Star.
London, England, 1831-04-02 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP THE JOURNALS.

TlMEll.—Governing the Parliament by influence, instead of by ban
and unblushing power, has grown up, e acknowledge, sines the revo.
lution ; not, however, as the Duke of Wellington alleges, "according"
to the principles of the revolution, but in spite of its provisions, and in
utter violation of the true spirit and character of that vast regal Re.
form. Faction grew up in the absence of that domineering power,
the mainspring of which was broken with the downfall of the
Stuarts. A borough representation, not responsible to the peo-
ple, constituted at once the mat efficient force of faction,
and the readiest market for ministerial bribery. Corruption then sue.
needed to force, and formed a machinery of misgovernment which was
too strong for any effort of the public will to destroy it ; until latterly
that the people have become, eveu the poorest among them, as keen.
sighted to detect and appreciate political abuses, as were the higher or-
ders half a century ago. This general intelligence of 20,000,000 of
men, modified and directed by the press of the United Kingdom into
an engine of universal and altogether irresistible co-operation—although,
we repeat, it has cost above one hundred years to produce it—is
the real extinguisher of the system of rotten boroughs.
But it is quite ludicrous to talk of the borough system
as if it had escaped the indignation of the educated classes of society
until within the last few years. Fielding winds up the history of his
villain Blifil, by representing him as having saved money enough to
bargain with an honest attorney for the representation of a neighbour.
ing borough. The satire of Fielding was never launched in vain :no
man knew better what chord to touch, when he canvassed for public
sympathy, with either Ids ridicule or his resentments. If we cast our
eye to another quarter, and search for the recorded sentiments of the
most celebrated statesmen of the 18th century on this question of cor-
i rupt votes, we shall find perhaps that they estimated somewhat differ-
t ently from the Duke of Wellington, the effect and value of his Grace's
avowed system of governing by a Parliament of vassals.
HEagi.D.--The opponents of reform may be classed under two beads
—the interested and the timid—the Generalship of the former contist.
ing in operating with effect upon the fears of the latter. Though we
have no actual fears as to the !omit, we do not think it prudent to under.
value either the numbers or the strength of these opponents, especially
those of the former and much the larger class. It should be remem-
bered that the boroughmongers have what is termed " nine points
of the law" in their favour—they have possession—and a possession
which has been to duet so dear and so valuable, that no pos.
sible effort, short of physical font, will be left untried to
retain so fruitful a patrimony. We do not overrate their in-
fluence when we say that they have for ages governed the coun-
try—that the three Estates of the kingdom, its revenues and the
patronage, have been under their control ; and they have helped them.
selves, their connections,and dependents, with no sparing hand. Do not
let the country then imagine that the opposition of these people to re.
form, or that their numbers, can be insignificant. That their efforts
will be unavailing, if met by the firm and unanimous voice of the real
public, we do not at all doubt ; but the danger consists In the people
at large relying too much on the justice of their cause, and leaving
I the enemy time to sap and undermine the measure. It is the
duty of every honest man in every grade of society to record hi
sentiments upon the occasion. In fact, the whole country should.
If possible, be classed and polled upon the occasion, that no shadow of
doubt or pretence may remain for the enemies of the measure to raise
the slightest question as to who or what they are themselves, or who
and what they are to whom they are opposed. It is only by a strong,
firm, and temperate display of their strength, and a determination to
stand by the King and his Ministers on this important occasion, that
the country can hope effectually to overcome the wiles of their oppo.
'Dents, and safely place the bark of the constitution in that harbour from
Iwhich it has been, by the base arts of the boroughmongers, so long cut
adrift.

POST.—The right of Representation is taken away altogether by this
nefarious Bill from Boroughs having a population below 2,000, and
diminished by one half in those where the population is between 2,000
and 4,000. This is one of the pretended principles of the Bill. Now.
in applying this principle, had it been intended to apply it honestly,
it Is obvious that the population of the parish in which the borough
is situated, or the number of the people in the immediate neigh-
bourhood, would have uniformly been taken into account, or
uniformly excluded. This, however, did not suit the Whip.
They have therefore now adopted one of these systems and now the
other, with constant reference to the predominance of Whig influence
in all future elections. This unprincipled juggle has been practised,
not only in respect to the places to be disfranchised, but to the same
extent, that is in every case in which it was possible, in respect also to
the places upon which the right of representation was to have been con-
ferred. The counties and districts in which are situated the estates of
the great Whig landowners have invariably assigned to them a Wirer
proportion of the representation, than that to which their
population or iproperty, the two pretended bases of the Bill,
would, fairly have entitled them to. The Counties and dis-
tricts in which the great Tory landowners preponderate ale inva-
riably deprived of their just share of the representation. The whole
affair patients, in short, one grand scheme of trickery and delusion, the
most contemptible and revolting. They Intended, we believe, to Terri-
lutionize no further than wst necessary to place, in all future
time, the Throne and the Legislature under the feet of a Whig 0-
baL But in order to have a chance of success in this their Mir
project, It was necessary to delude and excite the Democracy by
such a boom as might seem foe the moment worth the acceptance of
those leaders of the mob whose real and final aim Is the subversion of
every existing institution. The Whigs knew the ease to be one which
did not admit of chaffering. They felt that they must at once affer
terms to the mob leaden, which the latter would be sure not to reject.
They have done so, and have thus very considerably overshot their mark.
They design to render their Sovereign, the whole Aristocracy, the
House of Commons, every class and order of the Stitt, the peepetwal
slaves of a Whig cabal. The Gan of their measure would inevitably
be to produce a seconsion of wiggles and convulsion', is which _fie
the Aristocrat:be Hi en of Commons, every dass
cede, the State, nd of all, the Whig cabal half, would fall
tinder the absolute dominion et the mob demagogues of the day.