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j TOft. 28, 1856.] ^THE LEABEE. qq5 « ^ — ——^ ^mm ^ ^ ^ — ^ ^— ^ __ ^ ______. — *_ ' - ¦ ¦ - —- ,.._. — . -¦ ¦ .— ** • ¦ . ¦ • ¦ ••
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" ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM. A meeting of th...
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AMERICA. The progress of the civil war i...
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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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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J Toft. 28, 1856.] ^The Leabee. Qq5 « ^ — ——^ ^Mm ^ ^ ^ — ^ ^— ^ __ ^ ______. — *_ ' - ¦ ¦ - —- ,.._. — . -¦ ¦ .— ** • ¦ . ¦ • ¦ ••
j TOft . 28 , 1856 . ] ^ THE LEABEE . qq 5 « ^ — ——^ ^ mm ^ ^ ^ — ^ ^— ^ __ ^ ______ . — *_ ' - ¦ ¦ - — - ,.. _ . — . - ¦ ¦ . — ** ¦ . ¦ ¦ ••
" Administrative Reform. A Meeting Of Th...
" ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM . A meeting of the Administrative Reform Association under its new organization was held last Saturday at the . London Tavern ; Mr . Roebuck , M . P ., in the chair . The room was well filled , and several members of Parliament , together with other persons of note , were observed on the platform . Mr . Roebuck , who was greeted with loud cheers , addressed the meeting at considerable length . After referring to the apathy which has recently pervaded the public mind , he remarked that for the last few years we have been in a state of great danger , but that the country has not been sufficiently alive to its D 06 ition , and that , having gone on supinely from
step to step , it is now " on the very brink of a precipice down which it may be hurled to-morrow . " The government of the country , being entrusted to a few hands , pursues , not the interests of the people , but mere party interests ; and the people themselves lie thought chiefly to blame for this . " Men , if you place them in an irresponsible position , will act as irresponsible men always do—for their own interests , and uot for the public good . " Every now and then , the people have cried and called out aloud at extraordinary instances of corruption ; but they have not acted . For examples , Mr . Roebuck referred to the late war with Russia , which was brought about by ministerial imbecility , and managed by corruption ; and to the diplomatic quarrel with America , now threatening war with our kindred on ttoe other side of the Atlantic . The people of England and of the United States , like the gods of Epicurus , are too apt to leave the affairs of the world to manage tbemselves ; and they suffer for so doing . In referring to the Crimean campaign , Mr . Roebuck observed : — " Let me tell you that we owe a great debt of gratitude to the press . ( Loud cheers . ) Upon that occasion , was tried for the first time a great experiment : publicity was introduced into the management of an army , and
we were told that destruction would be the inevitable consequence . { A laugh . ' ) What was the consequence ? Why , that destruction was the effect of the inefficiency of our rulers , and that that inefficiency was discovered by means of the press , whose representatives were sent there . " ( Cheers . } Approaching the more immediate object of his address , Mr . Roebuck proceeded to consider the best practical means of remedying the evils from which we suffer : — " It is idle to talk of Administrative Reform unless you are ready to have Parliamentary reform . ( Loud cheers . ) The evil is there . ( Renewed cheers . ) Just for a moment consider the state of things in this country . You have a House of Commons which is in effect the sovereign power . You may call the State a monarchy if you -will ; we may talk of her most gracious Majesty—and nobody speaks of her with greater reverence than myself—but th £ real power of this country is in the House of Commons , which is said to represent the people . In that House you have by j'our apathy allowed the whole government of the country to be in the hands of some half a dozen families of the land . { Cheers . ') I see them night by night , one-half ranged on one side of a green table , and the other half upon the other aide . I find among them party fights and individual hates ; but I do not see the interests of England predominant . I am not now speaking of the gentlemen who have now possession of the Government of this country as demons in human shape ; they are men , and they "will act as men always do in their position . Then , I ask , who is to blame for this V I unhesitatingly reply—you ; for upon this occasion you are to me the representatives of the people of England . I have very iMAAt / ii < vntl mr lt ** s \* i si * fl + ? f \ > rA 1 ir T */» r » rtl 1 *»/»! lAn ? ll A 111 l ^ 'll lf * f * 3
which have followed a system of irresponsible government in the war with Russia . But there is . one event which hangs over our heads , brought about , I am bold to aay , by ministerial incapacity , which is ten times more threatening than anything which you have yet gone through . I refer to the disturbed state of our correspondence with America . How waa that brought about ? "Why , if you had had in the Government of this country any men who knew anything of the lawn of the United States , as they ought to do , they would have known that to attempt to enlist men there was , in fact , to contravene the American laws . And let me toll you that they learned thin , and leurned it , too , very early . There has been a blue-book recently issued , and in the earliest portions of the book there is the opinion of a person whom the Government themselves say is an instructed and intelligent lawyer of America , who told them that to proceed in the course they were pursuing would lead necessarily to a collision with America . [ Meer Juffier Ali , thoNawab of Surat , hero entered the meeting , and took a sent on the platform amid some cheering . ] We have been interrupted by a remarkable incident . A gentleman from the other side of the globe has come among us , showing the power of the people of Englaud i and can we be longer apathetic when we have aucb , a < singular instance of the consequences of our apathy ? Wo are now on the brink of a war with America , -which is our chief customer , wIiobo people aro blood of our blood and bone of our bone—who are but
Englishmen transplanted to the other side of the Atlantic , connected in every way with us , upon whom we depend , and who are dependent upon us . We are upon the very brink of outraging humanity in going to war with our brethren on the other side of the Atlantic . The cause of this is a want of knowledge , or a want of something else worse than a want of knowledge , on the part of your rulers . Why do I bring forward these illustrations ? It is in order to impress upon the minds of my countrymen that they are chiefly affected by all that concerns the interests of England nationally , and that in the pursuit of wealth , which is the besetting sin of the present day , they forget everything else . ( Cheers . ) The people of this country IiJte the of
are people America—they worship the almighty dollar ( a laugh ) ; and so long as you do that , so lon ff you will be made , like beasts of burden , to bear the yoke ; and you deserve to bear it . You are unworthy of the name of freemen if you do not act up to the obligations of freemen . ( Cheers . ) What is it , then , that I deduce from the homily which I have read to you ? It is that you should take part in the business of the Government . How can you do so ? I think we can show you a mode of doing it . I have said to you that the House of Commons is the governing power of the country . Now , the great aspiration of my heart has been from the first time that I took a part in politics to see the House of Commons thoroughly reformed . ( Loud cheers . ) But upon that question I ha % ' e seen the people of England hot and cold—at one time ardent reformers and at others shivering at the very mention of the name of reform . ( Shame !) Well , it may be a shame , but I am not auswerable for the shame . " Mr . Roebuck then showed that members of Parliament may be influenced by a fear of losing their position ; for , he observed , amidst much laughter and cheering , " they are very keenly alive to their seats , and , if you can affect them through that part , you will affect them very vitally . " He added : —
" I have seen in the House of Commons this phenomenon—I have seen the Government of the country maintaining itself in power by a very small majority , and at that time I have always found that there was a set of gentlemen who stood apart and made much of themselves . ( A laugh ) They had not made up their minds , and did not know how they were going to vote . They wanted to be courted . I have in my mind ' s eye several of these individuals . I recollect when the ministry of Lord Melbourne had got only a majority of four , a punning gentleman said , ' Coming events cast their shadows before ( by four ) . ' What ia the consequence of this state of things ? I recollect one of these waiters upon Providence was suddenly seized with a very large amount of virtue , and how was that overcome ? How was the yielding goodness of the man made to follow his own private interests ? Simply by giving him an invitation to the Queen ' s Ball . " ( A laugh . ) Such men could be influenced for the good of the country by being threatened with the loss of their tents . If a professing Liberal turns out to be a sham Liberal , his constituents , at the next election , should intimate their intention to abstain wholly frcm voting ; and the result would soon be seen . " As chairman of the Sebastopol Committee ( concluded Mr . Roebuck ) , there was brought before me a scene of imbecility and corruption of which , I can give you no idea . I felt , as I walked , the very ground palpitate under me with putrefaction ; but things were so artfully managed — and we had no power to make men speak out — that we could not discover it . ( Hear , hear . ) Though wo felt it at every step wo took , wo could not bring it out . But I hope , by your aid , and that of the Administrative Reform Association , to drag this hydra into the lirr ) it nf rlfii- nrwl slmmn it . nirnin into darkllCBS . I trust
wo shall establish , on the ruins of imbecile and inefficient Government , a Government such as you ought to haveindustrious , honest , and sagacious—pursuing , not their own interests , but 3 'ours , and holding up you , the great people of England , as what you are often said to be , ' the envy of surrounding nations '—as a people instructed enough and civilized enough to take into your own hands the management of your own national concerns , and in so doing to conduct those concerns so that the result shall be the greatest happiness of the greatest number of the people . " ( Loud cheers . ) Mr . Morley then moved : — " That tfie exigencies of the present time , and the singular incapacity lately shown by the various departments of the Government , render it the imperative duty of the people to take an active port in the management of the national affaire , iu the hope of introducing therein the energy , honesty , and intelligence that ought to distinguish the administration of a greut and civilized people . " In the course of his remarks , Mr . Morley alluded to the shortcomings of the body of which lie had recently been chairman : — u He was not in the slightest degree disponcd to boast of what had been done by the Associatiou during tho last twelve months , lie looked with much regret at any mistakes that might have been committed , and h « wuh not there to extenuate those errors ( hear , A «« r ) -, but ho
was conscious that the few who had taken a leading part in the management of the Association ' s affairs had done what they could to excite public attention to the evils and corruptions of the administrative system of this country . He would say to those who cavilled at what the Association had done , ' What have you done ? ' " ( Hear , hear . ) ' After dilating on the mismanagement of Government , and on the prevalence of nepotism , Mr . Morley proceeded : — " The mode of action adopted by the Association would be this : —They would keep a ledger account of the doings of every member of the House of Commons , flnH rfninrf l" » a # » Lr fit tlio nninnnOTipOTniinf r \ f + li *> nvn & A *** - ¦ h »&& »/» \ J * Jl » 4 &« ¦ rTl
w m m ^* - ^ f *^ ^* **^ ^^ ** ^* V ^ ' * *^ * m *** x ^ ^^ - - - - ^ s *_* w ^ JM , V * -A ^ S M F ^ * ^^ m V Parliament , they would ' post up '—that term was pretty well understood in that room—every vote , and every incident that would betoken the motive of each vote . An abstract of a member ' s account would be sent to any one who might require it for the purpose of information . ( Laughter . ) They would enter into correspondence with constituents , and furnish them with facts that would enable them to decide whether tbeir representative had done his duty . ( Hear , hear . ) They would endeavour to get a very accurate record of that kind prepared before the end of the present year . They would have very few public meetings . Their object would be best worsted out quietly and unobtrusively ; it might be secretly . They had the means of getting into correspondence with respectable men in every borough and market-town . In the agricultural districts they might have but little chance ; but they would have correspondents in boroughs and market-towns , and they expected to be able to influence the counties also . " Mr . Gassiot , Mr . Travers , Mr . Lyne , Mr . Jacob Bell , Mr . Mcchi , and Mr . T . Wall ( a working man ) , having addressed the meeting , and the motion having been carried without a dissentient voice , the proceedings terminated .
America. The Progress Of The Civil War I...
AMERICA . The progress of the civil war in Kansas is the chief feature of this week ' s news froni America . The town of Franklin has been captured by the Abolitionists , after a desperate light , in which three Pro-slavery men were killed . Other fatal encounters are reported . Governor Shannon has issued a proclamation ordering all the unauthorized military companies to disperse , and warning outside parties to keep away from the territory , as he had sufficient power to enforce tlie laws and protect the citizens . In the Senate , the member for Illinois' has introduced a bill for the pacification of Kansas . It simply proposes to abolish the territorial government of Kansas and the laws passed by its Legislature , and to extend over the distracted territory the government and laws in force in Nebraska . After a sharp discussion concerning the merits of the Nebraska Act , the bill was referred to the Committee on Territories . At a meeting recently held at New York , the chief speaker of the evening concluded his observations by remarking that , if he read the signs of the times rightly , " there were yet to be other Concords , Lexingtons , and Bunker Hills . " He exhorted his hearers to be " up and doing , " and told them to " put on their whole armour , and go out to the battle , " adding : — " The great question now before the people of this country is , not the emancipation of the negro , but the emancipation of the white man . ( Applause . ) We are bound in the bands of slavery to-day ; we are gagged ; we are prevented from talking out those sentiments which animated the hearta of the men of 1770 . The crisis has come . Hero are two antagonistic powers about to come into collisionfreedom and slavery . The question is , which shall we receive ? ( Loud cries of ' Freedom , ! Freedom / ' ) Which do you desire to trunsmit to your descendants ? Which shall be the governing principle of our American institutions ? (' Freedom ! Freedom f ) Freedom , you say ; then labour , and light , if need be , for it . " The nomination of Mr . Buchanan and Mr . Breckenridgo for the Presidential position had been ratified by Democratic mass meet ings ut J'lnl / idelphia and other places . The New . Jersey Know-nothing Convention haB recommended Commodore Stockton for the Presidency . Tho latest advices from Hayti Htate that tho rebels , ( J 000 strong , were before Aux Cayes . Business waa suspended and martial law proclaimed . From the New York commercial letters we learn that there has been a fair degreo of activity in the Btockmarkut during the past fortnight , accompanied by some improvement in prices . An illustration of American manners is contained in an account from Louisiana Of a duel between a Mr . Robertson , tho editor of a Know-nothing paper , and a Mr . Marks , of the democratic journal , tho Caddo News . Marks was tho originator of tho fight , Which Robertson desired to decline . Tho two untagoniBts kept firing at one another continually , until a brother of Marks entered the arena ( which was iu the public poatoffice ) , and actually joined in attacking Robertson , who soon received a shot in the skull , which waa inutantaneously fatal . No arrests were made . Mr . Ralph Waldo Emerson , tlio eelchruted Amencau author , has made a moat eloquent and noblo speech at a
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), June 28, 1856, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_28061856/page/5/
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