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778 THE LEAMR: [SLvrcirDAY, - „„, . -. 1...
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THE OTIO^, ITS NEIGHBOURS, AND THEIR AME...
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FIRST ATTEMPTS AT MORALITY. Tiik great B...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Wohic Fob The Recess. Anakchy Waa Tho Gr...
the JDailf News with , a purpose , and calling attention to the circumstances which render it at this period indispensable to re-form a laberal party . The writer we refer to recommends a meeting of Liberal members in the course of the recess . We 4 p noii overlook and we-do not underrate any of the difficulties in the way of such a project . Mr . Bright—otherwise , the master of" the position — and Lord Dudley Stuart disorganise the Liberal party with respect to the War—Mr . Bright by
iris : isolated view that a war against Hussia' can . not be rendered a war for human liberty—IJord Dudley Stuart by his confident crotchet that European nationality cannot get on without Lord Palmerston . JUr . Miall arid' Mr . T . Chambers disorganise the Liberal party witlt respect to religion- —Mr : Miall lty a temperate , but mot suecessfuk obtrusion of the Church of England question ; Mr i " . Chambers by a , religious p ^ ersi ^ tencej on . the Church of Rome question , iti deterring from
tnfc ; Ehglisli Radicals , who are cornpelled Boniewhaij to consult , 3 Snglis . h fanaticisnni the sympathiiss of Ireland } — - -a ; country which has' been ¦ mismanaged . By both sections of the aristocracy , and ; migHt now he won by anew Liberal party . But there remam liundber of distinct subjects upon which there is si , practicalaverage ^ agreement , and for wliich party organisation could with facility be devised , About one hundred members are If
always ready to vote for th ^ ballot . these lmii ^ r ed members were organised . - into a party , pledged fro * refuse assistance to any Grovernnient which refused to adopt the ballot as the only meaias of purifying bur electoral eonstiinitiqn ^ these hundred men would-soon become two hundred , and the ballot would , be carried . VFe place the ballot first in the Liberal programme , because it is the Radical point ; whicn at the moment stands the best chance . 3 Phere are at least one hundred
members who would vote for the Hume extension of the suffrage ; and if a party were organised , pledged to vote against any Reform Bttl which did not go that far at least , we should have no more sham bills . Mr . Hume would say , as he said last session , when a sham bill was proposed , that it would be insanity not to take all we could get ; but we apprehend that this species of rueful political philosophy is somewhat dying out . Democrats would say that we should stick to principle , and refuse any reform bill which was not based , on universal suffrage . To which
we answer that the Hume extension ( or something- very similai' ) is the only proposition upon which a party could be organised . The same party which' could-maintain these two questions in Parliament could also act together on reform in India ; and on the question of the Irish Church- —on ¦ which English Radical members would be expected to . reciprocate the assistance they require from Irish members . Precisely the
same party could carry the abolition of the Church rates ; precisely the same party could carry limited liability in partnership * ; precisely the same party could obtain County financial Boards ; precisely the same party could secure secular education , if not generally , locally—as in the Salford Bill j precisely the same party could remove tho stamp from newspapers . Finally , such a party could purify our whole public life and our whole administrative machinery .
We boheve that if anything is to bo done in this direction , the initiative is not to be taken by any member of Parliament , but by a movement of thoso out-of-door Radicals of whom we havo spoken . Old Parliamentary habits are great obstacles to tho creation of a people '*) party pledged to stand aloof from the GCovornment—to giro it no votes , and , therefore , to ask from it no places—an
independence which at the . outset would utterly destroy all the orthodox arrangements . A retrospect of the last session will 110 doubt have a tendency to drive the " popular members" melancholy mad ; . but as yet there is scarcely sufficient political earnestness to allow of a hope of the- , revolutionary idea being , entertained that a people ' s representative is entitled to withold the people ' s money —that is to say , to refuse supply—until he is satisfied that what he knows to be the
popular demand will be complied with ; in other words , to insist ou the Constitution . And we believe the party to which we point would altogether fail of obtaining any strongposition in England , unless it were to set out on a full understanding " with the Sovereign thak this possible " factiousness" would' be exercised nofrtowards- the Crown , but towards the impure , imbecile , aiid all-engrossing aristocracy which usurps the national Government , and stands ^ between the monarch and tee peop le ^ degrading , the Cro \ m anil deluding the country .
778 The Leamr: [Slvrcirday, - „„, . -. 1...
778 THE LEAMR : [ SLvrcirDAY , - „„ , . - . 11 . . . mm - - ¦ ¦ . . .. _ .-- *¦ - — ¦ ¦ ¦ — 1111 1 i | - 1 i r ' ~~* " ^^_^^__ _^ m ^^___^ _ ii - -1 ¦ - 1 - ¦ 1 - ¦ - — ¦ ¦ _^_^__
The Otio^, Its Neighbours, And Their Ame...
THE OTIO ^ , ITS NEIGHBOURS , AND THEIR AMEXABILtrp AccoBDiNd- to the latest intelligence , the EmpeJror of iRussia ^ is about to sell to the United States that north-west territory which is his , and freely to give the island' of Cuba which is not his ; anil so far as' his intent gpeSj both stories are equally probable . The citizens -may answer him in . O'Connell ' s phrasej "Thank ^ -ye for nothing . " If the 2 Ea , nkees please , on nominally annexing the ¦
rtorth-western territory , which abuts on Behring ' s Straits ,, they may present a , sum of money to the Emperor , who wants it badly enough ; but it could be on ho other ground save goodnature . Aaid as to fluba , the Ame ^ ricans knenv well enough that "with due consideration for existing interests , it is annexed . Cuba essentially belongs to the state wHich
possesses the mouth of the Mississippi ; if there ^ is auy state to question that abstract but self-evident proposition , it is Spain , and Spain alone ; and it does not need the Czar to make or unmake . He has plenty to do elsewhere , without having any duties to perform in surrendering either Cuba or Canada to the Rep-oblic ; The fact is that the tenure of all the
territories conterminous with the Union depends upon the condition of the state to which each belongs . The . little state of " Mosquitia" —that made-up nuisance which President Piorco has committed the mistake of magnif y ing into an enemy—will be trodden down , in the march of one or other of the states near it . Mexico iDOssesses about as good a title to its territory as any people , yefc it cannpt keep the land—its neighbours acquire it in the good old legitimate \ vay : they como very near , border quarrels arise , the two sides fight , and at tho end tho weaker
has to pay the costs of the action—in land . Much similar litigation is in prospect , and thus the Union proceeds with tho gradual annexation of Mexico . The process will stop , if at all before the Mexican territory he entiroly annexed , when , the land shall bo reduced to such proportions as do not oxecod the strength of tho Mexicans to koop it . As to Cannda , that pnrt of America is essentially self-governing ; it chooses its own sovereignty , and at present it prefers to remain under the saino sovereignty with Qi-eat Britain , by which it secures a greater decree of indonoudence than if it were annexod to the Union . This sentimnnt ; 1 ms lw >« n
formally expressed on many occasions j Mr . Howo , the chief Minister of tho Q-overnmenfc of Nova Scotia ^ and leader of tho local Parliament , has specifically cited tlio reasons for
remaining annexed to the monarchy rather than joining the republic , , ia the greater local independence thus secured ^ a nd the incompatibility of temper between the ^ Republicans and the descendants of tlie old U , E . Royalists ; and among other moral effects of the war has been tho calling ! , out of attachment to the mother country , distinctly declared by the legislatures of the colonies . The two other states which remain , conterminous with the Union are Russia- and Spain ; the Russian tenure beins at least as bad as
the Mexican , if not the Cuban . It is a principle which Americans are not likely to surrender , that monarchical possessions in America shall not be extended : the Russian territory , therefore , cannot be extended . But if not extended , it is geographically as untenable as it is politically . It is a mere corner and strip—a barrier keeping back any power possessing : the territory within from the coast and the strait- —it is the Constanitinople of that icy and desert region , unbacked
; by any Ottoman ; territory behind ; and thepower- possessing the northern part of the I Contiiient will be ; cbrii : pellecl to take- the ' strip , just as Cuba must , be taken , atid as the Czar wisjied to take Constantinople . Politically , the Czar has no "hold upon any of his territory , iu this country we must agree in the American principle , that ho Goveriimenfe is legitiinate save that appointed' by the inhabitants of the country such is the . case with our owii monarchical republic as much as -witn the United States r such is not the
case with any Jlussian territory , except perhaps old Muscovy , whiose ancestors chose their Czar . Russian power falls as soon as the inhabitants of any Russian land : know " themselves ; The flaw in the Spanish tenure of Cuba islikewise identical with flaws in the Government . Spain can neither ' perform her duty to herself , nor to her neighbour . She is not stron g enough to defend her own territory , nor to make her own people ; obe ^ r , nor to
guarantee her own independence during war . She cannot , therefore , exhibit one essential element in the title of sovereign powerthe conquering sword to make that title respected by foreigners . She cannot compel her own subjects in the island to behave properly . She cannot perform the duties of an ally , in preserving tho portal of the Mississippi against occupation by a foreign enemy of the Republic which holds the river . She is , therefore , not fit to take Cuba .
Tho American Republic has shown , its desire to give Spain every trial , every opportunity for acquiring the title to Cuba , if she had it not already ; but in vain . America has also evinced her desire to let Sjmin mnko the cession peaceably and honourably , receiving even payment j and the example of France , and of Spain herself , in the southern part of the Union , may he advanced to soothe the dignity of Queen Isabella ' s Government in effecting the sale . Espartcro , wo gucsa ^ has the last chance of . getting something for Cub a .
First Attempts At Morality. Tiik Great B...
FIRST ATTEMPTS AT MORALITY . Tiik great Britiwh Public is totally incompetent to deal with the morals of ita own life . A more clumsy-listed fool than that samo Public it would bo impossible to discover in tho round of fcho civiliaed world . Tho terms may look disrespectful , but wo abide by thorn on tho score of their unmitigated truth . "Let us take two rccont instances . A distinguished member of ono of those clubs which exittt on pretext of being l-ogiraents of soldiers , " cuts" aiiother—sonda another momber of tlia same club to Coventry , because ho associates with womon of
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 19, 1854, page 10, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_19081854/page/10/
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