Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/396

 382 History of the Radical Party in Parliament. [1850- upon the Radicals. It did more than that, for, as it tended more to equalize the balance of political power, it convinced some at least of the Liberal leaders that important changes must be made. A step might be taken in one of two directions. A coalition with a considerable number of the . Peelites would give the Government a fair working majority ; but it was doubtful how many of the rank and file the leaders would carry with them in an alliance, which would mean the adoption to some extent of Liberal policy. On the other hand, the Whigs, if they were not careful, were likely to lose as much by the secession of Radicals as they would gain by Peelite ad- <y liesions; and they would lose, besides, that hold upon public opinion which w r ould be secured by loyalty to Liberalism, even if it did not take a very active form. There was only one other course, and that was called for as much by the absolute neces- sities of Government as by the interests of the Whigs themselves. If they could not strengthen themselves by coalition with Con- servatives they must gain power on the Liberal side, and as it seemed impossible to do that with the existing constituencies, a reform in the system of representation was clearly desirable. The position was difficult to manage, and ministers were most unfortunate in their attempt to deal with it. They tried both methods, but did not succeed well with either. Their first efforts were directed to coalition, but an event occurred soon after the loss of Sir Robert Peel which complicated affairs considerably, and very much deranged party calculations. J Parliament was prorogued on the I5th of August, 1850, in the midst, as it was thought, of a political calm ; but in a couple of months later the country was in a blaze of excitement and indignation over what was known as the " Papal aggression." By a brief, dated the 3Oth of September, Pope Pius IX. created one archbishopric and twelve bishoprics in England with English territorial titles. This brief was promulgated in England with a pastoral by Cardinal Wiseman, the newly created Archbishop of Westminster, dated the ^th of October. Both these documents were pitched in a key of triumph on the restoration of England to the pale of the Roman Catholic