The Sun.
London, England, 1837-11-30 00:00:00

SOUTHWARK REFORM DINNER.

List night there Ras a dinner at the Bridge House Tavern,
Southwark, to cothmemorate the return of Alderman Hum•
phery and Mr; D. W. Harvey. The room was crowded
Mr. B. Wood was in tha Chair. On Lis right were Alder-
man Humphery, Mr. D. O'Connell, Mr. Grt,te, Mr. Pattison,
Mr. Crawford, Mr. Hume, Mr. Hinde, General Johnson, &c. ;
on his left, Mr. D. W. 11 trvey, Mr. Duneumbt., Mr. \Vaklcy,
Mr. Attwuod of Birmingham, &c. Be-ides those Members
there were about 340 gentlemen sat do.vn to dinner, in the
hands ,me new room of this tavern. •

The CHAIRMAN proposed `• The he filth of tile Queen,"
which vias responded to by the company with the most en-
thusiastic cheers.
The health of the Duke of Sussex was next drunk with
great cheers, as was also that, of the Duchess of Kent and the
rest of the Royal Family in England.
The words which we have marked in italics were caught up
by the compeny, and repeated in a very significaat manner.
The CHAIRMAN then vroposed the lied th of the Mini4ers—
" Lard M:lbourne and her M ijest)'s Nlin:steis ;.may they :IA
ai:h firmness, relying on the support of- the-people."--( Loud
applause.) He was gene sure that he might answer for the
people of Southwark doing justice to that toast.—( Hear.) Ile
did not expect th it all persom could be of the same epinioa.
What two men thought alike? He wa- for further reforms,
but he would cho.)se the proper time for urging thAa.—
(Cheers. ) As to the Ballot, when the proper time arrived
he would call for it, as he ‘Nould for the extension of the
franchise, and the short .ping of the duration of Parliaments
—(llear.) There were some persons dispoAed to fall back
a little, even upon Toryism ; but hart they hot known
en )ugh of Toryism for the last forty ye:.rs? In 1797 the Hon.
Mr. (now E trl) Grey proposed Reform. Pitt, after having
supported Reform, then resisted it ; a•AI Mr. Fox said, the
debt being 23,000,0001., if reform did not take place ruin
trust ensue. The debt had reached more than three times
that amount, and ruin was approaching the country bafore
they could get reform. The passing of that measure alone,
he thought, entitled the Ministers to their support. WhA
had the Tories ever done but to involve the country Li debt, in
wars, in Holy A:Bailees, resisting every popular measure and
everything like Reform. After the war there was the Man-
chester riot, followed by the Ma ichester massacre, and an at-
tempt to murder a Queen.—( Hear, hear.) He thought they
ought neither to dispute among themselves nor to abandon
the Ministers.

The.CII.IIKMAN said he had now to propose the healths of

their Members, who sat on his right nd•left. He wrongly
eulo,,,rzed both Members, and concluded- with giving " The
healths of Mr. Alderman Humplir,y and Mr. D. W. Harvey,
the Members for Southwark:" It was honoured with many
rounds of applause, and trmendous cheering.
Mr. Alderman HUMPHREY retuned .his acknowledgments.
Sheir Chairman had exprcs3ed good feelings .towares the
Mi&sters. He must say thmt he was much annoyed at the
feeling produced in the House of Commons on Monday week ;
and, perhaps, the Hon. Member wh had produced that effect
was sorry for whit had passed. Some hours after, the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer made observations that considerably
abated what had fallen from Lord John Russell ; an I he be-

lieved that such result had been mainly produced by his Hon.
Colleague.
Mr. D. W. HARVEY next rose, and was received enthu-
siastically. He was proud to say that Southwark had set an
example to all England—an ancient borough of every variety
of,wealth, interest, industry, and power, enforcing activity
at hoine, arousing the sluggishness of other climes; and
by its generous institutions and exertions also c)ntributing
to the humanizing of man in every quarter of the globe.
This constituency had felt that it had a high duty to per-
form ; not to selectindiviluals who would be at the beck of
any Ministry, or waiting about the steps of the Treasury—
they sought no such men. He felt the deepest debt of grati-
tu le to them, fur when disowned by the place in chose
service he had passed his earliest years, they had offered him,
a stranger, an asylum. With respect to present affairs, it
was uppermost in ail men's minds—what was to be done?—
( Hear, hear.) For himself he must declare that it was
with the utmost pain that he heard Lord John Russell's de-
clarations ; yet he felt bound to say, that they were uttered
firmly and manfully. It was manful because it was so early,
and coming from one so stationed ; but it was painful, as
checking all hope, as far as Governm tilt was concerned,
regarding the ballot, extension of the franchis t, and abbre-
viating the duration of Parliament. The event was painful,
because the declarations came from one whom they had
expected so Much. He, however, rejoiced at the event,
because it dispelle.l delusion. What was the good of the
Reform Act, except that it should be followed by practical
effects? But was there a man who believed that any mea-
sure with a popular impress could be brought forward and
receive the sanction of the three estates? The Government

had not a majority of above 40; and there they were sur
rounded by timid Whigs, and feverish Reformers, and enlight-
ened Radicals.—( Loud Cheers.) When they found such a
mixture, and beheld it opposed by a fixed opposition of three
hundred Members, led on by skilful le tders—at oae time so
wily, that you would almost think that they really wished well
to the Administration—( A laugh)—at [molter proceeding so
fiercely that death blows appea, ed unavoidable—where was
the man who could lay his hand on his heart, or with the sanc-
tion of his understanding could say, that there was any chance
for any popular measure ?—( Loud cheering.) At the coin-
meneement of the Session tha Government might have dis-
pelled the gloom—proclaimed liberal sentiments and measures
—and aroused the sleeping lion, whose repose would have
. .

given new energy, and when aroused there might have safely
been an appeal to the people.—(Cheers ) But that oppor.
tunity had been lost; and as regardel the present Gcnern-
ment he for one was disappeinto.—( Hear, hear.) He had

no longer any confidence in the present Ministers.—( Tremen-
dous huzzaing, and cries of " Hear, hear.") Let not that
declaration engender despair. Lord J. Russell's declaration
was accompanied with something of a consolatory character,
and laid their hopes at the feet of democracy. Lord J. Rus-
sell said, that while he would be no party to changes, he was
not idiot enough to say that the Reform Act must be a final
measure; that it belonged to the people to convey, in the
c,lm record of their opinion, to the Senate and the Throne,
a hat it was that the nation willed.—( Hear, hear.) That
was a mighty truth. He was not desirous of having for his
epitaph—" Here lies a pioneer in the cause of freedom." It
was for an advocate to act boldly—it was for the people to act
promptly.—( Hear, hear.) However, their prospects were
not without some briAlit spots. There was one individual
whose variety of attlinments was unequalled, who had stepped
forward and spoken out at this important crisis—(Cheers)—
and he hesitated not to say that the moral courage of Henry
Brougham—(Treinendous cheering)—would still be found
adequate to all his other great and unrivalled qualities.—( Loud
and continued cheering.) Henry Brougham's recent declara-
tion in the House of Lords would give a tone to opinions
round which the country, he trusted, would rally. He
must hero, howeser, condemn those who would " deprecate"
the Reform Act '• it was a most valuable measure. Its ele-
ments were good. It consecrated that gnat principle, that
the people must be freely, fully, and fairly represented. If
the Bill had not effected its object, it ought to made to do
so.--( Hear, hear.) Nor were the chief defects of the Act
to be attributed to its framers and supporters.—( Hear hear. )
It was in the power of the people to do much: they might
imitate the example of Southwark. He felt delight to see
among them one individual in particular ; and he begged
have to express his personal acknowledgments for the attend-
ance of his Hon. Friend the Member for the city of Dublin.
--(Loud and hearty cheers : Mr. O'Connell bowing to Mr.
Harvey in the most friendly manner.)
.The CHAIRMAN Said, he had a toast to propose which it was
important he should not delay, because the Hon. Member
( Mr. O'Connell) whom it concerned, had far to go that night
—he had to go to Norwich to attend a meeting there to.mor-
row (this day).—( Cheers.) The toast was—." Just and equal
government to Ireland—health and prop 'rity to her able re-
pt., sentatives, then present, Daniel O'Connell and J. Hume,
Esqrs."—(Loud cheers.)

Mr. O'CONNELL then rose, and was received with im-
mense eh 'ering and waving, of handkerchiefs. He admitted
that the Reformers were placed in a most difficult situation.
The Ministers were in a small majority in the Commons, and
in a small minority in the Lords ; therefore how were the
Ministers to be blamed? Was it their fault that they had
only a small majority in the Commons? He deplored Lord J.
Russell's declaration, but so far as En.sland•was concerned, he
rejoiced at it. Englishmen were not boobies; they would
now know their precise situation Were the Ministers to
blame that they ha I 300 members oppwed to them ? As to
appealing to the peoVe about what- his Hon. Friend had
talked, he wanted to know, who seat the 300 there? Not
the Irish most certainly. But what could be the situation
of Ministers when they found themselves crossed in every
more by 300 members ? There must, however, be the
amendments of the Reform Act; the Ballet, extension cf
Suffrage, an I shortening the dura'ion cf Par'iaments ; and
the Ministers and the Parliament must be told by the people,
and in a tone not to be misunderstood, that these just and re-
quisite irnprovemews of the Reform Act must b: had. But
all depended on the people, and to achieve thei,. obj .cts they
must "agitate, agitate, agitate." They must petition from one
end of the country to the other, and all must act as if every-
thing depended on each individual's proc.•edings..
Mr. O'Connell then retired, accompanied by the Chairman,
Mr. T. buncombe, &c. Ile was greeted with tremendous
applause, all present rising, and every person endeavourin, to
pay the Englishman's compliment_ that of having `• a shake
of hands." It was hence no trilling task to get out of the room.
Mr. SCIIOLEFIELD '(the Chairman) gave " The health of
their late Chairman, 13. Wood, Esq.," which was given with
all the honours.
Mr. HumE, in answer to lou I calt.s, rose. He begged to
return his acknovledgments. As to the recent declaration of
Lord J. Russell lie had heard it with rain, because he viewed
it as the declaration of all the Ministt rs— ( Hear) —he viewed
it as such. But was it therefore right that ho should entirely
give up the Ministers ? Last Session, and on other occa-
sions, he and others had comp.() nixed opinions to keep in
the present
.Ministers on account of the late Severeign ;
but now, when there was a Sovereign on the throne, po'sess-
ing, according to eduestion aid declaration, opinions favour-
able to liberal measures, ought the Ministers to have pansed?.
Then what must be his feelings when the Reformers' views
were blasted, as it were, by the declateition of the Ministers
egain.t the three great paints to p, rfeet R,:forai Ilea%)
Yet, instead of des..7rting the Alatin.if.trhsien, he would call on
the people to unit-1 and let the press deUl .re to the Ministers
what they ought to dcH.( [Fear.) He would continue confi-
denee to those Ministers who Ind been brought in on the
shoulders of the peoele—te advance), hot to cheelc Reform ;
tall it must be still with the yiesy of alsemeing measures of
lalefj
roustn ect. He eq
hy tiveN' i notllittiist buters'r b ti
eeesi."P til
d.eclar4 t
a tilQ o'o r:1;fle
tls:oi
eeuvl be
were
riot, oat, it would ho evident, that, without the people, the few
Member& in Ow !louse of Commons could do little or nothing.

—(Hear.) He should deplore a change of Government,
because it would check the progress of moral improvement in
Ireland.—(Hear.) He would support the Fr sent Ministers
—not only to keep out the Tories for ever—(cheers)—but in
the hope of soon teaching the present Minhters the folly of
their own recent declaration. There must sooner or later be
thnte reforms which had been demanded, particularly that ef
the Ballot.—( Hear.)
When we left, which was after eleven 0',10..k. +h.! room
continued crowded, an•l seven' Members ICma..acd ; several
toasts remained to be given.