The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-01 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 1, 1867.

has cl Due for our bill." Mr. HORSMAN did well to
remit id his hearers of the consequences which had
ensue d from the course pursued by the Liberal
lead ers in 1859. The result of their then policy
had been to postpone indefinitely the settlement of
the .question, and to cause the agitation from which
the country is now suffering. This is quite true ;
horwever unpalatable, it may be to hear it, the fact
cs nnot be too often impressed upon the public.
Another error was also exposed in the speech, and
that is, that the leaders of the masses are very
fond of giving their opinion in favour of the style
and management of foreign countries in preference
to those of our own. France, Germany, and even
Prussia, are put before us, but we agree with the
right hon. member for Stroud that these gentlemen
had better try the experiment of living in these
countries, and let them know the result.
"No doubt such an experiment would soon
modify their zeal, and show them that
theory and practice are different things.
Suppose Mr. BEALES on a certain day went to the
Prefect in Paris and said, I want you on such a
day to stop all the traffic on the boulevards in order
that 100,000 of the friends of liberty may parade
there;' or suppose that some newspaper editor went
to Count BISMARCK and said, I intend to have
ten thousand petitions presented, and I shall publish
a copy of them, as they will be seditious and mis-
chievous ;' or, again, what would happen if some
enthusiast went to St. Petersburg and declared
that the EMPEROR'S council were a set of squint-
eyed scoundrels, and the EMPEROR himself
was unfit to govern because he could not
blow a glass decanter ? These gentlemen would
all be glad enough to get back again to England,
and perhaps might hereafter be a little less lavish
in their praises of universal suffrage." Mr. HORS-
MAN spoke very truly when he said that the great
middle class in every country was the staple of free-
dom, and all history had shown them that the work-
ing classes alone could never be free. Despots and
demagogues had alternately trampled upon their
rulers ; they were never aided and goi;erned by
other classes.

In conclusion, the right hon. gentleman said that

the season of deliberation was fast approaching, and
if the presenk.Government could not see their way
to a settlement of the vexed question of Reform
they had better not postpone all other needful legis-
lation. The strictures passed by Mr. HORSMAN on
the course pursued by Mr. BRIGHT were true enough

in the main. He said that the course he pursued
was not really a popular one, and that all the
Members of Parliament shunned the invitations
sent to them to support the policy of the great
agitator. " All the tremendously earnest Refor-
mers, when invited, began with one consent to make
excuses." Such is different from the step that would
be taken bad they more confidence. Referring to
the principle of legislation, Mr. HoRsmAN said he
thought that they ought to have it based on three
great elements—namely, numbers, intelligence, and
property; and to effect this he would give a plura-
lity of votes proportioned to education and pro-
perty. As if to illustrate the preceding remarks as
to the danger of unrestrained opinions, some dis-
turbance was created by a stone being thrown from
the outside of the building, which injured a
gentleman present. Mr. HORSMAN made
some appropriate remarks on the new doc-
trine of "intimidation," which some persons
sought of late to introduce into English
policy. Their notion of free speech is to break the
windows and hustle the persons of those who dif-
fer from them. In conclusion, he said true Liberals
would not go to America for their institutions, to
the League for their political morality, or to Bir-
mingham for their Christian charity.

Mr. D 0 tiLTON'S observations were more brief when

he responded to the call of his friends last night at
a banquet in Lambeth. He did not assume, he said,
that all present agreed with him, but he thought
they did not wish him to give a " a blind, unthink-
ingHe obedience to any political party."
considered that those admitted to the franchise
should be qualified by political education and
training for exercising the privilege. The hon.
member went on to complain, that it was tyranny
under the guise of liberty to declare that he was
opposed to all Reform, because he was not able to
agree with the principles of the measure introduced
last Session. As for Mr. BRIGHT he now said that
it would not do for the House of Commons to
accept a Reform Bill from the Conservative Go-
vernment, but, as Mr. DOULTON truly said, " this
was not the language of an honest Reformer ; it
was not that he loved Reform less but agi-
tation more." As for all the excitement that
has taken place on the matter, the hon.
member said that it would most likely produce
unfavourable results, and if we find class more
arrayed against class, and if the working-classes
were more bitter against the House of Commons,
it will not be difficult to say where the responsi-
bility rests. Mr. DOULTON spoke in a very straight-
forward manner, declaring that he went into the
House of Commons as an independent member,
supporting measures, not men ; and while he was
there he would support the same principles as an
independent member, and not as the " nominee" of
any party.

The increasing interest with which the affairs of
our North American provinces are now regarded in
this country was evidenced last Wednesday by the
large and brilliant assembly which gathered at
Portsmouth to do honour to Lord MONCK. The
noble lord has, indeed, a, strong personal claim on
the personal regard of his former constituents, but
the compliment paid him was fully as much to the
Governor-General of Canada as to the ex-M.P.
The manner in which Lord MONCK has discharged
his official duties, duties which in his time must
have been unexpectedly onerous and critical in their
nature, has given general satisfaction, and he could
hardly have failed to be deeply gratified by the
cordiality and readiness of his welcome. Canadian
politics are now familiar tomost Englishmen, and the
important question of Confederation has been dis-
cussed with animation on both sides of the Atlantic.
The people of this country have sometimes been
accused of indifference towards their colonial pos-
sessions ; but at the first threat of danger to
Canada there was so strong and unanimous an
expression of public feeling that the Government
of the day could not hesitate how to act. Lord
Mosoc, in his speech the other evening, remarked
that twice during his Governorship he had
had to throw himself on the loyalty of
the people for the purpose of maintaining Bri-
tish institutions and British government there ;
and he believed that the whole property of the
colony would have been willingly expended for
the retention of the sanctity of British territory
and for the maintenance of British institutions. It
is gratifying also to find that Lord AloNcK is able
to speak iu warm terms of the loyal and intelligent
support which he has received, during his tenure
of office, from all parties of Canadian politicians.
Ia the colonies, as in the mother country, party
feeling often runs high, and it is therefore highly
encouraging to know that whatever their individual
differences of opinion, men of both sides combine to
support the representative of British authority.
There were present at the banquet many of the