The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-01-30 00:00:00

CONTEMPORAR PRESS.

EXTRACKIDINARY MANCEUVRE.
( Fro:. tae S'iaiidard pf Satarc:ay.)
The committee of the whole nouse,stooJ adjourned to
twelve o'clock tins bi-, to hike into consideration the
amendments to the Canada Bill proposej by Sir William
Fotlett and other 'menibers. At "tv‘elve, however, and
subsequently through the whole day, the reporters' gal-
lery remained closed ; butt at half-past twelve the re-
porters were informed that the house had adjourned, hav-
ing adopted e!/ ate amendments. The arrangement and
purpose of this trick are quite intelligible. Ministers
having bad quite enough or discussion, smuggled down
enough of their members to constitute a committee, and
then hurried over their distasteful work in secret. •

THE.; WHIG MINISTRY AND SIR 'ROBT. PEEL.
( Fro' tie Morning. He, al,'. )
The debate of last night unfolds to the country one of
those scenes of official meanness—of political self-
abasement--to which tire history -of no party, but. the
party now in prayer, af'f'ords a•parallel !
Lord John.Rossell"having intimated in 'his place•in
the House of Commons—(after Sir Robert Peel -had
given not ice.a sew days ago, that lie would move certain
amendments on the whig bill for the government of Ca-
narlay—that the ministers•would abide by their
measure; and having, last night, 'intimated
again, that to adopt the suggested amendinents, would
he to admit that the measure proposed by ministers .had
been condemned, by the House of Commons :—after
these-repeated declarations, that they would stand or rail
by the 'course-which they had deliberately -adopted-•--i he
present occupants of &lice calmly •kissed the conservative
rod, and most submissively adopted every one of Sir
Robert -Peel's amendments!
After seven years' experience of whig role,—nn, rmie.l
is not the-phrase;- the woig-s nave not courage enough
to rule;—but after seven years' experience of whig.te-
nacity of place, it is, of course, too late to express stir-
prise at any manifestation or want or .soirit, or want of
pfinciple, on the part of .I.4:trd John-Russell and his col-
leagues. tt is-want of spit it—it is want of •principte--
that susains 'them in'orlice. The specific grAviiy of one
honestly avowed opinion would sink them for ever: they ,
Coat like corks on the surface of the ocean or. poi tics,
because, cock like, they are lighter than the very froth
of pa:rho-opinion. The • Whigs hare • 11t) 'prit;e, uo cha..
raeter,-no-deticled tentlenayto-anything :Jot to place and
pay. They are7snitieer te'"the-kiey inflaeaces" like
the-veriest pool of stagnant water. Toev will freeze
under the influence of O'Connell, or evaporate tinder
the itatence of Sir Robert Peel—hripy alt die while in
the physical fact., that it is the nature-of. ice to be at the
fop , and that it is the nature or vapour to ascend,. The
whip are content to be shuttlecock to the battledores of
the conservative leaders, and of the Irish agitators. The
more fiercely contested is the game, the -longer (as- they
know) vv: !I the shuttlecock be kept atp: The'whigs seen
tairartake of the nature of a root•ball—.l- thing- made
only to be Licked—and which, after being LicLed,doriog
the longest dav, retains all its miginal elasticity and
emptiness—alf the-qualities, in short, woich render it.fit
to be kicked on the next suitable occasion.
It was observed, in ancient times, in regard to the r*Y-
rainids, that their summits were to be leached only by
eagles and creeping things., The same observation is
susceptible of application to the high places of political,
life: The whigs'haveattained these high places, simply,
because it is the nature of whiggert- in'creep. "Dust
shalt thou eat" is the doom of every 'whig ; and so lope.
as the dist is gold difsl7-1;le dust of office—every Whig
is-satisfied who'll-is sentence.
%Vivo-bas forgntten the conduct of the present'oeca-
pants of °dice towards Sir: Robert Peel, curt three short"
years ago-? Who has forgotten their refusal of " a-lair
trial" to the minister, in whom the King had expressed
a confidence, which he could not extend to Lord Mel-
bourne and his associates? Who has forgotten the con•
chid of the whirs, in regard to the " appropriation
clause—the-alacrity with which, in that matter, minis-
terialists and "philosvitic radicals"-voted "black white,"
in order to excitule the conservative- party from power?
The conduct of ime vvlii,gt, last night, was in admirable
harmony with their conduct on those memorahle occa-
sions. Sir Robert Peel was avenged, when Lord John
Rhssell; With thelook Of Allatoworin, and with soMething
orthe style of Cent.ttelt, ocostiated" himself lre:ore the
Matt'Wfroni'he hart snopliinted, by arts to which no inv.--
nubus s-orrit could stoop! There needed not -Sir Ro-
bert's-own;terrible•:sarcasms; there needed not Ms wi-
thering criticism on the whig instructions to .Lortl-Dur-
ham; bar his•awful predictions that those instructions
would be withdrawn, to complete his triumph! Sir Ro-
bert could not add to the depth of the-unsolicited whig
descent ! Lord John-chose a horizontal position in the
kennel, as the ailit!lde and locality most approprHe for
ltiS chlteagues and himself! Hail there been a loWer
depth still, Lord John would,-no doubt, have selected it ;
and yet, even in that moment of intense voluntary self- '
abasement, Laid John could) repudiate the " low inora-•
lily"-.which connected the merits or a rebellion whit its
siaccersoi and could affect to draw nice (11.4tinciionFtnetwoen
Jack Cade and lia-mpden—between Nlasaraello and At-
gerrion•Sydney. Whatever might bethe faults of Jack
Cade and Masaniello, both were brave men: It is nee,i-
less to add drat neither was a whig ! -
When we-see the pieseni cabinet content to owe its
e!!'istetice one day to the support of O'Connell, and the
next to the contemptuous lorbearance or Sir Robert
Peel, it is not didictilt in guess the- deportnient which
ministers wnn'd stave worn to Paoineata, had Papineau
been successful ;. it. is not difficult to, guess.the.attitiule
whidli they would assume, if the AutOcrat orßossix or
the President of the United States were to require a sa
crifice or the honottr or the interests-of England ! Happy
the country wliielt IS blessed with such rulersi