The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-09 00:00:00

PUBLIC OPINION.

The Morning Chronicle, remarking on the late refer-
ences made in Parliament to the bribery and corruption
'practised generally at the last election, says :—" Let
there be a thorough investigation. Let there be
no paltering, no shuffling-, and, above all, no at-
tempt to screen the really guilty parties, by making
scapegoats of agents or instruments. It is required for
the vindication of the Reform Act ; it is required for
the honour of the country ; it is required for our future
safety. And when the investigation is complete, and the
really guilty are punished, let some measure be brought
in—an honest comprehensive measure—whose operation
may save us, at least to some extent, from the abomina-
tions and the danger of future bribery and corruption."—
This is a judicious recommendation, but the Tories know
better than to enter with earnestness and sincerity into a
searching investigation of the wholesale system of bri-
bery pursued at the late elections. They are too deeply
interested to do so. The utmost they will do, will be to
institute a tame, partial, bit-by-bit scrutiny, such as
shall be attended with no detriment to themselves. In
fact, they will just keep up appearances, nothing more.
The Morning Herald thus speaks of Lord Sydenham's
administration of the Canadas :—" On Lord Seaton's re-
call from Canada, Mr. Thomson was appointed to the
Supreme Government of British North America, and
was subsequently elevated to the Peerage. The subor-
dinate character of his previous employment, the want of
personal dignity, and his known free-trade opinions, pro-
duced a considerable opposition to the appointment,
and Mr. Thomson certainly left England to commence
his administration under no very favourable auspices.
We now, however, freely admit that the evil anticipa-
tions then formed have not been fulfilled, and that
Lord Sydenham's Government of Canada has, on the
whole, been successful. His Lordship slowly conquered
the distrust of the Canadians, and under his administra-
tion prosperity has gradually re-dawned on this noble
dependency. The union of the two provinces was skil-
fully commenced by the deceased Baron—an attempt
was made to develope their great resources 1:y complet-
ing the public works indispensable to their prosperity ;
and if the name of Baron Sydenham is to be preserved
fora few years in the recollection of the nation, it will
be in connection with Canada. We can say no more ;
we could say no less."—The frankness and candor of
the above passage are highly creditable to our Contem-
porary. It is not often that a Tory Journal thus rises
superior to party prejudices in its estimate of men and
things. _ _

The Post has discovered that the clamour against the
Corn-laws is a purely factitious one—that it is a hired
clamour, and that a great part of it arises from " ignorant
prejudice and empty vanity." If for "empty vanity,"
our Contemporary had substituted " empty stomack,"
we would have. agreed with him, for this undoubtedly is
at the bottom of the present Anti-Corn-law clamour.
The following are the Post's remarks on this subject :
"By far the greater portion of the clamour against
the prorogation of Parliament and for the continued
discussion of the Corn-laws, was no doubt insincere.
A good deal of it was regularly hired and paid for—the
wages, we believe, were small, but the work was coarse
and mean, and deserved no better payment. A great
part of it arose from ignorant prejudice and empty
vanity—the persons making the clamour only knew that
the Corn-laws were generally supported by the landed
aristocracy, and that their repeal was a theme on which
something might be said at this or that meeting in order
to gain a little local notoriety. No small portion of it
had for its origin mere selfishness, the people who made
the noise hoping thereby to gain something for them-
selves, through the popular agitation, but knowing very
well that no such benefit to the poor as they pretended
to seek for could possibly arise from a change of the
Corn-laws."

The Times says, " We observe with pleasure that a
Contemporary, who has lately been dwelling at consider-

atle upon th© ct of C.,
to advocate it. upon r.,+,,pies vvl;ich 'do
not c„..,emplate an application ti the funds of the
country as a necessary part of the plan ;' and
that Sir Robert Inglis has declined to commit him-
self to the renewal, in a future session, of his former
notice upon this subject. If there were no other rea-
son for such a course, the state of the Exchequer
would furnish an irresistible ground for the retracta-
tion, under existing circumstances, of all such claims
on behalf of the Church. But being (as we are) con-
vinced that there are other and much weightier rea•
sons, pointing to a still snore absolute and unequivocal
conclusion, we shall not. rest satisfied till we hear that
the whole scheme for making the ministrations of
the Church commensurate with the spiritual necessi-
ties of the people by means of Parliamentary grants,
of money, is permanently abandoned. It is a
scheme full of danger to the Church herself ;
likely to compromise her spiritual efficiency and.purity ;
certain to deprive her of that degree of independence
which she retains at present, and to destroy much of the
security which she enjoys for the maintenance of her
temporal establishments. We believe also, that it
would defeat its own object, and that the full and flow-
ing stream of voluntary contributions Would disappear,
when drained off into the forced channel of taxation, as
Pharaoh's fat kine did after they had been eaten up by
the lean ones."

The Dublin Evening Post, in an article on the Corn-
laws, remarks as follows :—" The Duke of Wellington
has, to use a familiar phrase, • let the cat out of the
bag.' The old warrior, though ready to march along
with the faction on general occasions, is too little versed
in duplicity to become a direct actor in the game of de•
lusion."

The Northern Advertiser says:—" The principal de-
fect which the new Ministry have exhibited is their de-
termination to keep the country in ignorance of their
views respecting the Corn-laws. This is a subject upon
which extensive disappointment has been experienced
and expressed, and yet we are not aware that they have
been less explicit or more reserved in their sentiments
upon this point than upon any other."
Oa the subject of the present distresses of the people,
the Leicester Mercury remarks as follows :—" To them-
selves—and themselves only, must the distressed look
for help—and their first effort must be to strike down,
to smite to the very earth, every lie—every delusion—
every misrepresentation—that falls from the lips of their
rulers, whether they relate to penury, want, disease,
Savir•gs' Banks—whether they be uttered in utter igno-
rance of the truth—or whether they are the wilful and
uncandid misstatements of the accomplished and po-
lished, but not the less malignant and black-hearted
sophist—it is their business to track out the calumny
and refute it. The working men of this kingdom have
the whole of the Liberal Press at their command, and
yet how rarely do we read an article that touches the
public heart by the boldness and truth of its colouring—
by the fidelity of its minuter touches."
The following observations are from the West Briton:
—" Ministers say they have not been long enough in
office to make themselves acquainted with the actual
condition of the country, and that they require four or
five months to do so. But does it need that men should
be placed upon an officia elevation to look clearly around
them for such evidence ? If the members of the present
Government knew nothing of the state of the country
when the late Cabinet propounded its remedial measures,
why did they oppose those measures ? They admit by
such confession, that their only object was to embarrass
and oppose the late Government. Their main purpose
was to get into place. Self first—country second."