The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-04 00:00:00

have had, indeed, nothing to fear but from the Stock
Toryism of the Lords, naturally expect that their
representatives vill be present and sustain their
hard-won position.

Liberal members must also look at the general
position of their party. Wednesday victories over
Religious Liberty have been the chief device of the
Tories for making the country out of love with the
Liberal party. That party could always muster in
sufficient strength to leave the other party in a
minority. It has failed to do so. It even suffered
an amendment to be carried this year by a majority
of five, on so long triumphant a measure, and one
so simply a measure of religious liberty, as the
Marriage Bill—this is ruinous neglect of their own
interests by the Liberal. party. They might well
take a lesson from the opposite party. Thus
The Press, showing how much these damaging
defeats of the Liberals on their own ground do for
the Tories, adds—" All that is wanted to complete
the disasters of Ministers is the defeat of the Church-
rate Bill on the third reading !" Our contemporary
is quite right. We believe nothing better could
be done to render Liberal electors supine in
their support of the present Government than
to see it not exerting its influence suffi-
ciently to secure a good majority (relatively, we
mean, to such a Tory Parliament as this) for Sir
JOHN TRELAWNY. The principal Liberals in the
Cabinet (for Mr. GLADSTONE is merely a commer-
cial Liberal) have all given in their adhesion to the
Bill, and hence though it is not a Government mea-
sure, it is so far a Liberal Cabinet measure, that
the Cabinet would lose the confidence of the coun-
try by its defeat.
Of one thing there is no doubt, the Tory pha-
lanx is well in hand, and will do its work. Not a
man who can be present will be absent. To defeat
the long-victorious Churoh-rate Abolition Bill
will be almost a compensation for their own defeat
on the Budget. They will be able to point to more
victories over Liberals, than of Liberals over Tories,
this session. They will proclaim themselves as the
conquerors, so far as distinctively Liberal measures
are concerned, and to accomplish this end they
will naturally strain every nerve. Their tactics,
really creditable from the party front of view, can
be met successfully only by imitation of them. If
Tory members will make the requisite sacrifice to
be present in full force at every division on a Liberal
measure, Liberal members must make the same
sacrifice, or leave the country to conclude that
its Liberal majority is more indolent than the large
Tory minority. Of course the next thought will
be, if they give themselves no trouble to serve us,
why should we take trouble to keep them in Par-
liament.

On the merits of the question we have said
nothing. Everyone understands them. All resolves
itself into this—" Are the members of the Church
of England as competent as those of every other sect
to pay for the expenses incidental to their worship,
and the repairs of their places of worship P" Seeing
Dissenters not only do this, though confessedly far
less wealthy, but also pay the salaries of their own
ministers, and build all their own places of worship,
it seems childish to argue the question. We are
ashamed of Churchmen who can degrade their own
Church by asking coercive powers for what others
effect so easily by voluntary subscription.

It will be remembered how very pacific were the
anticipations of our leading statesmen seven or
eight years ago, when we were all the while drift-
ing into war with Russia ! It will also be borne
vividly in recollection by those who listened to the
debate in the House of Commons on Thursday
night, the 30th ultimo, the night of the last great
division—how very pacific also was the tone of the
closing words of the speech delivered upon that
occasion by the noble lord her MAJESTY'S Foreign
Secretary. It was the most bland and consolatory
peroration well imaginable. It was tinted with
the purest couleur de rose. It was calculated, if
only it could have been accepted by them as pro-
phetic, to lull to rest for ever all the evil anticipa-
tions of her MAJESTY'S Opposition. "It is neces-
sary," said Lord JOHN RUSSELL, "It is necessary
I should assure the House that neither with regard
to America, nor with regard to any of the great
European nations, do I see at present any prospect
that our pacific relations will be disturbed. The
world, however, is in a state of change, and far
be it from me make any prophecy that
peace will, in all the changes, be preserved. All
I can say is that, as far as I know, the feelings of
all the States towards this country are friendly:
that there are no questions pendingupon which any
conflict is likely to arise; and that, as far as my
humble means can promote the cause of peace and
goodwill upon earth, I will exert them to that
end." Whereupon the House broke forth into loud
cheers—or, at any rate, the Ministerialists did, as
in duty bound. Now, look for a moment to these
words precisely as we have printed them. Note
those we have emphasised by italicising them. They
are worthy of particular consideration. Because,
while they are Lord JOHN'S zpsissirna verba, his
identical utterances as reported the next day in the
columns of the public newspapers, they appeared
upon that morning of Friday, the 31st ultimo, in
the columns of our chief morning contemporary,
simultaneously with an incidental running commen-
tary of a character the most deplorably inoppor-
tune ! Another part of the Times of that date
gave, as usual, the latest intelligence
transmitted to that journal from France
by its able Paris Correspondent. At the
head of his communication, under date "Thursday,
the 30th," (the very day of Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S
speech in the House of Commons, that benignant
foreshadowing of a roseate future, as sketched out
by the bewitchingly pacific peroration already
quoted)—at the head of the Paris Correspondent's
letter, of that date, to the Times newspaper, the
writer gave the subjoined circular, intimating while
doing so that it had very recently been in circula-
tion in the French capital:—
" THE CONSTITUTION AND THE UNION.

" All citizens of the United States now in Paris
desirous of uniting in an expression of devotion to
the Constitution and the Union of their country are
invited to breakfast at the Hotel du Louvre, on
Wednesday, May 29, at 12 precisely. Ladies are
particularly invited."

Appended to which circular were two authenti-
cating signatures—namely, J. W. TUCKER, 13, Fau-
bourg Montmartre, and C. F. HONEY, 79, Richelieu.
After the explanatory prefix of the which circular,
come the Paris Correspondent's report of the pro-
ceedings which really took place in the Hotel du
Louvre at this festive celebration—proceedings of
which we gave the full particulars only as recently
as yesterday, referring to them casually in our
leading columns of last evening. And now in
regard to that earliest report, and in regard
t 5 those same proceedings, it will be suf-
ficient if we here remark that, in the
midst of that instant reference to it
the Miles Correspondent at Paris observed:—
" Mr. CAsslus CLAY, the American Minister to
St. Petersburg, was then called upon by the chair-
man to address the meeting, which he did at some
length. He spoke with energy on the conduct of
England, and of the belligerent rights' recognition
and the English Government. He quoted his own
letter addressed to the Times some days back, which,