"Tbe Opettator," 3uiv 6tb, 1850
THE DEATH OF PEEL
PEEL constructed a party for the special purpose of teaching the " conservative " genius of English statesmanship how to reconcile itself to advancing opinions—how to consult the wishes of the people generously, how to combine the growth of the nation with the maintenance of its institutions, how to forfend the encroachments of democracy by anticipating its just and inevitable wants ; and that policy is now stamped upon the statesmanship of the country. In his last speech, delivered on the very morning of his fatal accident, he applauded the Whig Premier, who had ousted him from office, for having pursued at home a " liberal and conservative policy "— precisely the key to his own conduct. . . . Among modern statesmen his career is singular for the completeness of the political change in himself. It may teach those who desire to emulate him, that it is never too late to learn ; that courage is safe, and that the candour which revises the convictions of youth and dictates an altered course will survive the hasty misconstruction of the day if it be steadfast in its purpose ; that a public policy suggested by close observation, based upon facts, and supported by the sanction of the nation, is irresistible.
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