The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-06-04 00:00:00

?
-t; •
1
r
......
•
,
1
, .
1 .
_I
i
i
,
i
1
t
~,

I


11-
1
: •

-

I~=.

army in a time of prolotiod peacilt,telsieb could only testi to
suppress the coeslitatiosal ►pirit of an indignant people.
And in cnnelnsion they prayed fo► a full and equal represesta-
t;on in the House of Common•.
Mr. FItEM tNTLE eontldered the lasguage used by
the Petitioners extremely objectionable, sad he should there.
• lone oppose the reception of the Petition. The Honourable
Member then moved that the Petition be not received.
Mr. CURWEN saillheaostld sea as reams why the Peti-
tion should be rejected. It was quite notorious that mats is
that House were bought and scold, just as cattle is Smithfield,
and they could not expect the country would abut their eyes
at assets a►use.. He *Murrill indeed be surprised sf they did,
and be thought that Petition should teach the Hoses the
necessity of an immediate refores.--(Hese, beer )
Mr. JAMES said be should vote for meeiviag the Petit ion,
fur he saw no reason why it should be reieeted•
Strangers were than ordered to withdrew. when
Sir J. NEWPORT moved that the Pettlieu be read •
• . second time.
'Ube Petition having het...read—
Lord LON HON DERRY said. that if it twill he supposed
that the Petitioners were really Mayer, is the amatimsais with
which they approached the Hoose, and expressed /hose senti-
ments in moderate language, he elobsld Iwo* *paella to
reject their Petition. But it was .quits maisifest that the
present Petitios was meant as a reprints* and was coached
is language most inappropriate to headdresses! to the Hesse.
And if they wished to preserve their own c►aracter sad
authority, they must object to being address►d is these
trims. He must therefore give hie vote fog the rejection of
thu Petition, although be could assure the House that be ,
slid it with great pain.
Mr. CA LCRA FT said it was quite clear that the belies
zeal of the Him. Gelidness (Mr. Prmagatle) had placed
Ike Noble Lord in a polefulsitostion. He perfectly cos.
urred with the Noble Leril In thinking that the expressions
of the people, is, conveying their 'devour,* to the Mummy
elsould be respectful, and if they eostaised amours or re-
proaches they should be rejected. Bet the present Petition
contained nothing that was not often stated in that House;
far they well knew that the money which was takes from the
pockets of the people was frequently applied so useless pur.
puses ; and the necessity of maintainiss useless places, In
order to pleaerve the isiflueare of the Crown, was publicly
avowed by his Majesty's Ministers; and it world be very
had indeed, of the people could not avail themmlses of the
avowal of the Executive Government.—(Cbeen.)--They also
knew that their standing army had sometimes bees made use
of in a must estriturdinary and suspicious manner; and be
world say this, that bad it not been fur the safortusate cow
shoot) of the sister country, the Petitioners were perfectly
justified in stating that our standing army was mach lots
great for a time of peace.

Sir R. WILSON "thought that the Right Hen. Secretary
was wrong in his view of the subject. It could sot be de-
Died that seats were bought and sold, and otherwise disposed
of, the conditiou being frequcatly that the occupant was to
support Ministers on all weasioas whatsoever. Now this
was a Petition for Reform, and the simplest meaning of
such a Petition required dist the evils fur which remedy
was sought should be set forth with a distinct and clear ex-
po...gun of the nature, extent, and effect of the evil. As to
the standing army, that also was admitted by the Members
of the House to be a very reasonable ground of conatilu-
lineal jealousy with a free people.
Mr. C. W. WYNN had not generally scrutinised Peti-
tions too severely, sad would rather take the spirit of them
frotu their general character, then from any strung incidental
expressions cootained in them; but the effect of this for-
bearance had been such, that esseessioss had only served
for so many additional steps **degrees to the buldeess of
Petitions, until they bad presented the one before them,
which, there coil • be no doubt, was designed merely to in.
nog the Himite.—(Hear, bear)—Coold any one doubt the
latest of such language That places, and the public
mosey, sad seats in Parliaseal, had bees wublushisugly used
to immerse the influence of the Crown"—(Hear hear, from
the Opposition)—" That the army was kept up for sub-
duing the ennstitutional spirit of the eoustry ?"—(Hear,
bear, from the Ministerial Benches.)—Why, if this were
true, it was a just cause for rebellsa,-(Hear, hear.)—
They could have no buskins to be ethos there—(Hear,
bow)—the Goversagent was at an god—there world be just
•ual 1111011Wseeuwst•nr.~(Hcar,hear.)—
Again, " That plaeemen formed the majority of the House"
—(Hear, hear, from the Opposition)--" That the House
were ready to support any Adisisistratioa in any grant or
application of the public mane, however wasteful and extras
rigout"—(Loud cheers from the Opposition.)—lf these
(after repeating some other passages) were not an insult to
the House, what was ? To state that the House were ready
to 'support any Minigere--(Hear, hear, from the Opposi.
C1041) however unprincipled or tyrsaeical—(Louder cheers)
—and that they were ready to abet the mewl profligate waste
of the public resources—(Loud cbeers)--if this was a pro-
per Petition for them to receive, if it were not grossly sod
intentionally insulting to their authority, be could not coo-
delve the meaning of an Sang. He thought it impossible fur
the House to admit the Petition.
Sir J. NEWPORT was at all times anxious to take rich
a course as wore': leave the widest opening to petitions; is
so doing, he felt that it was equally advantageous for the
rights of the people and the dignity and authority of the
House. It was not by concealing their grievances, but by
giving vest to them firmly and openly. that either the people
could hope for redress, or the country be free from the danger
of turning the public discontent to other and Nr more din-
germs object.. To a large portiere of the Petition before
than he averted entirely; it deelsred in the main opinions
and principles which he had often declared in the House.
Coeur he deny that the public money, under the 'reaction of
the House, was profusely wasted? Had not that very cir-
cumstance been mentioned over and over again as one of
the stases of the present derangement in the public affairs ?
That wasteful places did exist, bad they wet the proofs of it
its what bail passed this very Session ? Were not several
places, which had been repeatedly and vainly brought for-
ward and pegged out as St for abolition, sod which at last
bad been reduced? Would not the people judge of these
facts? And how were the House prepared to deny them the
exercise of their judgment ? The extra Lords of Admiralty
and. the second Postmaster bed been declared as necessary
fur the continuance of Commuting, and the House bad
ratified the opinion; they were now abolished as places
wooly useless. Could' they deny the people the right
of judging on cases like these? Weald they not, with
good rams, suppose that there were many other places now
held with squid tenacity, which were equally useless sod
wasteful ? The same as to the taxes. Several of them were
at leogils to be relinquished as gross and reitecessary griev-
ances, which had best over and over again deela;ei to be
neressery for the wellbeing of the people. To what
purpose then to set up the mere power of govern-
ment over well.nstablisbed public opiniou. The Howse
ought to be cautious bow they aggravated the distress
of the people by eclogue to listen to their Petitions. There
was one expression implying that the osajoiity of the House
were piscrusen,aod the nominees of Petra, of which he did
riot approve. Bet they were bound to consider the distress
and difficulties under which the country was smarting. In
all other respects he was with the petitioners. Whatever
opinion he might have of Reform himself, he could sot deny
the expression of their opinion of it to the petitioners. It
was said that their expressions were too 1111081 r. He
thought otherwise. They would have been taunted with the
gratings character of their Petition if they did not point
out what they knew or supposed to be the defects of the
Howse as at pewee' constituted. They must at least shale
that the Hesse did not identify the opinions of the greater
body of the people. For the sake of real justice, of self.
respect, and is decent commiseration for the sofferiugs of
the people, even if the Petition were more strong to lan.
guar, the House would best consult their own interests by
weenie' it.
Mr. PEEL thought that his Noble Priced (the Mar-
quis of Londonderry) had sheen his iodination to give
the fullest latitude to the right of petition, by coos-
iag it to be read a second time, to see if he could
Sod any excuse for receiving it. Hsd the Petition
been roosisteut with the prayer for Reform, however strong or
ill-kedged the expressions, be world have felt bound to
receive it. Rut the anfinier—the intent to Insult was nisei.
fest, and the term rensoustrasee was conclusive as to that
poise. If ii v were to listen to such charges as that Peti-
tion corta,nt.i, there was SS tad to the privileges of the
Hesse.