Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1855-05-15

The Movement IN Britain.

anxious recess. For a moment IN
voice Of Parliament is hushed tn
arena Of public life is again left vacnn
for the activities Of the Commons grea
rival, the ver.aijourning newspapers
II is more than two months since th
chiel OF those newspapers proclaime'
the British Constilui to be "ihe les
alike Of our enemies and our Allies
two months since il said, "lh. cold shBd,
OF Aristocray is over US all. and moth
ing can grow up beneath its branches
except its oif.shoois." The present shot
moment Of suspense is oPportune for in
qnirlng whether since then any practical
progress has been made in the direction
indica,ed by these Sentiments.
The British Constitution is cumbrou.
and complicated machine, and any mod.
iications thereof, that are not radical OF
revolutionary. cannot be appreciated
without an analytic comprehension OF
the regular working Of the several parts.
The press and public meetings are the
outside pressure Of the machine they
arc the democratic Fourth Estate Of the
realm. In matters legislative. this
Fourth Estate presses upon the obstruc.
tive House oil Commons, and the House
Of Commons, in its turn, communicates
. pressure 10 the more obstructive House
Of Lords. Here the action ends, as the
Royal veto is obsolete. In matters Ex.
ecutive, the pressure from without is ex.
ercised again, frs, upon the House Of
Commons; that House acts upon the
Ministry, and the Ministry acts upon the
Crown. Here the House of Lords is
left out Of account; Ministry can dis.
regard the Lords so long as its Executive
policy has the confidence Of the Com.
mons. The Fourth Estate, it is true, is
frequently brought 10 bear directly upon
the Ministry, and this especially when
Parliament is not sitting; and once last
autumn it addressed itself directly TO the
Queen and her consorl; but we have civ.
on its most remote and torturous opera.
ton, as simpler and more direct pro.
cess will ,Een explain itself. The pres
ent crisis Of British affairs turns entire.
ly upon matters Of Executive admins.
tration, and the Government machine
need be viewed in this sphere and under
this aspect alone.
First, then, as regards the Press and
the House Of Commons. When Mr..
Roebuck carried his Committee Of In.
quiry, the House wished to regard it as
simply a vote Of censure on the Aber.
deem Ministry, but in the nte,regnum
that followed the Press advanced its po.
sition and demanded that real inquiry
should take place. So when Palmer.
ston came before The House at the head
Of his reconstructed Cabinet, and don.
hing the character Of Richard the lid,
uttered these gracious words, "Let me
be your leader-I will be your Com.
mittee," that House less confding than
Wat Tyler and his followers, because
driven on by pressure from without, re.
fused to abandon their demands. This
decision toppled down Garham and Her.
bert and Gladstone. In Mr.. Glads,one's
Observatory address on this occasion, he
declared that tout Of The fifteen men
nominated on your Committee, eleven
are either over,ly or covertly opposed
to it. Had we the protection of the
ballot in this House, know the decis.
ion Of the House would be diferen,."-
Protection from what? The Editor Of
The LondOn Times was looking down
from the gallery above, and exercising
a silent terrorism upon the honorable
member below. Tell it no, in Gath !!
That naughty ParIiment, so long the
financial and judicial prosecutor Of the
journals, is now trembling before taem,
and sighing after the privilege of secre,
voting. This is another French reYolu. {
Iionary precedent, enacted by French. ;
revolution.hnting Britain. The House s
Of Lords, which how lies like a useless
old hulk in the lee OF the House OF ,
Commons, puts up an Earl Of Winche. !
'ea to roar against The Times; and that I
Journal disdainfully answers {: at is !
'hs intention Of their lordships to head {
! crusade against the press? IL so, they ,
shall soon learn that England is not the &
private demesne Of the House of Peers" ,
In the same way experienced Sir James ,
Graham warns the Commons not TO
come into collision with the journals,
Ior. if they do, that bauble Sir" (the
Speakers mace) "will be worsted in the i
conflict" Mr.. Drummond cries out 1--WE
IRE basely adulating a power which We
have not the courage to resist" and
yrsti6es the House BY reading aloud {
|ist Of the names Of the contributors to ,
he leading columns Of The Times.- ,
The House. which had lost its courage,
syipcsd that it had slso'lost it, old dig.
nifty and self respect BY the childish do.
light with which il welcomed revel lations
70 unprecedented in Parliamentary usage.
II we turn TO the relations between ,
hs Commons and the Ministry, we
isd the former trsnching upon the pro. ,
'incs Of the latter. Mr.. Gladstone calls ,
Il. Roebuck's Committee "Com.
iissss Of Government" end 90 it is.-
'sImsrstor raises the cry Of ",he Ex. :
suilvs IL danger !" to House and a /
1btje yhat savs 20 heed. The Minis.l i