The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-02 00:00:00

5 0

ilmpts to storm it. We do not hear that they are
now to repeat the assault. But what they failed
in last session they seem to have no chance of ac-
complishing in the session which approaches.
We do not mean to flatter the Ministry by repre-
senting the whole empire as in a most prosperous
state, and by assuring them that there is nothing to
fear from the people and nothing to be done for
them. We write no view of the past year because
we find the retrospect by no means agreeable ; we
cast forward no glance, but rather turn away our
eyes, for we " dread and fear." Nothing has been
done for the suffering masses, nothing is promised
them; and till they be restored to a reasonable share
of physical comfort, enjoying the present, and
having well-founded hopes in the future, we must
assert that the continuance of internal tranquillity
and general prosperity cannot be relied on.
But what Ministers may have neglected to do for
the people the Tories will not accomplish, and
what they have done amiss, the Tories would have
done worse. They may have scourged the tempo-
rary ebullitions of a long-suffering people with
whips, but the Tories would have scourged them
with scorpions. One of their leaders is said to have
declared that if the people did not remain quiet,
there was a way to make them. Such a threat,
however, ill becomes the Duke of 'WELLINGTON,
who gave up his principles to avoid a civil strife in
Ireland, and we hope the report is a foul calumny.
It is not a calumny, however, that another of their
leaders has been pointed out by them as the proper
man to lead the QUEEN'S soldiers against the
QUEEN'S subjects. It is not a calumny that the
sword of the army was offered by a General Officer
to cut down the political opponents of the Tories.
It is not a calumny that the Tories have talked
of reconquering Ireland. Neither is it a calumny
that, had they been in power, they would have re-
sisted every motion to relieve the national suffering,
for they have resisted it in Opposition, and they
would have attempted to quell any petty disturb-
ance by the best blood of the people. If then we
have little to praise in the past conduct of the Mi-
nisters, so far as the welfare of the masses is con-
cerned, and little to hope for the future, we should
have had much severely to condemn in the conduct
of the Tories, had they been in office, and must
have looked forward with despair.

We are not insensible to the renown which our
successes ir. the Mediterranean, restoring the na-
tion to a full confidence in the efficiency of our
fleet, and the skill and bravery of our sea-
men, partially shaken by the perpetual and hoarse
croaking of the Tories, has added to our
country, already, externally at least, the most
glorious on earth. We rejoice in the tranquillity
of our colonies, and in the delightful conviction
that the abolition of slavery has now fully realised
the hopes of its warmest advocates, though the
the present wealth of the planters, is very unneces-
sarily promoted at the expense of a large annual
tax, levied on our people by the discriminating
duties on sugar. We are proud that the name
of England is carried with power and might
into furthest Asia, extorting respect from those
who have hitherto classed themselves as demi-gods,
and claimed a servile homage from all other created
men. But these, though they excite our gratula-
tion, are of that sort of shadowy and unreal great-
ness, which we censure the French for intensely
seeking, and bring no relief for that state of desti-
tution and discontent into which the masses are
plunged, which we maintain might be easily re-
dressed, and which, remaining unredressed, is
pregnant with danger to all our political institutions.

The Tories, however, who are the main cause
why these vast evils are unredressed, can have no
quarrel with the Ministers on that ground ; and
the present condition of the people, which, in the
hands of an enlightened and patriotic n
would suffice to overthrow any Ministry, smites
the Tories with helpless impotence. They cannot,
dare not, take office, supported by the bread-
taxers, in the face of a starving people. On what
point, then, can they now, however desirous, ex-
cept on the most factious pretences, differ from
the Ministers ? They approve of the foreign policy.
All the questions in dispute as to Ireland, except the
registration, have been settled with great advantage
to them. The parsons, it is said, collect their
tithes in peace and with safety, and the Corpora-
tions are reformed, promising security and partial
satisfaction to both parties. The registration, on
the principle of which the parties do not much
differ, is not of sufficient importance to break up
a Government ; and there is no longer, as far as we
see, any important question on which the Tories
can ask the representatives of the people to turn
out the Ministry: To substitute Sir R. PEEL for
Lord MELBOURNE, the Earl of ABERDEEN for
Lord PALMERSTON, against her MAJESTY'S
wishes, without any adequate cause, will not now
be tolerated, either by the majority of the House
of Commons, or the country. The Tories have,
therefore, no better chance now than they had at
the beginning of the last Session.

Such also appears to be the opinion of the Tory
journalists. We copied yesterday a paragraph
from the Standard, which stated that the people
generally were satisfied with the Government. In
addition to this the Times yesterday said—
We must not conclude, however, without referring
to an opinion expressed by a very sagacious observer.
True ; such a state of things would formerly have
implied the certain destruction of any Ministry ; but do
not be sanguine. The present men have weathered
worse storms than those now threatening them, and
while their opponents propose nothing which interests
the public at large„ that pablic will look on almost with
indifference at the struggle between the two parties.
Without surrendering our opinion, we admit that the
experience of the last few years furnishes reasonable
ground for the view taken by our friend.
'Tis true, 'tis pity : pity 'tis, 'tis true."

And what can the Tories propose ? To what are
they wedded ? More Church ? Why the Times
has told us we have already too much Church.
More coercion perhaps ? when that we have is found
to be unbearable. They are in favour of the bread-
tax, will they double it ? They have talked of re-
strictions on the press, of burning down half our
cities, of restoring the feudal dominion ; is either of
those a great question which will carry the public at
large with the Tories ? They have nothing to pro-
pose. They can have nothing. They are for
standing still while all around them is in commo-
tion. We do not expect that the Ministers will
propose much, but the Tories can propose nothing
but measures which would provoke quarrels and re-
bellion. Repeal in Ireland, according to their own
organs is progressing, let them accelerate it by some
measure like Lord STANLEY'S Registration Bill, and
they may see it become revolution. There is one
measure, a great and a noble measure, which deeply
interests the public at large, a measure which would
carry on its wings healing for all the national cala-
' mities, and begin for our beloved country a new ca-
reer, in which the prosperity of her great multitudes
would equal her national renown, a measure of jus-
tice, not to perform which is alike dishonest to the
Legislature and the Ministers, a measure of free-
dom which expediency recommends and honesty
commands—the Total Abolition of the Corn-law—.
which because it is a great, a noble, and a national
measure, will not, we are afraid, to the eternal dis-
grace of our statesmen, be undertaken by either of
the two great parties. They struggle only for office.
To the right-thinking people will be left the im-
mortal honour—and they will by and by achieve it
—of crushing the vilest law that ever cupidity, in
the disguise of patriotism, dared to enact.

MR. HETHERINGIoN has published a report
of his trial on Dec. Bth, for a blasphemous