The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1832-12-07 00:00:00

THE NEW CONSTITUTION

The point at. which we stand is a must important one
in 11w history of our *country,.and pregeant with
reflection to all thihking men. As was well observed, in
a late speck of one of our cunservative candidates
.(11Ir. Peach, as we remerriber,) "we are embarking
upon our voyage, apparently subject to all the vie-.
fence and caprice of those elements of which we have
already had painful e.,Terience; and we are also em-
barking on an vinkie,nin sea, where shoals, and rocks,
and eddies unforeseen. may render, the influence of the
fickle and angry elements more inevitably fatal." This
eloquent figure', which our paraphrase has,-we feel, man-
pled' even tamely expres••es the political position of the
col:Intl-T.' We are going; under,a new constitution,—.lew,
not merely aarespects the structure of the House of Colli-
inons, but new also, as, giving to that 'Muse an ,absolute
monopoly -of the sovereignty. The -constitution
Upon
which we-shall enter in 1;33-is wholly untried in 'Eng-
land; and nothing like to it had eYer exlStedin. the world.
It is a,representative democracy, with a nominal monarch
and nominal-senate ; this monarch and senate, holvever,
not having- that- affluence which the .circumstance o'
their appointment gave to the president and Senate of' the
United States, or any other influence to supply its.place,
and neutralise the invidiousness of their position. The
institutions by which, according Co the letter of the old
constitution, the demoeratical power had been balanced
and checked, have been rendered powerless, and exhi-
bited almost mockingly in their imbecility; and, at
the same time, the House of Commons, the sphere of
democratic action; has been altogether purged of that vir-
tual influence of the other orders; by which the progress
of the democratical principle was moderated, if not re-
tarded. This.may be a desirable change,, or the reverse,
—upon that point we say nothing at present; we merely
wish to impress it upon our readers, that the change
which we, describe has taken place, and to remind them,
that a wholly new position of public 'affairs deinands a
change of policy adapted'td it.
. The country, in fact, is no longer. to be governed -by
orders or institutions; it must, therefore, be governed :by
party. It is impossible to disguise the truth, that iVe
are entering upon a republican form of &fovernment, of
nearly the most popular kind; and, whether we wish to
avoid the nuttier advance to a pure democracy, or to
escape those errors to which de,mocratical governments
are subject, or to restore the efirciency of those institu-
tions and orders, the forums alone of which are permitted
to linger, not, perhapS, to be permitted long,—whatever
we mean to do, must, be done by the sole means which
the republican polity allows of; that is, by party. The
course to be taken is bold and decisive, and one from
xvliich the timid, and the selfish, and the tardy of this
world may well shrink ; but it arfords the only passage of
escape from ruin.
kly e have, indeed, full warning, that if we prove inac-
tive, no choice remains between standing on the reform
bill as a .final measure, and an ulterior revolution. No-
thing, then, but the formation ,of an adequate conserva-
tive !party can impede the progresa to anarchy. Can
such a party be formed? e assert that it can; ,and
that the circurnstatees ofthe titne, otherwise perilous; are
highly favourable to its formation. The party to be
formed must be a conservative party, but it must be a *na-
tional party also,—itspontceria must be co-extensive with
the limits of the empire, and the several conditions of
Men, embracing all men in all places and ranks, who wish
to save their country from anarchy; or, if excluding any
men of conservative principles, excluding only those who
are too haughty or too wise, or too selfish to co-operate
upon terms of equality (poleet equality it must be,)
even for the salvation of their country. As Men are not,
however, to be held together by vague abstractionsisome-
thing more than the name "conservative" must supply
the bond ol'union. Common objects and 'common prin-
ciples to unite conservatives exist, heaven knows, in pro-
fuse abundance. The safely of the church, the protection
of native agriculture, native conrineree and native manu-
factures, the improvement of the condition of the poor,
the cultivation of peace abroad, and morals and religion
at homee—these are all compatible, essential, and strictly
conservative objects. If distinctly and unequivocally
avowed-as the basis of the party union; the party, is al-
ready made, and already comprises an overwhelming ma-
jority of the people. True, some, who are, perhaps, in
part sincerely conservative, will be excluded by- such a
canon of principles. Friends to. the church may be in-
fected with the doctrines of political economy, or enemies
to secular revolution. may see. no _objection to treating.
"church property as public property." The 'very prin-
ciple.of party action, however, renders necessary the sa-
crifice of-sueli allies, if they ;will not compromise their
'capricious singularities for the general g00d... Neither
the church, nor the landed interest, nor the coniinercial
class, nor the manufacturing class, is strong enough in
itself-to stand against the revolutionists, nor can all these
united interests stand against the " movement," nor
ought they to stand if they neglect the interests of the
poor.

If, on the one side, no man ought to be counted upon
as a conservative who may not be expected to stand by
the church, the land, native commerce, native Inanufae-
tures, and the interests and rights of the defenceleSs
classes; on the other, none ought to• be rejected from
whom we can•safely hope•a concurrence in these several
particulars. No matter whether the man has been a
whig or a reformer: if we feel that he now is a conser-
vative, whatever his whig notions may have been, or that
he intended and still intends, reform as a final measure,
it is a sacred duty to receive and even to invite and sup-
port him.. Never-let us forget, that by party the coun-
try Must now be governed, and that in whateverdegree
We allow a conservative party to be weakened by the
effect of our Self-seeking, or our less sordid Iturnogrs- We
are betraying our country in the same degree:- When
We say that whigs and reformers•are to be received into
our ranks, we, of course, assume, that they are' honest
wings and honest reformers. With the dishonest of any
party we must, if we would be safe, have no communion..
Persons like Lord Grey and Lord Durham, and the env-
nibus clique in the ministry, must be rejected loathingly;
not because they have been wings or reformers, but be-
cause they have never been honest men, and would now
affect,couservative -principles solely, in order to *ore ef.-
fectually betray them: The elections are at hand : we
implore our readers Ito think deeply: upon the new, wholly
new position in- which they are placed, and to remember,
that, in such a crisis, our duty to our country and to our
God, demands, .of every man, the most devoted and di sin,
terested exertion of which his spheiT aihriits.---Standard.

The Chairman of the Joint Library Committee of Congress
of the United States has-thankfully aelinowleciged:the;reteipt of
a copy of the Records of Great Britain, and presented to the li-
brary of our House of Commons in return a copy of the Legis-
lative and Diplomatic Documents of the United Stater,

FDGN 3,17 T :ILL:LT: E CE.

PItANCL,.

In the C%ambe-r of Peers the address was adopted on Wed-
naiy a minority 018!
lhe business of the session has begun by the submission of
the budget, or the estimates, of 1833 to the Chamber. The new
ini:Aer of Finance (M. lIUMANN) seems to have shown great
activity in arranging the necessary business of his department
so soon after his appointment. -„ ' • - •
The estimates for next year require an extraordinary expen-
diture of 166,009,000 of francs, or more than £6,500,000 sterling.
The ordinary supplies amount only to 966,000,000 of francs, or
somewhat more than £37,500,000. The interest of the public
debt absorbs 339,000,000, or about £14,360,000 sterling of this
sum: In the collection of the revenue nearly £5,000,000 ster-
ling are expended After allowing 17,000,000 of francs for the
civil lit and penSions, there only remains. about. £18,000,0(X)
:slerlint: for ad the ordinary supplies of the year. Of this sum
the Ministry of Trade and Puolic Works '(furmerly that of the
Interior) receives about £5,500,000 sterling. The expenditure
for the army, ordinary and. extraordinary, is estimated at
316,000,000 of francs, or more. than £12,600,000 sterling. The
navy gad other branches of the public service are less onerous
for the country. The whole produce of the annual taxes, com-
posing the ordinary ways atameans to.meet this great expen-
diture, is estimated only at 966,630,000 francs, or £47,640,000
sterling. About 167,000,000 of francs, or nearly £6,700,000,
will therefore require to be provided by loans or b.- the sale of
the national foreSts. 'The immense armed. establishments of
France thus impose upowher finances burdens and embarrass-
ments which have increased` every year since the late revolu-
tion, and which it ought to be the policy °flier government to
lettuce by endeavouring to disarm herself; had by persuading
her neighbours to follow her example.