The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-08-09 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

ing from England a million of money, in addition to the
large contribUtfons already made,. to be wholly, and ex-
elusively spent in Ireland. Who then will say that the
Irish are not a fortunate people ? Other communities of
men generally suffer for their vices and crimes ; but they
alone seem to thrive by violence, to prosper by fraud, to
gain concessions by threats, and to kindle benevolence
by deeds of blood. John Bull is an ass!
It is not said how or vdien any compensation is to be
drawn from Ireland for this voluntary payment. We see I
no source whence the interest of this money is to come. I
Lord ALTHORP has not the courage to impose a tax
upon the Irish landowners, too many of whom have con-
nived at the measures which have rendered such a
grant necessary and indispensable. The noble lord has
no other object in all his financial operations than to
put off the evil day. He is constantly adding to the
expenditure of the country, and increasing the liabilities
of the treasury. Twenty millions one day, three the,
next, two the third day, and one the fourth, always ad-
ding, never subtracting, increasing by pounds and
reducing by farthings, throwing tons into the state
waggon, but never diminishing its aggregate weight, ex-
cept by the quantity of grease melted by friction upon its
wheels. •

This is, and has been, ever since the present men came
into office, the undeviating policy of the Whigs. They
appear to have in view the studied derangement of our
afatirs, obviously for the purpose of preventing their easy
adjustment by any other set of ministers. They aim at
something even beyond embarrassing their successors.—
They wish to put the finances of the country in such
a state of delapidation that to repair them will be impos-
sible. They are clearly looking forward to a grand ex-
plosion which shall do violence not merely to public credit
but to all the institutions of the empire. They aspire to
be the founders of a new system, and they are therefore
clearing away as fast as possible the ruins of the old.—
They have already removed some of the superincumbent
parts of the structure, and they are preparing to assail the
foundations. The sponge to the debt—the prdning knife
to the law—the tomahawk to the bishops—the lever and
the crow bar to the church—the harrow to the corpora-
tions—and then comes the end of the old system, the ad-
vent of anarchy, and the beginning of the Benthamite
experiments, levelling being the means, and confusion
and spoliation the consequences. As a nation we are
fairly upon the move, and we fear in the " broad way."

We have, in another place, disposed of a Liverpool
patriot, and we now turn our attention to a London one;
in the person of Sir JOHN KEY, Bart., " twice Lord
Mayor," and, to use the slang, "one of the independent
and popular representatives of the first.city in.the world."
This distinguished tool of the Whigs, and ornament of
the "jabbering" Parliament,—this very consistent re-
former and honest contractor, has been found out, and he
• has opportunely taken the hint and retired from the
Flouse of Commons. He has done an act of extraordinary

liberality, and has accepted office without pay, making,
of course, an immense sacrifice for the benefit of his

country.

Most of the facts connected with this case were given
n the STANDARD of Tuesday last, and we have little to

add by way of elucidation, the more especially as a com-
mittee of the House of Commons has been appointed to
inquire into his conduct. That the charges against this
worthy patriot are true we have no doubt whatever, and
hiS acceptance of the Chiltern Hundreds is an intimation
that had he not resigned, he would very possibly have
been expelled. TheSe amount to the following.:—First,
that he, Sir JOHN KEY, Bart., continued to sit in Parlia-

ment contrary to law, he being a government contractor,

and his elder brother being, by collitsion, his representa

tive in the contract. Secondly, his having passed off his
eldest son as being twenty-two years of age, while, in

point of fact, he was little more than eighteen years, and
thereby obtaining for this son a situation in the Station-
ery-office, with a salary of £4OO per annum, the duties of
this office being to examine and pass •the stationery with
which his father, or his uncle acting collusively for his
father, had contracted to supply the public offices.
These are charges which certainly have an Old Bailey
or King's Bench look about them, and they are sufficient
to-justify Sir JOHN KEY in taking an airing on the chalk
hills of Oxfordshire. If the committee should report
against the honourable baronet in these serious matters,
it will be for the house to exercise its discretion in pro-
ceeding against him for the penalties. As to the impo-
sition relative to his son's age, that is a matter between

the government and Sir JonN, and between the govern-
ment and the public in the last resort:.
Well, the " twice Lord Mayor" has had a sudden fall,
and the sweet Bow-bells are out of tune. This is gene-
rally the end of these towering patriots, the beloved of a
London rabble, the admired of the mob, the esteemed of
modern puritans, who, trading upon politics, steal into
the House of Commons, betray their country, and sell
their constituents for filthy lucre, as hogs are sold in
Smithfield, or any other market. This man was a prince
among the reformers. He was the very foremost in the
work of agitation during the early career of the Whigs,
first raising the yell in favour of the bill "and nothing
but the bill," next, swallowing every fulsome pledge that
was offered him, and, lastly, voting for ministers through
thick and thin, in order to turn his principles to account,

and convert foolscap 'and froth—dirty rags and fustian
oratory, into money at the same time. Such was and is
Sir JOHN KEY, created a baronet by Lord GREY, and
elevated to importance by the ministry and their minions.
He was somebody—he is now nobody. He never was
respected—he is now despised; and to do the people of
London justice, they are so disgusted with his conduct
that they have refused to• countenance any attempt to
propose or re-elect another member in his stead profes-
sing the same opinions. In this case we conjecture that
Mr: F. KEMBLE, a conservative candidate, will be per-
mitted to walk over the course.
Sir JOHN KEY, therefore, being thus shorn of his po-
pularity, deprived of his son's salary, disappointed of his
job, and fairly consigned to oblivion, it remains to be
seen how far the Government or Lord. GREY was impli-
cated in the foul transaction. Mr. STANLEY contends that
• Ministers are exonerated by granting the committee of
inquiry. This does not follow. It is, admitted that the
appointment was in the hands of the premier, and that
it was he who conferred the office upon the irresponsible
boy. The Comptroller it is also said protested against
the appointment on the 'ground of the lad's unfitness, and
on other grounds perhaps of a more delicate nature. Still
he was forced upon the office, and was in the receipt of his
salary up to a few days before the explosion of the job.
Under these circumstances—KEY .being. the contractor
—KEY the patron of young KEY—KEY the applicant to
Lord GREY—KEY the examiner of stationery for KEY
the stationery contractor—under these circumstances
Lord GREY, or the other Lords of the Treasury, or the
Under Secretaries, could not have been ignorant of the
fraud, or the collusive bargain made with Ministers. No
man in his senses will believe that all these facts could
have been concealed from the Government ; and vet we
were told by the Whigs, when they accepted office, that
they were resolved to govern without patronage, and to
rest their claims to support on the merits of their Mea-
sures, the purity of their intentions, and on public opi-
nion.

Without patronage indeed! Here is a fine specimen
of their dislike of patronage! A dirtier job never was
perpetrated. It is enough to bring the very name of
Reformer into contempt. A boy of eighteen, just brought
from grinding Murray's Grammar at some Cockney
school, which in milliner's phrase is called a seminary,
where he was washed; boarded, flogged, and heddicated
for thirty pounds a-year, is placed in a responsible situa-
tion under the Government with a salary of .four hun-
dred pounds per-annum. It is the most shameless job on
record, wortlq only of a Whig, and a first-rate reformer!

We have given in another part of our paper a rep or
of thelrial and virtual acquittal of the notorious rfuoMlis
STEELE, at the Limerick Assizes. It will be in the recol-
lection of our readers that this prime agitator was ch#ged
with one of the most flagitious and.seditious libels. ever
published, contained in the report of a speech delivered
by him at a meeting of the Limerick Order of Liberator,'