The Sun.
London, England, 1831-03-02 00:00:00

that, too, seat two Members to the British Parliament?
bir, still more would he be astonished were he to go into
the northern part of this country, and see flourishing towns
• containing-immense manufactories and depositories of e#ery
sort of merchandise, and be told that these places sent- no
repreeentativer to Parliament. But I will not stop here,
Sir ; he would be even more astonished were he taken to a
great and opulent town—l may mention its name, Liver-
pool—and be told that the manner in which general elec-
tions were there conducted was on a system of
populanelection.—(Herr, hear.) If he were taken there,
Sir, he • would see bribery to the greatest extent.—
(Hear, hear, hear ) Ile would see men there
paid—openly peid—fer their votes; and he would be
astonished that a nation whose representatives were
so chosen, should be at all competent to perform the
functions of legislation. What, Sir, is the case as it
now stands? The people, Sir, call loudly for Reform,
saying that whatever good existed in the Constitution of
this House—whatever confidence was placed in it by the
people, is completely gone.—(Cries of " no" and " hear,"
which lasted for several minutes.)—l say boldly, Sir, that
whatever may be thought of particular :moo the confi•
Bence of tire country in the constitution of this
House is completely gone. (Tremendous cries of "No,
no," answered by cries of " Hear, bear.") I will say
snore—l will say that it would Le ea•ier to transfer the
flourishing tnanufactures of Leeds arid Manchester to Gat-
ton anti Old Sarum, than to re-establish the confidence
and sympathy between this House and those whom it calls
is constituents. —(Hear, hear.) Sir, I end this argument
by saying, if the case be one of right, it is in favour
of Reform—if it he a question of reason, it ie
in &Your of Reform—if it be a question of expediency
—expediency loudly calls for it.—(clear, hear. )
Sir, I shall now proceed to the more difficult
part of my subject, namely, an explanation of the tnea-
tures which, representing the Ministers of the
Crown, I am now about to propose to the House.
Sir, those Ministers have felt—and in my- opinion
rightly—
that it would not be sufficient to grant a passive and
teientßeform by lopping off some few straggling deform' t'ies
His Majesty's Ministers are sitisfied that it is not :suf-
ficient to stop here, or to lop off one branch of the
franchise where direct bribery has been proved -
'they are convinced that no half measures will do—:
(Cheers)—they are convinced that any trifling or paltering
'with Reform will be calculated not to give that which _it is
their wish to give, stability to the throne, strength to the
_Parliament, and satisfaction to the country.—(Cheers.)
Lot us then, Sir, look to the complaints of the people,
;or without knowing what those complaints are it is lin-
.p„,,hle that we can devise any remedies which would
'rata *r them that their grievance, would' be abated.
Let us, with regard to those grievances. ascertain
whether obey are real griev inces or only alleged ones,
and if -we should be satisfied that those grievances
live/ real, then our nett endeavour ought to be that which
e,ne: my friends have determined to pursue ; namely, to
elisceeer the necessary remedies.—(Hear, hear, hear. )
'Those rentedica we think we have discovered : and if they
alistild be snsuccessful, we shall consider it as a great
xnefortune to the people and to the Parliament. The
ierievancee of which the people complain, Sir, in the state
0.4 el.e rt presentation, are, first, nomination by individuals ;
2.glyhet4ections by close corporations, and idly, the expense-
of rie„htons.—(Long and continued cheering.) With re-
,gard ton eminations, Sir, I admit that it may be exercised
;n one of ."" ways, first, where there is a smell place
with little or no inhabitants, and an extensive right of
'
suffrage; and secondly, where the 'dive is large,
with a dense
population, and the right of suffrage very
•
:limited. Gatton, Sir, furnishes an example of the first
'kind, and Bath of the second. In Gatton, Sir, I
lbelieve the right of stiffracr'e is extensive enough
is extended to all householders paying scot
:arid lot, but then the population is so small, chit there
eergtoriy five persons to exercise the right. With Beth the
oe 'Seelifferent :—there the town is large end the popu-
ogiti„„- ieumerous ; and I do not mean to say that the
popula ion has not a right to send members
to parli,htnent, and I have never heard any persons
say that 2L"
thought such a town as Bath ought
to be deprive.. .of that right, but then, Sir, the right
of suffrage is so 11. -cited that the election is managed by a few,
•
and the great body
of the inhabitants have no voice at ell.
•
a essential that we should apply reate-
To both those evil, it .
dies—(Cheers)—but at the same time each must be dealt
with ina different way. Watts regard to those boroughs which
are utterly deemed, in which there are no individuals
to exercise the franchise, it would be a mere face
_to take away the right which is now exercistd by
any individual in order to give it to the hundred ; the
only remedy thet can be applied in cases of this
`kind is most certainly to deprive such places of
'the right of nomination altogether.—(Loud cheers.) I
am perfectly aware, Sir, that in making this proposition
we are proposing a bold and decided measure.—(Cheers.)
I am also aware, Sir, that on all ordinary occasions
:rights of this kind ought to be respected, and upon that
*eonsideration I shall' give my vote.—(Hear, hear, hear.)
No interest, however trifling, should upon ordi-
- ry‘tiorla may occasions be teen:Led, but then public cen-
sider:
render it desirable to destroy
not Doty small and trifling interests, but those
of some importance, and in support of that opi-
nion 1 "hall Leg leave to quote the sentiments
eaphessed by the Right Honourable Baronet opposite,
(sir Riabert Peel) who about two years ago pi oposed
portant 'measures which were ultimately
two most 1.."1
Legislature. About two years ego
adopted by the
'lltea that the Right Ilortouractle
the House IN ill re
measure known by the name
Gentleman proposed a
aod in cenne.ctio with
of Catholic Emancipation,
disfranc.otsement of
that measure another for the
Led violated no
000,000 unoffending freeholders, who .
exer-
right, who had broken no law, who
cased their privileges, perhaps iinorsntly, rins
impatiently, but still had exercised them it, the man.
net. which they in their consciences believed to be
best. I urn not going, Sir, to quote the Right Hon.
Gentleman's words front any opinion that the Right
Honourable Gentleman if; bound to be consistent—
(Hear, hear, and a laugh)--Leause I think on a subject
of great iniportauce, all men eeglit to act accord-
ing to the hest of their judgment fur the benefit of
the count' V. I beg the House to tat
when two years ago the Right Hun. Gentleman oaood on
this side of the House as a Minieter of the Crown, and a;
the representative of the opinions of those who are now nut
of office, he stated in their name what weave the circum-
stances which influenced their decision upon that important
question. I remember be reminded the House that upon
some occasions they were bound to step beyond the or-
dinary rules by which their decision" were guided
upon ordinary occasions, and he Loatanced the
eases of the Union and the Septennial Act, toed other
precedents when that House, in order to provide fl)r
great measures, had takers increased liberties, bad ire,
terfered with the common rules and modes which
regulated their usual proceedings. Upon that occasion the
Right Honourable Gentleman said, " I zertaioly admit
the full force of the objections which will undoubtedly
be raised against the motion, which will interfere
with existing rights. No doubt the elective franchise is a
vested right, but it is a right which differs from others—
it differs from the right of property and other private rights
—it is a puhlic trust which ought to be apitroeseited, no
doubt, with caution and reluetance, but still it is a rizht
which Pa-liament is competent to deal with." Such were the
sentiments uttered by the Right Hots. -Gentleman on that
occasion—sentiments with which the House then agreed—
indeed there never wao any measure carried themegh this
House with more unanimity than that.--(Hear, Lear.)
Shall we say, then, that this principle is to be maintained
when the poor peasantry of Ireland are concerned ; but
that when it touches the great and the wealthy, see are not
to venture to treat the question as the public interest de-
mands? Shall we at once deprive the freeholder of Ire-
land of that right which he merely exercised as the Con-
stitution gave it to him, and shall we be afraid to. touch
the right of the noble proprietor of Gatton, who returns
two Members to Parliament, although be derived no such
power front the Constitution ?—(near,) Shall we say
that a strictly constitutional, a strictly legal right shall be
abolished, because the convenience, the necessity of the
cenntry demands it—and that a right which is mere
usurpation, with no sanction of law, and unsupported
(b".l3' bY usage, shall tit. respected aro! left untouched.
thoush the
public
interest requires, and the public voive
demands its abolition ?—(Hear, iteer.) Shall we make this
glaring distinction between rich and poor, high and low,
disfranchise ttt peasiot, and prop the fati4ig fortunes of
the Peel- ?—(1-feee,
hear.) The plan we propose there-
fore, meeting the do:flashy in polo, as the Duke of Wel-
lington and his colleagues met it in the year 1829 ; and
our measure will have the effect of disfranchising a number
of boroughs. It would he a task of extreme difficulty to
Ascertain the exact proportion of the wealth, trade, extent,
and population of a given number of places, and „,e,
therefore, been governed by what is manifestly a public
record—l mean the Population Returns of 1821, and we
iznu ti,ll
right of !ending
propose that every borough which -in that year had less
than two thousand inhabitents, should altogether
e
Membera to Iherliameto. 7(co
cheers with much confusion.) Teeffect will be uttWy
to disfranchise sixty boroughs.—(Much cheering from all
aides.) But we do not stop here.—(Cheers and some
laughter.) As the lion. Member for Boroughbridge (Sir
C. Wetherell) would say, we go plus ultra, We find