The National Register.
London, England, 1817-01-27 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

A Court of Common Council, enlivened NI millet to n requi-
slum' :•igned by a Mri,.,e ntonly2r of tetombors, %%tir, hem m,
Thursday a! OuiMutt, fr the purpti-e,, of eott,itlering " lli
prebeitt alarming stilt.; of the conittr. •tml pkitioinng Parlia-
ment for a reform and rotre:nt hm, lit in the public e‘pentli-
tate, a redaction of the enornatnet and haeunblitntional wile
Wry eitanti.lottent, and abolition 011411 nselesh plarei and uta•
merited pensions, :And a Ullbtitiational r..fornt in the rep re.
bentatiOg tif the people is pArliiunetit, alone our

JANUARY 27.

national grievances can be effectually redressed, imil as
adequate security attorded against future encroachments."
Presion4 to the discussion of the principal ipiestion, Mr.
Alderman Cox [destined a memorial front the bankers mid
merchants of London, praying for the use of the Guildhall,
for the purpose of' eaehasiging the old silver coin for the
new, dm Mg the fourteen days limited by lb.: Act of Parlia-
ment.
PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.
observed, that w lieu they recently petitioned
the throne to assemble Parliament earlier titan was intended,
It was necessarily in their contemplation to petition Parlia-
ment itself whenever it should be actually assembled. The
objects for which they had desired the meeting of Parlia-
ment were of the highest and comprehensive nature. They
involt ed considerations which it was impossible fully to em-
brace in the course of a single speech. To attempt to prove
that the existing system of revers, 'dation was inadequate to
its end, would be to prove a truth so manifest, as almost to
insult the moderstautlings of his hearer•. It would be
equally needless in him to aim by any arguments to convince
the court of the reality of those gritaances, anal the weight
of those soitieriugs under which the people now laboui ed.
Let them consider for a moment attentively the lure sent state
ut the repo emanation. t'eorawall alone sent It members,
whilst fifteen other counties only Brut .10. Three counties
might lie named which returned 101 representativ es, a larger
aggregate number than was returned by 20 others. Wes
thia a system of representation adapted to the character and
circumstances of Englishmen Ile would i,ive them the
highest authorities in support of the principles lie was main-
taming; bait es en if there were no authorities, he would say,
it was the dictate Of COIIII4IOII souse and humanity, that ea
body ohne!' laid a right to di, hie among themselves sinecure
places, and enormous emoluments, when the nation at large
was borne down by tears, and suffering by every saecies of
want. The Bill of Rights had deckle :I that it was an un-
doubted right, and the preamble stated, •• that frequent Par-
liament, ought to be tidal, and that frequent new Parliaments
tend much to the happy union ut' king and people." it nen
the Septennial Act was passed, it was passed as .1 temporary
measiire, in pretence of the rebellion and the muscatel state
of the Nation. It was carried, upon representations that it
Was designed only to provide aga.ast a particular emergency,
in the s; manner as the Ilabeas Corpus Act was oecasioa-
ally suspended. nut although various eflorts had been sub-
sequently 'mole to obtain a repeal of it; they had always
failed; and their failure wre., in his opinion, one great cause
of the present national calamities. Ile would not go so far
in the existing artificial butte of society as to say, that annual
Parliaments were desirable: but though he Roost/Olt triennial
Parliaments would be productive of the same gaud, yet, is
theory, the principal of an annual Parliament was incontro-
vertilde. lilac reierred to Illackstum., an authority generally
pretty fasouralde to the Crown., he found that even he ad-
mitted, that " In a free state, every man who is supposed a
free agent, imeht, measure, to be his own governer
and, therefore, a branch at least of the legislative power
should reside in the whole body of the people. If any change
were desired, it were in favour of a more equal rept esenta.
tion nt the people in Parliament.” Why, then, were they, or
eaatinii.a.ci. as or scab-
the nation at large, to be i I di
lions, because they adhered to the saute primiples, and
thought it was no longer aafe to postpone the aiodivation of
the ti Had not Mr. Pitt hionselt declared, that " Without a
reformation fu Parliament, neither the liberty' of the subject
can be rest r ved, nor can w e expect to has e a Wise, arr.
WOWS, or disinterested mina." Al r.. Fox, iii aea ie-
brated speech in the year tibia which ke would advise vim",
gentleman '0 read, had avowed his opinion in the following
words I am fully persuaded, that iitilese there is an entire
radical reform. not only in the House of COIIIIIIOIIS, but in
every branch of the executive power.; in shoot, mileba there
it an entire radical reform in the Whole system of Govern-
ment, there is no chance for this country to enjoy any bless-
ing long. It cannot remain happy or even safe long. 'flow.
reform cite never he obtained unless there is a general and
micipiivomd expression in ita favour by the people at large."
The ',calm, had lune sunk under a galling wvight.of taxation,
they labour louder a fluctuating, and decaying trade ; all this
they sutler ill submission. were they now to be suspected as
seditious or disaffected : They had a right to ask, what vim;
the constitution good for. if what was called representation
‘vas ui fart, for tin' most part, ill the halide of the Govern-
ment itself. They had a right to ask why un express provi.
sine of the Act of Settlement was eiwnly violated—that act g
which, in its rare to prevent corrupt initience, had declared,
that ini person holding an Other kW tie or reel:44lg
a pcusinn from the crown, Shall be capable of sitting in the
!Lome of Continuous. For his own part lie was convinced that
triennial Parliaments and an extension of the t leetise fran-
chise to all householders, would produce a reform that ought
to be satisfactory. '!'here was always a neutral influence aria. gio
ing from property, industry, and talent, w kWh would has e
tilt ir proper weight. 'Flie people would always be able to
iiislnuinish between an honest Mall and a roger, a Mail Of
talent from a fool, and a Wall Or property flout a litiogry
grasper alter place and emolument.
Mr. it'Ati n wiN then colicluileti w ith readilig certaili ipso-
lutioua, which embodied aloe leading doctrines of his speech.
Mr. Davis seconded the resolutions.
Mr. Jacks observed, that the queslion to determine is. whe-
filet we Abell maintain the old constitution, as descended to
its from our fathers, or adopt new principles and new theories
of improvement, the ultimate tad nt which we iambi net
foresee The worthy mover had made 'Mae tillOrallolel rr•tn
parliamentary speakers iii the debates it hbillt the Septeninal
Act; bete again lie would say, much hail been bald ou Moth
sides: the result however was, that after ;ilium 2 Yeats trial
of triennial parliaments, they Were attend by a see, large
too jority of both houses. prea.l.6:e to the Sepoulasial
.let recites, that great tumults awl disorders had arisen fried
the practice of frequent general elections : he however t aloe
J.) draught possibly sonw. good might arise Atom to seminal
parliaments: anal as the cattail of the possible es II ocelot be
caleelated,he for one shoal(' have no ohjeetimi to the restora-
tion. Ile, Mr. J. would take alp( oi him to irasert, that 11-0143
the Ili-tory of England, traced from that period to the pre.
sent, never did there publicly appear to be less corruption
than at present.; no hislithre Of modern boos hail oven risl
td iniiiisters charcoal V.itha reetiviog beil•es in the aye.
coition of their office insianee had totem sd of Sus e-
i eigii himself beim:, !.It-peeteal of such a mine as h.-al been
broadly stated in those flays. Cori iiption is had es ~,tad
in free stab s -it es er would exist, like vice mid ral era;
the great end, lie admitted, of good got mono ut. is to cheek
Hod con uteiact such tendeiwy. 51114'C:111'J of the pi estate
day were held up as instances of eurrooptioa : lie most depre-
cated the existeuce of inch evils in the cinistitutuni , bat
there was wale cutendistani iii retlectime, that it' they cotilJ
rut at OIICC be renuoved, an Aet of Pau filament had many
yeats ago provided for their discuLtiocapice at the death of

14) me IllbiAil- t wry eit4oo.oo:nt, 4001 almlitlou 01
Irohtdge of Iris character. l'au :111•WIT >ayg," Thu fyiaitra of merited puttsious, and a culaottati
Smillosulkoed is maltaed; llardiug aui 4a4 tittuily a.c hentation tit* tLe ireeple is rArliaa

JANUARY 27,

the pre cent hinder•. The late NlLtrquis of lint:kingham's had
act-0)&11;41i eersed! the others would also cease ere limg,and
now altogether in amount did not much exceed 209,0301. per
airinm, making a 'rirthen of hermit one fontilt the prier of a
quartet' loaf to earls individaal, or about id. e:u•h per year.
He did not see that ret4in in l'arliautt•nt was n"•ressarv' to
the reduction of expenditure; he personally knew not the
present iniiiister4, or ,‘ as ill aliv Way 114/1111Cril..1 With thrill
but I:e knew that in pr:valc life intlividnals, when leaving off
business, could not wind op their sift iirA, especially it crten•
sive. in a very short time ; he therefore must cmicludr, that
in 'triaging to a close tic machinery of sot it a mighty eon-
crrsi as th.., late war, sonic time mast first elapse ; he should,
however, soon see tlii•ir conduct in this respect, and if he saw
no sincere emleaver.r to effect retrenchment and economy,
he would join heart and hand with the gt•tttletitett opposite, in
petitioning fur such objects. For these reasons he should ,
thus efore vote against the question.
_ _

Mr. S. Dixon professed, that for the last 2) years he had
nut heard from the worthy mover the same moderate
g.tage that they had heard to-flay. on the subject of ref .rm.
This was the first time h had recommended a calm, stem!y
and moderate prosecotion of that object. Probably gentle-
men are now become afraid of their having formerly appealed
too much to the passions of the multitude, who were far.v li-
terally acting on notions which proceeded from them. This
was the first titu^ he had heard of any thing specific, and that
neither annual Parliaments, nor universal suffrage were the
wish of these gentletnen. I.lverting to tile speech of the
last worthy gentleman, whim, however, as a new speaker, he
would not wish to discourage, he must say, that were he the
patient lie should be aft aid of those physicians who differed
so mach as to the mode of cure, and should prefer rather
trusting to Nature than to their skill. The symptoms of a
change from violence and e‘aggeration to a Oiser conduct
were sn favourable, that, with a few alterations, he likeulf
would support the resolution;.
Mr. Pavell was surprised at the altered tone of the last
speaker, and attributed the favourable change to the elo-
quent speech with which his hononrahle friend had ooetied
the present discussion. It would be superfluous in him to
say how much he admired Ora speech, and how worthy it
was of the attention of, this court, and of the country. It
contained a sufficient reply to all the objections against re-
form which had been conjured tip by its opponents.
Mr. IVaitliman replied at sonic length, and with consider-
able warmth, to the observations of Mr. Jacks and Mr. S.
!)Ron ; at the same time re -.toting and enforcing some of his
falner arguments,
The Resolutions were then put, and carried by a great ma-
jority, only about a dozen appearing against them on the
show of hands, though the Court was pretty crowded.
A Petition founded upon them was then agreed to, and
ordered to be presented to the House of*Commons by the Re-
presentatives of the city, accompanied by the Sheriffs; and
to the House of Lords by the Sheriffs,
The Members of the Court, who are Members of Parlia-
ment, were requested to support the prayer of the petition in
their places in the House.

OLD BAILEY.