Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/24

10 naturally to efforts to define those aims and describe those methods. As to objects, Carlyle, writing in 1840, says, "Radical members, above all, friends of the people, chosen with effort by the people to interpret and articulate the dumb, deep want of the people! To a remote observer, they seem oblivious of their duty. Are they not there, by trade, mission, and express appointment of others, to speak for the good of the British nation? Whatsoever great British interest can the least speak for itself, for that, beyond all, they are called to speak. They are either speakers for that great dumb, toiling class which cannot speak, or they are nothing that one can well specify." As to method, Miss Martineau, when dealing with the state of parties at the death of, contrasts generally three systems of government. "On every account it was a good thing that the old Tory rule was broken up, but chiefly for this that when the thing was done by strong compulsion of fact, of necessity men were beginning to look for the principle of the change, and thereby to obtain some insight into the views of the parties that had governed, or would or might govern, the country. Men began to have some practical conception that the Tories thought it their duty to govern the people (for their good) as a disposable property; that the Whigs thought it their duty to govern as trustees of the nation, according to their own discretion; and that there were persons living, and effectually moving in the world of politics, who thought that the people ought to govern themselves through the House of Commons."

We find, then, that immediately after the accession of George III., a series of events took place which involved important changes in the position and principles of English political parties. Amongst those changes was such a movement in the ranks of the Whigs as was equivalent to a breakup and reconstruction of their party, which from that time ceased to be identical with the general body of Liberals. In the course of this action there was gradually formulated a