The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-23 00:00:00

the amount of constitutional liberty it was its
avowed aim to give, it has not given ; that the vast
mass of the working-classes whom it was to benefit,
in common with the middle-classes, it has not bene-
fited ;—in a word, that, while in some few points
it has been of service, in many essential ones it has
proved little better than a delusion. We deduce
these facts—which, by-the-bye, all clear-sighted
people have known long ago—from the spirit that
pervaded the provincial Meeting in question, which
was one of entire unanimity, and in which both
Chartists and Radicals zealously vied with each
other in their endeavours to rouse the people, and
through, the people, the Ministers, to a moreprompt,
manly, and straightforward course of action than has
been pursued for the last four or five years.
We repeat that the Leeds Meeting is an ein-

phatic warning, to Ministers. Will they negieo
this warning, and treat it as of no account, as a
mere meteor-flash that lightens and dies in an in-
stant ? If they do, they will rouse a spirit of op
position throughout the country, that will force
forward Reform at a rate of which at present they
have not the slightest conception. When the zec.-
lons Radical and the still more zealous Chartist
are willing to forget their old differences, and hold
out the right hand of fellowship to each other ; to
follow the same broad path of improvement, in-
stead of each, sullenly and solitarily, pursuing his
own ; and unite in a cordial determination to obtain
by the same means the ends at which both aim ;
—when we see these things, we see at once that
the " beginning of the end" has arrived of that
shallow system of expediency and political truck-
ling and trifling,which has so long been the reproach
and the weakness of the Reform Ministry !
To those cautious but well-meaning men who
may be disposed to doubt the justice of our asser-
tions, we recommend a careful perusal of the
speeches of the Leeds Reformers, Chartist as well
as Radical, in which they will find as steady a spirit
of unflinching resolution—of resolution growing out

of conviction, and strengthened by intelligence--
as ever yet was made manifest in words. The
Chartist orators, in particular, pursued a vein of
sentiment and reasoning which it is impossible to
praise too highly. The conciliatory disposition
they evinced was manly—generous—worthy of
themselves and the cause they profess to have so
much at heart ; and not less exemplary was the
firm but temperate language in which they expressed
themselves. It is in this skilful union of tempe-
rance with firmness that their great strength lies.
As mere Alarmists, they have not the slightest in-
fluence. As enlightened and energetic Reformers,
who seek for constitutional privileges by constitu-
tional means, they possess a giant's strength.
While alluding to this subject, we must not otnit
to notice the remark made by Mr. COLLINS, in
reference to the Whig system of temporizing :
" I hold," said this able Chartist orator, " that
there is no real expediency but that which
is right ; and to do that which is right, is
he best expediency that can be adopted."
These few simple words, pregnant as they
are with truth and sense, should be in-
scribed over the door of every Government-
office in Downing-street, where--we regret to say—
the useful mo:al which they enforce, is much needed.
In a few days Parliament will meet, when it will
be seen whether the great business of legislation is
to jog on at its old sleepy, tortoise pace, or to go
forward at the brisk rate Which the temper of the
times and the exigencies of the country alike de-
mand. If the approaching Session is to be pro-
ductive of no more fruitful results than the
last ; if to every remonstrance of the more
zealous Reformers, the Whigs are to make
their old answer, "We can't go on—the
Tories won't let us ;"—then the sooner the country
comes to a definite understanding with these men
the better ; for there can be no time so fit for ac-

tion as when the Chartist and Radical are alike
agreed in the necessity of prompt, energetic, mid
solid Reform. We have had enough of shadows.

[t is now high time that we get the substance of
mprovement. Hating sown the seeds, we are en-
,itled to look for the harvest.

The state of the public revenue, the onerous im-
posts on sugar, coffee, timber, &c., which affect all
clas:ies, the valuable information which has recently
been collected on these subjects by the inquiries of
the Import Duties Committee, all indicate that the
approaching Session will be one of arduous discus-
sion on our fiscal regulations. Certainly those sub-
jects cannot be too soon, nor too earnestly, nor too
frequently brought under the notice of Parliament.
Not only are our people suffering great poverty and
great misery, which have a tendency to perpetuate
themselves and cause a great deterioration and de-
moralization of the community, requiring us to re-
lieve them, but other nations are preparing to revise
their tariffs, and their conduct may be much influ-
enced by that of our Legislature. In the next Ses-
sion of Congress the American tariff will be revised,
our commercial treaty with the Brazils touches its
termination, and the German League will speedily
modify its regulations. We would ask nothing of
these States, but we ;would take the earliest oppor-
tunity to set them a good example, and by freely
letting in their produce, such as corn, timber, su-
gar, and coffee, entourage them to act on the same
liberal and just policy. By setting trade free the
Legislature would confer an immeasurable benefit
on our own artisans, and would make an ally and
friend of every nation with which our trade was ex-

tended. The approaching Session, under this aspect,
may be very important, and may have a very great
influence on the future fate of our trade and the con-

tentment of our people.
An influential portion of the public shares our
sentiments. At a general meeting of the Chamber
of Commerce of Edinburgh, held on Wednesday

last, Mr. Mr TcrIELL moved that the Chamber
petition Parliament to adopt the remission and al-
teration of the import duties, recommended by the
Committee of the House of Commons. To this
motion the Chamber agreed, and a Committee was
appointed to draw up a petition. That is the first
step, which will be followed, we have no doubt, by
all the sea-ports and manufacturing towns of the
empire. Notwithstanding the prodigious improve-
ment made by steam navigation, The rapid increase
of our population, and the continual extension a
of their skill ledge—notwithstand-
ing the multiplication
our
colonies, and
the extension of our empire, its trade and
wealth have not made a corresponding progress.
'cnad k"
Nature, by implanting in every individual a desire
to improve his condition, has provided for the per-
petual improvement and perpetual extension of na-
tions ; and if our country does not now rapidly in-
crease in wealth and prosperity, it must be owing to
a mischievous system of fiscal regulation. In ge-
neral men are agreed that such is the case. No
persons speak in favour of our banking regulations,
our customs duties, and our excise laws. They are
all condemned. But, with a supineness and
cowardice we can scarcely understand, the princely
merchants of London, Liverpool, and Glasgow, who
used to take the lead in promoting fiscal improve-
ments, to whose admirable exertions the country is
mainly indebted for the alterations made by Mr.
HUSKISSON, and by Mr., now Lord 'WALLACE,
and for opening the trade to India and China, now
hang back, and no more trouble themselves about our
fiscal regulations than if they were only ruining the
inhabitants of Otahoite or the Moon. We are in-
clined to hope, however, now that the Chamber of