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safe iiia steady supporters of the Coalition were there : avoiding Ministers' eyes , lest they should betray too much contentment ; but secretly gloating that Xord John was being forced to back out of a bad business—" excessively inconsiderate" to those who had given the Coalition place . Manchester -was there ( minus Mr . Bright ) , cunningly triumphant over the other Radicals , who had been in a hutry ,
and "who had committed themselves without profit . And Mr . Hume and his Badical friends were there , nervous and confused in manner , * and dreadfully sorry that they had not got up so much history as would enable ^ them to judge better of the moves of contemporary politics . Mr . Hume , generally speaking , was " dratting" his old friend Aberdeen , for having misled him into an inconsequent campaign , analogous to that of the French King , who took the supererogatory march to the top of the celebrated
** Questions" were galloped through , and ; the clerks at the table got slovenly with excess of haste —knowing that the young members were * cussing" them for slowness : nobody Was listened to , not even . Lord Palmerston , a personage of many curtent rumours , when he was informing * Mr . Pellat , in nis rich , aristocratic voice and style , that" an—persons , —ah—parties , —in point of fact bodies of deceasedah—parties" were not to be removed from certain cemeteries without the consent of ah—the iKXcQes
—ah—the parties , —related to those—ah—deceased bodies—ah . " The young members were humorous : they laughed at every tiling : they particularly grinned when tie petitions weie being presented to them , — the idea of a grave , serious , solemn country petitioning them to take anything into consideration being , no doobtk hilarious . There was for half-an-hour the bufez and confusion of the House When it is clearing for action . At last the Speaker boomed the name of Lord John Russell , ; and Lord John rose , and the
House w&s , in a second , as quiet as the grave ; the young members looked , impromptu , the humility of Lord ! Palmerston ' s " bodies—ah . " The strangers , including the " intelligent foreigner , " must have been astonished at such an effect by such a figure : petty , mean , morose , somewhat ludicrous , undoubtedly dirty . And as the great Lord John Bussell spoke the surprise would have increased . ' He had risen to make , to a nervous Senate , and , through its gallery , to astonished Europe , the important
policy of a great Government ; and he spoke as though he were introducing a turnpike bill and were thinking of the toll . You could hardly hear him ; what you heard , was so loose that you could scarcely understand it . But one word came which , explained all—the word postponement . It was at that word the House breathed $ and at that word one of the young members , below the gangway , burst out into a conspicuous " ho—ho "a joyous stupidity that was nearly contagious—the
Speaker did not roar order with much composureand you could see plenty of men screwing their countenances down . Lord John heard it ; but if the Speaker laughed at htm , Lord John didn't mind ; so he vent on invoking his muse—it is always *• Sarah , " for thus Lord John speaks , as he opens each sentence , producing a , comical impression even on habitufa . Lord John held his head down , and spoke low ; Lord John was not happy ; he was constrained
ashamed ; lie spoke , in short , like a man coercedand -was apologetic and unhappy . In ten minutes , passed in a dead silence , only broken by his own twittory voice , he had done ; and I think in thos e ten minutes he had taken Iub revenge on the Coalition which had coerced him—ho had destroyed its proud position . Ho had , in effect , thrown up the Reform Bill . Schedules A and B chuckled at one another : severa . 1 of " the talents" breathed hard .
At a moment such as that , when , however anticipated , a great suspicion has become a great fact , there is a sort of conversational consternation seizes the House , and the leaders aLwayn wait to watch , and think , and hear hints , growls , or whispers . At such a moment , however , there is alwaya some one —that is the ad van luge of u mixed Constitution—to fill up tho time with uii unpremeditated silliness . In this instance that daring man , Sir John Shelley , shot himself up with confidence , anil he was hailed with ruui-s of upplauau from the young Tories , who know
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Sir John's weakness , and don't fcefieve m the Radicalism of a well-acred baronet . Sir John , with his hand on his hip , and Ma eye on the reporters , rose to proclaim his liberal grief that the coalition was in a Conservative tank . ** I call upon the noble lord , in the name of the Reformers of England " —a comprehensive conceit which tickled beyond all further reserve the young Tories , who , if they were equal to an historical parallel , would have thought of Anacharsis Clootz . But Sir John had
gained his point ; Sir John was sure of applause in all the Saturday tap-rooms of the enlightened city of which he is the fluent representative : and Sir John despises young Tories , who for the sake of being conscientious and comfortable , drift Into Schedules A and B . Well , Sir John had given the tone to the debate , —a lucky one for Lord John ; for Lord John ' s unhapprness had been noticed , and Lord John has no enemies ; and Sir John had , by his stern severities , got up sympathy for the Minister . Mr . Lahouchere
and Sir < 3 eorge Grey volunteers on ; the Coalition staff , and -who are ' above the rrifttig&ancy which has marked such th ^ n as TJorti Grey and Lord danricarde , —ferocious because they ] were left out , —made vehement speeches ^ In vrhich they demonstrated their affection for their noble friend , « u& their extreme ^ difference to this career of a Keform Bill . i&lr . Labouchere and Sir . &txfeyareintensely
eloquent men . Mr . Labouchere Always speaks as if his countenance we suffused Mffth tear ? , obfl Sir George Grey as if he were bttrs ^ ng a blood-Vessel j and tttey Were tremendously' and ^ athetfcalty' itffpresslye on this occasion , / in aneering at the innocent Shelley , and in appealing to the « ifeforinert" to trust Lord John—whom they evidently thought ( they spoke of him as * our Captain *') was si better general in a retreat than in a marcn .
The Radicals , too , their hearts touched , and naturally not anxious to confess to a blatant blunder , rushed to the rescue . Mr . Hume had *' &ith" in Lord John ; at which all the , Mnisterials , « heered with the sharp , ringing cheer of men well pleased : and Mr . thinn , who > remembers liowCockburn became a Solicitor-General , went in with , , abuiidant sympathy , and . enormous trust , ^ and risked 3 atn , — but won the Government- —and deserved ; for his speech was good , hearty , and honest . Then , tliere was
nothing further to be said on that aide : the matter was a Reformer ' s affair ; and the Reformers were willing that the unenfranchised . should be—sold . As to the Opposition , it was exultant ! What but * sudden prospect of a great change could have so excited Lord Alexander Lennox to speak—and , more—Lord Alexander Lennox to joke ? They were Mr . Disraeli ' s jokes ; you saw , at once , that they were Mr . Disraeli ' s conversation , as he had walked down to the House ; and they were very passable .
though seriously delivered by one of that class who , being men about town , are invariably sermonic and solemn when they speak in public ; and they were roared at by the gleeful young Tories . What but delirious exultation could have made Sir John Pakington epigrammatic : and Sir John was epigrammatic , and used a phrase which will live at least a session—the phrase that the Reform Bill which was to be postponed is a
Reform Bill which [ should never have been introduced . What but a new and feverish hope could have lifted Mr . Disraeli out of the decorous dignity of manner he has lately affected . Mr . Disraeli was himself again : witty , happy , light , lauffhing , —almost boyish . There was the old easy manner—and the old stabbing matter—the graceful bravo . It was an impromptu speech .-, it was a speech the points of which obviously arose out of the debate : and as it was one of the best I ever heard Mr .
Disraeli deliver , —host in the sense of perfect suitableness to the occasion , and perfect completeness in attaining the object sought—it may be adduced as a proof that ho does not always prepare his extempore sarcasms . It delighted the House : the enjoyment of tho young Tories was hysterical ; and I think tho logical argument which ran through its apparently eareless jocosity will last in damaging the Government . Lord John ' s reply was not tfood ; it was a sohbing reply ; and it was hardly worthy of Lord John to be so angry with a Sir John Shelley , and nurtieulurly as Lord John , plainly in a
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passion , said that he would « tea * Sir John ' s inueados with indifference . It wms also tmneoeu&ry for Lord John to remind England , with , soon emphasis , that he had been a Reformer i » 1832 : the appeal to bis past , as a guarantee for Kb «• honour" now , was nob dignified ; and the forced cheers of hi * followers * when he enumerated bis virtue * , were aomawhHk pitiful . The House broke tip in a huncy , when fc « had done : the young Tories in immense spirits , tho old Liberals somewhat pained . . And the few members left immediately set toy Mr . Bowerie in the chair , to vote million *} they were in supply . X £ occurred to no one that the preceding debate had been about a bill which ms to ffive representation to the people whose money was being dropped into the Black and Baltic Seat . .
The whole formality of the Ministerial announce naent last tight wa * « matter of the utmost indifference to all parties but tb * fc KadiCal party which has exhibited ftucfa eccentric enthusiasm in welcoming a limited Reform Bill , and such , profound tu ^ Ucity in believing that even such fmeaattt&wouldfbe gone on with . The Badical , indeed , i % aiufcjat present , * very incoherent ^ personage ; aaadi Ms ^ enabarrassmeat last alght , wBTering between his traditional caafc about "Befonn , " and his fear that nobody : « arecl
* bout the Biii , aroMentir ^ y circumstance that your EadicaT is ju » t aow your only JWQnis terialist . Tho Radteal party lias complctoayabnegated the only-position to which , ** aparty , ifc can preteftd —the position of toppoiitlwt ; and tha result of hit getting behind the Treasury bench i * inch a scrape as he has got Into in befcsgtoluded into firing spates , la vague <* gatt »"« nd toaecttrateaddreseefc , for a stillborn Rerbrra Bifi . It ii odd to see the Badical b « - coming clagtteur , among « ao * lierwi » eoold audienca , to a Government which , is entering on a war , in
alliance with French and Austrian despotisms , unfettered by the sUghtesfi condition—* nd it is still e 4 idertftaee'tatt £ taliH&e ^ for : * . Beforrn © m wbich , do © s nofe ; cono ^ d 6 * * higlesBadiQal point . TbxsBadwmlckiinc ^ be expected to resist flupr plies , ' but b * height b « T ^ quired otb l * e cautiousti&utious ftft Lord Elleal ) Orough ' s ttaSons , *» d 4 < nr s-ea ^ rtS that ^ ould occur to a Liberal ; who renveiabers that Lord Aberdeen , not an eiitbusiastic sympathiser with struggling nationalities ,. will guide » ecret diplomacy during a war . ia which 184 S
is quite possible Over 'again . You wouldn't ajfc the Badical to irote against the Reform propositions tafcen Meriatim < the r silliness , oC the minority representation clause baingloftjOut ) : bat you could suggest to the Radical ; thabwhen . allefoKp Bill Is proposed , * Reformer would : eeflfc to make it « s good as ponibla , and that it : is not U > Q best way to improve % to * hotit oati in advanoa in derision of ttoose who warily istop to criticise it , and who are true to their principles in . expressing their indignation at the attempt to palm upon the supposed
« free" people a measure , which at the very utmost ; would only add 500 , 000 voters to the existing constituency , which , at any * ate , would leave the House of Commons precisely what it is at present , fa House within the control , exo&pt ut revolutionary periods , of ' the . catt * who are properly denominated toe governing classes . You could , in fact , ask the Badical . party , a * a great chapter in history , which may offer great chances to peoples , is opening up , to adhere strictly—in presence of a Conservative Government , and before an apathetic people , permissive of anything to a strong Goyeacnoient—to the rdle of opposition . And you could with the moreardent
confidence ask the Badical not to be bo a . Ministerialist as at present the revered Mr . Hume is > found to be , on the gw « nd that the Badical is nofc quite sure of which Minister , in thin Coalition Government , he is the Ministerialist . He is on incoherent personage because , with a severe amount of attachment to the Treasury bench , perfectly prepared , he does not know , with precision , of which occupant of that bench he should bo fondest . Of course the Badical knows nothing of the " secret history" which in Dovning-street and Buckingham Palace governs this aelf-governed nation . But he is euro , from common rumours and Hayter'a winks , that there is chronically a split in the
Cabinet ; and when a Reform Bill is being played with , in a farce hardly creditable to a conscientious Senate , ho ought to bo yery indigaanfc
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Makch 4 , 1854 . ] THE LEADER . 207
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Leader (1850-1860), March 4, 1854, page 207, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2028/page/15/
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