The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-02 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
GLOBE.—The condition of Ireland becomes
daily more portentous. A spirit of mutation sheds its
influence upon leading men -of opposite parties. A
restlessness and dissatisfaction with the existing
state of the political institutions of the country per-
vades the whole population. Important organic
changes are demanded, as essential to effect the im-
provement of the social and moral condition of the po-
pulation. This demand does not now proceed from the
"agitators," the "demagogues," who "enrich themselves
at the cost of the miserable dupes whom they cajole."
The Act of Union is now denounced, and is sought
to be repudiated, by men of weight and influence in
the Conservative party, whose exertions were for-
merly employed to maintain the order of things, as
it was settled by the Act of Union ; by whom repeal
was contemplated as fraught with calamities to
Ireland, and repealers were deemed malignan
rebels, whose machinations were but little
less than treason ; whose purpose it was
the duty of Government to overturn by the
-power of the law, enforced, if necessary, b y i-
litary execution. The reversal of the judgment against
O'Connell and the other repeal leaders, added to the
absence of any remedial measures for the grievances o
the people, by which the popular feeling might be con-
ciliated, has produced a deeply-seated conviction—even
among a large number of Protestant Conservatives—
that the existing relations of the two countries, or the
anode in which Ireland is at present governed, must be
materially changed. The Dublin Mail (which is, beyond
comparison, the best written and most widely-circulated
Conservative journal in Ireland), in alluding to Dr.
Maunsell's speech on his motion brought before the
Town Council of Dublin on Wednesday last, "for an
address to the Queen, praying her to hold her Court
and Parliament in Ireland once in every three years,"
says, that the Learned Doctor's speech on the occasion
" has excited more attention among the citizens of all
classes and denominations, than any project of a sane
character that has been propounded in this land of pro-
jects for some years. It appears also to be universally
popular, notwithstanding the truly Irish paradox of its
not having had a seconder." The cause of Dr. Maun-
sell's motion not being seconded, and its consequent
failure, is thus explained by the same Conservative
organ :—" The handful of Conservative oouncillors
who so magnanimously deserted Dr. Maunsell, were
to a man in favour of the proposition ; but it came so
suddenly upon them that they had not time to
learn what would be thought at the Castle o
their voting for it ; therefore they valorously
stayed away from the meeting, or, as was the
case with two or three individuals, they went
there to render themselves ridiculous by making
it publicly known that they were in favour of the
movement, but had not yet received the signal to
join in it." For Conservatives to devise such a
mode of suppressing the repeal agitation, and divest-
ing O'Connell of the influence which he holds and
exercises in Ireland--and this is one of the argu-
ments adduced to recommend the scheme of an am-
bulatory Court sad Parliament—is indicative of the
change that has come over the spirit of the party
since the defeat of the prosecution they counselled
the Government to institute against both. They
evidently despair of entangling O'Connell in the
meshes of law, and abandon all hope that the
Government will risk the defeat of another prosecu-
tion. They have, therefore, set on foot a counter-
agitation. A proposed change, as chimerical a.s that
of O'Connell's repeal of the union, is launched on the
restless waters of 'popular discontent; and numbers
commit themselves to this crazy project, believing that
it will deprive repeal of its influence, and afford to
the distracted and suffering population a refuge from
the accumulating grievances which afflict the country.
Another section of the Conservative party in Ireland
is busily engaged in discussing and recommending a
Federal Parliament project. This they also believe
will wean the national mind from repeal, and provide
a remedy for the numerous causes which have pro-
duced the present disorganised condition of society in
that country. This project the Belfast News Letter
(a Tory journal) regards as little less mi-chievous than
repeal ; but states that its projectors arc daily receiving
accessions to their ranks from among the Protestants of
the northern province, and that a formidable agitation
for its adoption is rapidly organising:—" We deem it
necessary to be plain with our rculers, and to in-
form them, without disguise, that the crisis of Ireland's
fate is ai,proaching, and that whole ina,,,e,i of nominal
Protestants are preparing, not to join the O'Connellite
movement in the first instance, but to adopt a sys-
tem of orga,iii,ation Nvllich, without any effort on his
part, will enable 9'Connell to carry his most ambi-
tious sch,nies to an easy and triumphant issue. in
these remarks, we refer in an eltecial degree to the
plan of federalism, which is now beginning to be
openly supported by men who have hitherto stood
high in the ranks of Conservatism ; and let no mistake
xist—federalism is repeal in all its essential ele-
ments, the only difference between the parties being
as to the quality and powers of the legislative assembly
which is to be established on the ruins of the union
settlement. By both the Act of Union is denounced,
and doomed to utter abrogation." It is not
to be regarded with surprise that the Irish Con-
servatives, as a party, should be dispirited and be-
wildered. They plainly see that the policy of Sir
Robert Peel's administration in Ireland is doomed
to failure. With respect to the nation, it has effected
nothing. Its only positive attempt to do something
was a specimen of " craven courage," the proceedings
under which were marked by a reckless disregard of
those high principles which ought to characterise the
acts of a Government. The process of law degenerated
into a struggle for party triumph. A court of criminal
jurisprudence was degraded by being made the arena
of a paltry contest between political gladiators ; and
the very judges sullied the purity of their robes by
descending from the bench into the arena of strife.
No wonder that the proceeding was deprived of moral
influence ! The public looked on the protracted pro-
ceedings without a single sentiment of respect.
The verdict was denuded of all claim to moral convic-
tion of its truth ; and without the concurrence of pub-
lic opinion in the finding of a jury, the result is a
mockery of justice. The abrogation of the monster
proceedings was hailed by the mass of the people as
triumph of right over oppression ; while the minority,
who had counselled the prosecution, or hoped that a
sustained conviction would silence O'Connell, and
thus afford a triumph to their party over a trouble-
some political opponent, now reproached Ministers,
as the authors, with a failure for which they were not
chargeable ; and, as is not unusual with a defeated
party, having been foiled in the field, employ their
weapons against each other.
STANDARD.—The oracular Times has at length
broken silence on the subject of the mayoralty, and,
as might have been anticipated, insists that it could
have prevented the election of Alderman Gibbs to
the civic chair, had it been so disposed ! But mercy
is an attribute of valour, and our Contemporary has,
according to its own account, exercised extraordinary
forbearance in the matter. It dwells with much self-
gratulation on the success of its resistance to Mr.
Ald. Wood and Mr. Ald. Harmer, although con-
strained to admit that the cases of those gentlemen
were by no means analogous to that of Mr. Gibbs.
On the contrary, whilst its charges against the for-
mer gentlemen were clear and well defined, it has (it
says) " assumed nothing" against Alderman Gibbs—
organised no opposition to him ! The readers
. of its columns during the last fortnight will
know what degree of credit to attach to these
assertions ; and will be enabled, from the
evidence of their own senses, to say if a
more virulent system of persecution was ever
organised against any public man than that
-which has been hounded on by the Times against
the Lord Mayor elect. From the heavier metal of
its leading columns, and the " long range" of Mr.
Rock, to the tiraillage of scores of petty assailants
in the guise of correspondents, whose small arms
have been directed through its medium at the
_Alderman, every attempt has been made that it was
possible to make to keep him from the civic
chair. Need we remind our readers of the cleverly-
concocted and most elaborate forgery by which
it was attempted to prejudice him with his fellow-
citizens ' • and the refusal of the Editor of the Times
to contradict, either as an advertisement, or in the body
of the paper, his statement that the Alderman had been
already rejected by the Livery; or of the numerous ex-
cerpts from the attacks of other journals. All these ex-
ertions, although backed by the Globe, and countenanced
Ly Punch, have miserably failed. The power of the
Assailant has been weighed in the balance, and found
wanting; its jokes have fallen cold and corpse-like on
the ears of the Livery ; and its thunder has created no
snore alarm in their minds than the imitative peal
shaken out of a sheet of copper at Sadler's Wells.
Old Prosy (vide Moore) hardly found greater diffi-
culty in obtaining a hearing for his exposition of the
merits of his "annual pill," or more pathetically
deplored the impracticability of his audience—
" Pleas ma heart, pleas ma heart, let me say vat I will,
Not a Chriahtian or shentleman minds vat I say."
But the Livery of London were well aware of
the character of their monitor, and the motives
• which prompted its denunciations, and attached.
-- no more importance to them than they de-
served. Its influence, exerted to the utmost, has
been tested, and found, so far as the City of London
is concerned, insufficient to enable it to crush one poor
alderman ! This is a mortifying discovery ; and we
accordingly give our Contemporary credit for the sin-
cerity of its desire that the "affair may now be con-
: rts' ssiqe
• dto oblivion."
. IV ALES RAILWAY.—About fifty gentlemen
4,-."-‘ fit lc as i deputation from Chepstow to our railway
, ' if,,,4.4...c.,,:-. ) rteoiliferat se Town-hall, on Monday last. Our neigh-
. t.•-_-...; ,-. /idiots, app to enter spiritedly into the great project of
(
.!:- J . • 01, Soliffl liroa .• S Railway.—Momnouth Merlin.
c:''- - - ...W reinikr • ably fine woodcock was shot near Rain-
-4,.. ! ' ,- - 1
,sifigayk W . Hibbert, surgeon, of Bollington, on Wed-
Ii ,Fe. :, : st, an unusually early period of the season.—
lif, , ~, afield Courier.