The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-09-27 00:00:00

CONTEMPORARY PRESS.

It will be seen by our police report that Sir John Key
made his appearance on Tuesday at Guildhall in the cha-
tacter of a magistrate—in the character of a dispenser of
justice to his fellow-citizens.

We cannot but consider this resumption of judieial
functions by the late contractor for stationery as an in-
dignity to the community at large, and an especial insult
to the good sense and correct feelings of the citizens. of
London. We had hoped to have done with Sir John
Key ; but when he so little understands the position in
which he stands as to force hiniself upon our notice in .a
situation for which he has utterly disqualified himself by
his conducf, we should ill discharge the duty we owe to
the' community if we permitted so flagrant an outrage
upon public decency arid public morals to pass unnoticed.
How can this man presume to sentence petty depreda-
tors to Bridewell or the whipping-post, when he must be
conscious of the reflections which such an award, pro-
ceeding from him, can never fail to excite in the mind of
every bystander ? With what decency can he inflict petty
penalties for trivial offences, when he is himself subject
to heavy penalties for offences which are not trivial ?
How can he think himself a fit man to protect the public
from imposition, and to punish those who employ false
weights and, measures, when he recollects the deficiency
of two sheets in every quite ? How is he to prove a ter-
rot to evil doers who is hiniself one of the most eminent
and conspicuous of their number ? How can it be ex-
peeted that swindlers and perjurors will stand abashed
before him ? How can the character of the bench of jus-
tice or the honour of the city of London be maintained
when the world beholds a man like this discharging the
functions of a corporation magistrate ?
We do not know whether the Court of Aldermen pos-
sess the power of expelling an unworthy member of their
body ; but, if they dopossess this power, the. time is come
when they will be utterly disgraced if they delay or hesi-
tate any longer to exert it. In a recent instance they
claimed and exercised the less necessary power of reject-
ing one whom they deemed unfitfot civic dignity and au-
thority ; but they will Certainly prove themselves to have
been unreasonably fastidious upon that occasion if they
can endure aniong them the presence of such a person as
Sir John Key. The hohonr of the magistracy of the city
of London is at Stake, for it is certain that the scarlet
gown will be viewed only as a badge of disgrade so long
as he is permitted to wear it. s _ _

From the effrontery with which Sir John Key pre-
sents himself to the notice of his fellow-citizens and the
country, it would appear that he is entirely unacquainted
with the general impression made upon the, public mind
by the recent exposure of his conduct. He imagines,
probably, that the popularity he laboured so strenuously
to acquire during a
_period of political, excitement yet
survives in sufficient force to blunt the perception Or mis-
lead the judgment of Some classes of the community
upon the subject of his subsequent delinquency. Let him
not " lay this flattering unction to his soul." The re-
form delusion, which he contributed so much to create
and keep up, is happily at an end, and, if it were still
in existence, any attempt on his part to support himself
ih popular estimation by an alliance with it would be like
the junction of a dead-with a living body. Deluded as
the people were by Sir John Key, and by those who
Were his confederates then, and his patrons since, their
delusion was never probably so strong that it would have
enabled them to resist the evidence which is now before
the world, that the Baronet, at least, never was a Re-
former but upon the calculation of what he could get by
it ; and that all the time he was giving feasts and foment-
ing disturbances in support of Reform he was thinking
of nothing but beneficial contracts, a place for his son,
and the abstraction of so many sheets out of the quire.
If Sir John Key thinks we are mistaken in our view of
his actual place in the estimation even of the lowest and
Most ignorant classes of the people of London, an op-
portunity will soon be afforded him of putting the matter
to the test. The election of Lord Mayor for the ensuing
year takes place next Saturday, on which occasion it is
usual for the Aldermen to present themselves to the pro-
miscuous assembly which it never fails to collect toge-
ther in Guildhall. Let Sir John Key be there if he have
courage enough to encounter his former friends. We
will allow him all the countenance and support that Mr.
Charles Pearson can afford him. And we dare venture
to say nevertherless, that if Sir John Key flatters him-
self with the idea of perceiving any traces of his reform
popularity, he will be very suddenly and unceremoniously
awakened from his pleasing dream, and find to his re-
giet that such popularity as he sought and acquired is
not' tationary.—Morning Post.

,Deeper and deeper still do our most imbecile Adminis-
tration appear to be recklessly plunging into the vortex
of what they delight to honour with the imposing de-
signation of Reform. A plan has just been. determined
upon at the Horse Guards, for compelling military
officers on half-pay to serve on The following
circular, recently issued, explains the matter :
"Sro,—l am directed by the General Commanding-in• Chief
to request that you will state to me, for Lord Hill's information,
whether you are prepared to serve on full pay; as in the event
of your not being so prepared, you will be required to commute,
receiving such sum as your services may be considered to enti-
tle you to, it not being possible for his. Lordship to allow you
to remain upon half-pay. It will, in that case, be necessary
that
_you should transmit a certificate from a military medi-
cal officer of the actual state of your health.
" I have the honour to be, &C.
" FITZROY SOMERSET."

This explains the matter only so far as to show the
most atrocious injustice towards a body of men, most of
whom have spent their best days, and many of them
'spilled their best blood, in the 'service of their country,
and whom the cold, calculating, inexorable Whigs would
now, when, it may be, ill health, or old age, or the like,
renders them more emphatically than before, objects of
their . country's tenderest care and provision, deprive
them of the bard-earned pittance of half-pay For, so
far as we. can comprehend the circular, there is to be no
option: the veteran soldier is either to go again to the
fray,--shouldering his crutch, it 'may chance to be—or
else he is to " commute," at the word of command !.
Such is, shortly, the injustice of the case. Then as to
the necessity—even if the " tyrant's plea" could be re-
ceived in
.excuse for it—the necessity, we mean, of in-
creasing the number of military officers on full Pay.
Where is it ? The Speech from the Throne, but the
other day, gave assurance that all was pacific, and likely
to continue so: why, then, go on increasing the army—
particularly since our immaculate Ministry, amongst
other'high :sounding professions, calls itself a non-inter-
vention Viniitry ? Alas ! for the hollowness of such.
professions. We believe the truth to be that, the non
of the intervention being long since cast off, we are
about to be involved in war, and therefore, according to
the mercilessness of Whig policy, 'must the rights of the
soldier be invaded—his compacts violated—his declining
years rendered dark and iniserable—and, at last, his fa-
mily made destitute. YeS, war=the royal game of war
—is, it is all but certain, to be at length played under
Whig. auspices. The young queen Donna Maria-7de-
verlass that she 'is—has come over the weak side of the
Greylings.—She has prevailed upon them to send her a
few thousands of British troops through whose blood she
May wade.to the throne, and transports are already wait-
ing at Cork to take them to the scene. cif-slaughter. And
this is nan-intervention! And its accomplishment is to
be attained by the cruelty, the injustice, we have here
alluded to !—Carlisle Patriot.