The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-31 00:00:00

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SUN OFFICE Verce. o'

The result of the Birmingham Conference,
from which so much was expected by many, has
disappointed all parties but one—the enemies of
further reform in the representation of the
people. Hopes were entertained that when the
two sections of :Reformers met, the one pro-
fes ing to represent the middle classes, and the
other the working classes, there would be a
disposition on both sides to make concessions,
to deliberate maturely on the principles ad-
duced, and to secure at any reasonable sacri-
fice, the mutual co-operation of both, so neces-
sary—we may say, absolutely necessary—to
carry out their plans with any hopes of
success. The Delegates assembled upwards
of three hundred strong, and proceeded
to discuss, not the six points of the Charter or the
plans of the Complete Suffrage men, but to de-
cide what should be the ,title of a Bill which was
not yet drawn up. Impartial observers would
have supposed that the more rational and more
amicable course would have been to ascertain
whether, the leading features of both possessed
the same diameter, and in case of any difference,
whether by both sections yielding a little, an
unanimous resolution might have been come
to. This plan in fact was proposed by one
of the members, who moved that both be
taken into consideration, that clauses from
each should be alternately read, and decided
on by the meeting, so that a perfect Bi7l
might be prepared for presentation to Parlia-
ment. This wise and conciliatory proposition,
however, was rejected by the leaders the ques-
tion was put to the vote, and being decided in
the negative, one-third of the members seceded
in a body, and formed themselves into a separate
Convention. This looks bad enough of itself;
but the stronger party seem determined to
make the position of affairs still worse by a de
claration of hostility to the seceders, for at the
meeting yesterday, a specific motion was brought
forward denouncing the conduct of Mr. STURGE
and his followers as "a gross violation of
good faith." This was properly rejected,
but a modified resolution was adopted,
which will have nearly the same effect, and make
a complete separation between these two classes
of Reformers. Cannot the leaders see the vast
injury which this division will cause, and the
powerful arguments it affords their opponents for
resisting both ? If Reformers professing the very
same principles quarrel about a name, and break
up the union, they weaken their strength in pro-
portion to the number of the deserters. But
they do a great deal more. It is well known
that all the higher classes, and a vast majority of
the middle classes, are opposed to the Charter
as a whole, and when they find that not one
iota will be given up, not even the name
for the sake of peace, they only become more
alienated from the cause. The great question is,
car► the Chartists carry their six points, or any
one of them, without the assistance and counte-
nance of the more wealthy of persons engaged in
trade, who have much to lose by agitation, and
in Eta, of the great body of the community to
whom they have repeatedly declared "we will
have the Charter, the whole Charter, and nothing
but the Charter." A similar cry was raised for
the Reform Bill, but even with all the
weight thrown into the balance by the existing
Government, by many Peers of the realm,by the
general voice of the country, and a large majo-
rity in the Commons' House of Parliament, the
people got anything but the 44 whole Bill," and
were forced to make a compromise. Do the
leaders of the present movement, divided as they
are, believe that they can fare half so well,
much less compel a strong Government—all the
aristocracy, all the Church, all the upper
classes, and indeed the whole population, ex-
cepting a section of Reformers—to adopt their
principles without modification or curtailment ?
Never was there such a vain and despe-
rate attempt. Physical force, and the peaceful
means of overcoming opposition, they have re-
nounced. What is left but agitation, and that,
as Mr. O'CoNNELL knows well, cannot be carried
on without rent. The meeting at Birmingham
has already cost 2,0001., and done great mischief;
and what prospect is there, even if they had
fifty times this amount, that their object, under
such a system of mismanagement, would be one
degree nearer to completion ?

A Morning Contemporary has a lengthy lead-
ing article on the subject of the political events
of the present year—now, while we write,
within a few hours of its close—in the course of
which article he indulges in a variety of state-
ments and reflections, conspicuous chiefly, the
statements by their perversion of truth, and the
reflections by their absurdity. We will adduce
an instance or two. Speaking of the present
condition of the Church, our Contemporary
says--" The schism which at one period of the
year raged in the Church has been checked by
the temperate interposition and kindly
remonstrance of its Prelates; her mis-
sionary spirit has been roused ; the piety
as well as the learning of her priest-
hood has been promoted; and a desire to draw
within her fold the entire population of England
is now common to all Churchmen." It would
appear from this passage, first, that Puseyism
has received a decided check, and is no longer
the bugbear that it was to its opponents at the
commencement of the year; and, secondly, that
the utmost unanimity exists among all parsons,
each of whom is actively vying with the other in his
endeavours to bring all men round to one way
of thinking, as regards the Protestant Establish-
ment. Now so far is Puseyism from having re-
ceived a decided check, that it is more on the
alert than ever; if it does not work so openly as
it did some months since, its influence is steadily
on the increase. We see it in the growing popu-
larity of the pew-question—a most democratic
question, destined ere long to produce important
social changes; and we see it also, in a still
more marked manner, in the recent Episcopal
Charges, some of which indicate a disposition
on the part of those who delivered them, to meet
the Puseyites half-way, and sulkily and reluct-
antly submit to innovations till they can be
thrown overboard with impunity. Then, so far
is the Establishment from being united as a
body, that it is actually more distracted at this
moment than it has been since the days of
WESLEY and WunFrELn. It is now divided
into two distinct sects—the High Church,
and the Los/ Church party—each of which
is watching the other with the utmost dis-
trust. High Church is moving as fast as
she can, with discretion—for she is very
jesuitical in her conduct, and unwilling to
excite alarm by undue precipitation—in the di-
rection of Rome; while Low Church is moving in
just the opposite quarter. High Church is all
for show:and ritual, and the external ceremonials
of religion; Low Church is for the plain, un-
adorned simplicity of worship that was estab.