Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/310

 296 History of the Radical Party in Parliament. [1837- The Chartists had begun to alarm the timid, and the corn- law repealers had strengthened their organization and in- creased their efforts. The consequence was soon manifested when Parliament met. The session was opened on the 6th of February, 1839, by a speech which proved the continuance of the inability or the unwillingness of the Cabinet to meet the requirements of the country. Of domestic subjects action was advised upon three only Irish municipal reform, a measure to increase the efficiency of the Established Church, and some provision for the better enforcement of the law and the more speedy and certain administration of justice. There was also a reference to efforts which had been made to excite the people to disobedience and resistance to the law, but no proposals were to be submitted on the subject. A more striking confession of feebleness has seldom been made in a royal speech, and it seemed almost to invite the defeat which the Cabinet were soon to suffer. The Radicals lost little time in raising both the great questions which the Government had tried to evade. In the debate on the address the corn laws were discussed, Villiers on one side and Peel on the other being the principal speakers. In reply, Russell gave the first intimation that some change might be possible by declaring that he thought that the time had arrived when it should be considered whether the present system acted beneficially or not. No vote was taken on this subject, but Buncombe moved an amendment to add to the address the following words : " To assure her Majesty that, as the amendment of the representative system, enacted in 1832, has disappointed her Majesty's people, and as that measure is not, and cannot be final, her Majesty's faithful Commons will take into early consideration the further reform of the Commons House of Parliament." This was seconded by Ward, and was met by Russell with another statement of his belief in the finality of the Reform Act On a division, the amendment received eighty-six votes. At the beginning of the previous session only twenty votes had been given for a similar amendment ; but on the present occasion O'Connell