The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-08 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
FROM THE DAILY PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
CHRONICLE:--The vote of Saturday morning would be
received by the country as decisive with regard- to any exPe'
la. ions of an improvement of our legislation from the present
Parliament. In fact, the present Parliament, for all but me! e
matters cf course, necessary for carrying on the public busi•
ness of the country, may now be considered as dissolved. This
issue 'sac enticipated &cm the moment Ministers announced their
intention of attacking interests all-powerful in Parliament.
Ministers have done their part. They ha've thrown the Corn-
law question on the people themselves. The opportunity can-
not be too highly prized. The people have the satis-
faction of knowing that their Queen is with them.
That her confidence in Ministers is not shaken by the
vote of the House of Coinmons, is proved by her compliance
with the advice tendered to her by Ministers to dissolve die
present Parliament. Ministers by giving this advice have
launched the question. It remains to be seen whether the
people will respond to the confidence reposed in them by their
Sovereign, and afford that support to her Ministers .by which
alone thy can hope to carry out measures of the utmost im-
portance to the well-be rig of the country. The people are now
on their trial. They have with them their Queen and her Minis-
ters, and if they neglect the precious opportunity, the whole crew
of monopolists will afterwards laugh to scorn all who, in the
name of the people, call for cheap bread. If, with
a Sovereign and a Ministry favorable tO a repeal
of the monopoly of corn, the people fail to do their part, under
what combination of circumstances can they hope to be re-
lieved from this monstrous evil? The landowners have deter-
mined that the commerce and manufactures of the country,
which are now staggering under the corn monopoly, shall bo
sacrificed, rather than they will consent to any relaxation of
the monopoly. When the evil has been consummated—when
our agriculture, which as Sir Robert Peel himself admits, is
dependent on the prosperity of our manufactures, has sunk
under decreasing demand and increased burdens—then the
,landosyners.themselyes will call for a repeal of the Corn-laws,
but then it will be too late to recover our lost trade, The pee.
sent opportunity neglected, no chance will be left of any good to the
people from a late and unprofitable repentance ofthe landowners.
While it is yet time to secure to the industrious millions of
this country the means of profitable employment and sufficient
remuneration, we call on the constituencies to bethink them of
the awfel reeponsibility which has devolved on them. Never
before in the history' of this country was there an election
•fraught etith such important consequences as that which is now
ab nit to take place. The erisii is one which will be.decisive
not only'of the future cendir:„..o of the country, but of the ch&-
racter of the people' theAselves. If- they stiller themselves te
be biassed by paltry considerations—if, at a time when f.;ng-
land's weal nr•vroe'hangs in the balance, they suffer themselves
to be bullied or bribed—if they lose sight of the objects for the
sake of which the Reform f3Ol itself was deemed but a means
—the reputation of the country will sink with its industry and
commerce,
TIMES.—The event of Sir Robert Peel's motion has been
the happiest possible both for the Constitution and for the
country. Every one must perceive that, although a trifling
majority for Ministers on such an occasion would, as Lord
Stanley truly observed, have been (according to all constitu-
tional precedent) equivalent to a defeat, the moral effect is
infinitely greater when they are left in an actual minority. A
solutiert of want pf confidence hal always been the ingst
difficult point for an Opposition; however powerful, to carry ;
it was a step which even Lord J. Russell did not feel strong
enough to propose when Sir R. Peel held office in 1835.
An Opposition which can do what Sir R. Peel has now
succeeded in doing might confidently reckon upon such
sisrport as would enable it, when backed by the weight
of Officiel intlaenee and the confidence of the Crown,
to carry on the Government without a dissoluticii of Patna,
went. It may seem, however, a paradox to some, that we
should call the result the happiest possible; that we should
proclaim not only the fact, but the amount of the majority,
to be matter of exultation. But so 'it is, by a singular con-
junetion of circumstances, that while success upon this CpleS-
tion sees pi tile greatest, inspoetaoce, is wets npvertitelcilq
desirable to succeed by the smal!est possible majority.
• Had the numbers . for Sir, Robert Peel's resolution beest
greater, the increase must have come from a quarter whose
resistance, at the present moment, is of more value to the
Conservative party than its support. The House of Commons
could not have pronounced a dearer or more influential deci-
sion against Ministers, if some half dogen or more agricui-
rural Whigs, who voted for the Anti Corn.law Qovernment,
had ranged themselves upon the winning eide I nor would the
effect of that decision upon the actual Ministerial cris is have been
in any degree different from what it must be now. Messrs. Hand-
ley mid Co., therefore, would have done nothing to promote the
success of the Conservative cause, if they had voted upon this
occasion according to the wishes of their constituents. eiis
it is they have, done the Consierv4ive eituip excellept
service_.. fetter service indeed, titan wp Should' h&ve soimpsed
it passible for sp small e knot of such inconsiderable person's
to do; they have actually made the Conservatives a present
of eight or' ten seems its Parliament, making a difference of
sixteen or twenty votes upon a division, which by following !
more plausible or more independent course they 'Might them:
selves have still continued to occupy, to the serious erahar:
rasement of the fature government upon all questions of ge-
neral ppjicy. Soch most be the consequences Of Sjr R. pt pf,
success by 'a. mejeritv of One, 'considered with 'reference to the
dissolution, whin h that success net only renders 'certain, but
must very materially accelerate.
HER A LD. —ln a day or two we shall have eccaslen tp tihqlft
in treating of the Corn-law question, that the moat
,barefaced
fretide ere practised in getting up, by means of a combination
or ceosp;raee to defes.ed (the Legislature) the anti-petitions on
that question. But mote or less, the same vice is introduced
into the preparation of petitions on all other matters of great
public interest. Now the absurdity of the practiCe is, that
the very nature of the term " petition" suggests the no:
tin of some party which asks a favour or a right—spits
Fits grace yr presses a privilege—pr or from 4 superior.
Pitt if the array of vast numbers avoWedlS. congregated ...to
give the more imposing effect to their petition, and an intl..
.nitesimalmultipliesstion „that p.etitionshy an. extensive-con-
federacy of agents, with declaredpierpqsc of maiting thi4
concession of their prayer irresistible fi am the mass of its re-
pel itions ; if these practices are to be recognised as legitimate
on the part of the petitioners, the body petitioned has no free
agency. If it yield, it yields to constraint. If it yield to con-
straint it does not ackrsow!edge the right •of petition, but the
right of the many tt) cuerpe the
.few.
.Basiiament
the Courts of Law in administering the statutes passed by Par-
liament,—have not been so remiss, in periods of our history still
recent, in guarding whilst they defined, this noble privilege.
Thus, on the trial of Lord George Gordon, Lord Mansfield and
the Court declared that they were clearly of opinion that the
statute (13 Car. 11., at. 1, c. 5, directed among other things
against the offence of tumultpoos petitioniog) was net, in ens:
egree affected by thp Bill of Rights (1 W. and M., A. 2, C. 2):
We, for our own parts, stand op for the 'undoubted, constitu-
tional right of petition,—(in its constitutional exercise, that is,
unabived and unperverted,)—to that ample and absolute ex-
tent at which we find it laid down by the highest authorities
on such subjects.
POST.—'fhe position of the Ministry is simply this
that, in the opinion of the House of Commons, as re-
corded upon the journa's of that House, the existence of
the Administration is at variance with the spirit of
Constitution. Haw long this " Liberal " Government
is to remain, depending upon the favour of the Crown,
although rebuked and disowned by the representatives of
the people, it were a rash thing to prophecy. We do not
presume to test the measure ,cif Whig-Radical audacity, or
the length to which it may think proper to go, in showing
the most reckless disregard of that constitutional authority
which the party once professed to hold in so much rever-
ence. It is generally understood that the Cabinet Councils
which were held on Saturday led to no definitive result. The
agony of indecision has been but increased by a conside-
ration of the circumstances which surround the present
Government. There are three courses which may be
taken, The Government may persevere (in defiance of
the decision of the House of Commons that the continu-
ance of its existence is unconstitutional), and may en-
deavour to bring en the Corn-law discussion. This
is the first course. Secondly, The Government may at
once dissolve the Parliament; and thirdly; it may resign with-
opt dissolving, As to the first course, it is understood that,
besides the direct opposition to the judgment of the House of
Commons which it would involve, Ministers are unwilling to
exhibit themselves at the close in a still worse position than that
which they occupied on Saturday morning, 'I he idea that the
country would be - influenced in their favour by their speeches
on the Corn,law question, seems to be abandoned by all but the
Ministerial prints as utterly absurd.
STANDARI),—There appears to be considerable
doubt as to the course which will be adopted this nvon:.-
ing by Ministers, Lord John Russell's ennotinoement
of their intention was certainly ambiguous enough, but
ambiguous only, so far as we understand it, as to
whether they would resign or dissolve Parliament. The
Cabinet Council on Saturday led, it is said, to no deci-
sion ; Ministers have entirely disagreed ea to which of
these alternatives should be selected, Lord Melbourne
is understood to be in favour of resignation without a dis-
solution. 'The Morning Chronicle declares that, excepting
for the purpose of passing such of the estimates as are
essential to the public service, " the present Parliawnt
may be considered as dissolved." But we doubt if even
the accredited organ of the Alinistry,ls, on this occasion,
better informed than ourselves. It is the consequence of
that miserable indecision, the concomitant of their
weakness, which is that they are far from knowing them.
selves what they mean to do. Chance has so frequently
befriended them before, that they may hope for some
further turn of the wheel in their favour. Certain
t°noi. his
late
which he expressed
it is that the remarks which were made by Lord John
consistentßissell atw
thewith
the t e ln
determination
n aispeech are not
in the course of the debate to " assemble a new
Parliament, and try the question over again." His Lord-
ship:n order
ihdshieiebittteottepiNte,nilinl tdl
they
vindicate
aetdeclaredeoucourse
i conductt that he must have tune to
might
be necessary to take
of
the Government."
Never was there an occasion on which less time for deli-
beration as to. what his Lordship and his colleagues
ought to do, appears to have beets necessary. The inevi-
table course was, indeed, obvious to every one save
heselves. Besides; the ground for this after-thought
tm
of Lord John Russell was completely removed by
the disclaimer of Sir Robert 'Peel, of having
brought forward any new charges, or taken the
slightest advantage of Lord John Russell's inability
to reply. It is certainly possible for the Government
to endeavour, in defiance of the recent decision of the
House of Commons, to bring on the discussion on the
Cur
such an mo cannotiat
enlpsce.
'they
e .t their
reover, r Position will be
(
per-
fectly aware of the elements of which Sir Robert Peel's
11-elad lsy
majority is composed, and that if they persist in thus
setting at defiance all irevious precedent in their assaults
on the Constitution, they will provoke measures which
nothing short of the extreme necessity of the case would
warrant.
GLOBE.—Lord J. Russell will to-night Inform the
House of Commons of the course determined-on by the
Government, in consequence of the vote to which 'the
House came on Saturday morning, on the " wantsof.
confidence" motion. Whether the discussion on the Corn-
laws will be brought forward, as originally proposed ;
or, having taken votes on those estimates essential
to the public service, a digsolution of Parliament will
immediately ensue, is, comparatively, of little moment.
Whether Parliament shall be dissolved, or not, before the
proposed changes in our commercial systpn be sub.
mitred by Government to its decisiont a 'few' hours will
decide. In either case, the duty of the Journals which
e
01ft:water thp ciluse the against the grasping