The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1832-12-28 00:00:00

THE LONDON PnEss.

THE WHIG REFORM MINISTRY.

At the dinner at the London Tavern, on Saturtlay, to
celebrate the triumph of reform, and the return of Mr.
Grote, that gentleman repudiated, in the strongest tern*,
the idea that people were to go into parliament without
any fixed principles at all, and expect to pick up princi-
ples on the floor of the House of Commons.
"The present times," he observed, "were such as re-
quired men who went to parliament with principles
formed; and he should be a recreant to his own princi-
ples if he hesitated to avow that he thought they required,
in a peculiar degree, men devoted -to the service of the
country—men of decision and knowledge—men possess-
ing the command of large principles and comprehensive
views.(Applause.) There were faults to correct, in-
juries to repair, grievances to redress, which called for
no wavering or undecided hand—for no men who would
stand aloof till the minister should set his seal upon a
measure—those surely were not the men for the ensuing
parliament, but those were the men who drew back from
pledges.—(Applause.)"
The chairman (Mr. Warburton) observed, that he saw
no distinction between persecution for conscience sake,
whether it had reference to a political or a religious con-
science, and that if they expected to preserve the inde-
pendence of the voter, they must insist upon the ballot.
Mr. Hume observed, "'that lie felt as they all must feel,
that the bill was not a complete measure—that it did not
scure political freedom without the ballot; and that was
aeViith, which he should never cease to inculcate upon a
reirmed parliament until it,was obtained."
4 . —di few exceptions, the 'church, the -aristocracy, and
th iagistracy, have been throughout the late contests,
enii ntly Conservatite or 'Tory. What Mr. Walter
says in his address to the electors of Berkshire, may, in
fact, be subscribed to by every liberal candidate for the
representation .of a county.
" With a few splendid individual exceptions, gentle-
men, I owe little to that order which calls itself, or is
considered, the aristocracy of Berkshire. The middle
and industrious classes, with whom, as a body, are found
in the highest degree in which they exist throughout this
nation, the noblest characteristics of intelligence, honesty,
manly truths and honour, are they to whom I feel myself
most sensibly indebted for the eminent, though arduous,
station to which I have been raised."

Lord John Russell, even in his canvass through South
Devon, after finding that the .tenants were intimidated
by their landlords, declared that the object of the reform
bill was to pUt an end to influence, and that if the voter
could not otherwise be protected, recourse must be had to
the ballot.

Mr. Abercromby at Edinburgh, Mr. Macauly at Leeds,
so say nothing of men unconnected with ministers, have
held the same language.

But behold Mr. Stanley, not satisfied with throwing
Ireland into, we had almost said, a remediless confusion,
throws out a challenge at Lancaster, which, if we are not
mistaken, will render it difficult to determine in which
island lie has done most mischief to his oolleagues. "The
government (he said) had come forward with a complete
measure of reform, which the people had adopted as the
new, charter of their liberties ; it had been so extensive
as to alarm many, who, however, consented to go the
length of it upon the diStinct pledge, that it was to-be
taken as a final measure. If, therefore, it should be at-

tempted to bring forward any measure tbr shortening the
duration of parliament, or still further extensive altera-
tion by a protection, as it was falsely'called, of the vote
by ballot, he now announced (and he spoke the senti-
ments of his honourable colleagues,) that any such mea-
sure would meet their most decided opposition."

But is the opinion of the nation itself to go for no-
thing ? The ministers gave a pledge, But other people
have given pledgeif as well as ministers. If the Com-

irons represent the nation, and the nation be determined
to have the voter protected by the ballot, and the dura-
tion shortened, which ought to give way, the ministry or
t House of Commons ? Ministers have clearly pledged
themselves to what was not within their competency, if
they pledged themselves there should be no ballot, and
the duration of parliament should not be shortened. We
apprehend that the object of the reform bill was to make
the ministry dependent on parliament, and not parliament
on the ministry.

However, Mr. Stanley has not only givefi•a side blow
to his colleague, Lord John Russell; but he has at once
called into being an oppoSition which ministers may find
acme difficulty in over.mning. This young man seems
to possess in admirable proportion the faculty described
by 'Sheridan, of raising up a wall to break his own head
on, as well as the heads of his friends.— Morning
Chrcnicle.

• Lords Althorp and John Russell, we think, have-hard
measure from their friends, who charge them with breach
of engagement, because they will not do every Thing
at a "hop, step, and jump" gait: this, however, is not
our concern. Ourbusiness lies with a gentleman widely
„distinzuishedfrom both in every attribute, of talent, we
-are sure—and as we think, in every attribute of in-
tegrity also, Mr Stanley.
The Right Honourable. Secretary for Ireland, plainly,
and without securing any loop-hole- .ilir .after-evasion,
avows his resolution to maintain the bill inflexibly,' as . a
final measure. His colleagues, even ' those who come
nearest to him, all treat it, on the other hand, as but a
step to ulterior • advances towards a democracy. The
infion between them must therefore end, upon the first
concession which the Cabinet shall be commanded to.
mile/-to its allies of the Political Unions. Lord
Beuugharn's sentiments are knownto coincide more nearly
W4li‘those Of ;qr. Stanley than • with the sentiments of
firiT 'Vier member of the Cabinet. And the mere re-
''tir74lit •ef 'Lord Brougham-and Mr. Stanley would at
;: •
onceAlliik the administration. :.
• •
With the dissolution of the present ministry, oCwhicli
the •foundations-are SO clearrnaid here, were'llieie •.not
as-there are a thousand (Wei elements of-dissolution;
must begin in form what we are happy to say has long
since commenced in, fact, a new cast-of parties. The
division between "Conservatives" and " Destructives,"
or the " Motivement,7' no longer disguised by the abuse
of obsolete names, will then become ennequivocal; and
we- are are greatly mistaken if .the result will not be on
the whole more beneficial than perhaps the bill had hi-
therto given to either opponents or supporters any just
right to anticipate. The only danger is of the• forma-
tion of a " juste milieu" party, but :we: rely upon the
manliness of the ,British character, upon the intelligence
of the people, enlightened by the last, fifteen years' ex-
perience of " juste,maieuint,"—finally; upon the mercy
of Providence to prntect, us, from that: grpatest of all
curses that can afflict a people—a powerful and unprin-
cipled party, prep-wed always.to keep the middle ground.
Medio tutissimus," is a sound maxim, but.the safety
'whii,Tl it promises is to the party himself ; eyery wise
staifsman, from Solon to Burke, has ,shown that it is
ruin to the public. is moderation then to be altogether
rejected ? By no means ; moderatiOn• •is,an excellent
thing, rightly applied. 'Paitiesor individuals cannot be
-too Moderate in their resentmentsx)vambition; !or any •
other passion, or in their opinions ;'but -let there be .no ;
moderation in integrity, zeal, .or patriotism, or in the
firmness with which principles onces.honestly. and tem-
,perately taken up,. are to-be maintained. In times' of
:settled grverlinent a ". ftate•ntiliete:;party.may perhaps
consist cf honest men, though it will rarely at any time

consist of zealous pattiots; butrn such a political posi-
tiortio-that of the country at.present, it can consist of none
but Inaves. The question 'snow between rest and move-
ment ; there can; therefore, in fact, be
.no middle_ term,
and any pretended intermediate party would merely con-
sist of a sordid co**. of greedy wretches and cowards,
following the avowed revolutionists, for the sake of plun-
der, or under the influence of fear—giving them the sup-
port which the obseqUiOusness of pretended neutrals
always fives • and even propelling their headlong march
by the fear' drivalship. We feel deeply grateful to Mr.
Stanley for the word final—it at once discharges him from
the service of the "mouvement," and precludes his ever
falling into the abomination of a juste milieu.—Standard.

We hope that one of the first measures of the reformed
Parliament will be the repeal of the assessed taxes, not
their reduction or modification, but their entire and un-
qualified repeal. We do not ask, or wish for this, on po-
litical grounds, although it must be admitted, that the
payment of these taxes stands in the way of the elective
franchise, but on the ground of the unequal pressure of
these imposts, and in order to hold ministers to their so-
lemn pledge of retrenchment.

is These mi ters have now been two years in office,
and we de heir advocates to point to any single impost,
the pres eof which they have reduced. In fact, instead
of reducing taxes, they are at this moment issuing orders,
the object of which is to increase the burden of those most
obnoxious taxes, the house and window tax. They have
already done this to a most unjustifiable extent in many
places; and seem resolved, at this period of general dis-
tress :to farthingsqueeze.the uttermost out of the pockets,.
of .the people. It may be true that the necessities of the;
Chancellor of the Exchequer compel him to resort to
this expedient, but it would have been in better taste had
'he waited to ascertain what judgment the House of Corn-
! mons would pronounce on his proceedings. Under the
old system, the house and window duty was an unfair
and grinding tax, and it has never.been paid till the last
moment. But the system now pursued by Mr. Spring '
Rice; under the direction of Lord Althorp, renders this
tax far more obnoxious than ever. The folloviring ex-
tract from the Cambridge Chronicle of Friday last, and
a reference to the excellent speech of Captain Yorke in
anotherpart of our paper, will. explain what we mean :

"One of the most barefacedinstances of whig manoeuvring
and hypocrisy has been played off in this town during the last
week. It has been surmised for sonic time that an attempt
would be made greatly to increase the inhabited house duty;
and that the serving of the surcharges had been delayed in or-
der to avoid risking the return of our retrenchment and eco-
.nomy member, Mr. Spring Rice. That gentleman's friends,
however, stoutly denied a statement to that effect during the
town election, and the denial had its effect. It deferred the
knowledge of the truth for exactly one whole day ! Yes ! it is
an absolute fact, that, on the very day after Mr. S. Rice's elec-
tion, surchargesk,bearing date nwre than d fortnight preciously,
were delivered at the houses of many hundred inhabitants, gluing
the)n notice that their inhabited house duty was raised, in some
cases 50 per cent., and in some cases 100 per cent.
This is a trick worthy of Mr. Spring Rice, and a re-
trenchment ministry. It was certainly believed, and the
belief was encouraged for certain electioneering purposes,
that the government intended to abolish these duties.
But the vision of reduced taxAtion has, at, the appointed
time, melted into thin air,. and the collector is sent forth
armed with surcharges. Oh these whigs ! But we must
.
have the assessed: taxes repeited nevertheless, "or the
Parliament is reformed in vain.—Guardian and Public
Ledger.

THE SIEGE OF ANTWERP.

The inflexible resolution of the Dutch excites general
admiration : and as. we approach the close of the . siege,
which must now be rapid and decisive, the conduct of
Chasse and his brave band increases its claims upon the
sympathy of Europe.
The French soldiers have not exhibited that forbear-
ance which distinguished the better disciplined ranks of
the English army throughout the war id the Peninsula,
and in the campaign in the Low Countries. .We do not
make this contrast from any invidious desire to publish
our own superiority, but for the sake of convenience in
being the more clearly understood. The army of Wel-
lington, greater in numbers, flushed with victory, and
animated by one of the most glorious ends that ever in-
spired war with dignity, ebserVed the most rigid respect
for persons and, property, except in isolated instances,
which even the most admirable vigilance in detail could
not wholly prevent. In desultory warfare, where a whole
country is to be traversed, where the soldiers are bivou-
acked in the neighbourhoods of small towns, and amidst.
Clusters of farm4iouses,.it .is extremely difficult to pre-
serve that restraint which surrounding temptations only
render the more necessary; but in the situation of the
French troops there is no such palliation for outrage' and
plunder. They are encamped in a friendly country, and
occupy a position :that presents abundant resources of
supply ; they have no need to resort to improper means
of procuring either shelter or subsistence : yet we find,
by the last accounts, that a portion of the troops lying
behind the trenches have driven out the inhabitants of
certain isolated and, unprotected houses situated in the
immediate vicinity, and carried away their effects, with
all the unbridled ferocity of marauders. Marshal Gerard
has, very properly, interfered to check this spirit of insu-
bordination, and threatens the repetition of the offence
with summary punishinent. But this, we regret to say,
is not a solitary example of the reckless fury of the be-
sieging army. Chasse complains, and justly, of the bru-
tality thev evince in firing upon the hospital and chapel,
although those places are respectively distinguished by
black and white flags. Even the French marshal is im-
plicated in the blame of these proceedings, for when the
Dutch general demanded of hint a cessation Of hostilities
for forty-eight hours, for the mutual purpose of attending
to the wounded, his unmannered reply was, that it would
be time enough to attend to the wounded when the cita-
del was evacuated. War is bad enough, and its evils
are numerous enough; but when. an exterminating war
is hardly sanctioned by the magnitude of its object, the
cruelty of enhancing its inevitable horrors must appear
the more atrocious in the eyes of mankind.—Atlas.