The Sun.
London, England, 1831-08-04 00:00:00

they ,lid aim at delay ; anti what he complained of wag,
that they dii not avow that object, natural and legitimate
•as it was in their circumstances ; but the advocates of
Reform were not quite so easily duped, and their earnest
endeavours should be to prevent delay, and neither follow
the example, nor be guided by the recommendations of the
opposite side of the House. The friends of Reform were
bound upon every question that arose to come to the vote
with as little delay as possible, and they ought not to allow
themselves to lie deterred from that course by any such
taunts as had been retorted against a Worthy Alder-
'Han, merely because he had listened to the voices anti
respected the opinions of his constituents. The con-
duct of that Worthy Alderman had been spoken of in
that House in -a manner that was perfectly novel and
astounding ; up to that time something like decency
had been observed, and they had never before herd it
even hinted at, that a Member of that House was not
to attend to the voices of his constituents. Though
ineaning no personal disrespect, he, however, confessed
he could not comprehend how Honourable Gentlemen
nominated to that House by patrons could dare to call to
account a representative of the city of London because he
had resit:e'er' the sentiments of his constituents.—
(Cheers.) Much had been said of the pledges with which
lion. Members coming into that House were fettered, but
the - notice of those pledges was confined to the pledges
Which were given to the people—nothing whatever was
satd of the pledges given to patrons of boroughs ; but
were_ they less numerous or considered to be less binding ?
When Hon. Members talked of pledges to codstituents, he
Would ask them what did the Right Hon. Baronet oppo-
site do when he so nobly resigned the representation of the
University of Oxford ? He did what all men of honour
would have done in the same circumstances—he was sent to
that House by the University as the advocate of a certain
Set of opinions, and when he found that he could not con-
scientiously advocate those opinions he resigned that trust,
• Which he could no longer retain with propriety. He said
to his constituents, " You sent me here ter one purpose
--a paramount duty compels me to pursue anotheis;"
and thereupon he took the only course open to.a man of
honour. ' He felt that the House of Commons ought to
represent the people of England—when he was re-
turned, he was pledged against the Catholic claims, and -
having become the supporter of them, he felt that he
could no longer appear as the genuine representative
• °f the University of Oxford. It was well known
that the speeches which he had delivered in thm.t
House as an Anti-Catholic Member hid procured for
lint the suffrages of the electors of Oxford, and the ob-
servation of Mr. Canning upon that would probably be
remembered, that he did not envy his Right lion. Friend
'Who was then his Colleague the representation of that
University, for he deserved it ; and to this he (Mr. H.)
Would add, that be never deserved it better than when he
iegoed it. The Hon. Gentleman, after censuring the
"equent references which had been made to the probable
. Fours. to be taken in another House of Parliament respect-
in, g the Reform Bill, went on to say, that that great goes-
tum Was one which peculiarly belonged to themselves—to
. the Commons of England—and to them, the representa-
' tires of the Commons, belonged the duty of advocating the
sentiments of those Commons ; and they would not endure
any attempt to overbear them with reference to what
might be done in another place. If it was to be settled
for them in another place, let it he well considered in that
Place let it be there understood that the best friends of that
Place were those who would recommend its Members to
march in unison with the general feelings of the people of
ttngland, and not those who would advise them to resisit
a torrent in which they incurred every hazard of being
I overwhelmed. lie concluded by expressing his cordial
irlsent to the affirmative of the question then under the con-
sideration of the Committee.
Mr. A. BARING then addressed to the Committee a
ley, observations which were perfectly inaudible.
Mr. GOULBURN said, that the speech of the Hon.
,`,4entleman who had just sat down, so far from justifying
te vote, would afford the best possible argument for that
Rhrch he (Mr. G.) intended to give. The question was,
Whether or not they would increase the representatives of
ties metropolitan district by ten, and in maintaining that
!LieY ought so to do, he told them the Lords were not
toen-
come to any decision sport that question.
Mr. HOBHOUSE explained what he had said respect-
ing another place, which is given above.
noAirs GOULBURN resutned.—He certainly heard the
n• Gentleman say that the present was a question solely
°..t,the Commons, and that the Lords incurred the hazard
t"l"ei_ing overborne by a torrent, if they opposed themselves
to° tue Popular will. It appeared to him that the only way
affording °rule" the growing democracy of time country was by
par ding a full and fair opportunity to the other House of
liament to decide upon this momentous question. With
$
tleNiect to the principle upon which the provisions of this
ull' were founded, he must again and again state that they
;etre to him utterly incomprehensibly. While the die-
mochisement of boroughs had been going on, the in-
creasing suburbs and neighbourhoods of particular towns
Were pressed upon the attention of Government, •but
without producing any effect ; and yet now, when the
enfranchising clauses were before the Committee, one
of the principal arguments insisted upon by Ministers
~Was the increasing suburbs of the metropolis. The
Honourable Member for Westminster had spoken of the
nominees that were sent 'into that House to oppose the
Bell ; but be begged to tell that Hon. Gentleman that he
(Mr. Goulburn) was the nominee of no patron, for he repre •
seated a constituency as enlightened, to say the least of it, as
that which returned the Hon. Gentleman to Parliament ;
but when the Hon. Gentleman was pressing this point
upon the attention of the Committee, he (Mr. Goulburn,)
could not help wondering that it had never struck him
that there were nominees on both sides of the House—
(Cheers)—and that before he ventured on making such
a charge, it would have been as well for him to have looked
at those who were in his own immediate neighbourhood.
As to what time Hon. Gentleman had said respecting the
Hight Hon. Baronet having given up his representation of
9xford, he (Mr. Goulburn) perfectly agreed is all that
old fallen front him ; but he thought that this very case
Was an argument in favour of close boroughs, instead of
7,ne against them; for in what a state would his Right
mils 'Friend have been, if, after resigning Oxford, he
could have found no means, as a Minister of the Crown,
Z,Ohtaining another seat in that House ?—( Hear, hear.)
• nil respect to the question before the House, he would
tiZ say, that he should vote according to the speech of
11. nem Member for Westminster, and not according to
is Vote ; for it was evident to hint, that if they were to
consent to the admission of so many places to the right of
representation, there were many others which would very
SPitki iI Y demand the same privilege.—(Hear, hear.)
.Mr. MACAULEY thought that the Right Hen. Ba-
ronet had, to a certain extent, contradicted himself; for lie
refused to vote for the enfranchisement of Greenwich be-
; eause it itionld be a nomination borough under the con-
t
ul of time Government, awl yet he had complained, that
r)".er 2411 the Ministers of the Crown would have no
Iflortunity of obtaining seats in Parliament. But another
Zetion that had been urged against the admission of the
i:v London districts to the right of having representa-
e: was, that it was contrary to the ancient rule of the
Th'sstitution to give more than two Members to any place.
kat' aPPeared to him to be entirely a mistake. London
F.30,,,,41waye had four Members and Westmintter and
eit -'swark two a piece, though; their division from the
was described by a very narrow line. To give, there-
' bleu.e 141e*aers to these n w and flourishing districts of the
*Palls-tvould be strictly following nut the precedent
given ; besides which, in all previous plans of
tharPro that had been submitted to the House (including
proposed hey Mr. Pitt in 17850 it was always a part
'aytio"ce. proposition to- give additional Members to the
hearjue London. It was with pleasure that he had
k u' the Right Hon. Baronet on the previous night state,
I %arms,/ that the enfranchising el ruses had come before the
• Whicl:',he should not have to continue that opposition
._.oe had felt it to be his duty to show when the ques-
t oft h" 44 the disfranchieetnent of so many ancient portions
att "e Conetit t' the Right Hon. Baronet
u 1013 ; and yet, now
that twia
the i_
_at he could not consent to the enfranchisement of
1 h. "4°lldon districts. He should like to know, since the
QWtiht H
°us Baronet objected to this proceeding, what his
I. lih Planofenfranehisernent was ?—(Cheers.) He should
to :IttloW why, if Birmingham, Leeds, and Illanches-
arapore to have representatives, the districts of the me-
au is Were to be excluded ? To this query lie had heard
• had er for he could not admit as one the point that
tea "'eel', laboured to show that these suburbs were already
ted through the metropolis; for the fact was that
.With streets had as little to do with London as Edinburgh
of the houses in the different districts were attended to,
4ttu
P
. nt alone would be sufficient to make out his
W rate:i' •oi
In the Tower Hamlets the majority of houses
'was
201. a year ; in the Finsbury district the
nwas rated above 301. ; and in the district of
serati;ro e above 401. He therefore thought the repre-
j:' • diff-'seentes.°(these respective districts would represent very
I.lteeate_ Interests, and afford what might be termed an
I, 'hat tie7!'.ariety in the way of Members. Two points
(Rightcheesyv Hon. Baronet appeared to have relied upon
' they his opposition were, that these home districts,
t 4 "gilt be called, would have such early intelligence
eal t_Proceedings of Parliament, that it would enable
%tee exercise a controul over it, that their physical
1° gWwa't, so great that they might have it in their power
e proceedings of Parliament. Now, with respect