The Earl of Derby Author:George Saintsbury Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III THE FIRST TEN YEARS OF LORD DERBY'S CONSERVATISM Stanley's Resignation and the events which led to it—Defence of his conduct—He crosses the Hou... more »se—The ' Derby Dilly '—Criticisms passed on it—His approximation to the Conservatives—Friction between him and Peel—His action as a member of Peel's Government—Called up to the House of Lords—The Corn-law question —Stanley's attitude towards it, and his conduct at the crisis — Should he have taken office?—He is accepted as the Conservative Leader. The manner in which Mr. Stanley actually parted from the Whigs was on this wise. The account given in the last chapter will show that he had been a very front-fighter in the ranks of the Grey party. But all that party were not equally satisfied with him, nor he with all the party. In fact, the Cabinet could not have been less at one if it had been an avowed coalition. Lord Grey, its head, with whom Stanley was in almost complete sympathy, was an aristocratic Whig, who, though he had carried the Reform Bill and practically revolutionised England, was as little of a Liberal as any man then living. Of those under him, some, such as Lord Althorp and Lord John Russell, were willing to adopt what were already called Radical principles to a very large extent; others, such as Stanley and Graham, were willing to adopt them, but to a very small extent. Already Stanley's strong will, and his value as a fighter, had forcedon the other section Coercion and a treatment of the Irish Church very different from that which they desired. But this section naturally expected to have its turn, and it is by no means improbable that Stanley, who must in two years have had his fill and more of government on reformed principles, had no very great desire to baulk them. The measures affecting the Iris...« less