The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-27 00:00:00

of those civil and political institutions which distinguish
an independent kingdom from a petty province."

So much for the relative precedency of this heraldic
grievance, and the insidiousness bi which the steps of
practical aggression have been marked. Now a word as
to the means by which our brethren of the London press
seek to hinder a fair investigation of the complaints made
by the people of Scotland, for even the Times does not
deny that the movement is a national one. At first, that
journal endeavoured to show that the Scotch had no real
grievance to complain of, and with a greater display of
wit than good taste, applied itself to ridicule the movement
as one worthless, because unfounded. Find ng this
ground of argument untenable, it with dogged surliness
admitted the existence of Scottish grievances, but con-
cluded by sulkily remarking, that as England also has
grievances to complain of, the Scotch must mind their own
affairs,—that is, as the English are too busy to interfere,
the Scotch must apply the remedy in their own case Or
leave it alone. They are endeavouring to do so ; and now,
admitting the grievances, and not denying the right of
redress, the averment is that the machinery employed is
too gigantic for the purpose, and, therefore, the grievances
should be continued. So that, according to the Times'
logic, the arguments stand somewhat thus :—" You have
no grievances, you Scotch louts, therefore hold your
tongues, or we will make you."—" Yes ! really you have
grievances ; but so have we, our own take up all our time
and attention, therefore hold your Caledonian jaw !"
Again,—" You have grievances, and you have a right to
insist upon redress, but your machinery is too great and
powerful, therefore your grievances must remain wire-
dressed." Is such a style of argument entitled to any
other name than that of bullying dictation ? Could sub-
mission to it be construed into anything but pusilanimity ?
The Times, assuming the unmistakeable air of a true
braggadacio, says of the Scotch, and the leaders in their
movement, " They talked of degradation and neglect—of
tyranny and contumely—of freedom and Bannockburn."
The Scotch, indeed, complain of neglect and breach of
faith, but the complaint is uttered in no whining tone, no
mendicant mood. They complain of the subversion
of Scottish institutions,—of the abolition of Scottish
Boards of Administration, in violation of a solemn
compact,—of misapplication of Scottish national reve-
nue, and of the inadequacy of Scottish parliament-
ary representation. They do speak of degradation,
but it is to avert the disgrace of its infliction. The con-
tumely offered by such unfair opponents they regard as
black ingratitude, and think of it " more in sorrow than in
anger." Tyranny they cslitemplate with aversion and
distaste, even in the dim distance ; and they survey its
hideous and hateful features with the calm, yet dauntless,
braveiy which animated their brethren on the plains of
Quatre Bras and Waterloo ; they are prepared to meet it
with the same stern defiance which pealed in the sloggan,
and nerved the arms of their fathers on the field of Ban-
nockburn.

A movement which can enlist under its banner the
combined efforts of grave citizens and chivalrous knights
—of calm philosophers and ardent men of enterprise—of
erudite scholars and unsophisticated artizans ; which can
secure the sympathies of the warm-hearted son of song,
and of the staid jurisconsult—which can awaken the en-
thusiasm and sustain the resolute adherence of peer and
peasant throughout the full extent of the Scottish popula-
tion, is not the exponent of a trivial emotion, or the result
of a passing excitement. The resolution of a peaceful, in-
telligent, and high-minded people to secure from annihila-
tion the memorials of a history which is dear to it, is not
one which the Government, or the people, or the press of
a free country should discourage or stigmatize. Above all,
it is not one to be extinguished by a fire of simulated rail-
lery from the light artillery squadrons of the Times ;
and it is pre-eminently one which will not succumb to
the shotless batteries of the Morning Chronicle,—which
• will laugh to scorn the ill-directed fusilade of the Daily
News, even although pointed by confused vision of our
local tiraileur, who, having hunted the subject into a
mare's nest at Baldoon, has remained in a state of mental
perplexity as to its whereabouts ever since.