The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-05-17
European Affairs.


| From the London News April 25l
Inc organs OF the London political lotteries
csrPing at the move made by the liberal members
| OF the House OF Commons, who met at the Free
| Trade Club. This was to be expected Your IL
terary LIBERAL your radical of the salons, resembles
Cicero IN tins at least, that he "w never follow
| anything which other men propose" His charac-
ter is dwarfed and his intellect sharpened in equal
proportions by being paled in within the narrow
| exclusive circle OF few accomplished, sometimes
commonplace and sometimes crochetty, asso-
Crates But IN the provinces IL is otherwise The
provincial liberals welcome the promise of a nu-
cleus tor national party and if the step taken by
the liberal members alluded to lead to nothing it
WIN hoi De lot want OF support, they show
| themselves to be worth supporting.
| The provincial press is full of hopes and fears
from this movement, according to the complexion
| of its politics. -.
The liverpool Albion is sangulne in its expecta-
tons. discriminating belief that Mr. Golden had
waived his claims the presidency o the associated
members in favor of an older reormer whose claims
are even superior to his his country's graft
tude this journal expresses conviction that ali Cob
denis energy will be thrown into the movement and
that he will find an efficient colleague in the secretary
that has been taben Ths wtn pleasure the step
adds this journal in favor of order must not be re-
garded as indicating unmcasured satisfaction at the
administered they only prove the determination of
the great body of the people to prevent anarchy =
| The reform that will content tho people
| must be systematic, extensive. real
There Is no use in shutting our eyes TO our actual
position The contest upon which reformers are now
entering is much arduous and difficult than that
of 1881 When the Reform Bill struggle CONNIE nced.
large section of the landed arstocracy favored the
! first movement The squabbles about Catholic eman-
cipation had broken up the Eldon- Wellington party
Some of the anti Catholic peers disguised Mt finding
themselves no longer masters of the House of Commons
had been among the first to raise the cry that its
stituton must be changed The old whig aristocracy
| could not in decency hang back, and the Canning
party, fairly merged into their ranks obliged to
Jog on along with them The Duke of Wellington's
declaration against all any reform it was that over
threw him; the new minister's into office pledged
| to parliamentary reform; and though at every step
of their career or other of the angry
recovered from their transient fit of liberalism. and
Jagged behind, or even went to the obstructives
enough were kept steady by shame and the pride of
appearing consistent to the full force Of ariso-
cratic influence being concentrated against the Re-
| form Bill With all the sincere and all the reluctant
allies from the arstocratc anks who were kept steady
till the ten-pounder bill passed. the req ured
carry 1t was enormous as all who took part in it
well remember.
In so far any probable aid from the arstocracy
is concerned, we are now in very different position.
In $780, the spectacle presented of high tory peers
coming over for time to the reform camp-of many
moderate conservative peers compace yielding to
| the movement. The tendency in that powerful body
Is now in the reverse direction. The determination
between wing and tory which is witnessed in both
houses of Parliament, is not for the purpose of timely
sistance to all advance whatever At the outset at
least the unprvleged classes must look to take the
whole work into their own hands.
The further electoral reforms now demanded will
have to be purchased at the cost of much pro-
tracted effort The tactics of the reformers must
sequently be considerably modified They must RELY
less upon sudden bursts of enthusiasm and more
upon logged pertinacity and hard working One fatal
error must be avodedof attempting to get up demon
STATIONS, as they are called, before sufficient uni
formity of plan and enthusiasm in behalf oft has
infused into all classes and throughout all parts of the
empire. Recent events have thrown discredit for a
time monster meetings, and not less upon monster
petitions. An admirable example has been set by the
birmingham reformers in the afixng of signatures to
their declaration Of principles. To every ap-
pended to 1t ia added the place OF residence and the
profession Of the party signing More than du-
ring the reform bill and anti-corn law agitation we
have known this precaution adopted in procuring sig
natures to petitions and always with the best effect
1t affords guaranty that the signatures fde
| 1t inspires confidence in that very class
who are always most firm in their good resolutions
when they find themselves in congenial crowd and
it commands respectful attention in Parliament We
observe in several Of the metropolitan parishes n ST.
Gies's and st. Georges, Bloomsbury for example)
petitions in the course of signature by parties who
rolled themselves special constabes the late
cason for household suffrage vote by ballot triennia
parlaments, and enclosure of the lands with
view to lease sell them farms, averaging from $50
to 200 acres These petitions have judiciously been
set foot without noise parade have been left for
signature with sensible and respectable householders
Let all who sign them challenge inquiry into the
idity OF the signatures by appendng their professions
and places Of residence to their names
Another thing in which the leading spirits among
the Birmingham roformers are worthy of being imi-
tated Is, the zeal and assduity with which they
publishing reasoned expostions Of their principles 1t
is only by candid and frequent discussions that uni
ormity Of opinion and purpose be created among
a numerous population of reasoning men The prob
lem to be solved by the people Of England Is the
propounding of scheme of constitutional reform,
ceptabe to sufficient majority of the population to
render the call for it irresistible the part of govern
| ment and the legislature Such plan is not to be
devised by unargumentntive cries for
this that of reform, but by hard headed
rcasonlngpy showing WHY the REFORM is required ana
the effects attributed 20 it.
From n Birmingham letter, April I'll
During the past week the following declaration has
hpan in anfS fnrai tAvy, No t1,a
undersigned earnestly desire the following political
changes and hereby express our determination, by all
peaceful and constitutional to obtain the
Household suffrage-vote by balot-eectoral dis
tricts and triennia paraments The declaration
to last night had received the signatures of upwards
of six thousand of the inhabitants of this borough in
Guiding the two representatives (Nr. Muntz and Mr..
Schoefed) several Of the borough magistrates Alder
men Muntz Room. Thornton, Phillips, Weston. Cut
lcr Lawden, and Palmer and about fifteen sixteen
councillors There were several meetings held during
the past week the extension Of the suffrage and other
changes but it is probable that the various parties ha
wing the object in view will join in the above de-
claration Amccng ofthc subscribers to this dccara
ton has been called for Wednesday next ut the Town
Hail. This morning the charst section of reformers,
between whom and the more moderate there would APP
pear to exist rreconcabe differences sued address
to the gentlemen comprising the peoples party in the
House of Commons" A meeting of this party is to be
held in the Town Hall Monday next and will it is
announced, be addressed by Mr.. Henry Vincent and
others.
The Views OF Mr.. Calhoun on the French
Revolution In England.
From the London Standard, April "a
When a few weeks ago we presented to the no.
tee of English readers few extracts from the
speeches delivered upon occasion of the death of
Mr.. John Quincy Adams, we felt, not without some
sense of humll aton, that IN W haever other re-
spects we might claim to excel our kindred OF
America we could make little boast of the superb
orty of our public men, either in genius or in a
Christian spirit The speech delivered by Mr.. Cal
houn. in the Senate of the United States, upon the
39h ult., which we have copied in another column,
OF Parliament upon the same subject Qhe last French
revolutlon) leaves us little ground to claim for
our statesmen the palm due to greater wisdom.
Mr.. Calhoun, unlike our parliamentary orators,
sees nothing upon which, even with his natural re-
publican bias, he can, as yet, honestly congratulate
the French people. He sees, as yet nothing but |
work of destruction, which however sklltully ac-
complished, properly affords no topic OF congratula
uon,--but we cannot improve upon the eloquent |