The Sun.
London, England, 1835-06-16 00:00:00

Zixe 1 t

LONDON,
TUESDAY EVENING, JUNE 16, 1635.

The Corporation Reform Bill was read a second
time last night, and, as we had anticipated, without
opposition. The discussion which took place suggests
some remarks which a press of matter compels us to
postpone till to-morrow.

Mr. ROEBUCK'S attack on the Press last night in
the House of Comm-ons is a burst of patriotic indigna-
tion, that in temperance might become a COBBETT,
and in sagacity a SIBTHORP. The Hon. and
Learned Member professed himself horror-struck at
the extreme licentiousness of all newspaper editors—
for in the sweeping frenzy of his virtuous vituperation,
he scorned all exceptions—observing of these much
enduring individuals, that there " was not a more im-
moral class of writers in the world ; that they were
hired assassins, who could stab at reputation in the
dark, and who proceeded on the most dishonest, dis-
honourable, and cowardly system. He was sure that if
the stamp-duty was removed from newspapers, it would
entirely ruin the daily press, and which he con-
sidered would be much in the cause of mo-
rality ; for, from the highest to the lowest of
the newspapers, they were all alike base, mean,
dishonest, dishonourable, and cowardly in their manner
of conduct." This, it must be confessed, is terrific
sarcasm. But what has the Press done to. deserve it ?
Has it ever falsified its character for sagacity or
honesty, by discovering the elements of superlative
statesmanship in this Bath Junius ? Has it ever
accused him of being a Fox in eloquence, or a PITT
in energy ? We, at least—whatever may be the case
with our contemporaries—have never made such dis-
coveries—never instituted such charges against him ;
nay, so far from any thing of the sort, we have not
even been able to discover the superior wisdom of his
last pamphlet I Why, then, should the lightnings
of his vengeance fall so heavily upon us ? Have
we not suffered enough in being compelled to
wade through his speeches on the Canada
question, but we must be still further tor-
tured by his blistering sarcasm ? Really, Mr. ROE-
BUCK should have some little compassion, and exercise
the same quiet forbearance towards us, that we have
been in the habit of exercising towards his multifarious
tracts, speeches, and pamphlets. It will be time
enough for him to impugn our motives, when we begin
to praise his own statesmanlike qualifications. Be-
sides, why does he include the whole Press in his cen-
sure ? The very least he could have done, would
have been to except The Sun, for from the first mooting
of the Repeal of the Stamp Duties, we have been among
the most zealous in its favour. But possibly he was not
aware of this fact ? Surely then it was his duty to insti-
tute an enquiry, before he involved the whole Press in a
charge of wishing to keep up a monopoly, for interested
motives I Hon. Members are very fond of inveighing
against the licentiousness of Newspaper Editors, but no
one ever breathes a syllable against the licentiousness of
the attacks on them. Were we to say but one-third against
Mr. ROEBUCK,. of what he said against us last night,
the whole House would ring with the enormity for a
month to come ; but that which is a flagrant atrocity,
when penned by us, is a mere harmless jeux d'esprit
when spoken by him ! Nevertheless, we have no ill-
will towards Mr. ROEBUCK. We think him, to be
sure, something of the smallest among politicians ;
but we are utterly unconscious of harbouring any worse
opinions of him.

The various individuals against whom the SPEAKER' s
warrant had been issued (in the case of the late Ips-
wich Election) were last night ordered, by the House
of Commons, to be committed to Newgate ; but not
before Sir ROBERT PEEL, with his usual ten-
derness towards Tory delinquents, had pleaded
hard. for delay, in the hopes that they might