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    ¦ .1216- THE LEADER. fNo. 502. Nov. 5, 1...

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    § ' cvtv Ottlfl ' %&]&&• V **^ QJW*"** ?—¦"

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    An address was presented to Lord Derby f...

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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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    ¦ .1216- The Leader. Fno. 502. Nov. 5, 1...

    ¦ . 1216- THE LEADER . fNo . 502 . Nov . 5 , 1859 .

    § ' Cvtv Ottlfl ' %&]&&• V **^ Qjw*"** ?—¦"

    gow ^ Ifawa-

    An Address Was Presented To Lord Derby F...

    An address was presented to Lord Derby from the citizens of Liverpool , and in the course of the evening the Earl said : — " I have watched with the deepest anxiety , and I have seen with the highest gratification , the gradual progressive improvement in strength , in unity , and in everything which constitutes the political power of the Conservative party for the last fourteen years . I wish to speak in no terms indicative of anything but ^ the highest respect for the distinguished genius , and for the personal character of that great statesman ^ whom Eng-. . , , late Sir Robert

    POUTICAL FORESHADOWINGS . At the great Conservative demonstration on Saturday at Liverpool , more than 600 guests dined together , exclusive of spectators of the feast , ine heads of the party were almost all present , including the Earls of Derby , Malmesbury , Eghntoun , iW * - wicke and Wilton , the Marquis of Salisbury ^ Lord Chelmsford , Lord Ravensworth , Lord Kingsdown , the Bight Hon . B . Disraeli , M . P ., Lord Stanley , M . P ., Lord John Manners , M . P ., the Eight Hon . Joseph Napier , Lord Skelniersdale , Sir John Pakmgton , Bart ., M . P ., Sir Hugh Cairns , M . P ., % ' S *^' Northcote , M . P ., Hon . A . Egerton , M . P ., Sir W . H . G . Jolliffe , Bart . M . P ., T . B . Horsfall , Esq , M . P ., HonFLygonM . P . and many other nptabihties

    land has lately had to lament—the Peel . But , gentlemen , I am not saying anything disrespectful to the memory of a statesman with ¦ whom I had the honour of many years of personal friendship , and , I believe , reciprocal esteem , if I say that the course which , at the close of 1845 , was taken by the late Sir Robert Peel , completely and for the moment , shattered the Conservative party in this country . I am now able to state a fact which I believe is not known to half-a- dozen individuals in this country . Upon the failure of ' Lord John Russell ' s endeavour to form a

    government , I wrote confidentially td the most man of the country—to the late Duke of Wellingtonto consult him as to the position of the Conservative party , and the best means of restoring that union which had been so lamentably dissevered . I received a long letter from the Duke of Wellington—which I need hardly say that I have kept , and deeply value —in which he explained tome his own pqsitiorijandin which he stated that , having accepted ( under the abortive attempt of Lord . John Eussell to form a government ) the duties of the neutral position of Cbminander-in-Chief of her Majesty ' s forces , he considered that he had for ever broken off his political

    connexion with any party . He intimated his concurrence in the opinion which I had "ventured to express , that the alienation of the Conservative party from Sir Robert Peel was not a mere temporary feeling , but that it was impossible that he should ever again place himself at their liead with a prospect of success ; and the Duke of Wellington , I will not say entreated , but I will say he exhorted me , as a matter of duty to my sovereign and to my country , to assume at once the leadership of that . great Conservative party , whose existence , and

    whose power he deemed to be essential to the wellbeing of the country and all its institutions , and lie almost implored me , if her Majesty should at any time command me to attempt to form an administration , not to be discouraged by any difficulties , except those which should absolutely be insuperable , but to sacrifice all other feelings to the desire of serving my sovereign . Gentlemen , for fourteen years I have endeavoured to act in the spirit of that wise and patriotic advice , coining from that eminent man , and I have been rewarded by seeing the Conservative

    party , not only in Parliament , increasing numbers and in union ,. but spreading their roots deeply into the feelings and the heart of the country , and forming , as our opponents are compelled to acknowledge and declare—rand in doing so their fears rather magnify the position—that we are actually at this moment at the head of a parliamentary majority . You will perhaps ask me what is the use ¦ which I desire to make of that greatly increased parliamentary Btrongth , and that all but majority in the House of Commons , Perhaps , gentlemen , X shall disappoint the expectations and the desires of Borne of the more enthusiastic , and probably of most

    The present Government have difficulties to contend with , in the position of what is called the Italian question , in vrhich I h © pe and trust they will be steady in their purpose not to entangle themselves in the negotiations of any congress . They have difficulties in China ; they have difficulties upon the coast of Africa , seriously threatening us , unless a decided tone be taken , and unless this country is disposed to maintain rights which are absolutely essential to our welfare . They are threatened with difficulties in the North Pacific , where our

    Transatlantic brethren , if I may use the familiar express sion , appear to be " trying it on . " They are threatened with difficulties in various quarters , but they are not difficulties which may not be surmounted by a mixture of firmness , of good temper , but at the same time of a determination to maintain the rights and the honour of this country . They have , on the other hand , great advantages in their favour ; they preside over the destinies of a ^ nation which never at any time was so abounding in material resources , in wealth and in prosperity , as it is at the present moment . They have the consciousness that within the last—I will not say how many —but within the last certain number of months , the

    military and the naval resources of this country have been greatly improved ; that if the national defences are not altogether what we desire them to be * that our great fortifications of Gibraltar and of Malta have received from the labours of the late Government an amount- of reinforcement which has placed them in a far better position of defence than they had been in for the last twenty years , and they know that they preside over the destinies of a country , the population of which are keenly alive to the necessity of maintaining the national protection in which the military ardour has been again awakened ; in which private and personal efforts will not be spared for the vindication of their

    country s honour . Above all , gentlemen , the present Government have this great advantage over their predecessors , that they will not have to contend with an opposition which will descend to any factious combinations from men of opposing principles for the purpose of ejecting them from office , without respect to the consideration of the honour of the country , or the probability of their being enabled permanently to maintain their position . It may be that the present Government may fall by their own internal dissensions—but among the members of the Government , and among those who support them , there are men who in their hearts are as sincerely Conservative as those whom

    I have the honour to address—there are others who most unwillingly follow a power which they feel to be too strong for them ; and there is another party , I verily beli , eve , who are the loudest in clamouring for those measures , and setting themselves at the head of that motion which they feel themselves unable to resist , but who would deeply and sincerely deprecate the very success of their own schemes of legislation . On the question of reform , his lordship said—I am not jealous , the Conservatives are not jealous of the interest of the lower and of the working classes . I desire to see their interests fully and fairly represented ; but I confess to you , if I look to the revelations of Gloucester and Wakefleld , and

    of other places , I doubt whether any great extension of the constituency would not tend largely to extend that corruption , which is the bane of our electoral system . And if I look to the manner in which even the most intelligent of the workmen in some of the labouring , classes have been misled by false and delusive , advisers , I think ib is at Iea 9 t a subject tor serious consideration how far , in the interest of those classes themselves , it would be desirable to give a preponderating power to the voices' of those largely numerically superior who , pursuing what they vainly believe to be their , own interests , would , in point of fact , if legislation depended upon their voices , probably introduce measures which would be absolutely

    suicidal and fatal to their own interests . A reform bill , however , if introduced by the present Government ; shall meet with no factious Conservative opposition . After denying the alleged corrupt compact between the late Government and the Catholics , and also the statement that his party had offered certain concessions to some Liberal members on the reform question , his lordship added—Whatyou have to do is to determine that there shall bo a Conservative government in this country , and to act upon that principle in such a manner as , by your own

    the duty of a landlord , if he has reason to believe that the people on his property are conniving at the suppression of evidence and the concealment of facts with regard to a brutal murder , not , as has been said , to punish the innocent for the guilty , and to pass sentence upon men who have not been found guilty—but I say it is the duty of a landlord to say , ' You and I—you standing under a grave , suspicion ^ and I being responsible for the interest and happi- ' ness of the district—you and I shall not hereafter stand in the relation of landlord and tenant . "

    Gentlemen , permit me to say that upon thissubjec the eulogiums which have been passed upon me or the one side , and the calumnies—for they are littl < less—with which I have been assailed upon the other , are equally void of foundation . He thei stated the facts of the murder on his Doon estate and added I have never condescended before to repli to any of the anonymous attacks which have bees made upon me , and I shall never condescend to reply to any of them again . _ I have stated to you these plain facts , and I say this , that in my judgment it ia

    Qn the subject of the entente cordiale , Lord Malmesbtjby said : —It so happened that it -was my fortune in early life , and even before he was an exile in this country , to be intimately acquainted with Louis Napoleon ; and I assure you that I really , deeply , and completely appreciated , from the moment I first knew him , his great qualities and abilities ; arid there are men now who can bear witness to my having publicly and constantly stated what I do here of those , abilities and qualities when , very few Englishmen were acquainted with or had an opportunity , like myself of judgingof them . And it will be a . satisfaction to you to hear What it is right , for the sake of truth , I should

    say , that whenever I had any conversation with the prince upon political matters , long ago , and since , and even the very last time I had the honour of any communication with his Majesty , he always held the same language , and always expressed his belief that it is not only the best poh ' ey of France itself , but his earnest personal wish to maintain a cordial alliance with this land . That is a fact which ought to be pondered-upon by the statesmen of this country . The Right Hon . B . Disraeli , like Lord Derby , congratulated their followers upon their strength and importance , which he said , had been steadily increasing during the ten years that he had been the Conservative leader in the Commons . Referring to the theory that to one party is confined all liberality in politic ? he said : —It lias been our wish to put an end

    , to that which I may describe as the monopoly of liberalism which , in our opinion , has exercised & very pernicious influence upon the course of public proceedings , and upon the character of public men . Now for more than a quarter of a century , by this theory of a monoply of liberalism , one half the public men of England have been held up as individuals who were incapable and unqualified for attempting any measure which might improve the institutions or the administration of the country ; while , on the other hand , the other half , in order to sustain this monopoly , were perpetually pledging themselves to changes and alterations , injudicious almost in every case , in many utterly impracticable ; and who , when they were in power , expended au their resources in inventing evasions by wlucli they

    might extricate themselves from their previous pledges . Now , I believe , and I am sure that all my colleagues believe , that that state of affairs was the principal cause of that insincerity in public mo which has of late yeare been so frequently nttributeo to the conduct of public men ; .. but that I l » heve has now completely terminated . I believe thati we have brought about a healthy state of I > o"W « parties . Men will now bo decided upon by the policy which they recommend and the measures wlucn they bring forward , notby traditions which uro generally fulset not by promisos which arc seldom ftiiuuea . I maintain that it is an error , a pernicious error , to 3

    associate tho existence in England of great P ™™ " : tary parties solely with the oxistenco ot grout po «««« questions , Groat political questions should l » oraro , ono will bo . rare , in communities which enjoy so salutary » political state as , on tho wbolo , England has so long enjoyed . The duties of an opposition are iot » J confined to emergencies ; thoro aro duties w ucu ought to bo constantly fulfilled -, there wo duties of vigilance and of criticism . On one of tW » most interesting topics of tho day tho right nou . gentleman remarked t—1 have ovGr boon tlio bud portor of a peaceful policy . I have ovor bolioveo W poooo might be maintained with a go < x "dor witu iuiik

    standing our amos , ana »« » ' —j : , „ , _„„ upon tlioir conduct not in a suspicious or liUgWUB spirit , but that we should give to their <* ud J'JJJJ allow to thoir procoodlnga , a fair and ovonftgencrouj interpretation . I should , lndead , bo blimV to signs of the times , I should bo Insensible to tno feelings that aro universally oxprossod , I sliouw «« treating it with , X think , n haughty negligence , « J did not recognise wlmt ia tho nnxioty ot »* gi «" people , I know not whether it bo tnio or not uu »

    endeavours and by your own exertions , to render that possible which , without those exertions and without those efforts , will bo wholly hopeless—tho permanence of Conservative principles in the government of this country . Later in the evonlng Lord Dionny took tho opportunity of making a statement on the subject of tho evictions of his Irish tenantry . Ho said : — "I have been charged as a general exterminator , as an oppressor of tho people , and as a tyrant landlord , because I have Used every moans in ray power to bring to justice the authors of a vilo and brutal murder .

    of the younger members of this assembly , when I say that I have no desire for tho immediate overthrow of tho present administration . There are considerations higher than thoso of party , only so considered —there are considerations of that which is for tno public advantage , for the advantage of tho sovereign , for the strength of tho country in tho eyes ot foreign nations , and for the , strength ,, of Voxliajcnenti , and tho respect due to Parliament in tWjs . country . All these considerations militate against a succession of ephemeral governments ftcmilrhig pfljlce by a havo possible minority , liable ** dfc » y . moment to bo displaced hy the oaprlco of Bomo Jew dozen votes in the House of Commons .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 5, 1859, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_05111859/page/4/