Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/117

 1815.] Dismissal of Grenville to the End of the War. 103 may have been right in desiring to avoid the risks which his procession would involve ; he was wrong in making or sanction- ing the preparations, and summoning his supporters to the scene of danger, and then quietly leaving them to take care of themselves. His power with the people arose from their belief that he was prepared to suffer in their cause ; his in- fluence in Parliament was derived, not from his ability nor from the number or importance of his followers, but from the feeling that he was a daring leader, with the ability to incite, and the courage to lead, popular enthusiasm in a struggle against existing grievances and in defiance of existing institu- tions. In both these respects he suffered, and with him the cause of which he had made himself the mouthpiece suffered also. The good that came of all this popular excitement and demonstrating was that it showed the mind of the people to be fixing itself with increasing firmness on the fact, that in Parliamentary reform was to be found the only hope of any change in the method of government that could improve their condition. This gave directness of purpose to the small section in Parliament who either sympathized with the desires or wished to obtain the direct confidence of the unrepresented masses. It kept up a permanent bond of union among what were then called the extreme opposition. More than this, it convinced the majority of the Whigs that they could expect no such outer support as would enable them to overcome the organized Toryism in Parliament if they did not take up this great question of reform. They had to compete with the Radicals for public confidence, and although they could not do this in the way of thoroughness of proposal, they could at least show larger minorities when they did move. In this year, 1810, on the 2istof May, whilst the Burdett excitement was going on, Mr. Brand moved for a committee of inquiry on the state of the representation. He obtained 115 votes, but was defeated by a majority of 119. Of the questions which were destined to mark, or indeed to originate, differences of opinion between the Whig and the