The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-01-25 00:00:00

TUE LONDON Pa` s&

THE REFORM MOVEMENT.
The advertisements in the newspapers, and the notices
in.the shop-windows, announce that this is the day when
the era fairly commences from which we are to date all
the blessings and advantages which are to result to the
nation from the passing of the Reform Bill.
The Lord Mayor presides at Guildhall over an as-
sembly of the new constituency of the City of London,
and the intention is to petition parliament to repeal the
assessed taxes, to repeal the septennial act, and to amend
the reform bill, by introducing the vote by ballot. It
is announced that similar meetings are to be held in
the whole of the metropolitan districts, and in all the
large towns throughout the kingdom ; and it is expected
that the instructions sent to the different representatives
as the result of their deliberations will make them, with-
out
further consideration, adopt the measures so recom- '
mended. The principle f delegation will thus be recog-
nised and established. Nothing is said of the church in
the requisition for this meeting, but we understand there
was no necessity for it, because that point is already de-
cided, and the church is to be publicly condemned in the
speech from the throne.
It has transpired through several channels connected
with the government that, as regards the church of Ire-
land, a new arrangement in the distribution of its pro-
perty is to be proposed. The revenues allotted to the
established church are to be considerably curtailed, and
the residue is to be apportioned among the Catholics and
other dissenters. This is a very fearful determination,
and no man of common reflection can long hesitate to dis-
cover that, as the Catholics of Ireland so greatly exceed
all other sects in number, they will very soon bring about
a.very different division of the property from that which
-it is understood to be the intention of the goverument to
propose. It is confidently stated also that the Primate of
Ireland is to be the only bishop from that country who is
in future to have a seat in the House of Lords!
Whilst matters are proceeding at this rate in the sister
kingdom it is not to be expected that they can lag far be-
hind in England. The dissenters consequently are active.
ly on foot ; and it will be observed by the newspapers that
a few days ago a large number of Dissenting Clergymen
waited on Lord Grey to state their views of what it was:
the duty of the government to do here. They brought to
kis recollection how strongly he and his party were in-
debted to them for the station they now hold. They were
assured that their representations should meet the most
attentive consideration ; and they were recommended to
hold public meetings for the purpose of making their
sentiments known to the country, and that, after such
appeals, the government would be more completely in a
situation to decide on their propositions.
The Conservative party have now a plain, though we
fear for some time a hopeless, course to pursue, namely,
that of lending all the aid they can to maintain the feel-
ings. of honesty and justice throughout the cummunity
durinc, the eventful changes that are in progress, and
which will, ere they stop, be carried to an extent greatly
beyond what almost any class of persons have anticipated.
In the House of Commons the Conservatives will, we
have no doubt, feel it to be their duty to place themselves
as a beacon to warn the country against the rashness
and dishonesty of his Majesy's ministers, and the reck-
less destructiveness of the more openly avowed revolu-
tionists. They will avoid all league or intimacy with
either; but wherever they can throw in their aid to pro-
tpct the national faith, and secure, for better times, the
existence of the three estates of parliament, they will
always be at their posts to discharge their duty. In the
present temper of the country the government of it is
not desired by them, because they could not conduct it
with comfort and satisfaction to themselves; but when
heated passions subside, and reason assumes its proper
influence, they will be hailed as the persons under whose
authority the industry and property of the country can
alone look for stability and protection.—Morning Post.

We perceive very manifest symptoin-s of a plan of fur-
ther revolution agreed upon, whether in concert or
merely by common understanding, between the ministers
tad the other section of the mouvement.
The unofficed revolutionists are to begin the cry for
the ballot and for triennial parliaments,—and the mini-
sters, affecting alarm at this clamour, are to call upon the
conservatives, and particularly the conservative peers, to
try to ride through the tempest by throwing some tub to
the whale, yielding some such trifle as the church, or the
repeal of the Irish Union.
Now, it may be a useful preparation for those upon
whom this practice is intended to be made, to consider
beforehand the comparative value of the objects which it
is proposed to preserve, or to sacrifice respectively ; se-
condly, the position in regard to character and influence,
in which they shall be placed, as they act in one way or
the other. .

First of the first,—is it of more importance to maintain
the church and the integrity of the empire, or septennial
parliaments and viva voce suffrage ? We have spoken
Already with sufficient frequency and distinctness of the
importance of the church, even in a political point of
view; and we have, also, on more than one or two occa-
sions, endeavoured to exhibit to our readers the disas-
trous consequences that must ensue to the success of Mr.
O'Connell's repeal project. We shall, however, with all
loyal respect, repeat to his Majesty King William the
Fourth, that nothing but the churches of the United
Kingdom, now for thirty two years united, kept the
crown upon his father's head, and secured its descent to
his brother or himself—that nothing but the church pre-
served Ireland to the empire thirty-four years ago,—that
nothing but the church keeps the crown upon his, viz.,
King William's own head, and that the day after the ef-
fectual influence of the church shall be impaired, his Ma-
jesty may prepare for a republic.
To the lords temporal, aye, and to such of the lords
spiritual, too, as seem to think that in becoming prelates
they cease to be churchmen, we shall just mention, that
the church is now the only barrier between the actual
condition of this country and the wildest democracy the
world has ever seen. This is all, some of the unliveried
lacquies will say, mere assertion ; " the people of Eng-
land will defend the throne and the peerage upon inde-
pendent grounds, whatever may be the fate of the church."
We shall not deny that, as long as the crown and the
peerage can pay for defenders they will have such de-
fenders, and so valuable as hire can buy ; but it is hard
to hire those who can resist millions. There may be,
too, those (though we never saw any of them) who will
fight for names, when those names are the reverse of
popular. The number of such, however, will scarcely
balance the horde of revolutionists; and on one subject
we are qualified to speak—the feelings of those who have
hitherto stood by the throne and the aristocracy. They,
`know, are neither corrupt, nor infatuated to any in-
tuitive worship of crown or coronets. They adhered to
the King and the aristocracy, not (we mean no disre-
spect) from any sense of the personal merit of George
the Fourth, or William the Fourth, or any devotion to the
names upon the roll of the House of Lords, but because
they believed the King and the peers the guardians of
the institutions of the country, amongst which the church
establishment holds the first place, as we firmly believe,
is Ike mind and heart of every man who is not wishing
for a republic. Let the crown and the aristocracy give
up the church, and, whatever .new adherents they may
acquire by the exploit, they will certainly lose those
whom they have at present. Not that churchmen will.
go igto mbellion ; no, they know their duty too well for