The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-21 00:00:00

~~~;

LONDON, SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 1866.

Watching the progress of the Great Debate in
the House itself, it is impossible not to be struck by
the extraordinary contrast presented to view by the
speeches for and against the Government. This
contrast, it is true, is one so distinctly marked of
its kind as to be sufficiently apparent even to an
observant reader in the printed records of the
discussion, as it advances from day to day, in the
columns of the newspapers. But, in the House
itself, watching the progress of the debate with a
vigilant eye, listening with an attentive ear to
the alternate arguments, pro and con, in regard
to the Bill of the Government and the Amend-
ment of the noble earl, the member for Chester,
the vividness of the contrast we are here alluding to
is something remarkable. We say this not only
with profound regret, as earnest and strenuous
advocates of Reform, bat we say it, we must
frankly acknowledge with a sense of absolute
chagrin! We who are no mere rose-water Re-
formers, but, on the contrary, Reformers cherishing
an ardent yearning for a progressive and indefinite
extension of the franchise—indefinite we mean
through the attainment eventually by the
masses, of the full prerogatives of National
Education and Universal Suffrage ! As Reformers
advocating not only persistently but with enthu-
siasm a thorough, searching, and comprehensive
Redistribution of Seats ! As Reformers urgently
demanding the widening more and more of the old
restricted Boundaries ! As Reformers, in fine,
devoted heart and soul—from the depth of our con-
victions as to its inestimable value—the claiming
for the electors generally that of only valid, and
substantial guarantee for the security of perfect
freedom of Election, and of the absolute
prevention of corruption and bribery, meaning
the priceless boon of the Ballot ! As Parlia-
mentary Reformers of this advanced character,
and of these resolutely avowed principles—as Re-
'ormers, in other words, in no way at all hesi-
tating, lukewarm, or indifferent, we cannot,

after watching very carefully the course of the de-
bate, now adjourned until Monday, we can
not but acknowledge, with profound chagrin,
the disappointment we have experienced in noticing

what no one, with the most careless eye, with the
least attentive ear, could by any possibility fail to
notice in the House, night after night, the melan-
choly contrast presented to view by the mass of
speeches delivered, on the one part, in favour of, on
the other part, directly antagonistic to the amend-
ment.

The cogency of argument as yet—it is impos-
sible not to admit it—has been all on
one side. The reason for this being, only
too obviously, that Ministers have most egre-
giously blundered into a false position
themselves, and have afterwards dragged into an
equally false position in their wake the mass of their
thick-and-thin supporters. Error the first was—in
dealing with the great Question of Reform only in
a piecemeal way. Error the second—in altering
their tactics, after the contest over the bill, such as
it was, had actually commenced. Error the third—
in assuming a tone of dictation to the hesitating
Independents, some of them, like the mover of
the Amendment, immediately behind the Treasury
bench, some of them even like the right hon. mem-
ber for Stroud, habitually occupying a seat among
the feer spirits below the gangway. Error the
fourth—the recklessly imputating of themost paltry,
nay, of the most disgraceful, motives to all such
Independents, Liberals and Reformers as ventured
to call their souls their own—not regarding as a
perfect masterpiece in the shape of a Reform Bill
the wretched little abortion of a Bill, one-legged
and one-eyed and one-armed, over the dwindling
vitality of which the leaders of party are yet hold-
ing high debate ! Up to this present time the only
two pro-Government speeches, in fact, at all
worthy of serious consideration, the only two
speeches worthy of the cause of Reform as re-
garded from the side of Government, are the
speeches of the philosophic member for West-
minster and of the hon. and learned gentleman the
member for Exeter. As for the rest of the speeches
made from the same point of view, meaning the
point of view of the Government, they have been
not only disappointing, but, to the last degree,
inefficient, and even irritating. So infectious has'
been the tone of vexation there, that for one moment
the placable temperament of the Home Secretary
was -jarred into an evidence of irritation. That
the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs should have
lost his temper was only, to be sure, a mere matter
of course. From the Under Secretary for the Co-
lonies, however, something better was looked for than
the worried and bungling way in which, while of
course bent upon advancing the interests of the
Government, he only weakened the confidence
and improved the prospects while eliciting the
ironieal cheers of the Opposition. While the de-
bate has been winding its slow length along, more-
over, fully half-a-dozen (counting, of course, twelve
adverse votes upon division) have been lost through
the election committees, to the Government. And
all the while the bulk of the Parliamentary successes
in the way of really able and brilliant speaking
during the run of this debate, have been upon the
side not of the Opposition but of the sup-
porters—upon both sides of the House, and
that, moreover, almost .equally above and below
the gangway—of Earl GROSVENOR'S amendment.
notorious, fact we
thoroughly
Bear in mind—in distinct demonstration of the
antdhuepctloostehliys are here
alluding to—the
moment the Wholly unanswered speech of the
seconder of the amendment,
the noble lord the
member for King's Lynn • Remember the
brilliant oratorical success achieved by the right hon.
baronet the member for Hertfordshire, as yet the
most telling hit of all in the House itself, so far as
debate has yet gone ! Remember, too, the able
and logical oration (against the Bill, and for the
amendment) of the hon. and learned gentleman
the member for Belfast ! Turning to the dis-
cusion which took place last evening in the House
of I Commons, we must say again, quite frankly
as Reformers, that the exceptional, the almost
solitary speech as yet of any excellence on the side
of the Government was that genial, kindly, manly,
most persuation, and thoronghly charming speech
delivered last night in the interests of the Government
by the member for Exeter. As a speech at last worthy
of the subject, of the occasion, and of the cause, it
was nothing less to us than absolutely refreshing.
As Reformers still clinging to' a confident belief
that a good and sound and comprehensive measure
of Reform may yet be carried into law within
the existence of this
present Parliament—
though not assuredly through any such abortive
agency as this little peddling Franchise Bill of the
RUSSELL-GLAnsToNE Cabin t
e —we feel grateful
to Mr. COLZEIDGZ fofi having,c, i
n some