The Sun.
London, England, 1848-11-24 00:00:00

SPI IT of ne PUBLIC JOIJRNALS,
FROM/711E 2IOUNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.
TlMESe—These ale not times when the exercise of
an ebn#ious influence can be pushed to an extreme.
Even whore traditionary merits and nckaovvicdged ser-
vices may be pleaded on its side, the popular voice will
condemn, and the popular energy will contest, the impe-
riousness wbich dictate s a popular submission, or pre-
sumes upon the certainty of a popular election. Great
as were the services--recognized as were the labours of
Earl Fitzwilliam in the cause of civil and religious li-
berty--associated as his name was with every Parlia-
mentary struggle in behalf of Roman Catholics, Dis-
senters, Free-trade, and Reform—we protested against
the cool assumption .that that name and those services
were to be an apology for encumbering the constituents
of the West Riding with an inexeerienced and an inca-
pable representative.. h expressioa of opinion which
was recorded by us, has been re-echoed by them; and
the result is the retirement
.of Mr. Fitzwiliam.
We believe that this event leaves the field
open to three competitors. These aecordiug
to common report— are Ur. 'Beckett Denison,
Sir Culling Eardley, and Mr. Roebuck. The
claims of each, and the character of their re-
spective supporters, iney be easily conjectured. Mr.
_Denison is put forward by the liberal Conservatives, Mr.
Roebuck by the Radicals, Sir Culling Smith by —what
may perhaps be called—the religious malignints. On
the assumption that Mr. Denison conceives himself at
liberty to stand, arid that there is no compact between
any great families of the West Riding to impede the ex-
pression of opinion, we are convinced that his claims to
the support of the electors are paramount to those of his
competitors. At any rate he can have nothing to fear
from Sir Culling Eardley. A populous, wealthy, and in-
telligent constituency can hardly bear the ignominy of
being represented in Parliament by a man whose only
pretensioni are founded on sectarian bigotry and fanati-
cal acerbity. Sir Culling represents a party which we
hope will in a few years become extinct, or known only
like the sea-serpent, to be doubted, discredited, or
laughed at. The profession of this party is hatred—
their faith is negation. They retain the maxims of Pu-
ritanism only to invert and misapply them. Inherit-'
ing the profession of martyrs, they distort it into
the practice of persecutors. Living in an age which has
recognized the fullest liberty of religious belief, they go
about with sour faces and up-turned eyes, as if they
were the victims of a despotism, instead of being its ex-
ponents and its executioners. Clamorous for protection
themselves, and combining with every class of. noncon-
formists as long as the Established Church enjoyed the
monopoly of encouragement, they would now exclude
from the privileges whioh they enjoy that strong and
numerous body of religionists by whose united exertions
they were mainly won. Detesting the Protestant Est's-
blishment for its resemblance to Popery, they combibed
with Papists to weaken it. Detesting Popery with the
acrimony of. ultra-Protestant fanaticism, they reprobate
the policy which would raise the Popish priest of Ire-
land above the grade of a sacred mendicant or a robed
agitator. In short they measure all politics by the stan-
dard, as they expound their own in the twang
of the Conventicle. It is needless to say that a
man who represents the ideas of such men
can hardly represent the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Of Mr. Roebuck it is impossible to speak with
slight, though difficult to speak in terms of direct
recommendation. With such rivals as Mr. Fitzwilliam
or Sir Culling Eardley it would be an insult to compare
him; to such a candidate as Mr. Denison it would be
factious to prefer him. Mr. Roebuck has great merits:
merits of a higher though not more übeful kind than
Mr. Denison. He is a man not indeed without preju-
dices, but without party. He wages a bold guerilla war
against all parties and combinations in turn. He is NA
that sort of man in the House of Commons that the
public press is out of the House. He is bold, prompt,
dashing, persevering, and resolved.
.Friendship does
not weaken, favour cannot conciliate, power cannot deter
his attacks. He may be often crotchety, often hasty,
always irritable. But it is the very union of these
errors that makes him invariably vigorous and effective.
He is always in earnest because he thinks himself al-
ways in the right. He always speaks his mind; he has
no arriere pence. He gives not only his vote, but
his reasons for his vote; and he does this, careless how
far it may damage his presumed object, or disgust
those with whom he is for the moment allied. He
would have been an admirable card for the supporters of
Sir C. E. Eardley to play; but he would not be played
with. Agreeing in his practical conclusions with many
of them, ho is utterly opposed to their maxims of con-
duct and their habits of thought, and, had he been sent
by them to the House of Commons, he would doubtless
hare taken the first opportunity of rebuking their into-
lerance, ridiculing their ignorance, and repudiating their
dictation. But—though Mr. Roebuck may be a very fit
man to sit in Parliament, and though it is a matter of
regret that he is not there again—it is a more doubtful
question whether he is the fittest candidate for the re-
presentation of the West Riding. Admitting the prin-
ciple that the first duties of an English M.P. are na-
tional, and not local, it must be conceded that every con-
stituency commits to its representatives interests purely
local. There are places—and Bath is one of them—
where the fewness and insignificance of these
provincial duties leave their Members more
leisure for attending to their general and impe-
rial duties. There are others, again, the indivi-
dual conditions of which require a peculiar and
personal attention from their representatives. All
Yorkshire—and particularly its western division—is in
this predicament. \\'hat with its size, its wealth, its
mines, its tuaeutacturt s, is canals, it throws a heavy
weight of personal reference and superintendence upon
its member. It requires a malt who shell be not unl3
ifflig• nt att. ntiant at the pl,blic business, but an
assi-
danus an I U,clul member of committees; one, whose ex-
' perielice arid habits will be found serviceable, not only
in a political debate and division, hut also in the com-
mittee•room, us a witi.e,s or an txamintr. Such expo-
rienc u!.(1 such habits Air. Denison po:sess3s in an emi-
nent degree, us is resident country gentleman, as a rail-
way cir,et..r, and us a chairman of Quarter Sess:ons.
Such qualitieauons (it is no disgrace to him to admit)
Mr. Ito, bu. k does not possess And—what is in the
present case a draw hick—he is comparatively a stranger
to a constituency which is already represented by -
one etranger. It would be too bad if Yorkshire
could not tied a single member among its own gentry.
In the present lull of political strife, we apprehend
that a ltiro., and wealthy constituency will look to the
private anti eersonal more narrowly than to the publics
and putiticel &palates of its candidates. Mr. Roebuck's
politics are extreme even with men of extreme views.
Mr. Denison's, whetter he tail himself a Tory or a Con-
servinve, are, at all events, moderate. Mr. Roebuck
may outrun the violence of his warmest friends. Mr.
Denison can hardly provoke the asperity of his bitterest
oppoiriits. Mr. Denison is neither a sectarian nor a
fanatic; neither is he an aristocrat. He will not debate
with the raciness of 3-Ir. Ityebuck, nor will he denounce
with the pious rancour of Sir Culling Eardley. He has
neither the stinging eloquence of his present rival nor
the classic rhetoric of his predecessor 'hi the representa-
tion. He is a plain country gentleman, of honest inten-
tiona, moderate views, and business-like habits; above
all he is one who has already done go,KI service to the
West Riding. For this reason, then, we hold it would
be just us ungrateful and impolitic tor the West Riding
to supersede Mr. Denison by Mr. Roebuck, as it was
ungrateful and impolitic in the electors of Bath to cashier
Mr. Roebuck fur Lord Ashley.
HERALD.—The Yorkshire Liberals have had the
disci etion and decency to dismiss Mr. Roebuck, and to
adopt as their candidate arCulling Eardley. This was
quite the -.:isest end best course they could take; except,
indeed, they had a fit man of their own county to pro-
pose. Sir Culling Eardley is the same person who, as Sir
Culling Eardley Smith led the opposition to the May-
nooth Bill in 1845. Since then, succeeding to Lord
Saye at d Sele's estate at Belvedere, in Kent, he ex-
chsnges the name of Smith for that of Eardley ; his cha-
racter and ;principles, however, undergoing no
change. Sir Culling eat fur the borough of Pontefract
about the year 1831 and 1832, and is therefore no
stratigtr in Yorkshire. lie is a member of the Uni-
versity of Oaford,andLtoiboekra, buthlonou he is
honours there
also a
about
gentle.twenty
years since. He is a
man,and a man of sincerely religious character.
He is is inclined to Voluntaryism, but he is not disposed
' to lay violent hands on the Church or her property.
The one question, however, which directs the attention
of Yorkshire towards him, and whioh alone induces him
to accept the invitation addressed to hint—is that of re-
sistance to the further advances of Popery. Mr. Beckett
Denison's name is mentioned. Under other circum-
stances we should be delighted to see Mr. DelliSOLI
re-
sume his seat fur that county; but we hesitate to ream-
mend his appearance in the field at this late period.
The seat has been vacant for more than a fortnight,
during all which time men's eyes have been directed
towards Mr. Denison. But his friends have declared it
to be his wish to remain out of Parliament, at least
for the present. So matters have rested, until at
last a Protestant candidate is named. Probably Lord
Fitzwilliam, in his vexation at his son's defeat,
may urge Mr. Denison to come forward, in order to
puaish those who have repelled the proffered services of
the youthful candidate. But for Mr. Denison to be so
brought forward would not be honourable to himself; or
advantageous to the cause. At present, in having as un-
objectionable a Liberal as could well be named, and a
firm Protestant—we are tolerably well off. To get up a
contest, merely in the hope of defeating and annoying
those who have defeated Lord Fitzwilliam, would be
poor work. We must wait, hoWever, a day or two, and
see what new features appear, and what new considera-
tions are urged. As far as we can yet see, there does
ir contest
Sir
irnagthiner
a than
not seem sufficientA gßccrouknedttfeDenreinsgonag,
merely to return .
C. Eardley. In South Devon a similar controversy appears
to have commenced. A vacancy arising by the appoint-
ment of Lord Courtenay to an office under the New
Poor-law—a gentleman of great personal respectability,
Mie Ktkewich, formerly a Devhnshire M.l'., bas been
named to supply his place. But the first question put
to Mr. litkewich is, what he will do on the subject of
Roans!) endowment ? Like Mr. EVA aildam, Mr. Kt-he-
w-eel evidently favours some plan of the kind, but, unlike
Mr. F., he promises to oppose any encroachment on the
property of the Church. Mr. F. will not take the funds
out of the gentr.ll taxation. Mr. K. will only take them
out of the general taxation. But the cue question is,
Will yea consent to the measure at all ? Both evideettly
incline to the affirmative. One, though a Fitzwilliele is
already rtjected; and so, we anticipate, will the other
be, before another week has clashed

THE REGENT QUADRANT COLONNADE.—Yesterday
a furtlit.r sale of the materials of the Regent,strect
Quadrant took place on the vacant plot of ground in
Unarlotte-street, Blionisbury. The amount realised fell
short of 1001.; and from the fact of no offer having ht-en
made for the columns of the colonnade with the excep-
tion of fourteen sold to Messrs. Goding, the brewers, of
Belvider, -road, Larnbttl;), it is expected that the rate
to be levied on the inhabitants to defray the expenses of
the alter6tign will prove much hoarier than was glat„ioi.

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