. Life and public services of Hon. Wm. E. Gladstone . elat-ing to offences for which death was the penalty. Peels wasthe first hand that dealt a blow at this cruel and ineffective leg-islation ; and although the reform which he instituted was not acomplete one, it must be remembered that there are limits to thepossibilities of changing existing laws, which do not all arisefrom the unwillingness of the statesman. We have already noted the contest which ensued when Lord 72 Early Official Life. Liverpool died. After the death of Canning, Peel found that it wasimpossible to resist the claims of th
. Life and public services of Hon. Wm. E. Gladstone . elat-ing to offences for which death was the penalty. Peels wasthe first hand that dealt a blow at this cruel and ineffective leg-islation ; and although the reform which he instituted was not acomplete one, it must be remembered that there are limits to thepossibilities of changing existing laws, which do not all arisefrom the unwillingness of the statesman. We have already noted the contest which ensued when Lord 72 Early Official Life. Liverpool died. After the death of Canning, Peel found that it wasimpossible to resist the claims of the Catholics any longer. Ithad been predicted by a close observer, who watched the courseof affairs from a place of privilege, that the march of timeand the state of Ireland will effect it in spite of everything, andCatholic Emancipation became an accomplished fact. With his party, Peel had been in the minority during the Parlia-ment elected after the passage of the Reform Act; but this mi-nority diminished daily. It was at this time that Sir Robert,. Sir Robert Peel. the leader of his party, had the good sense to adopt the newername by which it has been known since his time; and men whohad been bitterly opposed to Tories found themselves not unwil-ling to give support to Conservative measures. At the same time,the services which he had himself rendered to the old Tory par-ty made the continuance of its supporters allegiance sure. The Whigs were suffering from the consequences of victory,and it had become impossible for the leaders of the party to Early Official Life. 73 please the less progressive adherents and the new Whigs, or Lib-erals, as they had begun to call themselves, at the same there had been no direct rebuke of the Whig policy inthe House of Commons, the king was not far out of the way indismissing his ministers, and forming a Conservative cabinet. Mr. Gladstones acceptance of the office of Junior Lord of theTreasury was dated Dec. 24, 1834. According
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