The Sun.
London, England, 1837-05-04 00:00:00

'unnatural allimee, an odious y- et ludicrous • ii atier. vi.
3e_ corn In . .
Irish agitalms, Popish priests, and paid patriots, 'opng
upon a wrli-intentioned, I believe, but, I twi compelled t era ti
add,
a weak and vacillPting, Administration, whilst the corn try and
the times 'demand one firm, capable, business,cloing, and de-
cided. Believe me, there can be no git ater calamity to a
country than a weal: Executive Government. These, gentle-- men, are, and ever were, my principles, feelings, and eplnions.
Should you concur in them, you will give me !AIM' support in
fighting the battle of the Constitution i if, on the other band,
YOU do not concur with me in these opinions and principles,
You will do well to oppose me with all your energies, for a
more determined adherent to old English principles and I
government, laws, and institutions, breathes not his native air.
lisb4,2anrernand ain, gentlemen, as I ever was, a true-hearted Eng-
your devoted, faithful, and very humble servant, "
FRANCIS BURDETT." I
The°t
[The various portions of the letter were received by the
various
with the most marked indignation.]
Mr. CRAWFORD then went on to comment upon it.
The Hon. Baronet talked very scornfully of the " new- ,
1
fangled notions, the shallow doctrines, and crude projects
talkie float" What new theories was the Hon. Baronet
g about ? Did he mean the Ballot, or the extension
of the suffrage, or the shortening of Parliaments? Why
these
b were the very innovations which formerly the Hon.
"L'ar°net himself so stoutly insisted upon. If not these,
`what did the Hon. Baronet speak of, or what did he mean
1:1 throwing himself into the hands of the Tories?---(A cry
iraser N° !") No, indeed! Why, was not Sir G. Sinclair
all lf once a Whig, but now a Tory, and the enemy of
liberal government ? Was not this Tory Chairman of
Sir Francis's Committee, and had not three Tory Lords
that very day given in their names as members of that Com-
"'tee ?(Hear, hear.) No, Sir Francis had regularly
enrolled himself under Tory banners, and, such being the
_case, no genuine Reformer could ever again give him 'his
'iuPPort. --
talked (Hear, hear.) The Hon. Baronet had once
about the Constitution being crucified between
two thieves—videlicet, the Whig
and Tes
the Ron. Baronet had now gone over
toor ty hep impenitent
thief'S,Side•---(Hear, hear.) Sir Francis talked about " a
weak .r.xecutive Government." Had the Hon. Baronet de-
iiiti red to
his make the Government strong, he would have lent
(lei; auPport as a professed Reformer ; but he had been
, 4 quite the reverse of this, except, indeed, that it might
unsatd, that had every other Member of the House equally
..lbstained from attending in his place, Government would
'lave become strong enough, for in the absence of the Re-
P_resentatives of thepeople a Government would soon
establish d •
a espOtISM. If the meeting
IVIli 1,
c.. to
of prin-
express their indignation at a dereliction
Fieple such express
Sir F. Burdett had been guilty of, they would
.!) bests upplied
had Sir F. from Sir F. Burdett's own mouth. What
•. Burdett said in 1810 of Lord Grey, whom he
formeo with being no longer the Radical Reformer he had
rly professed himself? These were the terms in
l'which 'Sir Francis Burdett, in 1810, on being released from
e Tower, declared what was the feeling with which he
v ewed
.the this man who forsook his early opinions :—" In
changedvery speech Earl Grey says he has somewhat
Ile the opinions which he held in his youth.
Res ealifesses, that when he pressed Parliamentary
ortxt he
bele pressed it with all the ardour which
thongs 2
o
to a state of youth and inexperience, but
dent after some years of experience, his opinion under-
,r, -tne variations. He does not favour us with any ac-
s7s4nt of What those variations are, or were, but he only tells
hat his opinions were different from what they were be-
the'fore and he attributes .the alteration in his sentiments to
ti t effect of experience. If this is the case—if the prin-
ThP es of men; can change as they advance in years—if no
it a.a ton be pledged for the consistency of his opinions —if
ropis be a sufficient answer for everyman who thinks
er to change his political opinions to say that .tosday
nal older than I was when I pledged myself to a different
°Pinion,' then I say that such men do cut up and destroy
all ,
z,en,, eonndence, and show that there ought not to be any con-
e,„
Plaed in them. We ought to ask whether such
~i., could ever have been actuated by any principle at
4
' A principle is not a new thing, which may be thrown
~side, after it has been once established : a principle once
fordo
remains for ever the same ; it does not alter by
nlle ; the man professing it may grow older, perhaps he
ay not grow wiser or honester, but the principle he has
Professed continues one and the same—that cannot change ;
and when a man once binds and pledges himself to cer-
tain principles, whether wisely or not, it is for himself
bito consider, be has stamped on himself the character which
ntends shall belong to him ; and if he departs from
s,
principles, it is impossible for any reasonable man ever
after to put trust and confidence in him ; indeed, such a
''tan has no right to have any confidence in himself." Mr.
Crawford concluded by observing, that he feared that Sir
.• Burdett's vanity lay at the bottom of all this. Enraged
'at finding that the incense which he found was offered up to
'lint alone, as the only prominent Reformer of the time, was
no longer forthcoming, he could not bear the idea of a rival
near the throne, and accordingly in sheer spite had deserted
to the enemy. Mr. Crawford then read the resolution,
'tillich was to the effect that " the late insulting address of
"r F. Burdett, to the electors of Westminster is a con-
is
f eing proof of his total abandonment of the cause of Re- .
4°411: and of his determination to join the Tory faction." Mr. &us seconded the resolution. As one who in his
younger da had looked up to Sir F. Burdett as his leader
in th ys lle
le struggle against the enemies of their country, it was
fulePl painful for him to see the Hon. Baronet so disgrace-
.lY forsake the ranks of the Reformers ; but whatever
.>b Ent be the private feelings of the electors of Westminster
telPeeting Sir Francis Burdett as he once was, they must
t.'Y to their duty, and oppose him to the utmost rather
fuan suffer the liberty which they had so long fought in de-
ansoeo of, stabbed to the vitals by the apostacy of their once
ured representative.— (Hear.) Let Sir J. Graham,
itdSir G. Sinclair, and the other renegades, make the
..°st of their new alley ; it was for the Reformers to pro-
It'rie,t their nascent liberties against whosoever attacked them,
1,,,(4 to show the apostate Baronet that the electors of
forms
would not permit him to play with time re-
triarns he had been so instrumental in affecting as with so
1)4-ayo Poppets—to vindicate liberty or destroy it just as the
great ur suited him. Mr. Ellis concluded by expressing his
7iie'aaitssatisfarLtion at finding the Whigs rally round the Ra-
' The in 0,14 momentous struggle.
Mr'l resolution was then put and unanimously carried.
, task, HOWARD ELPiIiNsToNE came forward on that oc-
G„ 4as an elector of the out-ward of' the parish of St.
reicotrge, Hanover-square. The question was, reform or no
tie. rni ?--•The question was, whether the present Opposi-
il.e should have the government of the country ? And
i_"is, he believed, was what every gentleman present was
itWziare that they had to determine.—( Hear.) He was
ReformP to say that a meeting had taken place that day at the
31_ Club, at which several Whigs were present, and they
.1 declared that they would pull heart and hand with the
e„adical supporters of Mr. Leader—( Hear, hear)—and use
F!ntl'erY exertion in their power to secure the return of that
11,ouernun as the future representative of Westminster._
d cheering.) In conclusion, he trusted that every
and :
I_,.
t! In the room would be held up in favour of the reso-
?tton
lie,M was about to propose, namely, " That the poli-
eftl conduct of Mr. Leader, in and out of Parliament, en-
-led him to the utmost exertions of the electors present
et that meeting to secure his return as Member for the
City of Westminster instead of that of Sir F. Burdett."
Mr. ADAM SMITH had learned that intimidation
_was
tarried on to a considerable extent by the gentry amongst
their tradesmen, and that even ladies were exerting them-
selves to the. utmost canvassing for the Tory, candidate.
Ile trusted that all such persons would be regarded and
treated as the enemies of the electors of that great city.
tie would beg the electors of Westminster to bear in min
The noble conduct of many of the Irish electors in the va-
rious contests in that country. He never should forget the
speech made by an elector at the recent Carlow election
10 Mr. Bunbury, the Orange candidate. That gentleman
vnskett the elector, who was his tenant, whether he would
°,
.e against his landlord, for if he persisted in doing so he
itilv:3eld be utterly ruined. The elector replied, " As'God is
i Y judge, I would sooner die than vote against ni) good 4edkrd
/u but my conscience compels me to oppose you, as
%0..44 have joined she:•encinies of' the country."—(Hear, hear.) independent elector was urged to vote for Sir Francis
1
rdett, he should go to the hustings and say, “ Sir Fran-
cis, long-. as
eoul,i
~_ you were a consistent friend of liberty you
'elector "Pend on my cote as well as that of the independent
4i0;._.(4.4 of Westminster ; but you, Sir Francis, having
.Ic,'
,d the enemies of the country—having joined the party
Your Robert Peel and Sir J. Graham—l will vote against
ecuirsbe the consequence what it may." This was the
(lie_er which he trusted every honest voter would pursue.—
ii hear.)
the4..r• LEADER then came forward, and was received with
buteulost enthusiastic cheering, which lasted several ni, i-
Re addressed the meeting as follows :—Bre.,',,r3es le.,°,,tnrs of the out-ward of the parish of St. Geo-,ge*-Before
teee4r„! single word about myself or ;,oeties, I beg 'sin-
are thank you for the kind dud flattering manner in
41.0 i yOn have received r:,,e. The contest on which we
1 h apout to enter tip' 5 hot be made a personal contest.
1,,, a," nnt f"s
-3eir u the. vanity or personal presumption to set
Les ler. P P-igainst Sir Francis Burdett, whols a man who
done ~,,ye,(l his country for many years--a man who has
r -ellen .to advance the cease of reform---and a man of
ereat sbii•
Port it 7, who long enjoyed your confidence and suis-
%re •"(linar. hear.) All that I can advance, I trust,
, ray . ,
tlon t 01.014 intentions and a firm and honest determine-
fo44444..-inere to thns; principles which I believe to be
Govern,,in truth, and which aro calculated to promote good
(Ctrirseir il,'"t.--(Cheers. I nothing to say as regards
heerbut that I am a determined friend. of the people
a s)--- a I
en , an would willingly sacrifice everything in the
4 • .
1 ray ere In, whtch we are engaged.—(Hear.) Therefore.
nature miss from your minds everything of a personal hot det,
.the. present contest.—(Hcar, hear.) If this is
Y" it will 1
lead Us far away from the attainment of