The Sun.
London, England, 1822-02-20 00:00:00

SURREY REFORM MEETING.

A Meeting was held on Monday at Epsom,
pursuant to a Requisition to the High Sheriff, for
the purpose of taking into consideration the pro-
priety of presenting a Petition for a Reform in
the Commons House of Parliament.

Among the Meeting; which was very respectably and nume-
rously attended, were observed Lords King, Ellenborough, and
Ebrington ; Messrs. H. Sumner, D ennison, Calvert, U. Ben-
nett, V ebb, Weston, W. Cobbett, &t.
At one o'clock, the High Sheriff, (J. Spicer, Esq.) on the
motion of Lord Ellenborough, was called to the Chair.
The Under Sheriff having read the Requisition, the Henn
SHERIFF said, as the Meeting had done hint the honour to
call him to preside at that meeting, he hoped they would also
support hint in discharging the duties of his station, because
without that support it would be utterly impossible for hint to
preserye order, or to indulge any Gentleman in that freedom of
debate to which every person who might address that Meeting
was entitled._ He begged the Meeting to hear every one coolly
and patiently, however discordant with their opinions might be
those which might be offered.—(Hear; hear !)---Such a course
of proceeding, lie would again repeat, could alone secure that
respect a ith which the, netition would be heard in the House of
Commons. He had thought it his duty to give fourteen days
notice of this Meeting, and as every man in • the county had
thereby the opportunity of attending it afforded him, such as
absented themselves, and not he, must bear the blame on their
own shoulders.

Mr. LEECH.—It might be naturally supposed, from the part
which he had taken at the last meeting, that he was not a little
disappointed at the conduct of the High Shenff on that occasion
but he begged leave now publicly to declare, that he was satisfied
that the High Sheriff was guided by honourable principles, and
that he discharged his duty on that occasion. according to the
dictates of his conscience.—(Hear, hear !)—Having said thus
much, he must apologise for having been the cause of this se-
cond meeting, because, if they had not conic forward on the last
day to urge a question which, much to his satisfaction, a majo-
rity of the meeting seemed to support, it would not perhaps be
necessary to call this meeting. He trusted that it was not neces-
sary for him to say many words about distress, because every
occupier of land, every inhabitant felt the distress,, which was
mainly attributable to immense taxation ; and unless that tax-
ation should be reduced, the respectability which he now saw
about could not be maintained.—(Hear, hear !)—Mr. Weston
had on a former day stated that he had reduced his rent. He
hoped that reduction made the rents equal to what they had
been in 1792, forainless rents were reduced to the standard of
1792 the farmer must be a loser, because corn was at present
lower, and lat.our higher than at that period; and even admitting
such a reduction to take place, he must, on observing that Poor
Rates had increased with taxation, say, that without a. reduction
of taxation, all reductions on the part of landlords would be ut-
terly inadequate ; and without such a reduction of taxation as, he
feared, it would not be in their power to persuade Ministers to
adopt. On looking to his books, lie saw that the average price of
wheat, from 1787 to 1792, was 131.15. per load—oi barley, 26settl.
per quarter—that the wages of a carter was Bs. per week ; and
of a day labourer, Is. 2d. per day. He believed that, during
that period, small beer had been allowed to workmen, for which
allowing 2d. per day, the wages of a day labourer was butBs. per
week. At that time 2s.fid. was paid fOr threshing a quartern of
wheat, and Isaid. for threshing a quarter of barley. e-( What do
you say to the tythes ?)—lle supposed the tythes had been re-
duced in the same proportion as the rents : but if they had not,
he dared to say that the owners of the tythes would, as well as
the owners of lands, see the necessity of. coming down to the
standard of 1792.—(Hear, hear !)—He was almost afraid that
the Marquis of Londonderry, if he had concealed his plan,
would be the cause of not having that meeting so well attended;
but they had now heard that plan,_ and what was it ? That
lie would take a shilling a bushel duty oft' malt, and thus ren-
der them comfortable and happy. His Lordship had said sonic.
thing about lending the agricultural part 'of the population a
sum of four millions. This was to have been a loan, but be-
fore the Noble Marquis sat down, he acknowledged there
were so many difficulties in the way of the measure, that he
did not think it practicable. If the meeting were satisfied
with the plans of the Noble Lora, they might go quietly
home ; but if they were not, he should trouble them a little
longer. He had heard something in the House of 'Commons
about public faith and public . credit. These things were
created by Acts of Parliament. An Act had been passed, stops
ping the payment of notes in gold at the Bank, and the conses
quence was, that all things got dear, that the far greater part of
contracts had been made according to thecurrency. Then after
many years another Act of Parliament had been passed for the
resumption of cash payments, without any regard whatever to
those who had entered intocontracts according to the depreciated
state of the currency; and the consequence was, that the farmer
lost half of what he had engiged in his farming concerns. He
would, then, ask what became of public faith and public credit?
Why not preserve it with tbe farmer, who had entered into his
contracts on the faith of an Act of Parliament ? Why not in-
clude all other classes in the distress which visited the farmer ?
Why not make his cause common cause with all other classes,
and let them sink or swim together! Why not reduce from the
King to the peasant, and let every man have fair play ?—(Hear,
hear!)—The •,inisters were, in fact, the persons who had pro-
posed the Bill, called Peel's Bill, for reducing the farmer's pro-
perty. Why not reduce .the Civil List in the same prtiportion?
Why not reduce the incomes derived by pensioners out of the
people's pockets in the same proportion? Some might think
there ought to be no pensioners, but he would say those persons
had lon„e enjoyed their pensions, but as men did not Wish to lose
that which they had been taught, fOr years, to believe would be
continued during their lives, he should not wish to deprive them
of what might be considered their properties. lle only wished
it to be reduced in proportion to the reduction in the property of
all other classes. Having said thus much, he would now touch
upon another part of the petition which he should have the ho-
nour to propose for their adoption, and which was the more im-
portant part, because, he waS satisfied, that if once Parliamentary
Reform could be obtained, all other evils and abuses would be
got rid of.—(Hear !) —lt was owing to 'a defective representa-
tion that almost all the difficulties with which the country had
to struggle were to be attributed, and which would never be re-
moved, until a Reform in the Commons House of Parliament
should have been effected. How could it be otherwise, when it
was admitted that no honest man could become a Minister, as
he must, while he continued a Minister, be subject to the Bo-
rough patrons, who were daily soliciting to plunder the pockets
of the people to enrich themselves and their relations. How
could a Minister withstand theie solicitations ! If he were, he
would have no majority, and without a majority he could not
carry on the business of the State with any advantage to the
public. If there were a fair Representation of the People, the
House of Commons would speak the sense of the people; but-
when there was not a fair representation of the people, the con-
sequence was, that the House spoke its own, and not the people's
sentiments, and therefore took the money out of the people's
pockets, thereby making the people poorer in proportion as they,
the Borough patrons, became rich—(Hear, hear !)—He had
applied a great portion of his life, to the consideration of this
subject, and he was satisfied that nothing less than Reform
could arrest the evil. 'He had formerly listened with great de-
light to Mr. Pitt, at public meetings, at which he had heard
him say, that no honest man could be a Minister until after
a Reform should haye taken place. He believed Mr. Pitt,
and from that day until the present, he' never ceased
to exert his humble abilitieS in this great works un-
der Mr. Fox," Sir George Saville, the Duke of Rich-
mond, and many others who had labeured to bring about this
end. lie thought the time was now come when the people
might, by perseverance, be able to send into that House men
who would speak their sentiments. It had been said by some,
that every Member went into that House unshackled, but he
was of opinion, that if they were the Representatives of the peo-
pie, they ought to do their work.—(H ear, hear !) He would not
detain them longer, and he would now thank them for the pa-
tience with which they. had heard him, and request them to
comply with the High Sheriff's request, to give a patient hear-
ing to every person, because,- without hearing the opinions of
others, it would be imposaible for any man to know .whether he
was in the wrong, and he was most anxious to hear those opi-
nions, because, it lie should think himself wrong, he would be
the last man in Ennhuid not to recant. The Sub-sheriff would
now-tike the trouble of reading the Petition, which he submit-
ted for theif consideration.

The Sub-sheriff having real the following petition—
"'To the ,Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of
`Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled.
_ _

" The Petition of the Owners and Occupiers of Land in
the Coullty of Surrey, assembled in County Meeting, this
kith day of Febriary,
" Most humbly sheweth, that the greatest embarrassment anti