Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-07-12
Feel.

Peel has been called the greatest
member of Parliament who ever lived
A sneer, perhaps, turks in the compli
ment, but, apart from the sneer, tn,
compliment, belongs rather to Pym o
to one Of the Pitts. 1t may more truly
be said of Peel that he was about tn
best public servant whom England eve
| had. No other Minister was ever so thor
oughly conversant with all the interest,"
and master of all the business of the
State. That it was that lent such
weight to his speeches, and gave him
his immense power over the House Of
| Commons. Lord Russell said that Of
all the speakers whom he had ever
heard the most eloquent was Plunket,
| the most charming was Canning, the
weightiest was Peel. That, SO. far as
the evil system OF party-for the estab-
lishment Of which he was not response
ble-would let him, Peel was a true
patrist, and served his country to the
utmost of his power and with all his
heart, never sparing himself, but giving
the most conscientious attention to all
the details of the public business, must
be the conviction of every one who
really knows his history. His great
qualities were rather those of an admin
istrator than those of q legislator, and
were liable to be rated lower than
they deserved under the party system,
which counts only legislative triumphs.
In legislation was not an originator,
at least upon the greatest questions;
but, as one who gave practical effect to
the conclusions of the time, his record
on the statute-book is immense. When
h., L., 80 he IL 1a
was bold, and never stopped at half
measures. His bills were framed with
the greatest care, so as to pass with the
least possible amendment. For his
memorable budgets, his fincial expert
ments, the creation of the fiscal system
under which England has prospered,
he had, the assistance of first-rate coad-
tutors, official and nOn-OfficiaI, yet the
measures may fairly be said to have
been his own. Irrespective OF the par
ty ties by which in his very boyhood he
had been tightly and almost inextraca-
bly, bound, he was by nature a conserva-
tive-ready for any practical reform,
but averse from organic charge. Such
is apt to be the temperament of great
administrators who are satisfied with
their tools as they are; and it is a better
temperament, at all events, than that of
politicians who seek power through
great commissions and use it for small
Jobs. The weak points Of PeePs career
are his conversions on the Catholic
emancipation and the corn laws, of
which nobody denies either the sinceri-
ty or the necessity, but which involved
an appearance of intideity to party;
while the desperate awkwardness OF the
position in which, during the process OF
conversion, a leader is placed, between
the impossibility OF keeping silence as
private man whose mind was waver-
ing would do, and the danger of pre-
maturely avOwing conclusions when
NAV shake the State, has furnished
malice With materials for imputations
of deceitfulness of which unspaining
use has been made. To these imputa-
tons Peel was too nervously susceptible;
but we have tried effrontery, and can
tell which has the best effect on public
character. That the intellect OF the
man who was chiefly responsible for the
welfare of the people should not upon
such question as the corn laws have
been allowed to act freely for the public
good, and that the country should have
been compelled to deprive itself OF the
services Of its great administrator be-
cause there had been change in ma
tional opinion upon an economical ques-
ton, have always seemed to me heavy
counts in the Indictment against the
party system, and that constitutional
rule which requires that whenever
new light breaks upon the mind of the
legislative body the executive govern
ment shall be overturned.-Ihe Nine
tcenth Century.