The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-20 00:00:00

EVENING SUN'

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
Through a press of matter we were compelled to leave
out the following extracts from the Evening papers of
Friday :
GLOBE.—The apathy which has suffered the resto-
ration of the present party in power is responded to very
,aPPropriately by the apathy of its chief, as displayed
last night. The country has bought a pig in a poke ;
and in its poke, says Sir Robert Peel, the pig shall stay.
The pig is not to be drawn from its poke, and produced
to the eager eyes of its purchasers, till next February
at soonest. Tu Pas voulu, Georges Dandin ! We
should apologise for this simile ; but we have
the prim example of the Premier to plead for it.
Shear the pigs, before you fleece the sheep,' exclaimed
that refined and Right Hon. Gentleman, in one of his
speeches last session, in ridicule of the claims of the
fManufacturers to be allowed to feed themselves. The
Pike comparison did not appear in the corrected report
uis epeech ; but the sheep who heard it applauded at
the expense of the swinish multitude. We wish the
'"ight Honourable Baronet joy of this notion of li
shearing the pigs ; but we suspect that, like a person of 1
bad eminence, who is said to have tried that expeii-
luent before him, he will have much cry and little
vio_Lel• However this may be, the pigs are forewarned,
and may_ look out for the threatened shearing. The
fight
.Elonourable Baronet has made it clear &Om his
language at Tamworth, that his theory of the present
distress is, that—if the pigs are not fed—it is all their
ewn fault. The swinish multitude have being going too
bich npon tick ; the joint-stock banks have been to
tlame in giving them too much credit. But you blink
e fact that the swinish multitude must live, and that
that class You represent is chargeable with cutting away
at solid basis of commercial transactions which consists
in
what surplus population importing food for work done.
L.at we call the surplus population is that part
winch you
zanier - and your landlords make surplus—that part,
feed you and
you have neither sufficient corn to
for the. an average of years) nor su • fficient demand
In' the rou. Products to employ—and whom (true dogs
feed, anger)
ear„ you will not suffer others to employ and
real buif'4euave said, on former occasions, that the
can feed I: employment is food. Whom the
iscapitalist
Work et, .0 can employ at any time. Taerealw s
food • he
to be done, for native or foreign uses, if
alloweic; alltoovved to be abundant—if the labourer is
presentandcrime of the
live. But the misery -
The
rs 3 stem is this, that—at periods of fre
The h recurrence--food is not allowed to be abundant.
than he me-Producer takes upon him to supply more
price con con do regularly. When stimulated by high
ahundenred aided by fine seasons, he produces
l'aged b he is half - ruined. When discou-
to b y that very abundance which has caused millions
feriae emPloYed and fed, uteri has injured the farmer
en`
ru, the present system), nd when bad seasons ro-
ta ,Aue produces less—then is the time for the millions
decrer—and then is the time for Sir James Graham to
re that diminished high arises—the produce must be compensated by
us to es—the prices of scarcity !We take it upon
country that this is the first time, in the history of this
of Fa‘rY, that a Minister has dared to avow the intention
/0. to
win' •
keep price high, by 'keeping food scarce—the
ealcula°till4sf lawclass- gto uarante
the e agricultural or anyent other
of
azlcactxrcity of
Prices on a ofit b nations food!! Sir James Graham
of leek to explain himself out of this infamy. He cail-
a„,iiis language means nothing, or it means this.
bee':-A.NDARD.---The Ministers, says Lord John, have
, it is true, only a fortnight in office (if he had
;aid Sir Robert Peel has been only a fortnight in office
tle would have spoken more accurately), but then before
et:7 were in office they had time to consider of a finan-
Wat Plan. Indeed ! How ? A financial plan surely
aas,an asPect to the prababilities of expense, and how
,c 1.9 the late opposition form any conception of the pro-
babilities of expense—a very great part of which must
pin truth, the expense of wars, of the state and
esp,ects of which it is absolutely impossible
1,1- them to know anything ? Sir Robert Peel can-
wit now say whether we are at war or peace
ith China or Afighanista.n, or whether we are likely
le have war or peace with the United States ; and until
tI had access to the Foreign-office he could scarcely say
vith certainty, whether we were or were not to have a
ilrepean war. If in February he shall have full know-
tt"ge Upon all these matters it will be then early. But
for
Lord John Russell seems to say, that the necessity
ur an exposure of the financial plan is extremely urgent.
de •
hayed in what position do he and his colleagues, who
~,,‘'elayed that exposure at least one month, appear ?
;;11 the 19th of July Lord John confessed his know-
edge that Sir R. Peel would be the Queen's Minister
Upon the meeting of Parliament—why, then, was not
that month given him to prepare for Parliament that
financial arrangement which Lord John Russell says will
!o little bear delay that it ought to be extemporised, even
In ignorance of the foreign relations of the empire ? If
the late Ministers had resigned, as the ought to have
done, on the 18th of May, there would-be some reason
to call upon their successors in office to produce a
budget in the middle of September ; but cling-
ing to office until the very end of August, when
they were at length turned out by main force,
it is going a little too far to make the demand upon the
16th of the following month. Why, Sir Robert Peel
has barely had time to form his Government, although
no Government was ever formed with so little delay
from jealousies or doubts, when the most important act
of a Government is required of him. The Parliamentary
officer whom he is to address, the Chairman of Com-
mittees, has actually still to be appointed before a finan-
cial plan for future years is called for. As to the value
of unofficial preparation, we have shown how very little
it is where official knowledge is so important as it is in
affairs of revenue.
COURIER.—The House of Commons resumed its sit-
tings
yesterday, when the First Lord of her Majesty's
Treasury proceeded to lay dov-n the routine of the official
business he proposed to take in hand and dispatch during
the present Session; and to indicate also those more im-
portant questions and measures of policy, the mature
consideration and careful preparation of which necessarily
required a longer delay, and ' postponement therefore to
the ensuing Session. This is the course which by anticipa-
tion yesterday we presumed to state would be followed on
this occasion, for it is the only course reconcileable indeed
with prudent legislation. Lord J. Russell, who appears
resolved to assume and preserve the post of leader
of the Opposition, encouraged probably by the farcical
failure of Mr. Roebuck in that character, deemed other-
wise. So prodigal now in his assurance and estimate
of the transcendent talents of Sir Robert Peel is the
Noble Lord, that he considers him fully equal to the
terculean task of clearing out the Augean stables from
the ten years of overlaid and accumulated rubbish
and almost inextricable confusion, financial and political,
within the brief space of some fortnight's labour ; en-
cumbered, too, as that fortnight has been with all the
cares and formalities of constructing an administration
and inducting into office men worthy of the confidence
of the Crown and the country. HiS Lordship, before inti
mating the convictions he entertained of this surpassing
capacity in Sir Robert, obligingly condescended on the in-
formation that he should not factiously oppose the passage
of the estimates for the public service, because they were
prepared by himself and his late colleagues. This is emi-
nently considerate and forbearing •to commence with.
With regard," said he, "to the miscellaneous esti-
Mates, considering myself and those lately in office par-
ties to those estimates, I shall feel it my duty to attend
and give my support to those votes. But, with regard
to the further statement of the Right Hon. Gentleman, I
Shall certainly deem it my duty to take the opportunity
to-morrow, before the Houie shall go into Committee of
Supply, to state the view which I take of the present
state of public affairs." Upon which, says the report,
loud cheers resounded from the Opposition benches ;
but whether in applause of the magnanimity which dis-
dained to slaughter his own offspring, or the fearlessness
with which he volunteered a speech. de omnibus rebus for
the morrow, as much as to say " who's afraid," does
not so clearly appear.

FRO3I THE DAILY PAPERS OF SATURDAY.
GLOBE.—If the Right Hon. Baronet who, by grace
of the squires, rules the empire, is not to be prevailed
upon (for the lengthy reasons he gave last night) to
draw his pig out of the poke—if we may again imitate
one of his own similes—shrewd suspicions will arise,
from the speeches of Lord John Russell and Lord Pal-
merston, that his best excuse is really this—there is no
pig in it. It is bad enough to have bought a pig in a
puke; but it is worse still if the country shall
discover tha.t, it has bought the poke without the
Pig. There is another poke however ; and another pig;
farthat pig squeaks so naturally, there is no mistakityr
eal grunter. Our readers may remember the fable
°fan actor whose fent was squeakity, like a pig, and
4' rustic rival, whom the audience.b decided did not
„(lueak half so naturally, until it was discovered that,r
:Ine latter had a pig under his cloak. Even stronger
an
this is the illusion of those Tory commercialist,,
;""ese faith in Sir Robert Peel makes them believe
44 the real presence of his pig (or. in other words,
that he will really go the whole hog for commercial
Zfranchisement), though he will neither let them see
ct bear any symptom to that effect. In the mean-
;tlle, Lord Sandon, the rival provincial actor, makes no
kle,ret of his pig, which is most assuredly alive and
Njil,ing, whatever becomes of that of the Premier. It
Sandon be strange indeed if the positive evidence of Lord
andon in the Commons, in addition to that of the Duke.
linekingham in the Cabinet, and the Duke of Rich-
tp°4l in the Lords should not open the eyes of these
nothstlllg Tories to the nature of their blind bargain with
's Ministry ! Lord Sandon saia, "It was well known, and
tl°„tdisynised, that the.present Ministry did not attribute
thaTtpresent distress to the existence of the Corn-laws, and
Le " measure. tihieh they might produce to the House would
"'ought forward founded on the distress which at present
Jr.fro d N Hawes said—" They had at last got a speech
I an Hon. Member opposite, and that of the Noble
til(/‘,1',1 the Member for Liverpool did throw some light on
ekilitnie commercial policy of the Government. The
th°,",.l,° Lord had said that it was perfectly well known
p,.;" "er Majesty's present Ministers did not impute the
tht,':aiNg distress to the state of the Cont-laws." Do
dea-1 linpute that distress in no measure tu scarce and
footl for some years past ? Do they impute that
taleelless and dearness in no measure to the ope-
th"1.:()11 of
rthe present Corn-laws ? Then they shut
eyes to the plainest facts, and set at defiance the
estr obvious deductions from them. But what are
facts and reasons to monopolists ? If fact and reason
jlllitleneed them, no monopoly ever would-have been in-
titlited. If monopolists only were consulted, no mono-
Poly ever would have been overthrown. This will be
boverthrown however ! Its overthrow will quickly ensue
rthis Ministry speaking out fur its maintenance. The
eaking up of his party would ensue on the Premier
speaking out against it.. That is " his difficulty
Plausibility will suffice to dissemble it ; and
we believe
Perfect sincerity we say, we fear ) he has no force of
purpose and character to meet and surmount it. 6TANDARD.—Granting, for argument sake, that a
irr_alerial change in the Corn-laws is necessary for the t
-11:71 of distress in the manufacturing disticts and grvnt-
-1 g also that this distress ma be relieved by' such a

change—propositions which we shouline, very unwilling
to concede except for the sake of argument—granting
thus much, we ask, what reason is there to suppose
that the relief could be present, or that it would be
obtained earlier in effect, or in a more beneficial
manner, by an impatient discussion in a hurried Ses-
sion, than by waiting until the regular Parliamentary
period ? Markets are not opened in a day, nor can
it be expected that a question affecting so many
and so great interests as are affected by the Corn-
laws, can be disposed of in a summary debate. As
Sir Robert Peel showed, in reference to the late Budget,
years must elapse before the good effects of such changes
as are proposed can be witnessed, if they are to produce
any ; and it is also very certain, that if a discussion of
the Corn-laws were commenced in September, the end
would not be a day earlier than if the commencement
should be postponed to February. The insinuated pro-
mise of immediate relief is, therefore, a gross fallacy. Re-
lief from this quarter, if it arrive at all, cannot possibly
arrive before the end of next year ; and questionless
it is not less likely to be beneficial when it shall
come, because the measures from which it is to flow
shall have been calmly and deliberately considered.
Lord John Russell, however, who seems to have
a misgiving of the efficacy of his panacea, says,
though you cannot relieve the people by a
change of the Corn laws, you can at least satisfy them
of the impossibility. Yes, but this is only shifting
the difficulty as respects the question of time. You
cannot satisfy the people upon the point but by a
full discussion, and such a discussion is not attainable
within the limits of a hurried session. In order to
refuse graciously, it is necessary to show that the
refusal is the result of careful consideration. Gifts
cannot be made with too much alacrity—refusals
must be reluctant to be respectful ; but whether the
Legislature of a great country gives or refuses, it is above
all things necessary that it act with forethought and de-
liberation. Next comes Lord John's strange argument,
that Sir Robert Peel is bound by the Speech prepared
by him, Lord John, and his colleagues. If this argu •
ment were permitted to prevail, no change of Ministers
would be ever practicable ; for the men in office could
always contrive so to tie the hands of such as should be
called to succeed them, as to continue their own system
indefinitely—a slavery not to be submitted to by any
honourable men.