Thomas Hare- had proved its possibility by
drawing up a scheme for its accomplishment, embodied in a Draft of
an Act of Parliament: a scheme which has the almost unparalleled merit
of carrying out a great principle of government in a manner
approaching to ideal perfection as regards the special object in view,
while it attains incidentally several other ends of scarcely
inferior importance.
* This blunder of Mr. Disraeli (from which, greatly to his credit,
Sir John Pakington took an opportunity, soon after, of separating
himself) is a speaking instance among many, how little the
Conservative leaders understand Conservative principles. Without
presuming to require from political Parties such an amount of virtue
and discernment as that they should comprehend, and know when to
apply, the principles of their opponents, we may yet say that it would
be a great improvement if each party understood and acted upon its
own. Well would it be for England if Conservatives voted
consistently for everything conservative, and Liberals for
everything liberal. We should not then have to wait long for things
which, like the present and many other great measures, are eminently
both the one and the other. The Conservatives, as being by the law
of their existence the stupidest party, have much the greatest sins of
this description to answer for: and it is a melancholy truth, that
if any measure were proposed, on any subject, truly, largely, and
far-sightedly conservative, even if Liberals were willing to vote
for it, the great bulk of the Conservative party would rush blindly in
and prevent it from being carried.
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