nr the existing constitution of the House of Peers ;

and we cannot look back with

r'. of the contest—the wrong is quite tmked. rimier the black flag of Lord Lyn& throughout the country, of which a large proportion, ever since remain as Tories with respect to n.i. 11 No one expects the the prorogation of Parliament, have had for object to maintain Whigs to adopt the Radical view ot as; of these questions ; let the Tory side of the Peerage Reform question. Mr. BAINES them but not adhere to the Tory view. P .rfect neutrality as be- would not have proposed a revolutionary method of dealing with tween the Radicals and the Tories, n a- i :;tiestions of organic the Lords, if he had not felt that Peerage Reform was become a change, is now the proper function of the ',‘ t,igs in office. This practical question : what was it but a sense of the pressing or is the " other step " which it behoves I. .111 % rssnounsis to take. practical nature of the Peerage Reform question, that im- If some of his Cabinet decline to take it wall ! 1:o, they are only pelted Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND to defend the constitution of fit for the Tory ranks.

the House of Lords with a quotation from Cicero ? He even declared, with great solemnity, on which side of that ques- TORY TWADDLE. tion he should vote next session. Nay, so long ago as in the

beginning of last session, Lord JOHN Rossini. and Mr. RICE

treated Peerage Reform as a practical question, when they thought

it necessary or expedient to volunteer a declaration against any

change whatever in the constitution of the House of Lords. That is a practical question which is in everybody's mouth, which presses itself on the public attention, which is in such a state that men of opposite opinions with respect to it cannot help tak-

ing different sides. What Lord JOHN RUSSELL and Mr. Ries

anticipated when they preached against " all further organic change," the Lords themselves have brought to pass : they have made Peerage Reform a practical question, by forcing men of all parties and of no party—Tories, Whigs, Radicals, and Inds-

anlbables—to discuss the question, and to think of the means by our civil and religious institutions were suffered to be desecrated by the daring

which the thing itself may be either promoted or prevented. footsteps of modern innovation, or assaulted with the parricidal are of self- But who has yet asserted that Peerage Reform is a practicable seeking but all-else-desolating Reform."

measure ? Mr. HUTT has been understood to say that he will How like you that, Sir ROBERT PEEL, who declared for your not vote with Ministers next session unless they make Peer- party, that in future the Government of this country must be eon- age Reform a Cabinet question. Neither he nor any other con- ducted on the principles of the Reform Act ? But the Tories have siderate Reformer has said any such thing. As what he did say thrown oft' that mask. Thus, at the Bury dinner, Mr. BEVAN accurately represents the Radical view of this subject, it deserves said—

attentive consideration. "In the late aspirings of the lower orders for power and privileges, the L•rds

" The policy of Lord Grey's Government, after passing the Reform Bill, could not be so unread in history as not to know what is written in the first was to conciliate the Lords at all events ; to propose nothing that was likely to page,—namely, that conciliation leads to exasperation ; that every grant is a bring on collision between the two Houses. Lord Grey filling through their step to a new demand ; that man is never to be satisfied with pleasures, wishes, policy, Lord Melbourne advanced one step beyond st. He took office resolved honours, and least of all with power. Nor can the people be satisfied, while to propose good measures—reforms agreeable to the nation—without regard to having nothing'', and desiring all, they want that which will enable them to what might be the pleasure of the Lords - but also without any plan for over- grasp all. The contest for power is a new thing : an:I I often think of an coming Lordly opposition to his proposals of Reform. The necessity had not observation, which I heard in my youth from a venerable lady of the olden school, then arisen for deciding upon the question of Peerage Reform ; and it was who, when some one observed that there was nothing new under the sun, therefore possible that Lord Melbourne's Ministry should contain persons who replied, ' Nay, nay, young man, say not so ; Sohn:ion never saw a French Revo- object to all further organic change. But the case is now altered. Either lotion.' " Lord Melbourne must take another step, or the country will require another This superlative nonsense gained for Mr. BEVAN "great cheer- _Minister. This is my deliberate conviction ; and I express it with an earnest, r hope that Lord Melbourne will not be found wanting on this great occasion for ing " from the

the exercise of statesmanlike qualities. If, unhappily, it should prove other- W est Suffolk Tories.

Colonel Rusnannoisa is Member for West Suffolk : he lauded wise—if nothing be done by Ministers with a view to preventing another such himself and his party in the House of Commons, not only for absurd session as that which has just closed—I shall not be found next year enabling the Peers to make their " noble stand against the mis- amongst the supporters of Government. Nor am I singular in this opinion. chievous machinations of the present unprincipled advisers of the Many earnest Reformers in the Commons are weary of attending to support proposals of Reform which end in nothing; and I am but one of a powerful Crown," but as the careful guardians of the public purse— party, when I say, that the course which I may pursue next year, depends al- " By their watchfu: care, no less than 4300 official appointments, and a con- together upon what may then be the policy of Ministers." sequeut annual charge of nearly a million and a half of money, has, during the The Ministerial policy which would maintain the Whig-Radical 'union, is here sufficiently indicated. Lord MELBOURNE " must Much port must have been consumed before the party could

take another step." He must not be content with making pro- have swallowed this enormous exaggeration—not to call it a

posals of Reform " without regard to what may be the pleasure deliberate untruth. • of the Lords," but he must make such proposals with regard to Mr. MACINTYRE was metaphorical in his cups. He talked of the present determination of the Lords to reject every proposal of

Reform. " With a view to preventing another such absurd scs-

sion " as the last, Lord MELBOURNE must not remain' without

any plan," but must adopt some plan "for overcoming Lordly however, we have the crack specimen of this gentleman's elo- opposition to his proposals of Reform." But who .suggests that he should make Peerage Reform a Cabinet question ? Consider- quence-

ing that we have three hundred Tories in the PEEL Parliament, " The Agitator mourns over the degeneracy of Newcastle. What says lie to not to mention how many Ciceronian Whigs, a less " statesman- the month of November next, when our most capable Whig Ministers have like" plan of Ministerial action could hardly be imagined. As contrived to disfranchise the kingdom, snaking that month stand this year respects Ministers and the Peerage Reform question, all that any accursed in the calendar—what will lie say to 1311MCIOU', other places, where rational Reformer desires is, not that the Cabinet should propose the seeds of Conservatism have already overpowered the rank weeds of de- to reform the Lords, but that they should not vehemently object strnction, under the careful culture of the Operative Conservative Associa- to any reform of the Lords—not that they should make Peerage trolls. Those are ' the visions that alike terror to the soul of Richard'—

Reform a Cabinet question, but that they should not make it

TOPICS OF THE DAY. a Cabinet practice to praise and uphold the Lords as they

are. As respects Peerage Reform, it is not an active, but simply a negative policy which the Radicals ask the Whigs PEERAGE REFORM A PRACTICAL QUESTION. to adopt. If Whigs and Radicals are to form one party next

'' Now we avow that we are glad to corneas soon as possible to issue on the question session. they must give and take. It is because Peerage Reform is wh4M is thus forced upon the country, whether it shall renounce good government

now a practical question, that the Radicals will not take less from

any regret to the course of faet ions insanity which has, in so short a time, driven the Whigs than perfect neutrality in the existing war on that things to this brief alter native. Nothing can be more undisguised tlmn the nature subject between the two great parties which divide the country— burst. the Peers are now stripped for a decisive battle with Beform"—E■ A MINE a. the Radicals and the Tories. We are actually engaged in a " Is the Reform Bill to be repealed, or are the Lords to be reformed? This is now a struggle for Peerage Reform, and if the Whigs do not fight practical question. '—M R. Herr. with us, at least they must not fight against us. That Sir CICERO 0 Above all, he (Lord Melbourne) must prepare for a conflict with the Lords."—M a. O'Courn.:1.1. STRICKLAND, with his declaration against all Peerage Reform, "Seeing that the Tories have made Peerage Reform a practical question, we cannot has dove as mach as was in the power of such a person, towards imagine how Ministers will avoid taking a part either for or against the present constitution of the 'louse of Lords. The Tories insist that all men shall be either breaking up the Whig-Radical union. If Lord JOHN RUSSELL Tories or Peerage Reformers."—SeEcTAvoa. and Mr. RICE should repeat their declaration against all Re- MANY Tories, and some Whigs too, of the gobe-mouche order, form of the Lords, the next division would convince them that have taken it into their beads that the earnest Reformers have Peerage Reform is a practical question. This is not one of those sunk all other questions in that of Peerage Reform, and that they eases in which it behoves the great Reform party to say—" Those attach to their future support of the Whig Ministry the condition who are not for us are against us ;" but it is one in which they of a Cabinet measure for Reform of the Lords. Never was there are entitled to say, as they do—" We cannot be for those who are a greater mistake. We have reprinted above some of the strongest against us." The same remark is applicable to the questions of of those expressions on the subject. which have given occasion Suffrage, Ballot, and the Duration of Parliaments; with -respect to to the error. Peerage Reform is " a practical question; " but it which no more is asked of Lord MELBOURNE, than that they does not follow that it is a practicable measure. This is a most should be, not Cabinet, but open questions. That they are prac- important distinction. That the Tories themselves consider Peerage tical questions, like Peerage Reform, a toss:ts by the now general Reform a practical question, is proved by their active exertions conviction that they will dissolve tl.e IV '1::-!:salical union, which against Reform of the Lords—by their writings, speeches, and toasts is the foundation of the present G. v., sat s . I . if the Whigs should throughout the country, of which a large proportion, ever since remain as Tories with respect to n.i. 11 No one expects the the prorogation of Parliament, have had for object to maintain Whigs to adopt the Radical view ot as; of these questions ; let the Tory side of the Peerage Reform question. Mr. BAINES them but not adhere to the Tory view. P .rfect neutrality as be- would not have proposed a revolutionary method of dealing with tween the Radicals and the Tories, n a- i :;tiestions of organic the Lords, if he had not felt that Peerage Reform was become a change, is now the proper function of the ',‘ t,igs in office. This practical question : what was it but a sense of the pressing or is the " other step " which it behoves I. .111 % rssnounsis to take. practical nature of the Peerage Reform question, that im- If some of his Cabinet decline to take it wall ! 1:o, they are only pelted Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND to defend the constitution of fit for the Tory ranks.