The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1832-12-25 00:00:00

DUTY OF THE CONSERVATIVES.

There is no use in deceiving ourselves, or deceiving
our readers; the county elections, as far as they,- have
proceeded, are, on the .average, even lesssatisfactory than
the borough elections. Some Conservatives, no doubt,
have been returned for counties, and there seems reason
to expect, that even a small majority of the county mein-
bers may be Conservative. This, however,
.is, we own,
a less proportion than we anticipated, and a far less pro-
portion than would be necessary to save the monarchy.
The city and borough elections have been generally-worse
• than our worst' fears—the county elections fail fare short'
of our humblest hopes. As to the general result,, if -all
tlm county returns had been COnservative,.` ;would
not have been enough to. balance. the preporlerance, of
"Destructive" 'sent in by these ten-pound householders,
to whom the bill has given the nomination of three. fourths
of the H'dtise of Commons. The madness- of the, reforin
paroxysn-1,,W is plain,,continues ; end:4ll that sober 'men
can do, bes' ides _studying to Avoid a participation in it,.is
to use the opportunity of this Helot revel to adapt.thern-
‘ selves to their newToSition. The objects of a sober Con-
servative at present tnust be sufficiently humble; vii., to
save tie nionareby
,and the aristocracy sif pos§ible.; but,
at all events, tosave the country. How these objects.are
to be effected in the struggle before us, it is not our imr-
pose 'to consider; the task of the day is. to preo.re those
means which it may beneeessary to lase
,hereafter; arid. to
suggest tile few, advaritaxes that even the evil times upon.,
upon..
which we ha e_ fallen. present.. The .only means
within our reach to mitigate or evade. the threatened,ca-
JarUities-iS the return of Conservatives of-talent;zeal,-and
character;:for the eourifiesstill open. The Conservatives .
will be a-minority. ; uponthat point there cani.be
,no
question, lint they will be a minority respectable in.nurrt--
her,- and infinitely formidable „kV- lalent.land character..
Already the foundations. of an opposition are securely
laid, which, in comparison to theministers,'whe Confront.
it, most-be regarded a's more pow.erful'ilian any that-has
appeared in A. British, House of Commons for forty years.:.
Sir Richard Vyvyan, Sirlioert-IngliS, Sir Robert Peel,
Mr. • 'AttNVOOd, and Others already returned, with Lord
Fchvar(l,l:Cnat(*iit,..6,l tiripilwb Si'.
return,
1.11
we hope,. we iv count ,with certainty, Pr P-SC nt
the nucleus of an oprw-ition, to -whiCh none can denY the.

praise of; ptie,ernineS. talent and unspotted integrity..
_4ll will, howtiver, depend upon. the numerical support
which these leaders shall, receive—as to union and devo-.
tien now, there can be n 0,,, question about. them. The
impossibility of a Conservative„ administration for years
to come, has removed all those elements of discord which
ambition, or what is as bad, the suspicion of ambitious
views, scatters in a party,-if any. such ever distracted-the
policy of the Conservativ6-. The ConserYatives, not
only releived from all possible motives to, dissension, but
also pressed by the instant, unequivocal presence of that
danger which they have too long doubted, will assuredly
act with union and energy ; but then the power with
which they will act must depend upon their number.
The Conservative leaders whom we have named, backed
by 150 Conservatives, would prevent the perpetration of
mach evil. Supported by two hundred, they would,pro-
bably obviate the commission of any. If, however, the
number be inconsiderable, we must prepare for a formal
as well as a virtual change in our system of government.
The conduct of the,House of Lords, upon more than one
recent occasion, must teach.us. to place but little reliance
upon the firmness of that body in maintaining a cause
triumphantly, defeated in, the House of Commons ; and
even though the Howe of Lords should be firm, the last
! year has taught that mean: might be resorted to--though
it were treasonable to employ such means, and it is almost
seditious to surmise them—by which the. opposition of
the Rouse of Lords could be. overcome. After this last
consideration, we need say nothing of above the
House. of Lords for an amxiliary- to Conservative princi-
ples. What:then is,to be done ? We answer. at. once to
Conservatives, whether once Whigs or once. Tories—do
not despair, exert yourselves to the uttermost to render
the opposition formidable. You may.. not at.present be
able to restore.the patient, but at least,you can check the
progress of the disease,. by. curbing the madneSs of the
moment in parliament, and
.perhaps.ensure a final' .reco-
very; by restoring the peopTe„abroad to reason with the , ,
aid of industry and /fuze. We would tell the less frantic
and dishonest, of , the . Reformers .too,--those, who would
proceed with some• deliberation in "the' movement"—

ihat they, also are interested_ in having a respectable
servative ininprity. The bugbear of a Conservative ad-
ministration. is.at An. end—that is .now impossible : minis-
ters have already a sufficient reinforcement of black and
white voters .li-ice-Mr. Hum.p ;, they. have shown that in
their rivalry, with the more candid "Destructives," now
their only competitors for place, they. are ready to bid to
any extent of violence or crime. Must it not be necessa-
ry,-then,-in the judgement--of all. opposed-to the most pre-
cipitate plungo into revolution, that a powerful Conserva-
tive party should exist, as a drag, if nothing better, upon
the violent emulation of the two classes of Destructives ?
Finally, is it not essential to the theory of a representative
constitution, that...an opposition of sensible 'weiglip ind in-
fluence should alwayi serve as a counterpoif_eto:. the go-
verning power?—Standard.