The National Register.
London, England, 1819-11-01 00:00:00

ON TIIE ZRITISA CONSTITUTION.
_ _

The annexed observations on tho qnestion of Reform
ore extracted ft um an ',strut little work seeetoly ptilil shed,
retitled" A Copies • awl Impartial Mussy on the BMWs Con-
saikijuit." The al•lbCti• ut, as we can collect from his titte-
rer., a feel cf or and he has ahem' in his hook
levy extensive legal reading. His object seems to lease
I tree to present to the pebile a clear historical statement of
she laws affecting Use prerogatives of the Cross it, am' the
privileges of the people, conceiving, in the present state
of the cottony, that nothing could more effectually con-
tribute towards removing erroneous impressions, aid
leading the public mind to form correct siews of what
amnia be coneidesed public ribbrs, than a Wainer and
perspienotis exposition of the principal laws on which the
tato ic of um political eyett in is erected. In Mk under-
taking he has 'lwo is diligence and research, and his book
cannot fail of provitie nseful to those who would wish to
that branch of legal learning their study. To his
legal tract be has annexed sonic gella4l sconarks upon
elections, the Imiongli system, mid the expediency of Re-
form; but although the author earuestly desire, a Reform,
his k not that scheme of Reform which would captivate
the visionary polii Wians of the present day. So fur is lie
'from adeocating Uulversal Sudtm e, 1114/ he seems to
think the right of Suffrage is already too generally ex-
le ceded. The trialitit alien of forty shilliegs ft (-timid pro-
pel •.y, isi his opinion, might no longs r to be übserved, "as
-it opens a door to the title of eon-option tit contested
elections." Ile, however, advocates the expediency of
I. mit ing the dos Mimi of NI hielltellt to the tel of thlee
saes. 'the following remarks Cu the question of a re.
l'ortu iu the mode of electing Members to serve in L'artio-
meta, will also spew the general style of the work
The purity of our Constitution many enlightened
men have conceived has been contamitaatcd, and there-
fore a radical Reform should take place, first by a more
equal representation of the people he the House of Com-
mons, and lastly by an immediate reform in the domes- '
tic economy, by the abolition of all sinecures, useless
offices, and unmerited pensions, &c. " Chaque nation
snit se aouverner scion le besoinde sea Janes et la con-
servation du bien publique :"
This idea also coincides with the popular sentiment
that has prevailed many years past ; which leas by some
been deemed indispensable to our national welfare, and
particularly as our taxes at this present time are necessa-
rily very heavy. It is therefore hoped hat the Committees
of the House of Coinmons will be productive of much
good. Every candid person mint admit, that when
.Nlioisters themsels es acknowledge (by certain newspa-
pers) that the sale of seats in Parliament has been the
practice and established custom of their predecessors, as
well known, &c. as that the sun cloth shine at noon
day, it is time for such a subject to be again and again
discussed (if necessary) by their delegates in Parliament;
for when an innovation of this d ingerous complexion
begins to foul the spring of purity, we know not to what
extent the stream may be tainted with it. in process of
time, if a remedy be not soon applied to the bleeding
would. Alontesquieu says, " When once a republic is
corrupted, there is Ito possibility of remedying any of
the rising evils but by removing the corruption and re-
storing lost principles : every other correction is either
useless or a new evil." And again he says, " Whets
once the principles of government are corrupted, the
very best laws become bail and turn against the state."
Whatever veneration the people of the present day
might have for the practice and precedents of their an-
cestors, yet when the former is bud and the latter inap-
plicable' measures and resolutions founded on them
Cannot he justified. As to precedents, both statesmen
and lawyers in my humble conception, pay too much
deference to them : and certain- it is, th it one precedent
can rarely be found to be completely applicable to two
cases at remote periods; therefore,. though precedents
snight assist and be useful, implicit deference ought not
to be paid to them; for if we do (after a time,) we shall
become mere mechanics, and be apt to adopt precedents
for principles, and thereby never exercise our own judg-
ment sufficiently, acid cointuon sense would be stioul-
dared out of the qoestion.
Ha critical and important case of national moment
come beihre our present Ministers, 1 should hope and
believe they are fully adequate to display as muck wis-
dom in their measures or resolves as any of their psede-
tenors : and why should we doubt it ? lam not con-
vinced that men of the present age (take them generally)
are inferior in capacity to their forefathers: then cer-
tainly the exigencies of the times should be first consi-
dered before precedents.
By way of strengthening my argument, I will now
take the liberty of quoting a sentiment from Sir Thomas
Tortott's speech on the question of the Regency : he said,
the absurdity of acting implicitly upon precedents
brought to leis recollection souse lines be had learned
at school :

" Herr standsa precedent,
W hu pot it there ?
A better man than
..1.010:11 it if you dare."

Rut to return to my positir.ln on the subject of Reform.
The cry of innovaii.m, and these ale he times, by
the opponents of Reform, brews absurd when the canker
is supposed to he still consuming the very vitals of our
constitution ; and I beli.se no nalimial consequences
can arse LI taking away certain privileges, the loaves
and fishes, front a new closr cringing luinkterial boroughs
and rich monopolizing corpoiations, (with resixet to
seturnina .Nletithas of 11..irliainent), and gramma and
distribmitna sue sante privileges and irauch:ses elsewrwre
upon popular and sound cinisinuiional principles.
Many gem:eaten who c:loose to &ascii titettiselt es to
the c•ost nilteiinin, ate unjustly stigiu:stiaril with the
odious rpm.ets of fetchers and j tetibitis, win. deservedly
intern Site name of fit patriots, and indeed Lie tery
Lest ifiess.ls Alta protectors of tit' cuitstiiiatiom„ and who
wooed, iu t.y opinion, be .in first and foremost so r..11y
sound anti prtsertc the sacred edifice arum emistitunon
iturtmat. :10111 the mock of fret% its and tile insidious
attack of lurking c.nruptiom
The fear 01 a ten/W(1011 111 aCCOMI/11ii11111 this great
and of Reform, even at this juncture, is, I presume,