MEETING OF THE LIBERAL PARTY.
The Liberal party gathered in unaccustomed strength at Willis's rooms on Monday. There were 274 Liberal Members of the House of Com- mons present ; and although there was not perfect unanimity, yet there were few dissentients.
Lord Palmerston first addressed the meeting. He said it was a great advantage for a great party to know the course it ought to take at a great crisis, and although there had been differences in the Liberal party, still it was a party the main purpose of whose aim and existence was the pub- lic good.
"The issue upon which Government had dissolved Parliament was not the question of Reform, or any other matter of legislation, but simply and solely whether or not they possessed the confidence of the country. He thought that the late election had given a conclusive answer to that ques- tion, and that it was the business of the Liberal party to determine whether or not they should accept the challenge which had been given them. He believed it would be the more manly and straightforward course to do so, and he briefly sketched out the terms of the proposed amendment, expressive of a want of confidence in the present Government, which he stated that Lord Hartington and Mr. Hanbury were respectively willing to propose and emend, should the meeting deem it advisable for them to do so. In advert- ing to the war in Italy, his lordship dwelt on the signal failure which the Government had met with in their endeavours to maintain peace between the contending parties, and contended that a Cabinet, which had manifestly lost all weight in the Councils of Europe upon so momentous a question as that of peace and war, was not fit to be any longer intrusted with the con- duet of our foreign relations. He also insisted very strongly on the duty of maintaining a strict neutrality, which be said that the speech of Lord Derby., previous to the outbreak of the war, had tended to impair ; and declared that he could not foresee any circumstance which would render the hostile intervention of England necessary. Lord John Russell next addressed the meeting. After strongly depre- cating the continuance of the government in the hands of a minority, which he characterized as most unconstitutional and dangerous, ex- pressed his hearty desire either to cooperate with Lord Palmerston, in the event of that noble Lord being called upon to form an Administra- tion; or to avail himself of his assistance, in the event of his being re- quired to conduct the affairs of the country himself. Ho thought that it was highly disadvantageous, with respect to our in- fluence abroad, to have a Government which did not possess the confidence of Parliament, and which was felt to have no security for its existence, and that a Government supported by a majority of the House might do much to bring about a restoration of peace. As to home affairs he was of opinion that no Ministry could refuse to bring in a measure of Reform, but that it should be one differing as much as possible from the bill of the Government. It should be a real reform of the representation, and should enlarge the franchises of the people. The Liberal party was composed of the Whig party, of what had been termed the independent Liberals, and of gentlemen who had been connected with Sir Robert Peel in carrying measures of great advantage to the oountry; and he was quite convinced, and in this he was also expressing the opinion of his noble friend, that no Ministry could hope to be permanent that did not include within it an adequate representation of each of the sections of the great Liberal party in the House.
Mr. Bright, who followed Lord John, spoke of the dissensions which had hitherto existed in the Liberal party, for which he considered him- self in some measure responsible, but which he both accounted for and vindictted, on the ground that the old Members of that party, who had carried the Reform Bill of 1832, had not acted up to the principles which
inevitably flowed from that measure, but had made a point of exelioling from any share of power all those independent Members who usually eat below the gangway, and who considered that they had duties to perform to their constituents as well as to the nominal leaders of the party to to which they belonged.
If, however, they were willing to act henceforth on a more comprehensive system, he should have no hesitation in sinking minor differences, and giving such a Government his most cordial support. For himself, he could say that he had never been actuated in the course be had taken by any wish to obtain office for himself, and that should it be required of him, at any time, to take any part in the Government, he could assure them that there was no person present who would feel such a duty a more severe penalty than he should feel it to be. With regard to the question of the war, he was not satisfied with the language of Lord Palmerston, who had founded his hopes of peace on the limitation of the war to its present locality. His own opinion was, whether the war was confined to Italy or not, that it was the interest and the duty of England to preserve an absolute neutrality; and if he could feel confident that the present Government could and would preserve that neutrality, he would for the moment forget every other ques- tion, and would refuse to take any step which should drive them from office. With regard to the question of Reform, he understood that the new Government, if such should be formed, would introduce a measure not less
i extensive than that which had been ndicated by Lord John Russell before the dissolution. He did not expect thata Government could adopt all his views, but what he insisted upon was this—that all sections of the Liberal party should be fairly represented in the Cabinet, and that the Government should move in the direction of a Liberal policy,. in accordance, at least, with what might be termed the average liberal opinion of the party. He was anxious for union and for a steady and moderate progress ; and a Go- vernment formed in this manner and with these views should receive from him such support as he could conscientiously give them.
Lord Palmerston explained : with regard to what Mr. Bright had said as to his language on the question of the war, he said that he saw no probability of anything arising to involve this country in it ; and that he believed that an alliance with France was the interest both of France and of England, and was the most likely course to secure the peace of Europe.
Mr. Sidney Herbert applauded Mr. Bright's frankness of speech, and would imitate him in the observations he was about to make.
He was one of those who sat below the gangway, and he was sorry for the differences which had arisen, and he thought that whether the amendment was successful or not, it was desirable that we should know our position, and that the opinion of Parliament should be taken. After what had been said, he could hope for good as the result of holding this meeting. He agreed with Mr. Bright on the question of the war, and he believed every man in England must be against it who was not a madman, or whose judg- ment was not warped by some private interest.
Mr. Deasy attributed to the shortcomings of the Liberal leaders the re- turn of a majority of Tories in Ireland. Mr. Roebuck repeated his Mil- ford Haven speech. Mr. Coningham and Mr. John Locke disagreed with Mr. Roebuck.
Mr. Horsman united with the meeting in the wish to have a Liberal Government ; but he doubted if it was the wisest course to move an amendment on the address.
He should have preferred to have waited a week or ten days and to have moved a distinct resolution. But if the amendment was carried, what kind of Cabinet were they to have ? From what had been said, he concluded that the new Government would be formed on the basis of a junction between Lord Palmerston, Lord John Russell, and Mr. Bright. He had a great re- spect for them, but, looking to the antecedents of each of those gentlemen, he doubted if such a Government would have the confidence of l'arliament and of the country. He wished Mr. Bright to understand that he made no objection to him, and he stated that in the year 1846 he had urged Lord John Russell to include Mr. Cobden in his Cabinet, that he might get the support of a very able man, and save himself from much future embarrass- ment. Mr. Ellice thanked Mr. Bright for his speech and expressed a hope that good would arise from the meeting to the Liberal cause. Mr. Lindsay was afraid it would look factious to determine that an amendment should be moved before it was seen what Ministers had to propose. Lord John Russell made answer in the sense that Ministers have been tried and found wanting.
It was then stated that the amendment to the address would follow the precedent of Sir Robert Peel's in 1841, and that it would state that the House considered it essential that Government should possess the con- fidence of Parliament, and that the House deems it its duty to say that such confidence is not reposed in the present advisers of the Crown.
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