49B THE LORDS AND THE COMJION'S. 



that if they do not profit by the means now afforded them of re-instating 

 themselves in the good opinions of their countrymen, the blame will 

 attach to themselves, and that they must abide the consequences. 



Poor as is our opinion of the wisdom of the Upper House, we are not 

 without hope that such another instance of forbearance on the part of 

 the people, would not be lost upon them. It is to be recollected that 

 this last trial would be given them under very altered circumstances. 

 Formerly the intimations and warnings of the extinction of their order, 

 as the consequence of rejecting popular measures, were given by indi- 

 viduals or by the liberal press only ; coming from the other branch of 

 the legislature, it would of necessity possess greater weight. They 

 could not then fail to see that the time had come when further out- 

 rages on public opinion, and the denial of the people's rights, are not 

 to be tolerated. Deaf as their Lordships usually are to the voice of 

 Avarning, this would be speaking to their ears in tones of thunder. 

 And they would not only hear it, but would understand and obey. 

 They would not, fool- hardy as they are, risk another experiment on 

 national endurance ; next year they would pass the Bill which a few 

 weeks since they annihilated. 



We have already stated some of the grounds on which we deprecate 

 the extinction of the Lords. If we do so partly on their own account, 

 it is chiefly on account of the nation. It were useless to conceal from 

 ourselves that a change in the constitution of the countrj' of such mag- 

 nitude as this could not be brought about without a violent social 

 revulsion. There could not be the shadow of a doubt as to the issue 

 of the struggle : the triumph of the people over the Lords would, 

 beyond all controversy, be complete and lasting ; but the conflict would 

 be more severe, and the consequences more disastrous, than most per- 

 sons seem to apprehend. We must not shut our eyes to the fact — 

 that, indeed, would be to commit a species of folly similar to that 

 with which we chc.rge the hereditary legislators — we must not shut 

 our eyes to the fact, that the personal friends of the Peers are numerous 

 and influential. And when to these are to be added that very large 

 and powerful class of persons who occupy an intermediate station 

 between the Ultra Tories and the extreme Liberal party — and these 

 would unite as one man in upholding the Upper House as at present 

 constituted — it will be found that the amount of resistance to be 

 overcome, and the length of time it would take to overcome it, before 



