Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/417

 1855.] Death of Peel to Resignation of Aberdeen. 403 struggling for mastery, monarchy and democracy, which were, in his opinion, identical with order and anarchy, and he was always ready to assist his brother sovereigns in putting down democratic movement." * The war, therefore, which the Radicals in the country hoped to see commenced was one against this champion v of despotism, and consequently in favour of European liberty. But there was no such feeling in the minds of the Government. They did not at least, the majority of them did not want to enter upon a contest at all ; and at most they desired only to prevent any encroachment by Russia upon the terri- tories of Turkey. Ministers however had a more unfortunate object that of maintaining the integrity and independence of the Turkish Empire. In this they were aiming at an end impossible of achievement, and which, if it had been possible, would have been in reality more injurious to liberty even than the despotism of Russia. The tyranny of the Porte over its Christian subjects was worse than any oppression of continental monarchs, and the attempt to perpetuate it was most unfortunate. The power of Russia, too, was no doubt exaggerated in the popular mind. During the actual armed rebellions of 1848, it had certainly been exerted in a direct and disastrous manner ; but it was an influence which could neither be appealed to nor exercised in ordinary circum- stances, and the time was coming, as all men might see, when her own domestic affairs would claim all the attention and exercise all the energy of her Government. Cobden and Bright saw clearly the side of the question which was at the time the least popular ; that the influence of Russia in Europe could not be touched by fighting her v in the East ; that the rotten Empire of Turkey neither could nor ought to be propped up by western aid ; and that to incur the horrors and the dangers of war for such objects was a crime to be resisted by all means. The three aspects of the case were put before the House of Commons on the i6tlj of August, immediately before the prorogation. Lord John
 * Wallace's " Russia" vol. ii. p. 200.