TOPICS OF TH L DAY.
THE SPECTATOR AND THE MERE WHIGS.
THE curs of the Whig press, throughout the country, seem to have had a signal from Downing Street to yelp at the Spectator. We learned to despise that sort of barking in 1833 and '34, when the Treasury pack was set upon any independent writer who warned Lord GREY and Lord BROUGHAM of what justemi- lieuism would end in. Then, as now, bad motives were attributed
to us ; and we were accused, not only of enmity to a Liberal Ministry, but of affection to the Tories. Such is the way of the newspaper parasites of every Government: when a disinterested journal offends them by presenting a contrast with their own sy- cophancy, they would run it down by abuse. Principle and truth are no affair of theirs. An extra squeeze of the hand from great- ness—the small honour, highly felt, of feeding with my lady— the condescending approval of a coterie, in country or town—but above all, place for my relation, or myself, or both—these, and
such as these, may be among the influences which sway our re- vilers. They should avoid the subject of motives. They pretend
that we want to oust the Whigs and bring in the Tories. For what object—with what possible gain to ourselves—will they please to inform us? On the other hand, the motives of those who, whether clumsily or adroitly, minister to a party in power, must always be open to suspicion. Let alone motives, gentlemen : they who live in glass houses should not throw stones. It should be remarked, however, that the writer who flatters a party in power, is often its worst enemy. The GREY Govern- ment, we have said it before, was blinded and ruined by a sy- cophant press. The flatterer's concern is with the present only. "Give me that place—quick—before you are turned out." He wants to stand well with my lord at the very moment of writing; and with this view, cares only to say what will please to-day. And of all sorts of flattery, there is none so pleasing at the time of its utterance, as that which takes the shape of a quarrel with those who tell wholesome but disagreeable truths. The flatterers assert that our recent statements as to the un- popularity of Ministers are not to be believed. They deny us even
the merit of furnishing accurate information to the public. We should have imagined that the Spectator was among the very last of journals to incur such a reproach; and we allude to to it only for the purpose of showing the recklessness of these detractors.
Suppose them to be correct in saying that Ministers are highly popular—that there is no disunion between Whigs and Radicals
—and that the Whig Government, therefore, is in no sort of dan- ger,—then why make so much fuss about a contrary statement ? The very sensitiveness of these writers on the subject of Ministerial popularity, almost proves that we have said nothing but the truth : "il n'y a que la verde qui blesse."
But then, say they, even admitting that Ministers are not popu- lar, why gratify the Tories by asserting it ? Our answer is, that we care nought for the Tories; that the assertion is made partly for the mere sake of truth, but more especially for the purpose of in- ducing Ministers to adopt a course which would provide for their own safety and defeat the Tories for ever. Does that show a kindly feeling to the Tories, or enmity to the Whig Government ?
But why do you suppose, asks the Whig Examiner in particu- lar, that Ministers do not intend to take such a course ?—Because there is no evidence of any other purpose: because the only evi- dence on the subject is contained in the recent speeches of Sir GEORGE GREY, Mr. CHARLES WOOD, and Mr. SPRING RICE to their constituents; from which the sole inference is, that Ministers, to quote the Examiner," contemplate felo de se." But if Ministers do adopt the course by which alone, even the Examiner cannot help seeing, their existence may be preserved—if they do " take up a position bearing more saliently on the enemy, and resting'upon an extended popular basis,"—whose labours will have most contri- buted to that happy event—those of the parasite journals, or those of the plain-spoken and truth-telling Spectator
One word more, and we have done. It relates to the character of a journal which should have for object to serve the Whigs in time of the greatest need. A general election is coming on. Who will then be able to exert the greatest power in behalf of Ministers —we, who lsave never for a moment forfeited our independence, or those fawning writers now under notice ? For an answer, we refer to the last election.
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