-
chester that " he was the staunch advocate of annual
Parliaments, universal suffrage, and the vote by ballot,
believing that nothing can save the country but these
privileges and rights ; and in the same address told
his auditory that "he did not like the Whigs, the
fault is whom he found to be, that they did not gofiir
enough"—even this steady politician, who thus ex-
pressed himself in September, 1833, though in Septem-
ber, 1836, he has played the part of print° bnfo for the
Tory company of strollers who recently exhibited, under
the management of Lord Wilton, at Newton, and in
that capacity threw off a number of claptrap accusations
against the friends of reform—even he, whom the Tory
journals hold up as a pattern of virtue, a model of ex-
cellence, both as politician and speech maker—Mr.
Charles Wilkins—believes in his soul that the present
Government deserve the thanks of the public for the
excellent effect of their policy, as seen in the tranquil
condition of Ireland. Nay, the dull grub, and the
couple of nasty English Catholics who, with it, have
exhibited the unparalleled baseness of consorting with
and abetting the revilers of their creed—the persecu-
tors of their caste—the obdurate foes of their emanci-
pation--even these degenerate, despicable slaves must
feel the crimson suffuse their recreant faces when they
utter a word against the character of the present admi-
nistration, and of Mr. O'Connell, where it not for
whom they would be to this hour the scoff of malevolent
Toryism—the manacled victims of oppression—clank-
in sr their
befitting fetters in it, it would seem, cwornognegniianl
degradation. Mr. O'Connell, who is seldom
principle, though he does sometimes commit mistakes
in details—and who invariably evinces consummate
judgment . when a critical moment arrives— has, of
course, applauded the present Government,- and sup-
ported them with great zeal and effect in the troubles
they have encountered, through a desire on their parts
to do justice to his country. This conduct is highly
'honourable to both parties. It at once exhibits the
integrity of Ministers arid the prudence and patriotism
of Mr. O'Connell. They propose to do what is
right : he strenuously assists them in the righteous
work. And for this, charges of corruption, of incon-
sistency, of treachery, of baseness, .and of all other
disreputable proceedings are poured out against both by
every drunken Tory declaimer, and every mercenary cor-
ruptionist scribbler who sets himself up as the director
of the public mind and the organ of public opi-
nion I Shafts of this sort are innocuous. They
:are too much blunted by falsehood to wound their
of .-ct• Their authors imagine perhaps, that by dint
of perseverance they may force the liberal Ad-
ministration to purchase, if not their advocacy,
at all events, their silence. We can assure them
anti they may depend upon it their hopes —if
any such possess their hearts, woefully deceive them.
Even a Walpole would not think it necessary to bribe
" The Grub " for instance. The opposition of such
creatures may possibly do its object
. gosod ; their sup-
port, no integrity, no elevation of rank, no splendour
of talents, no activity, no wisdom of policy could long
bear up against. The former might do a Sidmouth ser-
vice ; dilatter would involve a Fox in ruin and dis

of tllc