Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-09-04
Tbe constitutional gglbtp.
From the London New Monthly Magazine for July.
Character Of the last Ureformed House
of Commons.
"As the sun

"As the sun
Ere II is risen sometimes pants its image
In the atmosphere often do the spirits
ot Great Events stride ON before the events;
And IN to-day already stalks tomorrow"
In those magnificent lines there is an undenia.
lie uphorisn. Remove the metaphor, and daily
truth romtnS; the dun unworthy superstition
shadows forth a great law OF actual society. BE-
tore any deep change IN the condition of a state
you may read the change itself reflected upon the
surface of tho tunes. In every innovation mi;
vcrSay aSScnted TO- look in the quarter to be nno,
ted and you will the hes, ,dex of the
and order of change it will receive The House
OF Commons is 20 he reformed, and il glasses at
this moment the very Reform it is to receive When
LOUIS A'l. appeared at the window of his palace
with the cap of liberty on his head his KINGDOM
was morally Sorc;-When the House of Common ms
refused its confidence to any but reforming
Minister, the House of Commons was already vir
tualiy reformed. What remained TO give per-
ihanence by law to the spirit already caught from
Opinion! "Why" cried Sir Robert Peel .swhy
make your Parliament more popular, when at this
moment the people influence all it's dccisiops?"
because we would fix what is temporary
The question was token of that school of states.
men which thinks only of the moment ,sdesirous of
peace rather than the security for peace. When
Poland was divided, Poland obtained a better form
OF government than she possessed before. But
now long might that better form continue? Her
fate depended on caprice, nay, she ceased to have
fate OF her own. If the House of Commons is
reformed only morally, how long woud that Re-
form contlnueE Like the enS.aved amcOration
OF the Pohsh Government, II would dcpcn d on ca
price. The people could not he always in fever;
their sentiments would grow less audible; their
commands would sink INTO Whispers violent pres
sure would become gentle bias; the House of
commons, not hearing the loud noisc, might not
believe the deep opinion-as Judge only of the
progress of the sea by its storm and outrage for
gctiul of the nroad which i'll silence and calm il
cternally makes upon the shore. 1t was then no,
TO create but to fix within the Representative AS.
sembiy that spirit which pervades it, that the
Bill was necessary But the character of "the
Last Unreiormod Assembly" is essentially Re-
form!
"And in to-day already stalks to morrow"
What an evening for some future Clarendon was
that in which Lord Burlington brought forward his
motion for All Address to the King. There was
something alhost fearful in the deep gathered re-
soute determination of the majority, Before that
wrathfUl steady determination, all the shifts and
qurks OF the Old Small Policy sank at once abash
ed and silent. The Tories had triumphed but
what triumph. No poor, ptiful sneaking bully
thrashed within inch Of his life kicked round
the ma: ket- place, nose pulled, ear tweaked wri.
thing and wealed beneath the lash, could look
more completely crcst-falcn, Inundated sore, in.
dignant, than did the conquering Tories! They
literally paled before the mighty cheers that from
side to side echoed to every blisterng epithet Of
reproach and Scorn lavishcd that sudden apos.
t1sy which had found on the bough twin
cherries on stalkD Tory Power and Reform
ing Principles! Those cheers smoke not the
souls OF party alone-not of Reiormers alone
not OF popular Representatives alone-but of mo,
OF honor! 1t that consciousness i'm spte of
themselves, round which the Tories writhed. A
defeated Party they could have fronted; an anurv
People they might still have despised; but they
could not front the misses of disgrace; they could
not dcspse the value of an honest character for
themselves. When, stern, and lowering, the grim
majority hung upon every word each speake nj
tered IN order to shout forth their applause at the
most Violcnt-when the mere expressions of sspro
1i;gdtc "apostasy," "tergvcrsatjon," .'disgrace"
u,b;c
quehca could nave RECONSIDERATION all concila
ZION IN that most concl!iatory Assembly was only
received with impotence and disgust-when party
courtcses (that had been bow ed and banded TO and
iro, even III the most violent discussions on puhlic
maters-amidst the laughter of the Nation which
llhed not those scraPings and capers in mighty
a cause OF contest were abruptly suspcndcd-when
reel could b!andish, and Barring quibble no more
when hard blows hit in earnest-when
the ant-reforming few felt they were about to be
openly considered diShonorable trucking men, by |
three hundred Gentlemen whom they should meet |
every day athwart their path-uen their stubborn
spirits were indeed qucllod. They tremblcd not at
being crushed by the People, but they trembled at |
beng cut III the strcGts;-they calous as lie. |
SlSlitors, but sensitive gentlemen at is all IN
win u.s." SAID Tory, supposed at that very mo
nent to be in Office, to the writer of this articles
what man will incur these shameful attacks on
his moral character? I'll be id if | will to be
Chancellor OF the Exchcquer himself" In this in |
stance, then, we perceive very remarkably how
strongly The present character of the House of |
Commons retains one distinguishing trait of its |
predecessors; VIZ: the conventional impress of
nc" Of tie World II has changed in all else:
but still the rcadest, the most powerful feeling TO
appeal TO, is that of coterie. Its sentiments are
those OF the people, but the experience which best
touchcS-Sways--rou those sentiments s tho
experience of the Clubs!
But it must be confessed, that never did an AS
scmby, Tapped, and graded, and swalhed round in
preud!cos OF Arstocracy, behave more faithfully |
more n19Dly TO the people, than has dono the En-.
glish House of Commons in this Parliament Un |
weariad by delay stubborn against fatigue night
aitcr hlSht they submitted patiently to tho hair
splitting and the straw picking, the uerborium min
nhf, which made the tactics of the Fabii of the
Opposition. The results of all the patience were
oehoished' Alter more painful attention than
question ever received before from any Legislative
Assembly, the Lords threw out the Bill What
did the Commons do?-Exactly what thew ought
passed vote OF confidence in the defeated NJ mis-
try-eXhorted quiet TO the pcople-obtained quiet
because they showed resolution as we'll as tenn
per; they uttered enough Of the sentiment of the
icople to control the disappointment of the People:
they placed themselves at the head of the St,te
ana thus, IN sharing the popular enthusiasm they
lc It, And never in past history was there more (
august spectacle than that Union between the |
feGPio and their Representatives. Never was |
strength so mighty yet calm. a fow enemies |
sIiVerlng IN their crminG and coroncts, stood be- |
lore thcin-Onc blow, and the enemy would have |
been crushed forever. There was something sub |
lime in the disparity of forcc-the stiffness Of the
lowering peoplc-thc perilous rashncss of the two
hundred noblcs-somcthng sublime, yet something |
IudicroUs! The Atlantic side IS. Part |
ington'S upliiicd mop tho other!
When We look back it is with a sentiment Of
admiration. There might have been such violence
and there only such mapnanimity. Tho
House recorded its solemn voto-adiourEcd in
PCaCc-WCt once moTe--went through the same la