The Sun.
London, England, 1834-12-24 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS,

We knew well that the Tories never would face the
Reformers at a public meeting in the metropolis. The
advertisement calling the meeting was, as we yesterday
observed, drawn up in so ambiguous a manner, that if
the Reformers had manifested no disposition to attend,
the Tories would have boasted of having been left in
undisturbed possession of the field, in consequence of
the dread of their opponents to face them. But when
it became known that the Reformers would show that
they yielded to no class of their fellow-citizens in a de-
sire " to express their assurance of loyalty and attach-
ment to their Sovereign," and would be ready to prove
that they were the best friends of their Sovereign who
wished to see him surrounded with upright and faith-
ful Councillors, the Tories instantly took fright, and
and in an advertisement published in the Times of
yesterday, expressly excluded from the meeting,
all who did not concur in the sentiments con-
tained in the address intended to be submitted to it.
Nothing but a knowledge derived from experience of
the trickery of the Tories would have induced the Re-
formers to watch their movements so closely as they
did on the present occasion. So far from having any
wish to intrude on the Tories, they waited on Mr.
Ward on Monday evening, with a view of eliciting
from him whether the meeting was to be public or
private, that they might be guided accordingly ; for
all that they wished was to rescue the City of London
from the disgrace of appearing to sanction, by the
resolutions of a public meeting, the dismissal of the late
Ministry and the appointment of successors odious to the
nation, from the principles constantly avowed by them to
the very date of their acceptance of office, and whose
only claim to confidence consisted in their declarations
that they would abandon those principles, and act on
the principles of the men whom they had always op-
posed in public, and counteracted in private, by the
most scandalous intrigues. But Mr. Ward would
not be explicit with them, and they saw in the Times
of yesterday the most pressing exhortations to the
partisans of the Tories to attend in force at the meet-
ing. " Once more (exclaimed that journal in the
bold style of exhortation it used to address to the peo-
ple when it was their organ)—once more, for the last
time, because it is the latest moment at which such
exhortations can be made available, we most earnestly
recommend and urge all the gentlemen who have
signed the requisition for the great city meeting this
day, and all who agree with them in sentiment, and all
whom they can by discussion or example influence, to
attend in person, and maintain their opinions by
their presence, their voices, and their votes."
The voice was loud as ever and menacing as
ever ; for the Tyrtmus of Printing-house-square, by
way of stimulating the Tory bands, told them that
" they might become, each of them, as the necessity
arose, peace-officers, and with their own right hands
protect themselves from aggression." The right hands
with which the Tories love to fight are the right hands
of the Horse-Guards. They knew that Englishmen,
whom their arguments could not persuade, were as little
to be bullied. Why, the Reformers could, for that
matter, have made minced-meat of them. To do the
Tories justice, they evinced no lack of discretion, but
from the beginning manifested the same consciousness
of inability to meet the Reformers, which they have
constantly done ever since the commencement of the
Peel-Roden-Wellington Administration. Finding it
no longer possible to pass the cheat on the public that
their Address was adopted by a public meeting, fairly
called to discuss it, they came to terms with the
Reformers, left them in possession of the field,
and prudently withdrew to a closet, in which
they quietly dispatched their business, and voted thanks
to Mr. Ward for his conduct in the great room from
which they were obliged to decamp. The Tories had
tried to pack the meeting, and had actually occupied
the hustings and the space in front of it, before the
doors were thrown open to the public ; but all these
contrivances did not enable them to exclude the Re-
formers, who, in fact, constituted nineteen-twentieths
of the whole. The latter carried a resolution of ad-
journment to the London Tavern, and proceeded to
the great room there, which was instantly crowded to
overflowing by the most respectable citizens of Lon-
don. The Tory address obtained, we understand, two
oe three thousand signatures. It can surprise no
one, surely, that in a great metropolis like this,
a Tory Ministry should obtain two or three thou-
sands of signatures to any address whatsoever.
Were the Reformers to deem it necessary to pro-
pose a counter address, they could early obtain ten re-
spectable signatures for every signature to the Tory
address. But the approaching dissolution will give
them an opportunity of practically demonstrating their
superiority to their opponents in a manner to which no
exception can be taken. In the meantime, the Tories
will take a lesson from the result of yesterday's ma-
nceuvre, and remain quiet in their holes and corners.
Let them court seclusion, and then avail themselves
of exclusion ; but if ever they attempt to pass them-
selves off at public meetings as the respectable inha-
bitants of the metropolis, they will assuredly be driven
from the field with disgrace. What exultation there
would have been, if their trick had succeeded ! The
report of the Times would have been circulated in a
convenient form, like Sergeant Spankie's sophistical
addresses, and triumphantly quoted by Tory 'Squires
and High-Church Parsons at their Conservative din-
ners. There would have been no end of the inferences
drawn from the re-action in London. Alas, they find
to their cost, that the re-action exists only in their
crazed imaginations. The people of England are not
so enamoured of their enemies as to prostrate them-
selves before the men who opposed the Reform Bill,
because it would enable them to command the blessings
of good Government—who factiously opposed every
beneficial measure proposed by the Whigs since the
passing of the Reform Bill—and now, by a desperate
effort, have seized the reins of Governmont, in order to
defeat,
if possible, the just expectations of the nation.
They know that, disguiseit as they will, the Tories
sire the enemies of all reforms, the patrons of all abuses,
and that they only seek power to use it injuriously to
the best interests of the community.—Morning Chron.
We would direct attention to the report, which ap-
pears in another column, of the entertainment given at
the Mansion-house yesterday, and attended by most, if
mot all, of his Majesty's Ministers, and by many of
the most distinguished public characters of the day.
The Administration having already put forth its de-
claration in the shape of an address from Sir Robert
Peel, it was not to be expected that they should keep
anything in reserve for the particular occasion to which
we now allude. All that could be expected was a
corroborative statement—a statement to the same effect
as before. Still the speech of Sir Robert will be
read with great interest, for the calm but firm spirit
which it brssathes, and the reasoning tone in which it
addresses itself !o the common sense of the nation.—
Morning Herald.
in the City of London
Yesterday was a Meat
for the cause of reform, and ie destruction of the
party which, though not opposed to ail! reform, would
give us as little reform as we could possibly be Contented
svith. The morning meeting proved the weakness of
the party, as we have shown elsewhere ; and the dinner
at the Mansion House, in the afternoon, showed any
thing but alacrity in the cause for which it had been
engaged. It was a Tory meeting, unquestionably—
:and composed, as we think, of something less
than 250 persons, most respectable, and most
honourable, as well as most worthy in many re-
spects, for their public services, of public appro-
batk.”l ; but it was not an unanimous meeting—
we shouLl almost say that it was one of the most
sombre at h we were ever present ;—no fault,
however, of the L ord Mayor—who proved himself
liberal, so far as the press Is concerned, and who did
his best to bolster the cause in which he was unfor-
tunately engaged. Indeed—but, being a guest, we
forbear making observations at all analogous with the
conduct of certain high functionaries of the Govern-
ment in the Lord Mayor's drawing-room. Sir Robert
Peel's speech will be read with interest by all
classes. It was the only political speech of the
evening—and to those who are in the secret it
told great secrets I Public opinion ! What, Sir
Robert, public opinion I public confidence Oh !
oh I oh !—The Ministry is all but defunct. There
was a sad omen last night at the dinner—and the Pre-

.mier, though he passed it off in the most plausible