Star.
London, England, 1831-05-18 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNALS.

TIMES.—It is needless now to say much about reform. The be.
roughmongers, indeed, are visibly losing all presence of mind, u every
breeze which watts intelligence of a fre.h defeat of their facihr
drives them closer to the rock on which they must inevitably split:
like ill disciplined sailors, grown ungovernable at the hr.
minent risk of shipwreck, they stave the spirit casks, get
frightfully drunk, and yell fiercely, while they stagger into the
gulf that opens for them. The scribes of the beaten faction have,
within the last few days, become more abusive than ever. Of all
men in England they have pitched upon Lords Althorp and Milton is
proper subjects on whom to fasten an accusation of dishonourable deal.
fig ; and, to bear out a charge not in itself the most credible, they
very reasonably invite the public confidence by a string of nototii us
falsehoods. We now publish a circumstantial answer, addrestd by
Lord Althorp to the freeholders of the county of Northampton;
and leaving, as it must appear to every honest and candid mind, no
hem of the adverse charge undisposed of. This reply of his Lordship
characterized throughout by manly simplicity ant) downright adhe-
rence to facts beyond all question, we leave to the calm perusal of our
readers. In the mean time, are the Northamptonshire electors asleep?
Are they dead ? or are they only indifferent and dead to the honour or
Englishmen ? Why do they not throng to the hustings, and send in
unbought votes to the Reform cannidates ? Are they like wretched
Spaniards or Italians, that will not move in one brave ages
for a Constitution ? or, like the more brutalized Portuguese,
who reject the glorious gift when offered to them—and, snoring,
in swinish terror, lie close within their sty, when summoned forth
by the very trumpet that proclaims the feast of rational liberty?
Baser than Helots are those of English "woman born" who know not
what freedom means, and who feel not that its blessings are the right.
ful inheritance of their children. So feel the men of Dorsetshire, at
least, whatever may be the sentiments entertained at eittharoptoa•
In Dorsetshire we have to announce a mighty triumph for the
people. The men of Dorset have forced Mr. Bankes to resign
the contest—a contest which, under discouraging circumstaotes,
the stout old English Gentleman sustained with spirit and
constancy, and admirable temper, to the last ; disputing the
ground manfully while he had an inch to stand on, and yielding
Mr.
when nothing more could be accomplished. The speech of
Mr. Bankes,on abandoning the field. is one which can scarcely Ivrea
without exciting a wish that the speaker had not been a Tory. Mean,
Portman and Caleraft have thus been returned—the first pair of
Whig representatives for Dorsetabire for a longer period than any man
living (as we hear) can rubember. The bill, we doubt nots will have
stanch supporters in both of them. The happy conclusion of this con•
test leaves nothing to be hoped or feared in England—we mean as to the
counties—.but for Northampton;—nothing but Northampton. Inraiw
one additional emotion of gladness or of sawn.
HEastsw.—The and.reformers have two things by which they con-
nive, in every place where they can stand a contest at all, to make the
most of their strength, or best conceal their weakness—those two things
are money and tactics. With the former, which has been most abun-
dantly subscribed for the purpose, by all those who have a pad"
interest in the corrupt state of the representation, they bribe the dis.
honest voters, and procure for themselves and friends all the fad'
lilies in the advancement of electioneering business that a liberal
&apply of the sinews of war can procure. Philip of Alacedon used to
say, that an ass laden with gold could break through the walls of the
strongest city, and certainly there have been, ever since the (10341
commenced, many animals of this description, laden with full pail.
, of that precious and potent metal,
1 seen trotting from the. ble,
pot in Charles-street, to cities and boroughs, to realise, it Yaw
ral
the sarcastic apophthegm of the crafty Macedonian, sod to Pia`..,e,
that the best takers of towns are they that storm them al
dr
l!
golden ammunition. How they have succeeded is befo" aid
world. They have not, in general, found that the walls of cities
Istwoughs. possessing any considerable number of electors, are 0) "41;
broken through by such means as the hostile towns were with shit,
Philip was acquainted; but still they have succeeded in a few, Pi
very few places ; and in several others they have made a better Wear:
once on the poll than they could have done if they were not more In_
debted to the recommendation of Midas than their own merits.
to their tactics, we admit their dexterity in this respect. It is a IT;
of the tactics of the anti-reformers to set up candidates, wit ho
chance of ultimate success. in such towns and counties as 04
they have just sufficient strength in to maintain, for a few do=
tolerably respectable position on the poll ; and having polled °ld
their
osiers before the reformers have seriously commenced to display
tstrs they resign. Their object is obvious—they wish to beivxgaow
the new Parliament, to the state of the polls in thawa44,.
where they have stood a contest, to show that }alio ePial"
overwhelmingly in favour of the Reform Bill as it has been Mune'