The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-22 00:00:00

tration is broken up, no other reason being essigeed than
their disegreerneet as to the selection re' WfT.E.ors to
peseonagee of this stamp, the eanblic wilt be co-ie, to
seck for a solution of, the riadlo in other cavate and
de( per influencee. Ihd the Wihas been defeated i n rely
question of
honour, and defy their adversaries with confOcece to
policy WI 'lnch eeulo ,esiga With
appeal to the sense of the country for is dieeolution,
their position would be one of preeent popule,ri:.y and
of future pe%er. But to break down throneLemere
inherent weakness, would indeed give the Tory party
a fair chance of not gaining office merely, but of keep-
ing it. Rumour, as is her wont on such otoeleions, is
busy with the names of some who might, and .trad'ai Who
could not enter with eredit, to thi=selves- and ad-
vantage to the public, into combination with ;ho-e
among the Whigs who are likely to retain office. 'When
the significant phrase, " We must close our ranks," fell
from the lips of Sir James Graham in a recent debate,
the thought suggested itself to the mind of every think-
ing man—how comes it that he ‘v ho himself seems to
have caught, if any one has, the mantle of Peel—should
so long have been left to fight as a volunteer in defence
of a field he:aided so powerfully to win? It may, indeed,
be true that the Member for Ripon entertains opinions
upon certain points at variance with those on which the
Government have recently been acting. But if these
dissentient views are in harmony with the calm judg-
ment of the nation, it might be no unimportant service
to the Whigs as a party, as well as to the country at
large, if Sir James Graham's joining the Administra-
tion proved tue cause and the occasion of a change of
measures. No additional strength which he or his
friends could bring with them, either in point of admi-
nistrative talent or numbers in a division, could do so
much to retrieve the damaged position of the Whigs as
the infusion into their counsels of a more resolute and
heartily popular spirit.
LEADER.—Tae Ministry beaten by two to one!—that
is the event which quite eclipses the Budget iu public in-
terest. It is tottering! a few more such blows and it is over!
Mr. Locke King invited the Commons to admit a Bill
extending the 10/. borough franchise to counties; Lord
John objected to so sweeping a measure, and invited the
House to wait till next session. The House went with
Mr. King, and the Speaker announced a majority against
Ministers of two to one: imagine the Premier's counte-
nance at the ghastly sound. The defeat must be, will
be, followed up. All are now convinced that the Ministry
is useless, effete. It ,is only blocking the path against
the entrance of some better Ministry; for any would
be better than the present. Already Lord John has
ceased to be Premier: he is only the Obstacle-General;
and Policeman Public is ordering to " move on." At
last we are again in motion !
WEEKLY NEWS.—What can Lord John mean?
With a Papal measure that pleases nobody, a Budget
that dissatisfies everybody, a narrow majority of 14 on
the great Free-trade question, why should he further dis-
gust all sincere Liberals by meeting Mr. Locke King's
sensible and moderate proposal for extending the fran-
chise to 10L occupiers in counties, by the platitudes of
finality and the cut-and-dried fallacies of the Black-
stone-and-De-Lolme school of Reformers. The melan-
choly truth really seems to be, that the former leader of
Liberal England has fallen down a prostrate worshipper
before what Sydney Smith used to call " the anility of
these realms." He did one great thing, but, " not
being great in mind," has remained ever since exhausted
by the preternatural effort, and now finds nothing so
congenial as the languor of dignified inaction.