A REFORM QUESTION, BY A COUNTRY OBSERVER.
Strati. we have Reform, or shall we not? Clearly, by the present Ministry we shall not have any further Reform than Lords WHARN- CLIFFE and HARROWBY choose to allow us. The Lords have dared to reject one Bill in spite of tremendous threats, and will dare to reject another in spite of threats less tremendous. Tell a naughty boy, " I will whip you if you do so"—ten to one he will do so in spite of your threats ; let the offence pass unpunished, and tell the said naughty boy a second time, "I will whip you if you do so again"—ten thousand to one the naughty boy will do so again. It was bold in the first instance in the Lords to reject a Bill passed by a majority of 130; it will be not more bold in the second instance to reject a Bill passed by a ma- jority of 160. Lords WHARNCLIFFE and HARROWBY know that new Peers can be made ; but they also know that Lord GREY'S reluctance to make new Peers is as great as their own to pass Lord Joirx Rus- SELL'S Bill. "Will you let my Bill pass ?" " No." "If you do not, I can make new Peers, and compel a majority." " We know you can, but will you? Will you sacrifice your first object for your second ?" Let the Opposition Lords know that a new creation actually will take place, if they shall reject the Bill a second time, and then it will most assuredly pass. The question therefore is, will the Ministers make new Peers ? i. e. are they unhesitatingly bent upon it ? The Opposi- tion knows that they are not, and that they dread as much an addition of any importance to the Peerage as the Opposition dreads the passing of the Reform Bill. Teneo lupum auribus, must be Lord GREY'S motto. And he must hold the wolf by the ears, till some bolder man—some one less fearing the People or less fearing the Lords—takes it out of his hands.
[We agree with our Correspondent, that the vhole depends on the making of new Peers. We hope we may differ with him in regard to the presumed hesitation of the Cabinet. At least we believe Lord GREY'S scruples are at an end. We are not so sure rf Lansdowne : let us watch him.]
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