The Sun.
London, England, 1840-08-18 00:00:00

ZIP. ,alax.

LONDON:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 1840.

There are symptoms of a rally among the Tories.
The Times calls them to the fight. The Standard
is waved aloft, and the Conservative democracy
from without is urged on to assail the Whigs.
What are the Tories to rally for ? That the Con-
servative democracy will put themselves to any
trouble or any expense merely to place Sir R.
PEEL in office, nobody can for one moment sup-
pose, for he and they are at variance. If the
Tories muster all their forces, and spend all their
fortunes, to elect Common Councilmen, Aldermen,
and Members of Parliament, they will not stop
there. These are but means to ends. Admitting
that they have a majority in the House of Com- ,
mons, and that they form a Ministry, what line of
policy can they or will they pursue ? They have
the Corn-laws—they would not surely prohibit the
introduction of food of all kinds from foreign coun-
tries ? They have the Church—would they extend
it ? They have a great abundance of sharp and
brutal laws—would they increase and sharpen them?
The Tories have already all they could get were
they in office, except office itself, which would gra-
tify the very few fortunate holders, and displease the
excluded many. We can conceive the Radicals or the
Chartists compassing their ends by new laws, but
the Tories already possess all which the laws could
give them ; and were they to be placed in office, it
would only be as in 1829, disgracefully to give up
the citadel as if they betrayed a trust.
We understand why certain leaders, and subs,
and scrubs amongst the Tories, such as PEEL, and
GRAHAM, and GLADSTONE, and CLERK, and
GOULBURN, should be anxious to conquer office--
it would give them honour and emolument ; but we
are at a loss to understand why the people should
back them. The politicians do not look beyond
office—the people never look at it. For them,
therefore, the questions are of the utmost impor-
tance. What are we now fighting for ? What are
we to fight for next ? A few amongst the people,
but their number is very small, may be able to pro-
cure subordinate offices for their relatives and
friends, and may be delightfully great men by having
some little influence in distributing the patronage
of their respective boroughs, cities, or counties ; but
why should the bulk of the constituencies sacrifice
the public welfare to pander to the ambition
of these would-be great men ? Whatever
a few leaders may gain by a change, the great Con-
servative democracy, on which the Standard calls to
overthrow the Government, could gain nothing
whatever. To have Sir ROBERT PEEL and
Lord STANLEY in office would not add one jot
to the safety and security of their beloved insti-
tutions. Then the Whigs would be more at liberty
than at present to batter the Church, to attack po-
litical abuses ; and then the Opposition might be
formidable enough, backed by the multitude, not
merely to obstruct but to overthrow the Govern-
ment. Journals, under the guidance of political
leaders, may, for their own purposes, stir
up the Conservative democracy to cause a pressure
from without ; but if that dcmocracv—suppbsing
them to- be thoroughly Tory, thoroughly the slaves
of the landowners, and thoroughly priest-ridden--
ask themselves what they can possibly gain by
effecting a change in the Ministry, supposing that
within their power, they will, we are sure, fold their
bands, and allow the Tory leaders to struggle by
themselves.

They may have the satisfaction, if they are pas-
sive, of knowing that their leaders will have a
greater opportunity of distinguishing them-
selves. When the people quietly follow their
bread-winning occupations, then the busy, meddling
brood of EXETER; LONDON; WESTMEATH;
GOULBURNS, INGLISES, PLUMTRES, &c. &C.
fill the halls of the Legislature, and the newspapers
with their orations. In a calm this class of
men are wonderfully great ; the world
seems al-
most too little for them, and their wisdom
is so
vast, that they seem almost ready to dethrone
the Ruler of the universe, and take into their own
hands the guidance of the spheres. But when the
storm comes, when the people thunder at the doors
of the Legislature, when that pressure from without,
which the Standard invokes, really arises these
great law-makers shrink into obscurity, and are
only heard of as proffering a ready acquiescence in
the people's demands. If the " Conservative De-
mocracy,' therefore, do not mean to destroy their
own idols, and deprive themselves of all pretext for
man and priest worship, they will remain perfectly
quiet, notwithstanding the call •f the Standard,
and will not cruelly thrust EXETER and LONDON
back into the obscurity of their cathedrals.

We mentioned yesterday the case of the hand-
loom weavers at Carlisle, and we must now call at_
tendon to the condition of the plain silk-glove
weavers of Nottingham. We learn from a Corre-
spondent at that place, who has sent us the placard
issued by these weavers, that they have struck, and
are now standing out, to prevent a proposed reduc-
tion in their wages, which, if submitted to, would
disable them from procuring the most common Ile