ns of the First and Second George. In those
reigns the transfer of power to the representative chamber began, and
the modern system of Parliamentary opposition grew into form. The
student will have to remember that the time he is studying was one when
there was no such thing known in England as a public meeting. There
were "demonstrations," as we call them now; there were crowds; there
were processions; there were tumults; there were disturbances, riots,
reading of Riot Acts, dispersion of mobs, charges of cavalry,
_fusillades_ of infantry; but there were no great public meetings
called together for the discussion of momentous political questions.
The rapid growth of the popular newspaper, soon to swell up like the
prophet's gourd, had hardly begun as yet. We cannot call the
_Craftsman_ a newspaper; it was rather a series of pamphlets. It stood
Pulteney instead of the more modern newspaper. He worked on public
opinion with it outside the House of Commons. Inside the House he made
it his business to form a party which should assail the ministry on all
points, lie in wait to find occasion for attacking it, attack it
rightly or wrongly, attack it even at the risk of exposing national
weakness or bringing on national danger, keep attacking it always. In
former days a leader of opposition had often been disdainful of the
opinion of the vulgar herd out-of-doors; Pulteney and his companions
set themselves to appeal especially to the prejudices, passions, and
ignorance of the vulgar herd. They made it their business to create a
public opinion of their own. They dealt in the manufacture of public
opinion. They set up political shops wherein to retail the article
which they had thus manufactured. Pulteney was now in his prime--still
some years inside fifty. He was full of energy and courage, and he
threw his whole soul into his work. Much of what he did was
undoubtedly dictated by his spite against Walpole, but much, too, was
the mere outcome of his ambition, his energy, and the peculiar
character of his intellect. He enjoyed playing a {287} conspicuous
part and he liked attacking somebody. People used to think at one time
that Mr. Disraeli had a profound personal hatred for Sir Robert Peel
when he was flinging off his philippics against that great minister.
It afterwards appeared clear enough that Mr. Disraeli had no particular
dislike to his opponent, but that he enjoyed attacking an important
statesman. Pultene