The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-17 00:00:00

CHANGES IN THE CABINET.

Mr. DISRAELI said, that at the close of the last
Session he had inquired what was the course of policy
that was to be pursued by the new Cabinet that was
then in the course of reconstruction ; he now wished to
inquire what was to be the course of policy to be pur-
sued by the new Cabinet now that it had been recon-
structed ?—(A laugh from the Ministerial benches.)
He considered such on inquiry strictly constitutional.
On that occasion a Cabinet Minister, whom he did not
now perceive in the House, the Right Hon. Baronet
the President of the Board of Control, had declared
publicly in that House that the Cabinet was not about
to be reconstructed, and that no alteration whatever was
contemplated in the policy it was intended to pursue.
The Right Honourable Baronet, not satisfied with
this public declaration, had condescended to cross
the floor of the House, and to aid his private
affirmation to himself (Mr. D'lsraeli) that he
was entirely misinformed on the subject, and that no
reconstruction whatever of the Cabinet was in contem-
plation ; yet, within a brief space after the prot oga-
tion, which had followed immediately upon that assur-
ance, four Cabinet Ministers had either resigned
their situations, or changed their offices, and among
the number an individual not less eminent
and not less distinguished than the Noble Lord who
then led, and he supposed still continued to lead her
Majesty's Government in the House of Commons.
Within a few days after the prorogation one of the Mem-
bers of the reconstructed Cabinet, the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, meeting his constituents to celebrate his
re-election had, in his address to them, laid peculiar
stress upon the influence likely to be produced by the
policy about to be pursued by the new Cabinet. That
Right Hon. Gentleman had not been satisfied with the
moderate phrase which be (Mr. D'lsraeli) had made
use of—of reconstruction of the Cabinet—but he had
called it expressly a new Cabinet. He thought that
the facts which had occurred since the prorogation, had
fully justified his assumption.—(Hear.) Four months
had been occupied in the reconstruction which had taken
Place, and it was only a few days since he had seen in
the newspapers, that a Noble Lord, who had never be-
fore been a Member of the Cabinet, had lately taken the
oaths to her Majesty. It was a part of the duty of the
House of Commons to ascertain who were the responsible
advisers of the Crown—(A laugh from the Ministerial
benches)—such a doctrine did not appear to be in very
great favour with a reformed House of Parliament—
(Hear from the Opposition)—but it was doubly desirable
in the present day, when the Ministers of the Crown
had incurred a considerable degree of responsibility—
(Hear, hear)—that the House of Commons should be
informed of who those Ministers were. It was
neither decent nor decorous that the Members of that
House should be left to ascertain who were the respon-
sible advisers of the Crown, from the tittle tattle of the
Clubs or the gossip of the Newspapers. And although
it might be alleged that the information might be ac-
quired from the London Gazette—(Hear).—in answer
to that he would remark that many changes might
take place in the Cabinet which never appeared in the
London Gazette. He would ask why the present Minis-
ters had deviated from a course that had been uniformly
pursued by those who had preceded them in that House ?
He asked the reason why there was any deviation from
the usual course ? A Cabinet was never changed or
reconstructed without Ministerial explanations ; and the
greatest authorities have laid it down, and in particular
Lord Grenville, that when a Cabinet is reconstructed
it is more necessary to enter into explanations, because,
when an open change takes place in the Government,
a difference of policy took place ; but in changes of
individual Members there was more necessity for
explanation, to avoid the imputation of intrigue.
Since the Reform Bill had passed, twelve Cabinet
Ministers had resigned withotit explanations. He wished
to know who were the responsible advisers of the Crown?
—(Loud laughter on the Ministerial benches.) He again
asked who were her Majesty's Ministers?—(Renewed
laughter.) Would those Noble Lords or Hon. Gentle-
men who were Cabinet Ministers hold up their hands ?
—(Continued laughter.) He wished particularly for
explanation with regard to the Noble Lord, the leader
of that House. He thought it was a proper occasion for
these explanations, and he trusted he should not ask
them in rain.