Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/312

 298 History of the Radical Party in Parliament. [1837- he voted for going into committee. There were three parties to the dispute : the Radicals knew what they wanted the total repeal of the laws ; the Tories equally knew their own mind they resisted any alteration whatever ; but the ministers were divided and uncertain, the only thing clear being that they were open to the influence of pressure. There was no prospect of much practical legislation, but in the middle of the session business was altogether suspended by a ministerial crisis, succeeded by a resumption of place by the Melbourne Government under conditions which subjected them not only to humiliation, but to contempt. The proceed- ings attending the abolition of slavery had led to great dissatisfaction on the part of the planters in Jamaica, and when the period first fixed for the continuance of the pre- liminary state of apprenticeship was shortened, the excitement increased and manifested itself in the House of Assembly of the colony by a refusal to obey or to recognize the law. The Whigs had in this case, as they had with regard to Canada, a short and simple method of settling the difficulty. They brought in a bill to suspend the constitution of the island for five years, and to provide in the interim for its government by the imperial authority. The bill was read a second time, and counsel was heard against it. The motion that the Speaker do now leave the chair, that the House might go into committee, was made on the 3rd of May, and was opposed by Peel. A debate followed, which was adjourned to the 6th, in the course of which different sides were taken by the Radicals. Buller strongly supported the bill. on the ground that the constitution of Jamaica was oligarchical, and the sooner it was amended the better ; but both Hume and Grote spoke against the measure. There were a sufficient number of seceders to alarm the ministers, and Russell, in his reply, denounced their conduct The alarm was justified, for on a division ten Radicals voted with Peel, and there were for the bill, 294 ; against it, 289, leaving Government with a majority of only five, which they considered equal to a defeat. On the following evening, therefore, ministers announced