The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-16 00:00:00

THE POLICY OF THE GDVERNMENT.

Oa the Report of Supply being brought up,
Mr. B. OSBORNE, pur'uant to notice, rose to call the
attention of the house to the course which her Majesty's
Government intend to pursue with respect to the busi-
neA of the session. He said :—lf I needed any justifi-
cation for interposing between the house and the recep-
tion of the report of supply I sh,tild seek it in the
unusual course taken by her Majesty's Government. But
if that course was unusual, still more unusual was the
reply made by the right hon. gentleman the First Lord
of the Admiralty, in answer to several hon, members who
called on him to give some sketch of the principles and
policy of the Government. The right hon. gentleman
the First Lord of the Admiralty, to my astonishment,
and I believe to the astonishment of all present in this
house at the time, referred us not only to a statement
made in another place, but to certain speeches made on
the hustings in Buckinghamshire and other parts of the
country. In the first place I believe we have no
cognisance of any statements made "in another place,"
and still less of any statements m tde on the hustings
in Buckinghamshire or elsewhere. Therefore, if I
needed to make any apology for interfering on the
present occasion it would be entirely owing to the most
unprecedented and most unparliamentary course taken
by the right hon. gentleman. Ile has referred me to a
statement made in another place. Well, even givin,;
him tba benefit of that statement, I nevertheless main-
tain that the House is as yet ignorant of any principle
laid down in that statement, and that as yet no policy
has been propounded. That statement was particularly
obscure in itself, and it has not been made clearer by
these references given me by the right hon. gentleman.
If it has not been made clearer by what was stated on
the hustings at Droitwicb, it has become still more am•
biguous in Buckinghamshire ; and if any one turns to
North Leicestershire, it wil he found particularly
evasive, contrary in Mug's Lynn, and utterly un-
intell'gible in the county of Suffolk. (Chem, and
laughter ) What was the statement made and the
course taken by the head of the Government ! As
fat as we are informed by the public, press the
noble lord seems rattier to have made an apology for
his present conduct than to have given any indica-
tion of his future policy. It seems that the first
persons to whom he appealed to aid him in forming a
Government were two noble lords and a right her. gen•
tleman, a member of this house, who were always di-
rectly opposed to his policy. So much for his attempt
at constructing a Cabinet, and his own principles. Well,
when these two noble lords and this right hon. gentle-
man did not think it consistent with their position or
principles to a-sist him in forming a government, be then
turned to his more immediate supporters, and, I am free
to say, has constructed an administration which, as far
as the personal characters and abilities of the members of
the Government are concerned, is equal to any Adminis-
tration I have seen inithis house. ("Hear, hear," from
the ministerial side.) But the question is, not about the
abilities of those hon. gentlemen nor their respectability.
The question is, what have been their principles, and
what is to be their policy ! Now, I am aware of the
inconvenience of referring to statements made in "an-
other plane," but I have no other course to pursue ; and
as I have been referred to then), let me see what the
noble lord at the head of the Government stated,
with one exception, to be the groundwork of his policy.
The noble lord spoke at very great length, hut I think
that the country and the house would come to the con-
clusion that though he spoke much he said very little.
I think that hie speech turned more on the exigencies of
his own position than the interest of the country. Now,
what did the noble lord say was to be the course of his
policy ? He said :
" My lords, it would be idle for me to enter into any
general description of the opinions or the views which
hold upon public affairs. such abstract declarations of
policy are in point of fact of little or no use. They are
mere words which may be construed into any sense, or, as
sometimes happens, into no sense. I can only say, my
lords, that the policy of the Governmentratiin
ra to which I belong
ol.ly be expected from
will be that which I hope might n
the composition of the Administration.
"
composition
And there we are left. The of the Admi-
nistration ! Before, however, we lock to the composi-
tion of the Administration,et us survey their position
and examine their antecedents.l A Government has
come into office in an acknowledged minority. It is not
pretended that they are the only possible Government.
I will take upon myself to say that there are several
boo, gentlemen on both sides of the house who, if they
had been called upon, could have formed a Government.
(Laughter from the Ministerial side, met by cheers from
the Opposition.) It must not be supposed—and I think
it wou d be a most mischievous thing if it were sup-
posed—that the Government of this country depends on
one, two, or even three individuals. (Cheers.) Let us
see, then, what is the position of an Administration
whics numbers a considerable minority as its supporters.
(Laughter and cheering.) This G overnment call upon
the House of Commons for three thing ~—for time for-
bearance, and money. (Laughter) Now, beforegrant-
ing any of these demands I think we are bound to ask
what claim the Government have to make them, and
what their past conduct has been. It appears to me we
have reached a now era in Parliamentary history. For-
merly contests in this hones
were conducted not 'merely
in order to obtain places, but for the establishment of
rival principles. (Hear.) What do we see now ? We see
on the opposite (the Ministerial) benches a party who in
opro ition systematically thwarted and opposed all the
measures of the late Government. (Loud cries of "No,
no," from the Ministerial side, and cheering from
Opposition.) I repeat that a party which t
thwarted the late Administration--( el