The National Register. — London, England, 1819-06-06 00:00:00

/4 7 , /V" : / 7 A4 rpt ji" ationali tolitittrj: " 1 " 11.87.—N0L; XII.] THE PITT CLUBS. The societies which call themselves -" Pitt Clubs," have just held their customary meet ings in celebration of the birth-day of hint whose name they have borrowed as a sanction. 'ln the few observations we have to offer on such a sub ject, we must begin by stating that we neither claim the right, nor feel the inclination to object to any man, or body of men, shewing by such means their veneration for what they deem to be splemlid virtues, or their respect for the names and 'rumor:As of those who possessed and displayed them. Nor, again, are we disposed to question their full liberty to adopt whatever public principle:; they may ho nestly deem in their hearts and consciences to be best. Still, however, we have.both the right, awl feel it to be our duty, whon we see a set of persons, professing one object. but in Eget pursuing another, plunging themselves, and trying to draw others after them, into the grossest inconsistencies, both to dis cuss the value of the principles thus acted on, and to expose the folly of such a conduct. No ooe is ig norant, or even labours to conceal that the reai diject of the Pitt (Jabs is simply the support of his Majesty's present Ministers and all their measures, it is, therefitre, perfectly open to us to compare the public policy of the.:e Ministers, and the political tenets of the Pitt Clubs, with the avowed opinions end political conduct of that distinguished individual ander the banner of whom they profess themselves enlisted, and to whose name they pretend an anxiety to du honour. When, however, we are about to prefer this charge of inconsistency, it may be neces- Miry to premise that we do so upon the assumed ground that he was an honest man, that he really errant what he said, and sincerely wished that whatever principles he professed should be fairly acted on, mid that whatever measures he advocated should he curried. Aid this assumption, we hope, w:11 be readily allowed ns, because otherwise the members of the Pitt Clubs would have to confess that they celebrated the birth-day of a monstrous and guilty hypocrite, and paid their adoration at the shrine of Reliel, rather than in the temple of virtue. In the first place, then, Mr. Pitt commenced his pDlitical life as a bold and strenuous a.sscrtor of the rights and liLt rties of the people. His first speech in Parliainent nos in favour of Mr. Burke's bill for re trenchment in the civil list. He resolutely opposed both the principle, the conduct, and the continuance of the American war. In the first session, also, he lent his already powerful aid to a bill for parlia mentary reform, and subsequently, whilst a private member, either supported or originated again and agaiin the same important question. Even his ac ceptance of office did rot induce him to abandon it. In 1783, he brought forward himself, as a Minister, an express and specific bill, for adding 100 members to the counties, and abolishing a proportionate number of small and obnoxious borou;hs;for admit ting the copyholders to an equality with the free- Isniders, anti for extending the elective franchise in populous towns to the whole body of householders. This bill failed, but still he did not despair. In 1 785, when he thought his strength augmented, he again pressed upon the Ilouse of Commons the pro priety, the expediency, and the justice of a r.dhrm in its representation, but was again destined to feel, with how little chance of being listened to, a txtr rupt hotly can be exhorted to cleanse and purify itself. The trial of Hastings, the King's illness, anti the stormy period of the French revolution, which filled up, with very• little interval, Mr. l'itt's eventfid life, gave both to the public mind, and to his, other of of still more commanding importance, and sufficient to absorb the whole energies of his soul ; but tha' Mr. Pitt's original ideas of tile justice and necessity of reform were ever changed, we believe no authority whatever can be found; and it' honotar, and canscience, and consistency, had any share .in his character, it is not unreasonable to presume that, if now alive, his place would be amongst the forernnxt of its supporters. The next great measure o f his life was the establishment of a sinking fund, Our Ling, Conlititution anb Mpg. SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 1819. to be kept sacred and inviolable, us -the grand and only adeluaLi instrument of our salvation from na tional bankruptcy and ruin; a measure greeted with the loudest plaudits of the whole Senate, and from Which Mr. Fox, who had cordially assisted in its formation and enactment, never la the shy of his death withheld his praise. The country, till within there few yerrs, held it in all the veneration of a sacred palladium. We went on, not unalarmed at the rapid accumulation of public debt, but yet with those alarms soothed by reflecting that we possessed a resource accumulating also, and were flattered with the tined hope that whenever the blessings of Peace should arrive, that its whole proceeds would be fairly and fully availalAe to the diminution of our public barthens. On this resource no num relied with a prouder sstisfactiun dam Mr. Pitt. Amnia the deepest labyrinths of fi7aneial intricacies and embarra.sments, the sinking fund still supplied a thread to guide him througit their it1:12:3, and when every other part of the horizon seemed obscured in clouds and darkness, - in this point he could still dis cern a friendly .beam of light which might guide his vessel to the wished-for harbour.—The next great measure of his public policy we shall allude to is, • the admission of the Boman Catholics to the rights and privileges of t:.e-Constitution. For this measure Mr. Pitt uniformly exerted all the tamers of his eloquence, fur this he pledged himself in the strong est manner at the time of the union, to Ireland, and of his sincerity in which he gave the strongest proof by quitting the helm of the State, when he found his Royel alacter indelibly opposed to the course in which he was steering. It is true the love of place and power did after,ards predominate over both the love of justice ,and his sense of honour ; for he returned to the saute post lie had before abandoned, and tinder .a condition not to agitate a question which lie had before so often and so forcibly asserted to he, in his own mind and conscience, essential to the well-being, and even the safety of the State. But excepting this single point, and it is one which the friends of Mr. l'itt's memory would surely be very willing to forget, what is there in all or any of the topics we have mentioned which either his Majesty's Ministers, or the members of the Pitt Clith, profess in common with hint under the sanction of whose name they have set up their banners? What is the state oldie civil list which Mr. Pitt oontended and °tett for retrenching, and how does the grant of 10,0001 a year to the Duke of York square with the sentiments expressed by him on Mr. Burke's celebrated Bill? What is the language of Minis ters and of those gentlemen on those plans of reform which Mr. Pitt himself originated 'nod proposed? Ask Lord Castlerengh what In thinks of the destree tion of his favourite trade ? Ask . Mr. Canning, who has deemed his jests end btiffironery open reform an essential ingredient of every speech he has made, upon whatever question for the last eight years ! Where are now Mr. Pitt's hopes respecting the Sinking Fund so long and warmly cherished, where are now the happy fruits of this darling child of promise ! '! - We •remember, but last year, in the House of Lords, when Lori Liverpool, witheut the least ceremony, in meting the provision fur the cur rent set-vice, merged•the whole produce of this fond among the items of supply, that Lord Grey rose and .begged to be informed whether the Si.tking Fund was to be thenceforward considered as to- tally annihilated and gone, inasmuch as even its distinction from the ordinary sources of revenue was no more acknowledged. Where are now those mighty projects of finance, which, though we may believe them to have been, itt • some instances, the curse, and still to threaten in their &Teets the ruin of the country ; yet us n ) of the l'itt Clubs can entertain such sentiments or admit such alarms, we should think they would at least mourn to see them vanished and dis appeared, and pause in their approval of those under whose guidance their room has been occupied hr a state of financial embarra—ment, awl financial inef ficiency which, in the fitth year of peace, we will venture to assert never was equalled. With respect to the Catholic Question, Lord Caatlere:gh a and LPRICE 9V. Mr. Canning's regard to honourable consistency put the whole body of the Pitt Clubs absolutely to the blush. The former totally declines attending them, and the latter has publicly awed he would nut IJe present at a meeting', couvened under the sanction. of each* name, tfiltink such a toast as " Pratte. N. tant ascendauey," knowing the sense which that toast implied, and the spirit it was meant to aniraate. n'inspoile ! the glorious revolution of 168e— down with Popery—Pitt for ev e r—his M aj 'estya t Mini: tars—flip ! flip ! Hip Hurrah !!! But it may be said that there is one point yet ennoticed, and upon which hinge rests that Politi cal Fame which is alone sufficient to entitle him Pi the grateful remembrance and admiration of his country, vie. his resolute and undaunted resistance to French Philosophy and the whole train of revoln aionary doctrines connected with it, and with% threatened to overthrow all our ancient Institutions whether mural, political, civil, or religious. We are neither the friends of anarchy nor the advocates of irreligion. The diftisettt ranks and orders of society aro agreeable to the dictates of nature her self,. and essential to the very existence of num in his social state. But whether the •revolutionary war was just in principle, whether it was indispen sably necessary, without which nu war can be just, whether we might not by a strong and vigorous domestic policy have effectually pierded ugainst every danger whether from within or 'without, whether our engaging in the war did not actually contribute to consolidate the strength and Niece of the revolution, and divert them from quarrelling with each other by famishing another object, atul thus lead to all the calamities which have ensued from it, are questions which may be denied if we should now assert theee but which posterity curt never fail to estimate justly. In feet, tile Pi!t Sys tern, as this part of our national policy is partieu lirly called, is already fast emerging from the false glare with whieh it was so long surrounded. Its evils are now felt, whilst its pump and pride and circumstance are vanished. The measures adopted to support it are now pathet;cally deplored even by the greutest,- and we will add the best, of those ori ginally associated in moving and upholding them. But, however this may be, his Majesty's Ministers have but very little to da with the policy we are now discussing. Lord Grenville, Lord Spencer, Lord Eitztvilliam, Lord Wellesley, and Mr. Wind ham were the efficient coadjutors of Mr. Pitt, during this extraordinary era, and every one of these.have declined every connection with those who are now in power : and with very .good reason as far as consistency is concerned ; for •when Lord Sidmnuth, with his present associates, succeeded to the-Administration of Mr. Pitt, the very first act of' their office was to make peace with that very enemy whom Mr Pitt had so peteeveringly pursued with the most inveterate hostility. The Peace or Amiens is tar too memorable to be forgotten. It acknow• !edged in the fullest extent the Legitimacy of Rue napartee•Government, and the fee: that opposed this Peace were 'to a man the late friends of the Ex-minister. -Nay, what is most extraordinary in these Pitt Clubs is, that Mr. Pitt opposed and ulti mately turned oat, as incompetent to their situation and unworthy of public confidence, those very Kim by whain his name is now borrowed as the instrument of conciliating support. " But, they terminated, and gloriously terminated a wax," say these deep-reasoning and patriotic Societies, " which Mr. Pitt begun." How they once terminated it we have already noticed, and with respect to its last tereninalicm, they might just as well assert that I ord Liverpool had been invested with the controul of the Elements of Heaven, and that the ro.t of hi: associates had spit from their (nen mouths the frosts and snows of Russia. Leen the Duke of Welling ton was not the obiect of their choice. He wits forced span them, partly. by the chances of fortuae, an partly by his met- matchless skill and valour. It is true Mr. flit ita exinced the Property• fax, but -it was only a P. - a,- Ta.r, and his Majesy's Ministers would have contrived it as a Peaee.rme if they could. But their imitation was as existeatd 4 s:A. •-• A \ • 4„ 'O , 1