The National Register.
London, England, 1822-05-19 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

COUNTY OF NONFOLK MEETING.

In consequence of a ruppisition moat numeronsly and
respectably signed, havina been 'presented to the High
Sheri II of the comity Of Norfolk, Sir Richard Joddrell,
Bart. calling on him to convene a meeting for the {im-
pute of " taking into consideration toe propriety of pre.
seining .1 petition to Parliament for a reform iu the re.
presentation of the people," the High Sheriff appointed
Saturday last for the meeting, which took place in the
Shire-hall, Norwich.
At It) minutes alter 12, the High Sheriff' entered the
hall--and having procured silence, said, it seemed to
be the wish of the individuals present to adjouni to the
yes.)
After some farther consultation, it was deemed proper
to comply with the wish so loudly expressed.
Mr.Coxa came forward amidst touch clamour. He
said, if they would have the kindness to be quiet for two
111111U1e9, he would ask no more. The High Sheriff was
so Obllglllg so say that he would adjourn the Court for
half an hum, until preparations could be made for meet.
iul On the Castle hill.—(Applause.)
The assembly then adjourned to Castle-hill, and, two
waggons hating been procured for the convenience of
the orators, the business commenced at half past one
o'clock. _ .

The Hiatt Sagely, stated the object of the meeting,
A requisition, lie observed, having been addressed to
him try such a numerous body of freeholders, anion
whom were the names cf those so pre-eminent for tarok,
nubility, and talent—the names also of those not less
pre.eniment for respectability of character in private life,
and trio illy (looted to the best principles of the Coirsti.
to tints, to take into consideration the propriety of pen.
oolong Parliament for a reform in the representation of
the people, he bad felt it a duty incumbent on him, and
indeed had with much pleasure collie Iron town ex.
pressly for that olject, to comply with the wishes of the
reqursitiottists, by convening a meeting of the county,
upon a subject of such great improtance.—Applause.)
G. NV YMER, Earl. the sub-sheriff, thou read the re.
qulsition and answer.
The. High.sheriff having stated the object of the meet.
tug, he then read a letter front Lord Suffield, apologis-
ing fur his unavoidable absence.
Sir'('. lizhvoa then came lOrward. He said, though
in other respects, he felt his inferiority when compared
with the talent by which lie was surrounded, lie would
yield to no mart in his uttachtnent to the cause of re.
,trot —(Applause.) It was a cause with which all
their clearest isite.ests were identified. lie considered
that it was the right, of every mall to have a voice in the
framing of Mote laws which he was bound to obey, and
to the operation of which both his person and property
were stiljected. Did they want authority lor this; If
they did, it could be easily quoted. Blackstone said—
" 1 ii every free government, eve'', mail, who is a free
agent, has a tight to a voice in the formation of those
laws which arc to bind them ; and thereinto a branch of
the Government resides in the whole body of the lieu.
ppl Now one would think this was plain enough.—
'oaring was here said of a branch of the Government
vested in the borough-niongers...tiothing was said
of a branch of the Government being placed in the hand;
of a wealthy aristocracy, of which they had heard so
much; but it was clearly admitted that a branch of the
Government resided in the whole body of the people...-.
(Airplause.) But as the population of the country was
so great, the exercise of 'lris right was impracticable
and therefore recourse was had to the representatne sys.
tent. NVas it not, then, a fair deduction, that those
who were supposed to be elected by the whole body of
the people. ought to represent them t (Yes, yes.) But
did tile House of Commons represent the whole body of
people 3 (No, no.) He begged their pardon, virtually
the lieuse of Luminous did. (A laugh.) lint that vir.
trial representation was a mere mockery. One of tier
objections urged against the advocates of reform was, that
radical reborn amounted to a revolution. this was alweys
ia the mullahs of men who, when it served their put'•
I oses, were constantly recurring to the Revolution of
16813. lie adorned the revolution of 1688; but though
at that huh: much had been dune, much, it must be con.
tessed, had been left undone ; and to the neglect of that
period may he traced the seeds of those which now op.
pressed the country. The lion Bart. concluded by
readina the follow iiig resolutions:—
" I. Revolved, Thal, by the tench of the English Con.
st itutious site Bosse of Common; ought to be circled by the
People, to represent the People, nod to be responsible to 1110
People.
" X. That the 711entbers returned to serve in Parlienient lire
chosen by nut more tutu osse.thoussasulth part of the adult
uncle population of this kosAdons t :old of these she ell at
majority ore riveted by the arbitrary will of ilitlisidaalo,
anti by rite eseici,e of the most (nun' t Wail*
" J. Thal such a 'orient has siatloolly told: unlined the
foundation of the Coustiottitm, sar.veltrd the great fabric
Of c'•11 iih'.l3V. and deprived the people both of their pit•
• II iLt their pioperly, thronttli the a ,eheY of the I
liervru de.uiueA to prole, t thou.
" Ultra the doctrine is lately been fiti
alias% ed iu Parliament, that corruption is net... Nutty to ilia
Support of the Nlonarch, is a. dangerous to the real intere.t.
of
the Crown, as it is othoth to the people and destructsvo
of public Wort) ; and that tor) minister who n ham*
to rt.s•bt in tarrymL oli ell:of (;overomessi, tie.
server the eleernlitin irf every honest ohm as a traitor to his
mud uu cue my In his counts) t the sillel) and Om
glory of the croon of Englund, rest me not upon it rotten,
.)bloas of corsuplitos. lint upon the influenced support u('
u mad loyal ',emit...
•t That the immersible pressure of tales, Ilse beggary :aid
rain of thuusands of the industrious utirul
prospects which we nave lie tin's us sit hicrea-el still sorb- 'C
misery; together with tlie contemptuous thwroaid of our
Pttitiooss the serlatiun of our right-, rind eve, ictelimi:His
udiriitriinzt.ro,ric,liiibbeerteiefiss,,ol:tdveiustiihrei4le
ii,lidoir uis,orstbia.r uo.4tilluerrinrbutrtlre.ill,
the Commons Haase of list House slit!!l
be immum,itile to the people and dependant Upon Ohm lot
11'4 ',Lahti fustead of a junta of bussiagis proprietors, we
• luut‘ IU vain for ...tarry for cur 'outwit), or tio trio

preservation of that constitution which it is our manifest
interest, no well as uur ardent (Irene to preserver inviolate.
" 6. That a petition he once more presented to the House
of Commons, praying that the House will forthwith give to
the people a real trio earntation, in place of that corrupt
and defective one which now exists."
S. T. SouTHwet.i., Esq. seconded the resolutions at
great length, after which they were put, scrialinr, and
carried neraille contrudicente.
Mr. E. Color stated that he was disappointed, and
even disgusted at the conduct of the landlords. Ile did
-expect, after what had been said by Lord Sulheld, Nit.
Coke, aril the Earl of Albemarle, that the laudliolders
would have cane forward, with liberal inteinions and
feeling hearts, to relieve the tenantry, instead of, coward-
like, throwing all the odium on the shoolders of his
Majesty's Ministers. (Hisses.) Those who were most
loud in calling for reform would do well to reform them-
selves. The farmers were 1110Ie imposed upon by the
parsons than by any other set of men in society —(Ap-
plause and disapprobation.) Gentlemen, he knew, read
their Bibles, and they must have observed how, in former
times, the locusts covered the land tied devoured the
'nodose. The parsons were the locusts of this country,
and ate up the produce. (Much disapprobation.) Mr.
Cory concluded a stieech, which was repeatedly inter-
rupted, by declaring that lie should feel must happy if
what he had said that day would have the effect of re-
forming one landlord or one parson. (Much laughter.)
Mr. T. Ttiotticrorr and Mr. N. 11. PALMER, Of Var.
rn iii tit, spoke in favour of the resolutions, and eileis atti-
inadverted with great severity on the conduct of Mr.
Ns (alehouse, whose votes they stated to have been equally
°posed to the interests of his constituents, and the pledges
be had recently given them.
Sir T. BEEVOR then proposed a petition, founded on
the resolutions, which was agreed to. lle then moved
that the comity members be requested to !acacia the
same.
T. W. Coxe, Esq. M.P., immediately Caine forward,
acid Will received with hearty applause. Ile said that,
standing in that place as their representative, lie felt it
incumbent on him to say a few words. When the last
meeting took place, to petition on the distressed state of
agriculture—a subject ots which he would not expatiate,
rice it was perfectly understood—the petition of the last
county meeting, which he had had the honour to pre-
sent to the House of Commons, produced precisely what
he hail anticipated, which was no relief at all. (Laugh-
ter.) Ile had presented a great number of petitions,
and, he believed, there were only three of them that did
Slot refer to that vital principle—Parhanientary reform.
—lle would now request the meeting to look to the fatal
policy which had brought this country to its present ab-
ject state. For above 50 years that baneful system had
continued; and unless parliamentary reform were ear-
ned, the ruin of the country was inevitable. He came
into Parliament before the American war, and had ever
since continued in Parliament, proud of the honour of
beitig their representative. Ile trusted during that long
period he had discharged his duty honestly and faithfully.
(Applause.)—He had commenced his parliamentary ca-
reer by adopting that course which he had ever since
pursued, and which, he trusted, was always in favour of
the rights and liberties of the people, and the safety and
happiness of the people. (Applause.) It was said by
his enemies, for all men had enemies, that he was a
friend to disturbance acid revolution. Gracious God!
situated as he was, how could it he supposed Ihr a mo-
ment that he was friendly to resolution? (Applause.)-
11e was, it was true, what his hon. colleague would not
perhaps allow liilttselllti be, a party man; aiid he would
ask, what gate them their liberti, s but the revolution?
What brought that revolution about but the efforts of a
small but high-spirited and Hable-minded party? He
estr would he a decided party man; but the party to
which lie would attach luniatlf was one that would en-
il,asour to save, not to oppress, the country. (A pplatise.)
'1 lie system under which the empire now suffered coiti-
on:octal in the reign of George the Titird ; in his jiide-
went, a bloo !y acid calausitoin reign. (I)isapprobatiou.)
plc next spoke of the events of that reign; mid he called
uu gentlemen to compare it with the reign of George 11.
Let 011'111 look to tile glories of that reign; let them
contra:A the happiness of the people then with their mi-
sery now ; let them compare the lightness of the taxes at
that time with tile i iiiiii ense burdens which now weighed
down the country ; let them compare these things, and
then say whether it was not the present baneful system
which produced the greatest preponderance of evil that
now afflicted the nation. that system was removed,
they could nut expect happiness and prosperity. What,
then, was their Mlle remedy.? Parliamentary ref .
Was it from this house of corruption that they could ra-
tionally look for relief? It was utterly impossible. It
bad beeu truly stated, and clearly proved, that members
were remitted to Parliament in a most corrupt 111:11111er.
The system was su well kilos% n to the enlightened and
intellectual peoplz of this cottony, that it was mint cell-
any bur hint to describe it. He might, however, be
allowed to observe, that there were o 2 members in the
Ilouse of (..:(nimions as much at the conimaild of the mu-
tilates as much as any servant in his house was at his
command. (Cheers) If it were not for those members,
the people would have a reduction of taxes, which they
would hod extremely beneficial, although they were told
that a reduction el taxation would afford no relief. Let
them look, for instance, to the salt tax, the repeal tit
Which was so neatly carried. It took the poor man la.
per stone to salt his pig. (An individual called out, No.)
ale (Mr. Coke) asserted, that he stated the fact. He
utalreased himself to farmers—he had taken some pains
visually their Interest, and he understood it. (Applause.)
he contended, that a fat rig, of 18 stone, could nut
be salted for less than Sala., which was upwards of Is. a
stout.
ilf they added to this the salt used for other pur-
poses, t amounted to 20s. more, and thus was the la-
[annul peasant deptived of ins. a year. Would it then
be no relief to repeal this tax? As lar as it went, it would
give relief; but if he were asked, would it give substan-
tial relief, he would say that it would not. In his opi-
nion, nothing short of a remission of laXeStO the ailiottilt
01 15 or vu willious, would allurd buubtaotiai