The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-04 00:00:00

THE POST-OFFICE.

.
Two or three acts of the tragi-comedy of the Post-office
have now been performed, and that to the great dissatisfac-
tion of the public, the chief performerhaving been very nearly
hissed off the stage. To save himself he has had recourse—
he
has been suffered to have recourse---Ao a 'very singular
expedient ; one to which no parallel can be found in the
actings on the political stage of Great Britain or any other
country : he has not only secured to himself a private trial,
but he has chosen his own jury! The whole affair is of so
peculiar a character, that it ought to be put upon record, and
even then will hardly be believed. The discovery is made
that Sir James Graham has opened letters at the General
Post-office. He does not deny the charge ; but, as was said
on a previous proceeding, "he higgles and haggles" about
it. Ile has done it—others have done it—it is justifiable by
Act of Parliament. But he will make no disclosure, will give
no explanation of the particulars, or in what cases the act of
opening letters has been performed by him ; in fact, he will
tell nothing,except what he cannot deny—that he has opened
letters. At last, being pressed by the stringency of a motion
on the part of Mr. Duncombe, that " a Select Committee be
appointed to inquire into a department of her Majesty's
Post-office commonly called the Secret or Inner-,
office," he higgles and haggles afresh for some time.
The two words taken together may be aptly
called " Graham-izing ;" he Graham-izes for some
time, and then comes forth with the astonishing
concession or proposition—" Yes, you shall have a Com-
mittee, to your soul's delight ; not only a select, but a secret
one ; and I myself will appoint all the members !" "It
never rains but it pours," says the old proverb ; and the
present state of the atmosphere, both physical and political,
acts up to the adage. " Sir James" (there is no Graham 7
izing here !), " you give us more than we want ; we don't
wish to impose upon you the trouble of nominating tile Com-
mittee ; we can do that ourselves. A starving wretch—one
of your aspirants to an union workhouse—begs of you a crust
of bread, which you churlishly refuse him ; but being con-
strained by his importunity, you then attempt to cram a
whole quartern loaf into his mouth." Bah ! bah This is
not reason or common sense. But then the Committee thus
precipitately and unexpectedly created, and forced upon
those who chose it not, is to consist of a majority by one of
Whigs. We like it not the better for that ; for the custom
is acknowledged to have received Whig sanction. And here-'
in is another gross absurdity ; for it is confessed that the
inquiry is to be general ; the honour of the nation and the
principles of a free state are concerned in it. It is not Sir
James's practice, it is not Lord John's practice, we
are assured, that are the subjects of investigation.
Cannot a constitutional Government in full peace
exist without this odious Dionysian principle ? And
therefore you begin by at •nce making it a party
question between Whigs and Tories. Neither is the Whig
portion of the Committee free from suspicion : one mem-
ber of it at least has had very close liaisons with Sir
James. The Committee itself may determine what it
pleases; its decision is not worth a straw. The peripeteia
of the drama will inevitably be hissed. We have just spoken
of the importance of the affair in a national point of view. It
is essential to our character throughout Europe ; for, in sober
sadness, the eyes of Europe are upon us in this great ques-
tion. Our friends in a neighbouring kingdom omit no op-
portunity of endeavouring to depreciate our reputation, un-
dervalue our worth, or carp at our institutions. In a recent
affair at Paris. of a most disgraceful cast, in which a mother,
an Englishwoman, of eminent rank and connexions, appeared
to have aided in the prostitution of her own daughter to age
and ugliness, and then turned her out to starve :—" These
are your moral people !" said the Radical French press.
Here is a specimen of English purity, humanity, and vir-
tue I" In like manner, if this odious custom of violating the
confidence of epistolary correspondence be not shaken to the
centre, the nation will be subjected to similar expressions of
contempt :—" Here is your fine free state of England ! Here
is a proof of domestic happiness, independence, and comfort !
Who dares attack the rights or interfere with the actions of
a Briton ?" Times.