The Sun.
London, England, 1833-10-29 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

We yesterday inserted a report of the pro-
ceedings and speeches at a public dinner, given
by the Reformers of Gateshead to the Earl of
Durham, the political import of which is of
peculiar interest. The bold and patriotic senti-
ments avowed by Lord Durham will enhance
the public confidence in his character and poli-
tical principles ; and they sufficiently denote the
cause of the Tory calumnies, lately so systemati-
cally and wantonly circulated to his prejudice.
His Lordship holds no terms with Toryism.
He is not a Destructive of the Constitution, as
the Conservatives conveniently insinuate ; he
considers our mixed form of Government the
best adapted to the present state of British
society, and that " measures not men " ought to
be the bias of its administration. The Con-
servatives, well informed that Lord Durham was
the author of the most pcpular parts of the
Reform Bills and their stanch supporter, en-
tertain towards him a corresponding enmity ;
and his Lordship has advisedly confirmed
their impressions of his popular opinions and
acts. On the other band, a small portion of the
Ultra Radicals, misled by Mr. Charles Attwood
—a modern Reformer and real advocate of
an incontrovertible currency—arrogating to him-
self an exclusive attachment to the cause of
reform—chose this occasion, but unsuccess-
fully, to excite the spirit of discord. No
tactics in politics can be more disgraceful than
the unnatural union of the two extremes of
opinion, and it invariably indicates their common
weakness. Lord Durham resolutely resisted
the attempt to degrade himself and his political
friends, and had he acted otherwise, the Tory
journals would have been louder in their con-
demnation of his conduct. The Standard
mixes up its commentary on the public proceed-
ings of the dinner with the irrelevant question
of the right of the press to calumniate the
private character of a public man. No powers
of sophistry or casuistry will enable the Standard
to defend the infamy of private libels. In
proportion to the value of public character is
the value of private reputation. We boldly
affirm that the liberty of libelling with impunity
has been hitherto almost exclusively enjoyed
by the Tory journals. The case of Lord
Durham is a singular illustration of the fact. In
the affair of the right of road in the Isle of Wight,
the
.force imputed to Lord Durham was on
the part of Mr. Ward, who actually sent la-
bourers forcibly to prevent his Lordship's car-
riage from passing, and his Lordship's action
was only that of resistance to this force. The
imputation against Lord Durham of surmount-
ing the national flag by his own in Cherbourg
was utterly false, his Lordship not being in his
yacht or cognizant of any such circumstance.
The assertion of his vessel sailing into an Eng-
lish port with a French tri-colour standard is po-
sitively denied by the master of the yacht. When
this and several other calumnies were repeated
some days ago by the Standard, we stated that
we were not sufficiently acquainted with the cir-
cumstances to enter on the subject, and we did
not wish to injure Lord Durham by any loose
assertions. We have since traced the history of
one or two of the libels, and by way of exposing
a little of the management of these matters, we
will give this history. The falsehood, for instance,
about the tri-colour flag, appeared in the New-
castle Journal. The Standard copied it from
that journal. The next number of the Newcas-
tle Journal contained a contradiction from the
Captain ; but our Contemporary, the Standard,
who so industriously seized on the original
statement, some how or other overlooked the con-
tradiction, and never copied it. In the same
manner the Standard copied the false statement
respecting Mr. Ward. This statement was con-
tradicted by the Brighton Guardian and the
Morning Chronicle. Our contemporary, so
acute in discovering the one statement, is again
seized with a dimness of sight in the case of the
contradiction, and re-asserts again and again the
original statements. Thus the Tory Journals
may circulate any convenient rumours, however
false, of divisions in the Cabinet—of the assumed
political capriciousness of his Majesty, and of
the positive formation of Tory Ministries, with
which fictions certain Papers periodically amused
themselves during the last three years. This
being a public matter must be left for the tribu-
nal of the public ; but the same latitude of wilful
lying is not allowable in respect of private cha-
racter. We defy the Conservative Press to prove
any general participation in such wholesale false-
hood by the Liberal Journals. It is the exclu-
sive province of Toryism, and especially of the
country Tory papers (the origin of these libels),
and the personal tone of which is frequently dis-
gusting and contemptible. But we will not
again be seduced to discuss this question in re-
lation to Lord Durham, whose private character
is above the reach of Conservative slander. The
public estimation of the Noble Earl has been
opportunely proved. As the advocate of a
further amendment of the Representation—of
Corporation and Church Reform—and of the
national education of the people, Lord Durham
will be looked up to and confided in when his
libellers and the older leaders of political parties
are dead and gone. We have the certain and
cheering prospect, so boldly and eloquently
expressed by his Lordship, that there is " no-
thing which the intelligence of the country
has set its heart upon, and which it ought to
possess, that it will not eventually obtain." The
Tories have bitterly and fatally experienced the
consequences of obstinately resisting the signi-
ficant demands of public opinion, as the Duke
of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel doubtless
often secretly and unavailingly lament to each
other; and Lord Durham is the superior states-
man, who, in the face of their miserable and
destructive policy, publicly avows that " it is
the duty of a wise statesman to examine the
objects the people have in view, and what they
are determined to obtain ; and when he is satis-
fied of their justice, he should not wait to be
forced into the adoption of them. He should
not yield them merely upon expediency or com-
pulsion, but grant them freely and cordially ;
for the boon that is granted upon compulsion
loses half its grace, and very often all its va-
lue."—Morning Chronicle.

It is to be hoped that the Government prints,
which are all in raptures with Lord Durham's
speech at the Gateshead dinner, will allow its
fair share of applause to one of its most pro-
minent and judicious passages. Having alluded
to the spirit of discontent which prevails at
present, his Lordship went on to observe--
" To allay this spirit, however, I am persuaded
there is one mode, and, indeed, only one mode
—namely, for the Crown and the Government
to go along with the people." His Lordship
illustrated this proposition by referring to the
power which the people have gained by the
Reform Act, upon the strength of which he
did not hesitate to assure them of ultimate and
complete success. If the Government were seri-

ously convinced of the important truth contained
in the above-quoted passage, we might reason-
ably look forward to the arrival of better times.
The great error of the Government has hitherto
been a sort of confused notion that power might
he at the same time conferred and disregarded ;
or, if regarded, regarded somewhat in this way
—as if they had said—" We will enable the
people to drag us on, and they shall drag us on,
for not one step will we budge without being
dragged." Such has been, in effect, the prin-
ciple adopted by the Government, whatever
maxim or theory they may avow. But would
it not be as well—it might not be so Whigish—
but would it not be as reasonable and as digni-
fied to show an alacrity in conforming to the
just expectations of the people as to show a
reluctance, if they really entertained the opinion
that the people must ultimately prevail. The
constant cry of the ministerial prints has been,
consider the difficulties of Ministers. That was
all very well when the Reform Bill was in pro-
gress, but since then their difficulties have been
chiefly of their own creation ; they have arisen
principally, if not wholly, from the absurd en-
deavour to counteract the impulse which they
had themselves given to public feeling. Ministers
will deny this of course ; Ministerial prints will
deny it, of course also, for what one says, the
other will swear to ; but independent and im-
partial observers, and they are the authority to
which we appeal, will recognise in the past and
present difficulties of Ministers only the natural
consequence of their own inconsistency. Let
us hope, however, that a better era is approach-
ing, when one of the chief concoctors of the
Reform Bill announces to the world and to his
former colleagues, that the obvious remedy for
the existing discontents is " to go along with
the people."—Morning Herald.
Up to Friday evening we are assured that no
official recognition by Spain of Donna Maria
had reached Paris, although no doubt was
entertained of this step having been determined
upon. Whether the asylum given to the In-
fante Don Carlos, or the importunities of the
French and English envoys at the Madrid
Court, had most influence over the Queen
Regent's mind, it would be difficult to say ; but,
whatever the immediate cause was, a more
sudden or immediate change of policy never
occurred in any cabinet. The attempt to place
Donna Maria upon the throne of Portugal is
made by foreigners, contrary to the laws and
wishes of the people ; and, when the Ruler of
Spain sanctions such a principle of intervention
as this with regard to her neighbour and near
relation, how ominous must not the event
appear to those who recollect what King Ferdi-
nand's policy was ever since the Portuguese
contest commenced.—Morning Post.

BANKRUPTCY COURT, OCT. 28.

(Before Mr. Commissioner HOLROYD.)
IN RE HENRY SMETIIURST.

A meeting of the creditors on this estate was held
to-day for the choice of assignees, and an instance
of the great confidence reposed by creditors in the
officers of this court occurred. A strong difference
of opinion existed between two bodies of the credi-
tors as to whom they should elect to the office of
assignee, one body naming one party, and the other
strenuously urging the appointment of different per-
sons to those recommended ; but the dispute at
once terminated on its being proposed that Mr.
Groom, the official assignee, should also act as sole
assignee to the estate, without the interference of
any of the creditors. Mr. Groom was accordingly
appointed sole and official assignee. No other matter
of interest transpired, the bankruptcy being, in other
respects, of an ordinary character.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MARLBOROUGH STREET.

A WARNING TO OMNIBUS CONDUCTORS.—Ste-
phen Flenzmington, conductor of an omnibus run-
ning from Whitechapel to Hyde Park-corner, was
charged with assaulting a youth, and taking his hat
from his head. The lad, whose name is Sanderson,
rode with two relatives from Whitechapel, but on
his arrival in Coventry-street, although the usual
fare is 6d., the conductor demanded a shilling. This
demand was resisted, when the conductor laid hold
of the lad's hat and ran off with it, the omnibus
going at a rapid rate. The conductor then flung
the hat up to the driver, who failed in catching it,
and it fell in the mud. The defendant was then
taken into custody. Mr. CONANT fined the defen-
dant 3/.