The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-09 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.

GLOBE.—The accounts received within the last
few days from Ireland and Scotland are painfully
confirmatory of the fact, that in all the three divisions
of the United Kingdom the extreme of distress is
alarmingly prevalent. The people have been very
justly complimented by certain Members of the Go-
vernment on the patience they have shown under their
accumulated sufferings ; but we regret to observe that
in Ireland force has been resorted to, and that a boat
laden with meal has been attacked by the populace.
As a temporary measure of relief, the issuing of the
Queen's letter may have a good effect. But private
benevolence will be found very inadequate to meet the
evil which afflicts so large a portion of the community.
In all directions employment appears to be diminishing,
while the prices of provisions are everywhere on the
rise ; and though the increased dearness of food is ob-
viously a great aggravation on the existing distress, we
are told by Conservative writers that the people do not
desire to have food at a cheap rate, but only re-
quire the money to purchase it. This might be true,
if there were any hope that the measures of the present
Government would make wages good, and employ-
ment plentiful. But, as far as the acts of the Mi-
nistry are likely to affect either one or the other,
it is almost certain that the former will be lowered,
and the latter curtailed, instead of receiving a fa-
vourable impetus. The reductions of Sir Robert
Peel are almost all in the wrong direction—faci-
litating the importation of many articles which
have hitherto afforded employment to the
people ; and the Premier has been justly com-
plained of for his determination to put foreign in
competition with English goods, while he refuses to
allow to the manufacturers of the latter the advantage
of cheap provisions, with which the introduction of
continental rivalry ought in fairness to be accompanied.
We are told that it is not a reduction in the price of
food that is wanted, but an increase in the amount of
employment. But this is false ; for full employment
does not produce sufficient sustenance, and it never
will, until the cost of living in this country is assimi-
lated to that of the continent.

STANDARD.—Sir Robert Inglis last night pre-
sented a petition from certain electors of Nottingham,
complaining of their indefinite disfranchisement by
the suspension of the writ of election moved for upon
Sir George Larpent's retirement, the petitioners
denying that they knew anything of a corrupt
compromise. This petition places the question of
Mr. Roebuck's Committee in a somewhat new light.
Up to the present time a writ has never been sus-
pended except upon a Report of an Election Com-
mittee, framed after a judicial inquiry upon sworn
evidence. In the case of Nottingham and the other
towns referred to Mr. Roebuck's Committee there
has been no inquiry, and there can be no inquiry,
upon sworn evidence : the writs are suspended upon a
bare suggestion of a Member of the House that certain
compromises have been made, and may be brought to
ligl tby a proper investigation. Now, though there may
be admitted a strong presumption that Mr. Roebuck
will prove the facts that he has suggested, there remains
the question whether the suspension of the writs is at all
connected with his proving of the several cases. It does
not at least at present appear that any such Con-
nexion exists. Supposing for argument's sake, the cor-
rupt compromises proveable, the compromise of the
principals does not necessarily imply any corruption in
the cmstituent. One can easily conceive a case in which
the constituents may be the most injured party. There
occurs to us an instance in point, which was much
spoken ofabout teny-ears ago. An Irish county, Meath,
was canvassed by two candidates—one a very popular
agitator, now no more, and the other a Whig Nobleman.
The agitator's success was believed to be certain, but
on the eve of the election he disappeared, and his rival
was returned without opposition. It was said that
the successful nobleman had bought off his competitor
by a large sum of money. The story was possibly,
nay, for the honour of the deceased, we will say pro-
bably false ; but that the story was told proves the
possibility of such an arrangement, which is, indeed,
otherwise self evident. The presumption plainly is, that
in a very numerous constituency such as that of
Nottingham, the electors cannot be parties to a cor-
rupt compromise. Why then ought they to suffer
by it even the affront of a temporary suspension of
the writ? But, again, we are to inquire how can the
suspension of the writ assist Mr. Roebuck's purpose of
investigation ? Sir John Hobhouse is actually at
this moment sitting for Nottingham upon the votes
of these same electors, from whom the suspension of
the writ withholds the opportunity of returning a
second Member.