The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-25 00:00:00

PUBLIC OPINION.

The Morning Herald takes Mr. Ward to task for
having moved—by way of amendment to the clause pro-
posing to grant compensation to Master Scarlett for the
extinction of his office —that "no compensation should
be awarded to any officers appointed to their situations
subsequently. to March, 1841." " For the great abettors
and maintainers of a defunct Ministry," observes our
Contemporary, " the last stages of whose existence
were distinguished by a species of financial misma-
nagement and incompetency which carried on their
annual deficiencies of income from one year to ano-
ther on a scale of geometrical progression—an in-
creasing series of diminishing quantities, as it were,
—these cheese-paring reforms are signal efforts, indeed,
to check the downward career of cur public revenue!
Modest hundreds to counterpoise the dead weight of la-
iislied tens, and scores, and hundreds of thousands of
pounds whirled away by Whig-Radical Ministers in
Whig-Radical schemes, till the deficiency, which was
four or five years ago little more than half a million, in
these five years has become a deficit of more than seven
millions!"—When the Tories, for mere Opposition pur-
poses, advocated economical principles, then the Herald
discovered that economy was the first duty of all Go-
vernments ; now that the Reformers advocate it, our
Contemporary discovers that it is mere humbug, and
speaks of it contemptuously, as a species of " cheese-
paring " Reform. Such is the consistency and straight-
forwardness of Tory journals!
The Times, returning again to the Poor-law question,
expresses its satisfaction "at the promptness with which
Sir IL Peel has caused an inquiry to be made into the mal-
administration of the Poor-law at Bolton, and our hope
that he will direct a similar investigation into the extra-
ordinary statement of Mr. Sharman Crawford concern-
ing the condition of the poor in Rochdale. We mean the
statement that in that town there are now 136 persons
living on 6d. per week, 290 on 10d., 508 on Is., 855 en
Is. 6d., and 1,500 on Is. 10d. per week.' We are as
much at a loss to understood how these exact statistics
can be obtained, as how life can be supported on such in-
credible paltry sums ; and we think it a matter of im-
portance to ascertain whether this assertion, and others
like it, are true. If they are, they amount to a demon-
stration that the poor of this country are willing to starve,
and do starve, by thousands, rather than avail themselves
of Poor-law relief when encumbbred with the work-
house test."

In reference to Lord Stanley's extract from M. Du-
vergier de Hauranne's Revue des Deus Mondes, in his
recent North Lancashire speech, the Chronicle remarks
as follows ::---" If the Tories are a pack of apostates,
how comes Lord Stanley in their ranks ? Is that a
place for an honest man? They are the same people,
holding the same opinions, and seeking the same ob-
jects, now that he systematically co•operates with them
that they were when he systematically opposed them.
He cannot damage them, without damaging himself.
And yet he cannot acquit them without condemning
himself. It is a miserable predicament, notwithstand-
ing the testimony of M. Duvergier de Hauranne."
Are the Whigs the apostates then ? Why, no ; for
this most providential witness, this, M. Duvergier de
Hauranne, comes very distinctly to their exculpation.
He deposes to the opinions of the Whigs being the same
in 1826 that they are now. He then told Lord Stanley
that his friends the Whigs seemed to have different views
on this question of Church property."—The Chronicle's •
question, " how comes Lord Stanley in the ranks of the
Tories ?" is easily answered. He is there, because he
is most at home among them. Like clings to like.
They are apostates ; so is he. They care nothing for
character ; he is equally regardless of it. They put on
the mask of liberality hi order to further the purposes of
party ; and he can adopt the same disguise with equal
readiness and facility.
The Post says :—" Nothing can be more malignant or
untrue than the repeated declarations of the organs of
the late Ministry, that the present Government displays
indifference to the distress existing in the manufacturing
districts. It may he that, in the opinion of Whig-Radical
partisans, there can be no evidence of sympathy with the
people's distress except in the discussion of the Corn-
laws. But this is a very foolish opinion. At best it is but
an opinion ; and it is rather too much to attack a Govern-
ment for indifference to the condition of the poor merely
because its mode of showing sympathy is rather more
practical than that of talking about the Corn-laws."—
If the present Government be not " indifferent" to the
distresses of the people, how comes it that it allows the
session to expire, and five long dreary months to elapse,
before it proposes to take those distresses into considera-
tion? Can starvation afford to wait? The Government.
by its conduct, says "yes;" and shows its solicitude for
the interests of the country, by postponing all remedial
measures till the sporting season and the Christmas
revelries are all at an end. Then, when they have had
their full swing of pleasure, the Tories will condescend,
,
by way of relief, to inquire into the distresses of the
people—but not till then.
The following is from the West Briton . •—" Between
the late and the present Ministry there is this i
distinction—that whatever measures of
liberalitynlportant
were
proposed by the first, they were unable to carry—while
the second have it in their power to effectuate whatever
measures a generous spirit of legislation may pro.mpt.
That any such spirit will prevail in their councils we
fear there is but little hope, but should they at any time
be influenced by it, the benefit is certain. They have
it in their power to conciliate a vast amount of angry
and insulted feeling by devising seine plan ofextinguish-
ing Church-rates.
The Leicester Mercury thus comments on Sir R. Peel's dilatory course of policy :—" Five months ! Sir Robert
Peel. Death ! Five other months'\‘i endsiiirra,nice of hunger
and cold and wretchedness I
men ! full of hope I—men hi whom .thre.enr,ichstrcaz
ruby stream steals joyously through- their veinsli 'DIE OF
HUNGER in half a month I Either the lost
their courage, or poverty has brought apbcoouptea 'caa'r.eeless-
ness—that is absolutely fearful, A million of men, wo-