The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-08 00:00:00

PUBLIC OPINION.

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The Morning Post assigns the following reasons for
the accession of the Tories to power :—" Highly as we
esteem the Conservatives, we do not deem it necessary
to ascribe their elevation to power to any supernatural
means. We do think that the effect comes by cause,
and that cause the old and accustomed one for the ac-
cession of any party to the powers and responsibilities
of British Government, namely, the constitutionally-ex-
pressed preference of the people, to which preference it
has pleased the Sovereign to give effect. The Conserva-
tives have not gained power by a triumph over the peo-
ple and the Crown, but by the choice of the people and the
constitutional concurrence of the Sovereign in that choice."
—lt is not true that the Tories have gained power by the
choice of the people. They have gained it by the folly
and supineness of the Whigs, aided by their own dexte-
rous electioneering tactics, and the neglect of the Liberal
party to attend properly to the registrations. The people
are still—what they have been for the last twelve years
and upwards—Anti-Tory at heart ; and only just en-
dure the new Ministry from a hope that it will stultify
its nature by adopting a liberal and enlightened policy
We need scarcely add that this hope will be disappointed
The Peel Cabinet will pursue the stand-still system of
legislation, and make it its greatest boast that it does not
retrograde.
The Advertiser states the following as a fact, for the
accuracy of which it pledges itself—" Are there still to
be found persons in the country who incline to the
notion that Sir Robert Peel contemplated an anti-Corn-
law, line of policy ? If so, we beg to inform them—and
we pledge ourselves for the accuracy of the information—
that the Duke of Buckingham declared a few days since,
in the Carlton Club, in the presence of a number of per-
sons, that Sir Robert Peel before he (the Duke of Buck-
ingham) would consent to take office, had completely sa-
tisfied him on the subject of the Corn-laws. This is decisive."
—We never supposed that Sir Robert Peel—saddled as he
is with two such embarrassing burdens as the Duke of
Buckingham and Sir E. Knatchbull—would make any
alteration in the Corn-laws worth having. The utmost
we expected from him was, that he would amend them
in the same fashion that the Irishman mended his
blanket—that is to say, by taking a piece off at the head,
and clapping it on at the tail. But let the present rain
continue but a few days longer, and, whether the Bucking-
ham and Knatchbuli's like it or not, Sir Robert Peel
must either convert to make a sweeping alteration in the
Corn-laws, or else request another " eight minutes " in-
terview with her Majesty, in order to tender his resig-
nation.

The Herald is beset with uneasy apprehensions lest
the people should expect an over• dose of Reform from
the Tamworth quack-doctor and his apprentices. Now
our Contemporary need not be at all uneasy on this
point. The people take a very proper measure of Sir
Robert Peel as a Reformer ; and having given him the
fair trial which he has been so long clamouring for, will
just reward him according to his deserts. He will be
allowed ample rope-enough, and if the usual proverbial
result should follow, we are by no means prepared to
contend that the affliction of the country will be of a very
heart-rending character. We subjoin the Hera/d'sremarks :
—" If the public, from their abounding confidence in,
and habitual respect and personal regard for, the chief of
the Conservative party, should be apt to expect the ac-
complshment of more beneficial objects of foreign po-
licy and domestic amelioration within a given period than
can possibly be realised in so limited a term, the Queen's
present Ministers and their supporters are bound to re-
gard the very extravagance of the expectation as an in-
voluntary compliment to the integrity of their purposes."
The following is from the Chronicle:—" The political
friends of all liberal policy have been much too supine.
They have grumbled, and with excellent reason, at the
vexatiousness of tha registration system ; but meanwhile
their opponents have turned all the capabilities and all
the vices of that system to account. As_ we have more
than once shown, the late elections have been turned, and
the Tory and monopolist majority obtained, not by the
desertion of Liberal voters, who have generally brought
undiminished numbers to the poll, but by Tory additions
to the registers. The landlords grow votes upon their
broad fields, as thick as any other kind of crop. Besides
the tricks and chicanery which no honest poli-
tician will imitate, Toryism is largely indebted to
its legal manufacture of votes. It sees for how
many safe ones every inch of property is good."—
In addition to these malign influences exerted by the
Tories during the late elections, we may mention their
intimidation and exclusive dealing system, which they
practised to a rigorous excess, and by which they ex-
torted the votes of many timid Reformers. They knew
that the election was a question of life or death to them,
and stuck at nothing to carry their point. Well, they
have succeeded, and are now " Thane, Cawdor, Glammis,
all ;" and it may be added with perfect truth that they
" have played most foully for it !"
The Times says :—" Far are we from insisting that
Protestants shall be the exclusive occupants of place and
trust in Ireland. Give us individuals cordially attached
to the existing constitution of the empire, as admi- ,
nistered by a Government willing, on all fair
grounds, to avoid giving the slightest offence to any
portion of the population .—and, whether these in-
dividuals be Roman Catholics or not, by all means
let them be promoted to the offices for which, if
properly recommended, their character and abili-
ties may fit them. But Earl Fortescue, WC are

bound to declare, has followed no such impartial
rule. Nay, we appeal to candid Roman Catholics
themselves to say, whether his Lordship's patronage—
now that they can estimate the sordid designs which go-
verned its distribution—has not been almost exclusively
conferred on turbulent political members of their own
communion."—The affectation of political liberality at
the commencement of the above passage comes with a
peculiar ill-grace from the Times, which, but the other
day, recommended the carrying matters with a high
hand in Ireland. Orangeman yesterday, Liberal to-day,
who shall venture to assert that the Times will not be
Chartist to-morrow ?