The Sun.
London, England, 1835-05-30 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF IITEISIiBL EC` JOURNALS.

--ersrporat;on Re'forni, rte. the:,tinie for, ihe_introditetign.
oll.4catnisterial ineasiire-,draws near, is the prbini-
neilt 4ubject of public.interest...:-,:A.,sysiomOf'"inalici-
prd govilininent; towng.rof- England
an I rWales, and including., in all Upwards ot-250
• ,borouglis,,,many of Ahem possessnig
_a very
.affects 'so, ua interests, that
tlie-
coittc•inplated- change, :giv'es,, iriTessailly,,....rie to, the
vatest.e*citernent. No :-fewer than 263 Members of
House of Commons are, returned by. the
.corporate
t-wnsAf England-and'iVales Alone; When we reflect
the-long -period- .daring:„Whicli these,:.'Coinintinities
1 oroaned scandalous ;evils of the
sur-
„jail-4° unicipal.:*teipi -not _be
.14A-.. at the. intense anxiety
,with which 'the.' Mi-
*l- .ststial- plan of Reform -is,-expected:, To . whom
Feople indebted' for the long'
-.:enjoyed by the COriu-pt. 'Corporaters,'"and,
-ttie -licence with which ,they: ,perpetrated the : most'
alnkes?,l
:We to thejories.,
' key . were " Consen. Tatives'f of inian isipal;" `iis .'of all
.ttie.icorp.- rations were the
.Pllll stay of tfie dott7iSion of
__the -Borotighmongers.
endeavoiti mitigate the evils of the system
.ivaa obstinately-resisted; lest the power of the Borough-
rosigers might :thereby-be‘paiTlyxed, In 1827, on
,e-motion of Mr. kabaily,7 respecting the.apPlation
• liniricipal funds to-electren- purposes by the North-
r.,mptan -Corporation, 'Sir Robert Peel's speeches went
ro4aroassertion of a legal „right in.. the Corporiors
t.);ini,sappropriate the public, prOperty.-- -On the mo 7
s;tiii-of Mr. Sykes, —in. the sairie„ yeat; for:an inquiry
itito the profligate conduct of the Leicester Corpora;
titn',"the then "Mr:-Secretary:-Peerjustified the ma.
I.ufacture of.hiinciraiyaa ylhat inunapiate Cor;
thought-ithat the House could not oc-
, .110-"their time more- uselessly, br. in . Itny manner
04ich could tend; more to lower their _digngy,,,thap.
kohl°. 'into an inquiry to ascertain—whether*
1. slot ;certain individuals in: the• borough .of•Eeirestdr;
t. were Blues, or Indigo.B4ies, or Sky Blues."-(1:-/a7i
.° card's Debates, Vol: LVI. p. 1210.) Lord -Lynd-
car I)ntst, on a liiiiilardiJassion, boldly argued--thib
: uch party appropriation, of public funds Was riaoarity
• ;t lentil but- a legitimate 'expenditure. And yet, not-
• t.
Vithstanding tins biibtushing defence of the•worat.pait
• of the Corporation abuses, the Tories 'recently affected.'
1, so be disposed to entertn the question of municipal:
:Reform I Their.:repentAnce comes too late. 'The new
ot light of Sir Robert.,,Peel. does not blind the 'country ;
rind an honest maioritp; cif the representstives.of the
FA!
people wisely determineu.liot to trust " the-wolves in
rfr.a.! sings clothiing'4,among.; their flbcks.
political offences of thel4efroriesmeenfined.totheirun,
onstitutional OfenAe, At the-election aladveknifthe
*close Corporations. Aiiir,mg. grit century ~„of rule;'
they have not only.not.:_introducea -any improvemehe
into any one Allepartrhenetif municipal institution s,
but they have not -even-extended the boundaries of
• ,slicipal jurisdiction, as'PlSPUlatiOn4duterew its ancient.
bartered limit's... HnVe they, for instance, in any one:
c.sinOe measure, really improved the civil or criminal_
jurisdictions ? Hive they organized any popular
poiiee suited to the.: exigencieS of the times ? No.'
The governing 'bodies/. continue self-elect,-contrary to
,their ancient. constitution, Their, :civil and criminal
~urisdictions have,falleninto deOY, or become extinct,
swallowed up by the superior 'binds of Westminster'.
Hall. Recorders, "learned in the -laW" have been
generally superse,ded by noble patrons. MacristrateS
iorlife have been nominated by, "Borough; Proprie-
tor's," and invested by law 'with terrifiCarid-iireeporisi-.
ble.powers. TQ;linclerlcs. have jobbed the public in-
. terests. Patronage, lay and ecclesiastical, has been
prostituted for venal trafic in the elective franchise.
-'he. very lowest .class of inhabitants have ,been invest
Led ;with municipal authority ; and the most moral, in-
-elligent, and opulent, excluded from participation' iii
municipal power. The- freenien 'have been the bas
ools of their wholesale' manufacturers. Charities have
• Leen used as bribes:* In the. meanWliile, nOtWithstand-

ngthe enormona, income
.of, the—Corporators, the bur
dens- 'of local taxation have periodically 'increased;:
• The concluding passage in the General Report of the
..•
CornM e issions for intoinquiring• the etisting-
:state of the Corporations, -briefly-and tersely records
the result of their invaluable investigation
In conclusion,:wtreport tb your'Maj'esty that there prevails
amongst the inhabitants of a great majority of the incorporated
"' jiiwns ti general 'and; inouropinion; njust-dissatisfaction wxtfi
their municipal mstiiiitioris ; '.a • distrust of the self7elected mu-
nicipal councils, whose powers are subject to no popular c 09.-
ttuul, and whosq, act& and, proeebdings being, arc un-
▪ •-:-I-hecked by theinfluenee of publio.opinion.4. a 'distrust .of
municipal magistraeY:lainting -with kuspicion the local
iitstration of justice,- and--:Ofitit._ accompanied with- contempt :o'f
the persons by wlioni the lau• is•adininistered; a discontent un-.
Ater-the burdens of local-taxation, while revenues that.pught to
lie applied for the riblic-advantae.o art diverted from their
'6l'egitirriate use, and are sotittimeS -wastefully' bestowed for die'
-Itienefit of individuals.; sometimes .squandered for, 'purposes in-
inrious to the character and morals of the-people. We. there,'
fore feel it to,kgur diity to represenuo your Majesty that the
• existing Municipal Corporations- of.England.:inid,JVales
possess nor. deserv,e the. Onfidence or respect of your ,
.•
ie.sty's subjects, and. that a thorough' Reform must be iff'Wt;(l,`'
.."btfore they can become, tad we huniblysubmit to yoUr Majesty
they ought to be, useful and_ efficient. instruments of local (Jo-.
~v.gnment." • . •
• --Such is the- all-:important object of the- great legis-
lative measure-which Lord John Russellis pledged to:
bring forwafd: on Monday.- , honest proposition,
'will secure to
,th'er Ministry -of Lord Melbourne the
confidence , and grAtitude, of the. nation, Despite -pf
'.Ponies and theirlffiliated-Clubs, such-a measure must.
•
bentriuinphantly borne along on the- current of public.
opinion. It is the, long-wished-for postscript of the
Reform ronkle. _
:The Reform. Association has created no slight panic
among the 'Tories: We never doubted that Sooner 'Ai'
• :liter_ they would_repent idf party, agitatibu,and Political
:Cr di7ieern• the conseqUenceS,Of
14beir " Conservative- glubSt"... But tbeThatic.-,passed
:•'!ie,.B.ubicoxi,..atidi-cantiot 'retreat. The ~styziafizi-ci- of
•
• „ .:Tstnight, iu,t joolumneof commentary -on the for-
nidable array- of members in :the Liberal
justifies' .the course' of
,Self7,defenee adoptei
the- Reformers; and pronounces it-, not only legal, but-
extremely judicious." Our 'Contemporary describes
..: it as an " energetic and well-contrived system:" ; Vie
.__Skrolard cka4 discerns, that the union and organia,
',ln of the Reformers, now rapidly spreading throughout
'England, Scotland, and:lreland, Will lead to the- ex-
.
• -1.1-osibti of the secret. inineS" of, the " Conservatives," .
nd thereby defeat their , machinations. Our Con-.
Tories to imitate
_tkeir opponents.. Th Tories, by .t.tte bye,
• constantly assuming new - names. Conservatism
--ltavinT, it I,iotild appear; lost its attractions, .the
r, ,
.41:ated societies are . henceforth to -adopt the distinotidn,

'Ol Pi-dtestaoi,rni Chibs ! We have long known that
iithe Carhop Club of the metropolis was an eye=sore to.
shrewdei' Tories.' . The Sthndard appear; to
blow at the members of this secret political society;
fur we can only thaci.this inference from. our= Contem—
. norary's hints'ot:the exiiedieney Of a counter associa-
tion, howeYer....dis,agree.able to that -over-aetive 'body of
•
K We
pross," he sags, "- this point, because we' think it of
.the very greatest Importance, and *cause we know that it.
_wit be the ..zeverse of agreeable to _many amongst thOe who
~..7,ss'ume to direct the affairs_ of the party called Conservative;
... including amongst those tdlWhOin we give offence, the fopling
and.l,--raspirant.4awyerlings, who take up politics as-a:
▪ -These people-delight to hear of nothing so much a§ a
constituency in want
_a candidate ; and that there
3nly be one or two such, for.their own convenience, they Would
s.ie,five-sixths of the constituencies of the king.ldoni
;•
an doned the 'on " *
•Et tu, Brute ! might the members— Of the Carlton
t.
ell exclaiin list 'night, when they read this graPhic.
(Liscription of :themselves. But wherefore the .new
Ilickname of Protestantisin " The ;Bible is the
af Protestants," declared Chillingworth„ and.
.11.!s principles are decidedly those of the Protestant
:Dissenters of England and Wales, and of .the scotch
Presbyterians:- --As the •"-Peel Tories" are now avow-
inn, their political repentance; anti "putting On the mask
Liberalism—is they now- hold that we enjoy .but'
one, estate, the People—we recommend to thefrn,the
, ilreferable ifameof;thg.CoyformeTs.. In vain, however,
"• '4611 the Tories
.switp:against the current. • •.Thefr can-
:•.*.not make. head., the tide: public opinion.
• '•
.%ven Sir R. Peel, the Yalinurtisiolthe- Tories, will be,
unable to keep his station at the helm. ThF prin.
•eiples of Toryism are alien to the feelings of the
people. Tor one member enlisted by the " Conser-