Star. — London, England, 1811-06-11 00:00:00

WPM 1 VENDS e PARLI4MENT4R? REFORM. The Meeting of the Friends of Reffirm, which has wen announced for it considerable time, took place vesterday at Freemasons' Tavern. The Meeting, highly respectable, was ecit so nume.ous as it :,ad been expected, a circumstance which was Ire. velitiy adverted to in the course of the discussion, end variotoiy accounted for. At one o'clock the Chair was taken by Sir JOHN T;:e Chairman very shortly stated to the Meeting, ;fiat the ehjects for which they were assembled were eertectle known and familiar to every person in the r oom. "I'liey met for the purpose of promoting, by over y constinitarnal means in their power, the cause of p.nliarrieittary Reform. This object must be sup. Itirted by their best exertions, net only in that room, tort in their several counties and districts. Certain :a ,obirions were prepared, which would be submitted iiteir approbation. Mr. TREVANNION then rose to move the first rem , lotion. He began by reading several extracts from th: petition presented to the House of Commons by the present Earl Grey, in 1793 This petition was a ddressed, "To the Honourable the Commons of Great Illitain in Parliament assembled ;" but he must. observe, that this description would not now be pro per, for the complaint was, that the Commons were tint in Paqament assembled. The substance of the extract. , which he read were, after defining the powers of eve Xing and the House of Lords, " that those tan Powers, if they acted without controul, weuld form either a despotic monarchy, or a dangerous eh. rarchy. That the wisdom of our ancestors had con trend, that those authorities should not only be harm less, hut beneficial, and exercised for the security and happiness of the people. The elective franchise, how, e v e r, was so partially and unequally distributed, that ( Rutland and Yorkshire bore an equal rank in the scale of county representation ; but that Cornwall, by its extravagant proportion of Borough Members, outnumbered not only the representation of Yorkshire and Rutland together, but of Middlesex added to them. The petitioners affirmed, and offered to prove at the bar, that 70 members were returned by 35 in dividuals; that 90 more were elected by 46 places, in none of which the number of electors exceeded 50 ; that in addition to the 160 so elected, 27 were elected by nineteen places, in one of which the number of voters exceeded ene hundred ; and that fifty:two more v.ere returned by twenty-six places, in which the number of electors did tint exceed 200. In addi tion to the 249 members so (.I ,, sen for England, 2% j were chosen four counties in Scotland by less that, lost electors each, and ten for counties in Scotland, by less than '.:50 each ; and that 13 burghs in Scotland not containing 100 electors each, and two burghs or. containing 125 each, returned 15 Members. in this manner 204 of the Representatives of Great Britain were chosen, which formed An abs bitt. majority of the House ef Commons." He would now ask, coold that be called a representative body which vtais eaosen in such a manner? Could the people conecto them in any other light than as a moat dangerous riiigarchy? The necessity of reform had.been clearly seen by the peat Lord Chatham, by Mr. Fox, by Mr. Roscoe, and even by Mr. Pitt ; was it therefore fair to repre sent it now as merely the idle dream of speculating demagegurra ? Thr-people now anxiously wished for the reformation of Anew, and the Teal of corrup tion. They were seniewhat astonished at seeing that those who were formerly the summits advocates of the liberties of the people, had now become instru ments of the system that oppressed them. The epos tacy was so glaring, that we might almost believe in the fabled metamorphosis of men into brutes. The Ministers accused the Reformists of appealing to the passions of the people. It was the Ministers who ap raled to those passions. Their conouct was such as irresistibly to move the passion of indignation. It was impossible not to see with what contempt the pe titions of the people were twitted at the bar of the Molise of Commons. They could not avoid seeing, that all the avenues of - the Throne were beset, and blocked tip by those very delinquents against whom they cowl tined. He hoped, however, that the re spectable names which were now ut.ited in the cause of reform, would be a complete answer to the asset.. n of Mr. Canning, that the reformees were o a con temptible crew ;" or to the assertion of Mr. Perceval, " that reform was not the wish of the people of Eng land." He concluded by moving the following reso. Itition : Resolve., That the muck-quoted Petition, presented by Mr. Grey (i.ow Earl (trey). en the 6th of May, I'M, to the Corn mons House tit Parliament, and then entered on its Journals, at ton's a demonstration that the said House cloth not represent the P. °pie I hat it path been the perpetual theme of the despised Prayers and einciiisttances of innumerable Petitioners, that the said House doih not speak the sense of he Na:ion. I by it bath been a subject tint only of national complaim,but of Pai narisentary Protest, that Paraaments have had an uncon sin utional duration That these fatal corruptions in that Assembly, which ought to be the Gi.ardian of our Liberties, are the radical and true causes or national wrong and calamity, in all their forms and varieties ; whether of int, mperate quarrels with other State., or of ruinous Dent, and the pauperising of millions—or of the oppressive, re terafeoi, and tat char7ctrr tit t azatin!. ' or ef rep-wed re.tr.rtii.n. on the . freedom of the Press—or of the complicated evils and slar t irs of the present conflict—or of encroachments sir oboe ittdepeou, of the LIOWD; or, to sum up all, of a spite mat ie tendency to subvert the Constitution; wherefore it is the convict ion of u.i. Meeting, that a Reform in the Couitnons House of Parlament is equally essential to the independence of the ettinn, and to the Liberties of the People. Mr. Prreits (efCornwall) seconded the Resolution. Ile did not think it necessai y to r at much length into a subject upon which reflectin7 men were gene r iiy agreed. As a Collective .aedy, when did the 1 1 Liaise if Commons pay any attention to the wish of j die people, or what national grievances had they re-1 dressed ? They might talk °lobe degraded state of the Senate of Bonaparte, but where was there more ehseqiii usness shown to the wishes of the Govern. a. _nt than in our uwn ? Not to go farther back than • single week, wart ever a greaten insult offered to the npinions and feelings of a nation than in the restora tion of a certain Royal Personage to an office which 1-e had been obliged to quit ? What could be added to the quotation which had been made from the peti tion presented by Mr. Grey in 1793 ? Of the accu racy of this statement there could be no doubt, as the enemies of Reform would never ventme to elontinei or to dispute it. Indeed the very accuracy of the state-, trent was, in the eyes of Mr. Burke, its greatest cr. What could be wore insalting to such a people as w ime e ate, than to be told that . ocr ancetaors were able to estableth the best Cogoismilus bt tee the P"- tection el' , our laws and libeitieS ; but that we are now so degraded, that Government cannot go on without t' , e most open and avowed corruption ? We are now t.ild, that the people of this country are so debased in sensuality) avarice; and selfishness, that they were incapable of being governed by any other means than by corruption. He must say. that this whole charge was a falsehood, and a gross libel on the people of this country. They were not the brute beasts that tyrants and slaves had been in the habit of represent ing ihem. If even it was true, were they to be en couraged to continue in this degeneracy i? The peo, pie of England were foully libelled by the charge ; the fault was not in them, but in the odious borough mongering system. That was the fruitful source of all the evils of the country. That system had thrown Ireland into a feverish irritation, and brought upon this country many most expensive and unnecessary wars. It was subversive of the virtue and morality of the country, " Hac fonte derlvata Glades." It was as injurious to the just rights of the throne, as to the liberties of die people. It had been asserted by the enemies of reform, that the principle of repre sentation was not a delegation by the Constituents ; but that, as the Commons legislated for the whole nation, it was to the whole nation that they were re sponsible. If the repr:sentatives, however, were not to conceive themselves delegates, the consequence must be as it now is, that the servants would become the masters, and no longer confess themselves to be ' agents or trustees for the people. It was most extra ordinary that those men who thus contended that drove who were returned by populous places, such as York , shire, Middlesex, or Westminster, were not particu larly accountable to their Constituents, should hold themselves in every vote most strictly accountable to the individual great man to whose patronage they owe their seats. The great grievances and burdens which ;he people sustained proceeded necessarily from the odious borough-system. Never was the necessity of reform more obvious than at the present moment. The press-of this country, which formerly was al. lowed to raise a warning voice to the Government and to the people, that last refuge of liberty in this country, had of late been violently assailed. It was reserved for the lawyers of the present day to disco ver that the innocence or guilt of the persons prose.' cuted ought to make no sort of difference in the mea sure of their punishment. .11y the power which the House of Commons had recently exercised as privi lege of Parlianient, the liberty and personal security et every man was in the hands cf the House of Com-. mons. It w.ts therefore surely necessary:that the peo ple should have the right of choosing the Members. Much had been said of the example of the French revolution ; but it appeared to him that the example should rather awaken every class of people in this country to do away corruptions and abuses similar to those which produced that revolution. . Mr. 11Leste (of Staffordshire) rose to propose ano thtr reAution. He should not dwell on the neces sity of Reform, as he Was sure that every body then I present was perfectly convinced of it. It the Parlia ment was properly constituted, it could never morel be contended that the Government could goon with- !I out corruption ; and the House of Commons must then learn to study the sense of the People more than they , i had been accustomed to do hitherto. As to illefatal-1 example ef the French Revolution, as it had so often !I been emphatically called; he must say, that that event 1 , held out an example to Sovereigns not to despise the .1 wishes of their people, nor wait till they burst forth 1 in the shape of revolution ; it held out a powerful ; warning to the higher orders, not to desert their sta- I tion in society as guardians of the rights of the peo- 1 ple. In France but very few of the nobility had sup ported the undoubted rights, and what were at first the reasonable demands of the people. This revolu- 1 tion also shelved to the multitude, that violence and intemperance were fatal to the cause of Liberty-- (Hear , hear.) He had the honour of being one of the Deputation to the Common Council, to ask the use of their Hall for this Meeting ; and he thought it ' proper to make those observations in consequence of a sort of lecture he had heard from one of the Mem- , bers of that Court. He thought that all classes of men in this country might learn wisdom from the example of France, and that they would do Well to avert by timely reform the danger of revolution. He concluded by moving the following Resolution : Resolved, l'hat it being highly expeslient that the nation in all its divisions should, on the subject of the decay of teprmentation, proclaim us opinions, both as to the wrung and to the remedy '1 his Meeting for itself di-clarets — That the aggregate of usurpations, which have taken from the People a majority of the seats in the Commons House of Parlia ment, has established that most pernicious m all specks of govern ments, an 01-garchy. '1 hat the Kilig with prerogatives balanced by the hulepend.nee of a Parliament, holding the national purse, would have no mute than a wholesome degree of authority, essential to good govern mel.t, but yet perfectly congenial wt.h freedom; whereas an Oligarchy, that usurps Legislation•aud the public paw, bath mu bounded means of oppression. Mr. MON (*AGUE BURGOYNE seconded the Resolu tion. He considered the cause of Reform in which they were then engaged, as the cause of virtue and morality—the cause not only of England but of man kind. He was proud to be associated in this cause with gentlemen of such rank, character, and political independence, as were now united. They asked no thing but what was the essence of the Blitish Consti tution. An early reform was only an arrangement with those in power; whereas when it came late, it was terms dictated to a conquered enemy. He cer tainly feared, that if a calm reform did not sooner or later take place, this country must become acceiaint , ed with the horrors of a violent revolution. He had disclaimed, and been disclaimed by the two greet political parties, the Whigs and the Tories. Each o$ those parties were evaily disinclined to the free representation of the people—without which Liberty WAS but a name, and the Constitution, a shadow.— 1 The body that was called representative o f this coun- I try, no more represented the People of England than they did the residents of Constantinople. I'he neces sity of the Commons House fairly and freely repre senting the people, was felt by some of the wisest and best men that this country ever produced. The great Lords Chalum and Camden felt this necessity strong. ly, as did Sir W. Jones, Mr. Fox, and even Mr. Pitt. The latter once declared, than no honest man could lung csmtinue Minister : he would have perhaps ex pressed it more correctly, if he had said that no Mi nister, under the present system, could long continue an honest titan. He then dwelt at some - length on the transaction of Lord Castlereagh being engaged en bartering place ' India r• ' • Ails iionie 014ii'ide31-hiiiinisiti t ' ee" attune . Tl . • ' a m or a,seat in e it _ten m .at of Cony/erns ; And on thee hide refuliug to punish ! Chentiernen, however, conspletele epproied n$ the re earn, or to investigate the charge, on the ground of ! iolUeiLis which were stsbnsittid to the meet i ng, and the nnowiety of such practices . „ He' alie dwelt at ; wortlo every thing in his power to carry their ob some length on the pruposel of Mr. Perceval to the • ject hot, elect. • Prince Regent, to give a military situation, net for I Mr. PUSHY' Th+ tteht. that the winner in which a militery merit or services, but as an exchange ter ho- peragrepe in his paper had been ellteled to by the rough influence. In this transaction he purified highly Honourable attune, would be a suf fi cient a )(dogs' themagnanimous conduct of the Prince Regent, and ' for his prestiming to Addetes the Meeting. The Ho. said that if he Pursee4 tbeeeline of conduct he would ' nourehle Baronet had called Ills publicetain the organ strengthen the foundatient of the throne in the aim- of the sentiments of the Whigs; a term which, as he tions of the people. es - e - , • was pleased to say, existed only nn paper. Thu, pa- Sir leiteecrs Bonnrry rose principal,* to apologiee regrAph alluded to had been written by him., If, wide. to the Meeting for his unAvoieeble absence at the rest out advising or consulting with any one. His opinion of their proceediegs, as his f luty in Parliament (Mired of the individnAls eleferredl to tests founded upon his him to 4ttend that evening on a very important see- observation of their conduct in Parliament ; and he ject, that of flogging the soldiers. He thought that consideted them still as firm and ze.tieus advocates it would nss& necessary for him to say much upon of reform as in the year 1792. If any difference in 'the subject of reform, As every one who came into their sentiments existed at all, it was a difference that room mils\ be supposed to be completely con- I springing out of the difference of the circumstances vinced of its netessity. He anticipated a great deal of the country. It was impossible not to perceive that of good from the present meeting, and could not 1 the present circumvances requireJ a different mode avoid expressing his admiration of the very able and •of teeAtment. When it was considered that at the excellent speech which had been mole by the secon- present moment the Minister had above 3009 offices der of the first resolution, (Mr. Peters.) Such were to dispose of annually; when there was scarcely an the sentiments that the people ought to expect from j elector in the kingdom who was not brought within country Gentlemen, and such were the country Gen. the vortex of his influence, it might well be a gave. tlemen who would be returned to Parliiment if the eon, whether the same plan, which had been recem. people had a fair and free representation. He had mended formerly, would be applicable now i The rightly traced all the evils of the country to the cor. Honourable Baronet would, he was sure, admit, that rupt state of the representation. Mac fester derivata he had been through life the adherent of principles of glades. It was impossible that sweet and wholesome I liberty ; and it was scarcely necessary for him to ad', waters could come from such a corrupted source hat he would go along with the individuals alluded to It was unreasonable to expect purity from the interior no Finger than they would go along with him in sup. agents, when those who employed them were eve porting those principles. No considerations of private dently corrupt. It had been always Allowed. I that friendship should ever induce him to abandon the pub. contiption in a Judge was a most serious and fermi- lie principles of the Whigs. 'He had always been of Liable evil ; but corruption in a Legislator was much opinion that every thing was to be expected from the worse, as it was the Legislature who not only made efforts of a party, especially when the whole army of the laws, but whose duty it was to controul the axe- the Government was marshalled in close order, dis. cation of them. Ile did not mean to state that all ciplined to the service, animated by one spirit, and and every one of our present Judges were not the directed by the same leaders. Could any success be purest and wisest of all possible beings; but this he expected trom scattered attacks against such a host ? would say, that in former times it was not by corrupt If they wished to gain what they aimed at, it must be Parliaments that despotic Sovereigns maintained their by one combined and gen ral effort. They should power. When they looked for corrupt instruments follow the example of the dissenters, who, las ing aside to execute their illegal purposes, they found them in their respective differences, united in their common the Judges of the land. Afterwards they found that cause, and compelled the Government to respect their corrupt Parliaments were the most efficacious instru- religious liberty. The resolutions before the meeting ments. With respect to the liberty of the press, and must be approved of by all friends to civil liberty.— to the conduct of it, he must say that he thought it He did not think it prudent to deal out censure against would be unfair to expect more assistance from the honourable men, because they may not be prepared ,press than it now gave, especially when it was con- to go the Smile lengths as others. Triennial Parlia sidered to what dreadful punishments every condric. ments he thought likely to [move highly beneficial in tor of a paper exposed hirneele by an unguarded ex. the altered circumstances of the country. It would pression. The doctrines which were formerly repro- make the Members of Pediment pay more respect hated in the Star Chamber had been now revived in to the public opinion, and render even the Borough. modern practice, and such sentences as would not alone) less powerful over those constituents to whom have disgraced the character of that infamous trihu- he at present dictates. nal were now suspended over the head of every con- Mr. Irmo, of Hampshire, declare,' his inviolable ductor of a paper. He vetily believed that public attachment to the cause of Ret am. He had been in writers were now, exposed to much more severity than town nearly these two weeks, expecting the Metting, at any time in the history of the Tudors. Those and felt much disappointed from the sleety, and had who knew the great care, and vigilance, and deli- up doubt that the same cause occasioned the absence cacy that it was necessary for ;netters to use to of many. He was determined that no personal 0011• escape prosectoion ,and the severest punishments,. sideretionzn his part should interfere. s with the cone. would hardly blame them for not going farther neon cause. He was not discouraged tram the thin in the cause of the. people; but, on the other hand, appearance, as this Meeting was metely an incipient should be grateful to them ear the assistance measure. He had come to town with a filed deter. which they affordee. But what E. be expected urination to await the event, and objetted to the word while the House of Commons, that body, which, like Reform, as they ought. instead of Reform, to strug. the pendulum of a clock, should govern the Move- gle for a restoration of their Privileges. Men of all menus of the body politic, was itself corrupt? He parties talked of the glorious Constitution: it was agreed with his friend (Mr. Montague Burgoyne), that Constitution they asked, and that Constitution it that a friend of the , people should not attach himeelt was their right to have. In law, it was slid that ab. to any party. He would neither be of the party of solute authority must reside somewhere. In despotic Cesar nor of Pompey, because between those two I countries it resided in the Sovereign, but here in the parties their country was ruined ; but he should at. Three Estates, the King and the Lords were herscli. tach himself steadily to the party of the people.—: tary. The Commons were electere, stud were to be Although he had always professed that lie would not elected brthe people. The only question then was, attach himself to any party, yet he had always, as when they were to be elected ? To complete the Con. far as he conscientiously could do, supported one stitution the people must be fully and legally rept party ; which, it they had acted up to the principles' seined, and every man who paid tie taxes had a right that they professed, would h,ave rendered important to look to a Representative. It was oa this constitu. services to the country. Althon hhe never profes- clonal basis he demanded a reform" in the present sed any particular attachment td t he party to which system of representation, and atter a speech of great Mr. Fox belonged, yet he believed that he had sup- I warmth and animation, concluded by expressing the ported him as often, and as consistently as many of most sincere wishes for a complete and full reform la I those who professed entire attachment. If there was the Representation of the People, as the only tieitg any disposition in that party to ken in the cause of; likely to save the ccuntry.—(Repeatedly cheered al./ reform, he was sure that the people would gladly , applauded.) and thankfully accept of their assistance; and if they Mr. WAITHMAN observed, that several Gentlemen sincerely supported the cause of the people, the people, remarked that the Meeting was less numerous than in their turn, would support them. Heeled read that was expected, boo this was not surprising. Sever et day a paragraph in a very respectable Morning Paper circumstances had conspired to render the Meeting (the Chronicle) which was generally considered the I very thin. It had been put olf from time to time, organ of the Whig party, and if the sentiments there ' He, however, thought a Meeting like the present expressed proceeded from any desire of that party to I better for giving a tone to the public mind, than one join the cause of the people, he should be very ' snore numerous. happy to see them united. As to the mere change,' The question was then put upon the second reso. however, of Parliaments from septennial to triennial, , lution, and cartied unanimously. that would h e d o ing no good. It would be absolutely' Mr. CAM:TN°, of Warwickshire, rose to propose the necessary to go to the very source. If Parliaments • third resolution. He trusted Gentlemen would not were to be unfairly and corruptly chosen, it would , be induced to relax in their efforts by die fears of be no gain to the people to have two corrupt Pre- some—by the corruption of otheeo—and by the des- liments in seven years instead of one. In some pondence of many more. If we cuuli effect a re respects they would lose by the change; for all those ` term, we should establish our liberty rounded on , : periodical riots, intoxicitious, and scenes which at. Magna Charm, which had been acquired by the blood 1 6 tend the present mode nt electing Members, and which ut our ancestors. Then, indeed, might we defy th tend to demoralize the nation, would be repeated world united ; for every man would then be fightin oftener. The only rational reterm must go to that in defence of his own rights and tikerties ; but with contemptible and odious oligarchy. the borough sys- out this reform this country could nor long remain a tern. That oligarchy was as contemptible on ac- great nation. He concluded by musing, tbe follow. count of its corruption, as it was ()chow% fr. , m its power. ing resolution : What prerogative of the Crown had they not invaded. Resolved—Thu this Parliamentary Oligarchy became power °fowl only a t s c e a:i i i:: the Nation we , . supine—rub sod intemparate, or what power, which in feet the Crown never claim- Nati on, misted by inipinturs, forgot us Raipus ed, had they not seized and exercised ? What King se l ie . gteettel its Dums. of the Tudor or Stuart race ever claimed the power Among a people, whose Constitution is an unrivalled fabik of which had recently been exercised by the House of It. po ua n tries t ii read ,aa w .di tsi s t; R i eTz a r r nit .a wa p ir ie teh aC hwta li t li ou tt f ed dlt. W itiot i e j i l t of ilie b il 4 - r r hd it p lasui wa t r e s e:; Commons, which is a power that can only be exer cised over the people whose representatives they pro. muse as this Y kte't;. m can only b y :obtained by appears to mph axed fess to he ? He hoped tnat the people would not reason. to law, justice, and morality. Such are the founJedons suffer themselves to be deluded by the term " . en l' at he i obj a ects o o .e t Parl peo lan• le ien in tar t y .ar l i eform, a com d titutional Rem. mode. of be English Constitution. oa nit, e , s i L v t o uen il t bi as t far y surpass rate reform," but that they would stick firm to their i text, and demand a fair representation in the House Magna Charts and the Bill of Ri ght., of Commons. Those halt-measures which some re- political Liberty iii possession can surpass paper declarations of a commended right' to It. s+Would but akin and film d ll on part, vlsotria pa, Mr. JONES BURDETT seconded the Resolution. " Wbile rank corruption, nig di within, Mr. &MAT, Ot Statiutdshite, moved the Fourth . s, Infects unseen." Resolution: in the opinion of this Meeting, deo* Howarth, who Although the present meeting was not very numer 1111::tteiri'Nivirdus'lliri°tylia.ndd Gentry, tl in o w f t he iia e il vete• ea °lf t li to . t the oils, yet he conceived it to be only an incipient mese ' our sure, and bad no doubt but that the cause would rat- . rteedathe Hampdeus, or the prim, a the &doer, dis masa.. pidly gain ground. He had to apologise for the ab- , er tie Orrendishes, withall who respect the histilutera and ewer- Bence of Mr. Fawkes, who was prevented trom atten- ' tors dour Constitution, and who wish it to reams a glories* ding by a domestic saw= (the ion of hi s s i n ) sietnimeet of English courage, wisdoms. and virtue, 'nay be es. s road naively termites county sad other local owstaiss, that • i. -.1 INN