WHIG PATRONAGE OF TORIES: TORY DEFIANCE OF WHIGS.
IN every-day life, when an individual is seen manfully struggling against surrounding difficulties, fighting his own battle with courage and constancy, there is commonly a disposition on the part of his neighbours and friends to lend him a helping hand. " He is a fine, hearty fellow," they say ; " we wish him success, and will give him assistance." But the timid and slothful cry out in vain for help: kicks and cuffs are their portion—their desert— and they are left floundering in the "slough of despond." Unless , Lord MELBOURNE and his colleagues improte upon the policy of - the GREY Cabinet, and evince more rigour in their own defence than their present conduct allows us to expect, there is too much reason to anticipate that they will ere long find themselves in a similar predicament. The Reformers will grow weary of supporting those who appear systematically to neglect the means of defence which circumstances place in their own hands. On the approach of an election contest, many and ardent are the appeals to the patriotism of the Reformers to vote for the Ministerial candidate. The threats of landlords, and of wealthy customers and patrons, are to be set at nought : a man's "-duty to his family" is to give way to his duty to his country ; and bitter reproaches are showered on the heads of interested backsliders from the cause of Reform,—:that is, the cause of Whig placemen. Well ; suppose the election gained, the saturnalia over, and the successful candidate restored to his seat in the Cabinet and on the Treasury bench. Would it not be a part of his bounden duty, as well as highly politic in him, to protect the independent elector whose vote has rendered him obnoxious to the persecution of a powerful neighbour? So it would seem to men of common sense. But our Ministers think differently. They reward and promote, and caress those who strive in every possible way to break down the Reform interest, and ruin or corrupt the individual voter. There is not • a Tory "jack in office" in the country, who does not feel as- sured of perfect impunity in using the influence he derives franc that office, to thwart his superiors, and injure all who have sided with them.
- There are many counties and districts in the United King- dom where, owing to their vast possessions, the Tory landlords exert a preponderating influence. It requires no common share of spirit and independence in an elector to set this power at de- fiance; and one would suppose, that Ministers would anxiouly lay hold of all legitimate means of counteracting it, and supporting the Reformers. But these seem to be precisely the parts of the country where their truckling policy is most strictly adhered to. At a dinner recently given to Mr. DOUGLAS, of Adderstone, by the new constituency of the Melrose district of Roxburglishire, ift the midst of the Duke of Bucceaucies possessions, it was stated by Mr. RUTHERFORD of Jedburgh, that although they were sur- rounded by Tory landlords, who sent up voters by the hundred to poll for Lord JOHN Scow at the last election, still the influence of Government went all the same way. "Look (he said) at the manner in which the public offices are filled ; every one of which—from the highest to the lowest—from the Lord-Lieutenant, front the Sheriff of the county, to the humblest officer of his court—are all filled with avowed opponents of his Majesty's Government : at least it does not consist with my knowledge that any one of these officers of the Crown supported our honour- able Representative, although he is connected with the Government, and hods a very important office under it ; thus exhibiting the unseemly spectacle of a Government not receiving aid froni its own servants, but rather counteracted by them. The same thing prevails in the burgh, from the highest down. to the Town-Crier, whose vocation must not by any manner of means be exercised for the wicked purpose of calling a meeting of tilt:electors to consult as to the fittest persona to choose as Town-Councillore," Take a similar instance from a more Southern part of the island. The county of Salop is filled with Tory nobility and (gentry. The
principal Whig proprietors are non-resident. The Dukes of
CLEVELAND and SUTHERLAND, the Earl of TANKERVILLR, and ethers, scarcely ever visit their Shropshire estates. The clergy, too, are generally Tories to the back-bone. The Lord-Lieutenant of the county, Earl Powis, with his son Lord Clam are noted for their active hatred of Liberal principles; almost all the Magis- tracy are of the same way of thinking; and yet a large majority of the few offices which the Whigs have had to dispose of in the county have been bestowed so as to augment the power of the Anti-Reformers. Has any person of reputation been g; i ied from the enemy's ranks by this policy ? On the contrary, the very parties who were personally obliged have been within a few weeks particularly active in evincing their unrelaxed hostility to hs Government. Now the consequence of all this may easily be foretold. At the next election, the Liberal voters will say—" It is thankless woik to help these Ministers ; the way to gain their favour is to use them despitefully and spit upon them ; but the best course we can take is to drop them, and look out for men of' more spirit and seediness to their friends." Unless our rulers can work a change in the natural feelings and constitution of men, such must neces- sarily be the reflections of thousands, whom they could have pro- tected and encouraged, but have preferred to neglect and disspirit. If this system be not speedily altered, the Whigs will be thrown back into the political " slough," whence the ill-rewarded Re- formers dragged them in 1831. The Courier rejoices that the Marquis of DOWNSHIRE is still to remain Lord-Lieutenant of his county ; and deprecates his re- moval,—principally-, it would seem, for these three reasons : first, because the Whigs denounced the removal of Earl FITZWILLIAM by the Tories; secondly, because it would exasperate the Irish Protestants ; and thirdly, because it would look like giving way to Mr. O'CoN NELL.
As regards the first reason, we profess not to be extremely solicitous about the consistency of the Whigs in this particular instance. On numerous occasions they have disregarded every thing that looked like attachment to consistency ; more especially, when asked to repeal the Septennial Act and the Six Acts, to abolish impressment, military flogging &c. But now it answers their purpose to quote their own conduct on the dismissal of Lord FITZWILLIAM as an excuse for not doing their duty in turning out Lord Dowesittez. We deem it a sufficient reply to this excuse, that the circumstance of their looking over the gross misbehaviour of the Irish nobleman will be an encouragement to similar dis- plays of the Orange faction, and will tend to bring the .King's Government into especial contempt among Catholics and Protes- tants. At a time when the country is in a highly-excited state, Lord DOWNSHIRE has been active in collecting together a vast mul- titude of persons, horse and foot, with the evident and (on the part of some of his leading associates) avowed intention of overawing his Majesty's Government by a display of physical force. It is said that in so doing he has committed no infraction of the law : as he has not been prosecuted, we let that pass,—though we believe the meeting was, strictly speaking, an illegal one- but it cannot be denied that Lord DOWNSH IRE'S conduct was exceedingly indiscreet, aud affords positive proof of his unfitness for the part of chief conservator of the King s peace. Therefore he ought to be removed.
As to the exasperation of the Protestants the dismissal of Lord
DowsisHiae would be displeasing only to the Orange party ; and if the Government hopes to soothe them by any measure short of delivering up the country to their merciless sway, as in former times, it has become absolutely unteachable. Conciliation of the Orangemen! Can any thing at this time of day be more absurd
than to attempt it? But then, the Repeaters must not be encouraged. It would look like deferring to O'Costatem. were the Marquis removed. For this unworthy reason, Mr. BLACKBURNE, the Orange-Tory Attorney-General is allowed to retain office under a professedly
Reforming and Einancipating Administration. This is worst of all. That a Ministry should be prevented from doing what is politic and praiseworthy, lest they should gratify O'CONNELL and the Repealers! What will men come to who adopt such a prin- ciple of governing such a country as Ireland?
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