The Sun.
London, England, 1831-01-28 00:00:00

integrity of Lord Grey, Lord Brougham, and the othe:
members of the Cabinet, who have given the fullest
asserance, that the plan of Reform to be introduced
by them, will be such as will be calculated to b,trefit
the country; and, I trust, that with such a Reform,
coupled with repose, of which, God knows, we
stand in much need, we shall be in the enjoyment
of a state of prosperity beyond any former period
of our history.—( Loud cheers.)
Mr. SAVAGE seconded the resolution, which passed
unanimously.
Mr. M'CaNce proposed the fourth resolution.
Mr. JOHN BARNETT—Mr. Sheriff, and gentle-
men, in rising to second the resolution which you
have just heard read, I regret that some person of
more ability, and of more importance, also, in point
of rank and property, has not undertaken the task ;
hut, being requested to take a part in the proceed-
ings of the day, by the respectable gentlemen around
me, I have obeyed the call, and consider it an ho-
nour, in this my native county, to be permitted, in
conjunction with such honourable men, to raise my
feeble voice in favour of Parliamentary Reform
Sir, the want of a real representation of the people
in Parliament, is the master evil from which all the
other grievances have sprung up, and proceeded.—
(Cheers.) It has been said, and truly said, that the
representation of the people is the vital principle of
their politcal existence—without it, they are dead,
or only live to servitude—without it, there are two
estates acting upon, and against the third, instead of
co-operating with it. Without it, if the people are
oppressed by their Judges, where is the tribunal to
which their Judges can be amenable ? Without it,
if they are trampled upon, and plundered by a Mi-
nister, where is the tribunal to which the offender can
be amenable ? Without it, where is the ear to hear,
the heart to feel, or the hand to redress their suffer-
ings?—(lmmense cheering.) Shall they be found
in that bloated band of pensioners and placemen,
who fatten on their spoils, and who flourish on their
ruin ? I put the question, then, to every man of
sound mind, do you think the people are represented
as they ought to be ? Look at the condition of the
empire at present. Is it in a state of tranquillity
and general satisfaction ? These are the marks by
which good or bad Governments are ever to be dis-
tinguished with very minute inquiry, or stretch of
intellect. Sir, do you find that comfort and com-
petency among the people, which are always to be
found where a Government is mild and moderate ;
and where taxes are imposed by a body, who have
an interest in treating the poorer orders with com-
passion, and in preventing the weight of taxation
from pressing sore upon them ? In short, do you
find, on the part of the people, a veneration for the
laws, and a conscientious attachment to the Consti-
tution, as the free-will offering of the heart ? I
answer no, and the reason is obvious, because the
people (with few exceptions) are represented by
men whose interest is not their interest, but whose
interest is their destruction : by men who offer their
talents for sale to the Minister of the day, and then,
with unblushing impudence, vote taxes upon their
constituents, to pay the price of their own venality.
—(Enthusiastic cheering.) Sir, to judge of the
Government, you mnq look at the people, for the
tree is known by its fruits. The fruit of a good
Government is the virtue anti happiness of the
people. Do the inhabitants of these countries
ther those fruits? What, on the contrary, are the
effects of a mal-administration of public affairs ?
Turbulence, disaffection, discontent, and disunion—
those inseparable concomitants of systematic oppres-
sion.—(Loud cheers.) Having endeavoured to
shew that the people have not hitherto been go-
verned by such liberal, wise, and salutary laws as
would have made them both prosperous and happy;
and although I cannot, without sorrow, look back
upon the past, yet, I am enabled to look forward
with hope to the future, from the bright prospects
that are beginning to dawn upon our political hori-
zon. We have, for the first time, a Ministry who
have taken office, upon the express conditions of
giving to the country, Peace, Reform, and Retrench-
ment; and we have, in addition to this, the delight-
ful reflection, that our gracious and patriotic Mo-
narch is a party to the compact.—(Great cheering.)
With the characters, then, of the King and his
Councillors, pledged to the adoption of these
measures, we rely, with full confidence, upon
them, for a fair and faithful performance of their
engagements.—(Mr. Barnett here read a letter,
written by Earl Grey, to a most respectable
gentlemen in the county, stating, that Govern-
ment would take into their consideration the evils
of which Ireland had to complain, arid, among others,
that they would not overlook the present system of
Grand Jury Laws.] Are we not (resumed Mr. B.),
from this letter, as well as from the other pledges
given us by this upright arid Hon. Nobleman, justi-
fied in saying, that we rely, with full and perfect
confidence, on Ministers, for an amelioration of our
present condition ? Sir, lam well aware, that there
are men who wish to discourage such meetings as
this, alleging, as our friends are in power, we ought
to leave the matter in their hands, without any in-
terference, or advice of ours, on the subject. Yes,
thank the All-wise disposer of events, they are in
power; but we are not so stupid as to believe, (as
their sapient advisers would have us,) that the way
to embarrass our friends is to rally round them—
cheering them in their progress—and affording them
every assistance in our power towards theaccomplish-
ment of their glorious undertaking.—(Cheering.) It
is not only expedient, but quite necessary, that the
inhabitants of this great and independent county
should come forward, at this eventful crisis, assume
the attitude they are so well entitled to, by expres-
sing their sentiments, and give to the north that
tone, which in days long by, they were accustomed
to do. Mr. B. sat down amidst great cheering.—
The resolution was then unanimously agreed to.
Mr. SHERMAN CRAWFORD—ST, I rise, agree-
ably to the arrangements which have been made, to
submit to the consideration of this meeting the fifth
resolution; but, before I do so, I shall take leave,
shortly, to allude to the objects and motives of those
who originated the assembling of the freeholders,
on this occasion. I feel no hesitation, Sir, in openly
stating, that the requisition originated from the
County Down Independent and Freeholders' Club.
—(Cheers.) The requisition contains the names
of a numerous class of freeholders, of high respec-
tability, perfectly competent to form a just opinion
on the true interests of the country. Sir, whilst I
advocate the legitimate expression of public opinion,
I feel myself called on to express, in the strongest
possible terms, my disapprobation of a description
of political agitation carried on in another quarter—
(Cheers) tending to disturb the public peace
—to undermine that connection between Great
Britain and Ireland, upon sshich our prosperity,
happiness, and security depend—and to impair the
liberties of the people, by forming a justification for
the exercise of arbitrary enactments.—(Cheers.)
Another objection has been made, that Government
having promised to bring forward a plan of Reform,
it was unbecoming to interfere, till that plan was
submitted to the public. With respect to this objec-
tion, I will observe, Sir, it was generally known
that the present Government expected an op-
position to any plan they would bring forward; and
also that a difference of opinion existed among the
members of the Government, as to the nature of the
Reform to be proposed. Under such circumstances
I ask, will not the cause of Reform be promoted, by
an early expression of public sentiment ?—(Cheers.)
I conceive, that the evils under which the country
at present labours, have been chiefly produced by