The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-05 00:00:00

STATE OF PA4TIES.

(Prom the Morning Chrotiiele:l
Th 6 schism in the Liberal party, .whieh is so ap.
r areut in the House of Comm*, exists also in_ the
country. The constituencies are !as much divided
as their representatives. It is, therefore, quite in
the natural &time of things,: that the Conservatives
should inhetitthe lost plpulaiity-4 their rivals, if
only 'oat from the unknown and theynntried much
:s expt,ct-d. For, to toe grca: mass Of the comma-
''i'377l6' Min FO-or:tlis.s are uni.nown and untried.
Tiiati they }IAA ,
!.irce ceased to be the ""Toriea"
of f rinor epoch had becoind matier of notoriety.
It u}as equally evident, that many of the leading
meufbera of the party publicly professed ciOtilions,
which the most advanced 'Liberals -might. be proud
to acknowledge. Under such
.circumstance=, cu-
riosity alone would secureleftbem a fair hearing
and patient trial. It is no slight evidenciS of the
progress they haVe ,trade 'since they have been -in
office, that now no opposition is expected tiltbe re-
tuili of Sir Bulwer Lytton forllerfordshire.i Thies
ruoti!ths ago, the right hog. bAntiet declined -to ac-
ceptl the office he now holds, because a defeat was
considered within the range of possibility. The in-
test ne div sons of the Liberals, which at that time
had scarcely shown themselves, have since reached
such a height that it is said they dare not risk a
contest.
It is remarkable, too, that not the slightest de-
monstration has been _made from any part of the
country against the party in power, such as we
were familiar with on former occasions of the kind.
In every town or district there exist a pretty clique
of political busybodies, who have alWays skoWn •
themselves very fussy •in calling public meetings,
anti getting up declarations against he:Conserva-
ti4s, or, as they term them, the " Tories.7' Now,
all these noisy and a,etiVe personages are wholly
Frcm one end of the country- to the other
thole has not been a single manifestation of the
kind—no tribute of sympathy to either of the Whig
chiefs, or any censure of their opppneuts. So that
even the Old and well-worn machinery of politivil
agirai ion appears to be no longer at the command
of the (Heated faction, wit ) are completely para-
ly aged out of doors as within the House of Common,.

Througli the influence of the press, in which cer-
tain journals have shown a most praiseworthy but
inexplicable fidelity to the fallen party, they have
been en ibled to maintain a renablance of what they
desired sheuld pass for public opinion. Bat those
effotts have met with no response from the nation,
and it is very clear that they are in course of being
ab otdoned. Such a signal collapse of an almost
unbounded popularity is without a precedent or a
parallel in our political history.
It is now the everyday remark that Ministers
aie "safe," at all events till next year. Rifteativa•
men saw this at the outset, but -their opinion was
regarded as ridiculous. The formidable -majority
Which Lord Palmetston, by. raising a false isaue,
had obtained about twelve months . before, stin
maintained its gigantic proportions in the eyes. of
the mass of the community. It was believed that
the defeat of the late Ministry had been an acci-
dent—that Lord John Russell and. Lord Palmer-
ston had but to combine in a well-planned assault,
and the fate of the new Ministers was sealed. The
Apposition Chiefs have to thank themselves alone
lor the entire dispersion of these illuSions. Their
udicrous failures, and the palpably factious spirit
which has prevented their silent acceptance of the
obvious will of Parliament and the country, have
done far more injury to their interests than any
active movements of the Ministers. They had a
game in their hands which they did not know hove
to play. From the purely defensive, the Conser-
vatives are now able to take the offensive, and Mr.
Disraelt's late speech fell like a bombshell among
the Whigs, scattering them in all directions.
The more this idea of the Consolidation of Minis-
terial influence gains ground, the more will the
pe.Tle of England desire to know what is to be the
future course of the Government. We are happy
to see an abatement of that tendency of the ad-
vance I Liberals to domineer and dictate. It is well
for them to prefer their claims, but they must also
reflect, that the Ministers of the day are bound to
legislate and administer public affairs for the benefit
of the whole community, not for any class or eec-
tiou. On the other hand, while this forbearance
to exercise extreme demands is a becoming defer-
ence to public opinion, her. Majesty's Ministers
must not take it for more than it is worth, When
they were first appointed to their present offices,
some of their meat sincere friends, seeing what dis-
cordant elsments were associated—and that these
who hell Libsral views were by no means in the
majority—feared that they would fall into the error
of believing, that there was a reaction in favour of
Conservative" principles, and that they were less
through the misdeeds of their antagonists than
through their own proper virtues. Their natural
tendency to this belief is for them a much greater
danger than anything they have to fear from their
opponents. By adopting the principle of " open
que,tious" with regard to some delicate subjects,
they have avoided certain difficulties, but the peo-
ple will note from time to time the different views
taken by different members of the Cabinet on
the suns subjects, and will infer therefrom that
there is net much prospect of a vigorous and united
action. It will also be noticed. that although the
Parliamentary talent of the Ministry, in both
Houses, may be arrayed on the side of the morel
Liberal principles, the territorial influence is all
the other way. This also, will be regarded as an ill
omen, and every act of thel Administration will be
watched with jealous eyes, and with suspicions for-
tified by the adoption of a forgone conclusion.
All these are so many reasons why her Mijeey's
Ministers should at the earliest convenient moment
afford some clue to the line of policy they are pre-
pared to adopt, with regard to many questions on
which the public are isilly desirous of reform.
There is not the slightest disposition to hurry
them on, or to support factious movements
by those who neglected their duties while in power.
Ample time would be given for deliberation and
preparation, and a confidence reposed which would
not hastily be withdrawn. But to arrive at this
result, it is absolutely necessary that the people
should know whether they have a stationary or a
progressive Ministry at the head of affairs. The
course taken with respect totthe Property Qualifi-
cation for Members of Parliament has already shown
that Ministers are disposed to remove anomalies,
s t oi n
hand the projected settlement of
re-
specting the Jews is another tiie
manifestationqn e
•P
opposed in opinion are banded together by the same direction. But, where gentlemen notoriously
to
• and important the nation,
most interesting ex-
pedient of agreeing to differ upon some of the sub-
jects* is net IL
decisions. Their victories over
unnatural that some anxiety sh.ould. be felt
as to their ultimate
their au tag, nists have been signal, chiefly because
those antagonists chose to rest their opposition
upon grounds in which the people took no interest,
All those efforts having failed, it becoMes daily
more probable that the , Whig chiefs will change
their tactics.. The support afforded to Ministers by
the Independent Liberals is partly dictated from a
desire to avenge themselves on those whom they
believe to have betrayed them, and partly by a
hope of what may be obtained from a now Govern-
ment, which, for the present, is in a minority.
Both motives would cease to operate were the
Whig chiefs to embrace a broader policy, and in
the possibility of such a change consists the chief
difficulty of the present Administration.

RATS EVERYWHERE.—Rats feed and labour in the
dark ; they shun the approach of mac. If we enter a
barn or granary, where hundreds are living, we shall not
observe any, unless we disturb them in their hiding-
places. It we go to a rick that may be one living mass
within (a thing by no means uncommon), we shall no/
see one ; or if we dive into a cellar that may be perfectly
iofesttd, the result is the same—unless, perchance, a
str►y one may scud across for a more safe retreat. Hence
it is that men seldom think of rats, because they rarelyto
see them ; but if rats could be made by any ""6
live on the surface of the earth instead of in boles
wholea3andfkfields
corners, and feed and run about the streets
in the open day, like dogs and sheep,
there
na-
tion would be horror-stricken ; and. u tim
have
would not be a man, woman, or child but would.h
l. theately
met with them.—. Rats, h ~ iii.s
aevedrog;hseytick, or gun to effect theiride,e.rstr_untteiorny,wweiar-
numerous Anecdotes, by " uncle Jamey. ,