The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-09-11 00:00:00

WHIG•RADICAL CORRUPTION

( From Blackwood's Magazine for September.)
In closing this article (on the influence of the Crown,) it
ought not to be omitted that when we say the influence of the
crown is increased, it by no means follows that the influence
of the throne is equally augmented; indeed, it may be di-
rectly the reverse. A minister, especially if he has been long
in office, may have so engaged and corrupted the great pro-
prietors of boroughs; may have so distributed honours, and
ribbons, and offices; may have so obliged the principal
members of the House of Commons by providing for their
principal friends and relations in the Customs, the Excise,
or the colonies; may have so fettered every public man of
weight and influence by the lies of private interest, that at
last they shall be able to say to their Sovereign, "however
pernicious our measures may be, and howeverimpopular our
persons, you must maintain us in power, for we alone can
command a majority in the House of Commons, though our
conduct and our acts are offensive to the country, and dis-
gusting to your Majesty."—Lord John Russell's Essay on
the English Government and Constitution. London : 1823.
Page 427.
A history of the whig party since the famous coalition be-
tween Mr. Fox and Lord North would be one of the most
amusing productions in the whole catalogue of English poli-
tical narratives. In days of yore, when Mr. Pitt, long be-
fore the commencement of the French war, endeavoured to
increase the trade with France, how loudly did Mr. Fox de-
clare that country "the natural' enemy" of England ! When
Mr. Pitt went on in the execution of his plans of economi-
cal reform, how boldly did the whigs attack him, and how
mournfully they lamented the sad decay of ministerial pa-
tronage, and the abolition of private jobbing in the public
loans! When Mr. Pitt was, in his early days, a reformer,
Mr. Fox, Lord Rockingham, Mr. Burke, and many more,
openly stood up not only against "the bill and the whole
bill," but against even the slightest amendment of the repre-
sentative system. More recently the whig friends of liberty
bailed joyfully the despotism of Napoleon, and ridiculed the
absurd attempts of the Duke of Wellington to emancipate
degraded Spain ; and more lately stilt Lord John Russell,
Lord Melbourne, Lord Palmerston, Lord Glenelg, and a
majority of the rest of the present cabinet, denounced
nearly every single measure—whether of church spolia-
tion or Irish "justice"—which they have subsequently
been the instruments of carrying through parliament.—
Honest Lord Aithorpe once cendidly avowed, when pressed
to repeal the house and window taxes. that he could not do
so as a minister, though for party purposes he had endeavour.
ed to do so while in opposition. We need not, then, niarve
to find that the men who now rule this country are quite uu'
scrupulous as to consistency, and quite deprived of at: power
of recollecting their past opinious and proceedings. For in
stance, if Lord Althorn could thus factiously act, we cannot
be surprised to find that the extravagant whigs of 1806 be-
came, a dozen years arterwards, when the loaves and fishes
were in other hands, great sticklers for economy ; nor can
we wonder if again these rigid economists cf twenty years
back, have become the authors of corruption and the humble
imitators of Walpole's extensive profligacy. -But if at these
things there be little cause to wonder, it must be owned that
the conservatives have some right to complain of them, when
it is remembered that all the odium heaped upon the Duke
of Wellington's government during the reform mania was
nothing but the artful hypocrisy of designing men pretending
to a purity they never intended to practice. It is to be
hoped that the people now know how complete the delusion
was under which they then acted. It is high time that honest
men should acknowledge that the reform bill was intended
for nothing but securing the suprematyof the whip; oligarchy,
and that the clamour about tory corruption was designed for
nothing but to blind the people while . the hungry tribe, of
whig.radicals fattened on the hard-won money of the poor. If,
however, this acknowledgment be stilt withheld, we will un-
dertake to extort it from every man who seeks only the ascer-
tainment of the truth; we undertake to prove that, under the
*shies since 1830, patronage has been more increased and
more scandalously abused, and that the public money has
been more lavishly and suspiciously squandered, than at any
period during the past 50 years.
Of course we do not mean to commence a crusade, like the
Radicals, on the prerogatives of the crown, or to picture in
exaggerated colours the influence and corruptions of the
court. We leave these themes to others, confining ourselves
to the point contained in our extract from Lord John lius-
sell's book, namely, the aggrandisement of ministerial power
as distinguished from, or, perhaps. opposed to, the just au-
thority. and influence of the sovereign. It will be no difficult
matter to show that the whigs have struggled for an imperium
in imperio, and that they have recently, as ofttitnes they did
a hundred years ago, endeavoured to close round the mo-
narch on every side, so that neither the wishes of the people,
nor the advice of the ablest statesmen, cats find access or
'acceptance. Lord Chatham 'first struck down this great
conspiracy,' and trampled on the Newcastles and the other
"great Whig families" then dominant in the country. His
illustrious son struck the second blow after the notorious
India Bill; and from that time till 18.30 the whig party tan-
, guished in distress, and crippled by the lasting operation of
merited popular distrust. But from 1830 till the present
time no effort or no energy has been spared to consolidate
the faction's strength ; no exertion or display of ingenuity
has been wanting; no scruples have stood in the way. In
18.3.1 so much success had attended this system, that when
the late King dismissed his first Melbourne ministry, the
whigs resolved on revenge, and determined to force them-
selves back into his council. This, also, will be no matter of
surprise when we have accomplished the proof we have un•
dertaken of the augmented corruption of the present mi.
nisters.
In 1822 Lord Brougham brought forward io the House of
Commons a resolution to the following effect :—" That the
influence now possessed by the crown is unnecessary for main-
taining its constitutional prerogatives, destructive of the in-
dependence of parliament, and inconsistent with the well go-
vernment of the realm." It was alleged, in support of this
resolution, that there were then 87 placemen in the House of
Commons; but in order to make up that number there were
included all King's Ser,jeants and King's Couucil, and others
holding honorary offices on both sides of the house, so that,
in fact, the real number of placemen directly or indirectly
under the influence of the crown, or in receipt of pay, was re-
duced to 47 Now, without further preface, we will enumer-
ate the persons in the House of Commons—the reformed
House of' Commons—who are similarly situated at present,
mentioning only those in the actual receipt of salaries, and
under the direct influence and command of the adiniuistra-
thin :
Sir Charles Adam, Lord of the Adnairalts. •
Sir George Anson, Surveyor General of the Ordnance.
Colonel Anson, Storekeeper of the Ordnance.
Nicholas Ball, Attorney General of Ireland. •
Francis F. Baring, Secretary to the Treasury.
G. C. Berkeley, Lord of the Admiralty.
C. Buller, Member of Lord Durham's Canada Council.
G. S. Byng, Comptroller of the Household.
Sir John CaMpliell, Attorney General.
W. F. Cowper, Secretary of Lord Melbourne.
William Curry, Prime Serjeaut of Ireland.
Lord Dalmeny, Lord of the. Admiralty.
T. S. Duncoinbe, attached to Lord Durham's Mission.
E. Ellice, juts., Secretary to Lord Durham.
Cutler Ferguson, Judge Advocate General.
Robert Gordon, Secretary to Board of Cimtrol.
Sir George Grey, Under secretary to the Colonial Depart.
merit.
Sir John Hobhouse, President of Board of Control.
Edward Horsman, Scotch Church Commissioner:
Lord Howick, Secretary at War.
H. Labouchere. Master of the Mint.
James Loch, Arbitrator for Government under the Rail
ray Bill.
Dr. Lushingtnn, Judge in Ecclesiastical Courts. •
Fox Maule, Under Secretary for Home Department.
Lord Murpeth, Secretary fur Ireland.
J. A. Murray, Lord Advocate.
11. Lynch, Master in Chancery.
E. O'Ferrall, Lord of the Treasury.
Lord A. Paget, Equerry to the Queen.
Lord Palmerston, Foreign Secretary,
John Parker, Lord of the Treasury.
Sir H. Parnell, Paymaster General.
Captain Pechell, Equerry to the Queen.
Spring Rice, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Henry Rice, Equerry to the Queen.
Sir Robert Rolfe, Solicitor General.
Lord John Russell, Secretary for the Home Depertment, T
Lord Seymour, Lord of the -reasury.
Richard Sheil, Commissioner of Greenwich Hospital.
Hon. R. J. Smith, Lord of the Treasury.
Robert Vernon Smith, Secretary to the Bored of Contra
Edward John Stanelv, Secretary of the Treasury.
Doctor Stock, Judge of Irish Adcairality Court.
J. C. F. Strangways, Under Secretary of Foreign Depar
men t.

Robert Steuart, Lord of the Treasury
Earl of Surrey, Treasurer of the Household.
C. P. Thomson, President of the Board of Trade
Sir E. Troubridge, Lord of the Admiralty.
Sir Richard H. Vivian, Master General of the Ordnance
Major Vivian, Aid-de-camp to ditto.
Charles Wood, Secretary to the Admiralty.
Here then are 50, exclusive of the minor commissioners
as Mr. Wrightson, Mr. Duckworth, Mr. Mottle, &c.; and
of persons who have held offices, as Sir Edward Codrington,
Sir Charles Grey, &c , though at present unemployed. But
still these are by no means all who have felt the benefit of
government patronage in these days of purity and terming
and, therefore, we will proceed to name a few more wiR
hive solid reasons for voting black and white to keep Whig-
Radicals in office. The following members have been se-
lected for honourable notice in the different modes we have
mentioned
R. M. Bellew,
,created a Baronet.
E. L. Bulwer, ditto.
J., R. Carnac, ditto.
S. Crompton, ditto.
J. Duke, Knighted.
J. Dunlop, created a Baronet.
J. Ewards, ditto.
Lotti Dundee, gazetted Lord Lieutenant of the North
Riding.
J. Guest, created a Baronet.
R. Ferguson, gazetted Lord Lieutenant of Fireshire.
B. Ball,. created a Baronet.
IL Howard, ditto.
C. Jephson, ditto.
Roderick Macleod, created Lord Lieutenant of Cromarty.
R.. B. Philips, created a Baronet.
D. Roche, ditto. •
J. Seale, ditto.
Matthew Wood, ditto.
E. De Lacy Evans, made a K. C. B.
Again the following members have retired from Paula
ment and received their reward for past services. Some have
kindly resigned their seats to make way for others—a Lord
John Russell or a Palmerston for instance—and have in re-
turn aeceived a suitable acknowledgment of their magnani-
mous self-denial.
Mr. Stewart Mackenzie, appointed Governor of Ceylon.
Mr. Hanbury, Tracy, elevated to the peerage.
Mr. Tracy Leigh, gazetted Lord Lieutenant of Monmouth-
shire.
Mr. Carew, elevated to the peerage.
Sergeant Wolfe. Chief Baron of Exchequer in Ireland.
Mr. Western, elevated to the peerage.
Sir J. Wrottesley, ditto.
Mr. Hanbury Bateman, ditto.
Mr. Methuen, ditto.
Mr. Ponsonby, ditto.
Mr. Coke, ditto.
Mr. Portman, ditto.
Mr. Littleton, ditto.
Mr. Pepys, ditto. ‘.
Mr. Denman, ditto.
Sir A. L. Hay, appointed Governor of Bermuda.
Mr. It. Grant, appointed Governor of Bombay.
Mr. Kennedy, appointed Chief Commissioner in Cuba.
Mr. O'Dwyer, Stipendiary Magistrate in Ireland..
Mr. Fitzsimon, Clerk of the Irish Hanaper Office.
Lord Belfast, appointed Vice-Chamberlain to the Queen.
Dr. Bowring, appointed Foreign Agent to the Foreign

Office.
Mr. H. L. Bulwer, Secretary of Legation at Constan

nople.
ir. Brady, Solicitor-General of Ireland.
Mr. Crompton, Judge in Ireland.
Mr. Perrin, Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland.
Mr. Blamire, appointed Tithe Commissioner for England.
Mr. D. Browne, elevated to the Irish peerage.
Mr. Lefevre, appointed Poor-Law Commissioner.
Colonel Fox, appointed Cierk of the Ordnance.
Sir John Newport, appointed Controllerof the Exchequer.
Admiral Elliot, appointed Admiral on African Station.
Of.this tribe we could easily discover dozens more, but it
is unnecessary; the specimens above will show that many a
pure and patriotic member of the House of Commons, who
has not hitherto deigned to take place or pay, may neverthe-
less have some pleasures of hope to console him for his rigid
independence. Others who have nothing given to theist-
selves, who probably also-expect nothing, are sufficiently
enchained to the ministry by the employments or honours