The Press.
London, England, 1858-09-25 00:00:00

myself. (Cheers.) I have ever sought, and ever
shall seek, to he the honest representative of your
opinions. (Cheers.) I have never failed to let you
know the course which my own feelings and opinions
prompted me to pursue, and how I hoped to serve
you, and how I deemed it would be my duty as your
representative to conduct myself in the House
of Commons. I trust I have not disappointed you.
If you are changed, well and good, change me ; but
if you are content with the honest services of two
men closely identified with you by local interests,
and, I trust, by political opinion—if you are content
with two men who have shown how much they
appreciate the honour of representing you, how
willing they are to do their duty, then I can tell you
that as I have represented you for fourteen years,
during which many changes have taken place, and
during that long period I have been actuated by
the principles which I originally entertained, so I
shall continue to maintain those principles,
knowing, as I do, that T am sincere in upholding
them. (Cheers.) I believe it is only by a firm
adherence to those principles upon which the
Constitution of England is founded that you can pre-
serve intact the inestimable blessings of that freedom
which it is your privilege to possess. (Cheers.) B e
assured that if we wish the country to continue in a
course of progress—and I say "progress " advisedly
—such a wish will be best accomplished by con
tinning within the limits of those principles the
practice of which has raised this country to its
present state of proud pre.eminence. When others
tell you that a Conservative has no right to speak of
progres:, pay no attention to them. For myself, I
wish for progress. I desire to see all classes of the
community advance ; but I desire to see them
advance within the limits of principles which consti-
tute safety; and if there is any difference of opinion
between myself and others upon this question of pro.
greys it amounts to this, that I prefer to see the
engine of the State driven carefully and safely
along the rails, while I entertain a strong doubt
whether the Liberals, as they are termed, would not
either shunt us into a dangerous siding or land us
at the wrong platform. (Laughter.) It is with an
experience of fourteen years that I speak, during the
whole of which time I have had the honour of repre.
senting, and during by far the greater part of that
time of representing in conjunction with my hon.
colleague, the Northern Division of Warwickshire.
I shall still endeavour to serve you, while at the same
time I maintain those principles which have so long
actuated me in my public conduct. If you are not
changed I am not, although I am prepared to make
due allowance for the changes of circumstances which
have taken place of late years. As one of your repre-
sentatives in Parliament for North Warwickshire I
return you my most hearty thanks for the honour
you have done me upon the present occasion.
(Cheers.)
Mr. TAUNTON then proposed the "Health of the
Members for the City."
The CHAIRMAN, having in the absence of the two
hon. members said a few words in reply to the toast,
proposed " The Mayor and Magistrates of the City
of Coventry." He said he was one of those who had
ever been opposed to the system of centralization
which was at one time so strenuously advocated.
Experience had proved to him the great advantages
of local government as opposed to centralization.
Freedom was a plant which, to exist, must be che-
rished ; it was not a matter of accident, it came not
to any country by chance ; hut every country which
would enjoy it must persevere in those means of in-
dependence which were represented in this toast.
If they did not maintain the system of local self-
government, he was afraid that their national repre-
sentative system would be of little use, the adminis-
tration of justice would not be pure, and they would
not have the inestimable blessing of being their own
governors in those matters which concerned most
intimately their own hearts and homes; for upon
self government, in great measure, depended that
social freedom which was dearer to them and more
useful than the more specious kind of liberty granted
in the mere possession of representative institutions.
They had seen representative political institutions
perverted elsev here ; then let them never give up
their old Saxon constitution ; let them keep their
power at home, close in their hands ; let it be con-
scientiously exercised, and England would still be
free among the nations of the world, an example of
that order, happiness, security, and true liberty,
which characterize the organization for the good
government of a great, a wise, and an enlightened
community. (Cheers.\

- .
Mr. J. N. CLARKE, in proposing the health of Mr.
Newdegate, said that, irrespective of his political
services, he had always shown himself a good neigh-
bour and faithful friend in all social relations
of life.

The CEIAIRMAN briefly returned thanks, and after•
wards proposed " Success to the Association," which
was drunk with cheers; and several other toasts
having been given of a local character, the meeting
separated.