THE VARIETIES OF WHIG-RADICALISM.
WHIG-RADICALISM is of several sorts, each variety being repre- sented by very different persons.
First, there is the member of Brookes s, actually in place; too well paid for the no great trouble of his official labours, (for he is a wretched administrator,) and who divides the patronage at his disposal pretty equally between Whigs and Tories. In the way of Reform, he proceeds as far as the recognition of the barren principle of appropriating a possible surplus of Irish tithes, and the extension to Ireland of the English Municipal law; but no further. Nor does he require that the Irish tithe appropriation principle, or Irish Municipal Reform should extend beyond pro- posals by the Commons to be surely rejected by the Lords. If his party is maintained in power by a majority of the Commons, he cares not how long, or with what degree of insult in the manner, the Tories prevent that very small measure of change to which his views are limited. As respects articles of the Radical faith,— on all questions of organic change,—nay, with respect to any exertion by the Commons of the power which the Constitution gives them to carry their own wishes into effect,—he is neither more nor less than a decided Tory. What then is his claim to the title of Whig-Radical Q At elections he encourages the Whig partisans, or perhaps forces his own dependents to vote against the Radical candidate, if he does not, as in Cornwall, turn out the Radical Member ; and in Parliament, he not only votes, but speaks against all measures which the earnest Reformers have at heart. But then, he expects that, in and out of Parliament, the Radicals will strenuously support him and his in their mere Whiggery or Whig-Toryism. Therefore, he calls himself a Whig- Radical.
Next comes your special Radical, who thinks that there can be nothing like good government without Ballot, very short Parlia- ments, and a very extended Suffrage; who terms the House of Lords " the House of mischief;" who considers Peerage Reform " the question of questions," the Reform " which is to lead to all other Reforms." "When any member of the present Government has spoken against Peerage Reform, or the Ballot, or Short Par- liaments, or Church Reform, or any article in the Radical creed," that member of the Government has been " instantly
attacked " * by this never-failing Radical. " On the very day of the formation of the Ministry, he was foremost in censuring Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S repudiation of organic changes." .1. "Again, in last October, the same Minister's declaration against Peerage Re- form, was the subject • of his instant animadversion." " When Mr. SPRING RICE volunteered a defence of the irresponsible branch of the Legislature, he was not silent, nor was his reproof wanting." fit He " further recently exposed the errors in the Whig view of the Peerage question." ft " What errors of the present Government has he ever countenanced, or omitted to censure ?"11 " Upon the Pension-list, Corporal Punishments, and the Church question, he has been amongst the foremost oppo- nents of the Ministry ;"** and he was " the first of the Reformers who grappled with the Bishops' measure of sham Reform."tS In short, there never was such a Radical,—nor, according to his showing, a Whig Ministry so much addicted to Toryism. " Never- theless," (here comes the curiosity) ho is "sincerely friendly to the Government, thinking it, on the whole, the best Government the country has ever had. As long as he believes this, he will sup- port it. When he does not believe this, he will, with equal readi- ness, oppose and endeavour to overturn it."** He highly dis- approves of the conduct of the Government in many very im- portant particulars, but as highly approves of the Government itself. He never misses an opportunity to argue in favour of Radical opinions ; but he upholds the Whigs notwithstanding their Anti-Radical sayings and doings. He " attacks," and "ani- madverts," and " censures," and "exposes," and " reproves,"—but "supports." We have already explained the contradiction. His at- tacks, animadversions, censures, exposures, and reproofs are all in the abstract ; his support is practical, or, perhaps we ought to say, personal. This variety might be called, in Linnman Latin made for the occasion, the Radicalus Paradoxus.
The last sort of Whig-Radical is he who endeavours, not to " overturn" the Government, but to place it upon a natural and therefore a firm footing—upon that foundation of mutual conces- sion and gain, which is implied by the term Whig-Radical. What, during the last year, have the Whigs conceded to the Ra- dicals ?—nothing. What have they clone for them?—nothing. IV hat do they promise in the way either of concession of prin- ciples, or of practical reforms?—nothing. Open questions tney will not admit ; Cabinet questions they cannot carry. The Tories, under the guide of Lord LYNDHURST, have determined that, unless the Whig-Radical union be placed on a new footing calcu- lated to defeat the new Tory policy, the Whigs shall, to use again LYNDHURST'S own word, be good for " nothing " to the Radicals. The true Whig-Radical urges the Whigs to take the only step which promises advantage to both Whigs and Radicals ; our monstrous Whig-Radical " supports" them in that good-for- nothing course which he " censures," See. &c., with (we are always happy to acknowledge it) remarkable skill and power. There arc too many incarnations of the Whig-Radicalism, so called, which is really Whig-Toryism ; but our brother the Exa- miner is, as far as we know at present, the sole representative of the paradoxical Whig-Radical. Of true Whig-Radicals the num- ber is already great, and is, as will be seen ere long, increasing rapidly. Some fine day, however, if it should so please the Whigs, they may all turn into pure Radicals.
s See Examiner of last Sunday. I See ditto. t Sec ditto. § See ditto. . 1; See ditto. T S,T. ditto. •• Sec ditto. f See ditto. tx See ditto.
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