The Sun.
London, England, 1821-08-04 00:00:00

THE LATE SESION OF PARLIAMENT.

The Parliamentary campaign which has just closed is cer-
tainly quite unworthy of any thing like a detailed and circum-
stantial history, and perhaps scarcely deserving of the brief and
hasty notice which we now give it. It has in general been dull
and flat, almost beyond any thing in the annals of modern dri-
velling ; and, indeed, this deplorable insipidity has been ren-
dered more striking by the splendid exceptions which are to be
made from it. If any thing could add to the utter scorn with
which the public have regarded the proceedings of such States-
men as Hume, Ferguson, Wilson, C4-eevey, &c. it is, that these
persons have stood contrasted with some men not unworthy of
the best days of the British senate.
To all those who feel for the honour and dignity of Parlia-
ment, it can scarcely fail to be one of the principal matters of
regard in looking at its late proceedings, that the character of
this assembly is most woefully changed—changed, indeed, as
far as the utmost conceivable degradation of the Opposition can
change it. The very purpose of this party should be to give
life and spirit to the body politic, and every one knows how well
this purpose was once fulfilled. A debate in Parliament was
then the contest of Statesman-like intellect, and of energies ex-
cited by a generous and honourable rivalry. But now the only
effect which the Opposition has, is to make the deliberations of
this august body resemble the querulous conversation of a meet-
ing of discontented stock-jobbers.
The system lately followed by the successors of Fox and She-
ridan, is really such as could have occurred only to men totally
without capacity to pursue any other. In speaking of the
" system" followed by these persons, we do not at present al-
lude to their graver offences of courting the mob by every spe-
cies of vulgar artifice, but merely to their less culpable, though
not less despicable tactics within the walls of the House of Com-
mons. The way in which they have indiscriminately opposed
the Ministry, even in those measures .of common routine which
used to pass as matters of course—and that too without anypos-
sible object, except the satisfaction of waging a troublesome
warfare on the time and patience of their adversaries—is really
quite unworthy of any party but that which acknowledges the
supremacy of Joseph Hume.
Perhaps there never was so humiliating a thing for the Op-
position as the rank which this person has acquired among
them. We wish heartily to see a vigorous and able Opposition;
and it really is quite melancholy, to have such a certain and
infallible indication of their weakness and folly. It is scarcely
possible to give a more expressive account of the rapid and
complete degradation, and of the total change in the manners,
habits, and feelings of this party;than by saying that but a few
years have intervened between their homage to Mr. Fox and
their homage to the Montrose doctor.
_ _

But not Only have the proceedings of Parliament thus been
vulgarised of-late beyond example—they have in general been
very unsatisfactory and unprofitable. The utter emptiness of
the arrogant pretensions of the Whigs has, indeed, been suffi-
ciently exposed. And when we remember what these preten-
sions were, and the manner in which they were brought forward
at the commencement of the Session, perhaps this circumstance
is not to be lightly valued. But then we must recollect like-
wise, that notwithstanding the loud bullying way in which the
claims of the Whigs were then urged, they were contemptu-
ously rejected by Parliament on the first opportunity. Nearly
half the Session was occupied, after the judgment of the country
on the conduct of the Ministry had been deliberately pronounc-
ed, in motions on that subject, which could have no other effect
but to shew the inveterate spite of the Whigs, and to waste the
time of Parliament. With respect to the former, it is of not
the slighteit importance • but the latter is a serious grievance,
and has been severely felt as such. It is unfortunate when
there is a party who can stoop to the system of measures which
causes it, and it is obvious that there is no party—however mo-
derate either their talents or reputation—by which that system
is not attainable ; so that the power of doing mischief, to this
extent at least, is possessed by the Whigs only in common with
the lowest of mankind.
Upon the whole—however triumphant the late session of
Parliament has been for Ministers—we are far from viewing it
with satisfaction. Much of the attention of the Legislature has
been occupied by persons altogether unworthy of it, and fritter-
ed away in matters which have been made the avowed means of
gratifying the ill-nature of these persons. Most of the divi-
sions that have taken place have been forced with the professed
object of harassing the Government, and this is a state of mat-
ters which cannot possibly go on long. We are happy that,
even among the Whis,there have been already some symptoms
of disapprobation of it ; and we trust that the paltry faction who
may persevere in it as their own great political invention, will
speedily be put down by the indignant voice of the country.
41 We are of opinion that the inefficiency of the late proceed-
ings of Parliament have been chiefly owing to the unprincipled
conduct of the Whigs ; but we think also that, by a remarkable
fatality, the Session has been singularly unpropitious even to
measures in which their noxious influence was less directly felt.
Besides the ordinary businewof Government, there have been
only two subjects of importance canvassed—the Catholic Claims
—and,the State of Agriculturists ; and, with regard to both of
these, it may now fairly be said, that it is to be wished that they
never had been agitated. As to the Catholic Claims, we be-
lieve that it is allowed, even by those who are unfavourable to
them, that it would have been better to concede them at once,
than to reject them by a narrow majority—a mode of deciding
the question which is unsatisfactory to all parties.
Of the proceedings with respect to the state of Agriculture,
truth has always obliged us to speak with the most unqualified
contempt. That the complaints of the farmers should be
answered by the mere rigmarole which the Committee have put
forth, we regard as one of the deepest stains on the character of
the present Parliament. We trust that it will not be a lasting
one.