The Sun.
London, England, 1831-10-05 00:00:00

favour of the Bill from the county of Kildare, -atebtatont'''
ee
the town of Loughrea.
Lord GODERICH presented ti 'petition etts sa e
effect from Gaineboroogh, in/Ai:county of Lincoln. ;S\
On the motion of the lied of StfAIVIZSELTRI"
t
Bills were advanced a stagetL : . • )n„-,1
THE REFM BILL. _
~.4.,
_i/
On the motion. of the Earl aIiII'iCIIILSEA, the/Meer
'
of the day for renewing the dela/glom ( cFcidsl
as ead_
: ingo
Nc
of the
Reform
iL BillsEA was
self with giving a silent vote on the present occasion.
Fur whether I consider the importance of the subject of
ioiriwiy then
Lordr e a:1, I cannot. content my.
,
Lord ..
not h.fhelilcil!hil,ltlihija,:i
sdvu
Billns cninatheGovernment,
i inflict
sal let huy :oohnre Nobletthhee t.io irreparable
etElptFyrl,a ab
Ilt e thefe lt]
injuriesheaadt
if, in legislating upon this momentous subject, we take one
false step, that step never can be retraced—(Hear)—and
that, in the' endeavour to correct the abuses, which I am
willing to adinit do exist, we may overturn that just -ba-
?nate of the three poWere of the State, on the maintenance
of whieb she very exietenoe of the Constitution depends.--
(Hear, heat...) Deeply feelisig the responsibility which
attaches to me as a British Legiefettna called "" M give my
vote upon one of the most important--roost vital questions
that ever was brought before a British Parliament, I
approach the eonsidtration of that nuestion uninfluenced
by party feeling; for I know of but one party, and that is
my country.—(Cheers.) I approach_ it uninfluenced by
every motive of private inte.eat which cetzid away my
mind ; fer I have no Parliamentary influence with which
this Bill can interfere. I approach the consideration, my
Lords, uninfluenced also by the unreasonable clamourer
of a portion of the people, whets er they be ieeited
by unprincipled demagogues, or by the degraded and
lier.o.tious Press. which tbr the last twelve months bee been
heaping the vileet seelemnies upon tlinA-istoer icy of Eng-
-4 land, and especially upon that portion of th7s Heusi- which
'should dare to use their privileges for the prenervat on of
the .Constitution. That licentious Press, which his, I
may say, levelled your Lordships' rights, and whose power
is directed against every thing sacred, exercises a tyranny
as inconsis ent with true liberty as t'ie despotism of the
most arbitrary Monarch that ever e.-.-iy.red. In resisting
that tyranny, my Lords, we shah be supported by every
man whore votreis worth soliciting, or his At.,bisraftce worth
basing. All such :nen will support us against that por-
tion of the Press, which: has poured out its venom upon
an illustrious female of the highest rank in this. country,
whose conduct both in private and in public has engaged
the esteem and admiration of ail who can appreciate worth
end virtue. But the calumnious Press has held her up to
odium as exercising an unconstitutional influence against
the Reform Bill of his Majesty's Ministers.—(Hear, ciear.)
Would to God that I knew the vile slanderer—the aneny-
mous defamer. If 1 hinter the calumniator, humble indivi-
dual as I am, I would undertake that heahould never utter
another 'lender. As I would think myself justified
before God in raising my hand against the enemy who
should threaten my country with invasion, so should
I feel justified in chastising the slanderer of one who is
dear to my country, and who has shown her desire to
promote the happiness of the people, by upholding every-
thing virtuous, justly feeling that a nation's happiness de-
-1 ponds on the virtues which adorn the Jemale character.—
(Hear.) My Lords, I approach tl.e question now before
your Lordships with a hearty and sincere wish that I nny
be able to take the course which may be most conducive
to the happiness and welfare of my country, and may
transmit to our posterity the British Constitution unim-
paired. Although, indeed, I own that the Constitution
was much broken in upon when your Lordships departed
from the principles upon which it was founded, and
abandoned the securities of that civil and religious liberty
which we have so long enjoyed. I do not deny that in
the lapse of time some abuses have crept into the repre-
sentation of the people in the Commons' House of Parlia-
ment. I am, therefore, desirous to consider, in the first
place, in what way those abuses may be effectually re-
moved. In the second place, I will consider whether or not
some change be required in accordance with the improve-
ments which have taken place in the condition and
knowledge of the. people ; and whether or not, in
the lapse of years, new interests have • sprung up,
to which it may be expedient to extend the repre-
sentation.—(Hear.) Lastly, I will consider whether
the Bill upon your Lordships' table be really calculated
to remove the abuses which exist in the representation,
and to extend the franchise to the new interests in the most
constitutional manner: On the other hand, my Lords, I
must consider, whether this measure do not tend to de-
stroy the balance of power which keeps the three estates
in that equilibrium which is the best security of the liber-
ties and rights of the people, and which it is the bounden
duty of every lover of his country to stand boldly forward
to maintain.—( Hear.) As to this first consideration,
therefore, my Lords, I must say that I have long thought
that some change was necessary in the mode in which the
people are represented in the Commons' House of Parlia-
ment. I have long thought that the influence which is
placed in the hands of a few individuals by the represen-
' tation of those boroughs, which, whatever may have for-
merly been their trade and commerce, have now scarcely
a house or an inhabitant. I have long been opinion that
some change must be made respecting those boroughs, if.
indeed, they must not be altogether abandoned.—(Cries of
" Hear, hear," from Lord HOLLAND, followed by much
laughter.) That influence is calculated to give an undue
preponderance of power to his Majesty's Ministers, which
may be exercised against the Constitution, and which
has been exercised in throwing down the bulwarks of
those institutions under which this country has so long
flourished. It was by means of that influence that .
the last- inroad was made upon the Constitution, which
could not have been effected if the wishes of the people
had been ascertained by a general election.—(Hear,
hear, hear.) For that assertion I have the authority of
the Right Hon. Person who introduced into the other
House the measure to which I allude. That Gentleman
has recently said, that the Catholic question would never
have been carried in a reformed House of Commons.—
(Hear, hear.) But at that period the petitions of the
people were not received with becoming attention; and the
confidenceliy accustomedand
diminished.respect
t rlew,goari with which
those
wisieeh
reasons,
the Legislature
sa
,t
utrehpeopleehreaflohr
esaine,dle tbeforetb:akn
tfbeheartnfus Reform in the representation of the people is neces-
sary. For these reasons lam desirous to see the political
influence arising from the borough representation taken
out of the hands of the few individuals by whom it has
been usurped, and distributed equally amongst the property
of the country.—( Hear.) Now, my Lords, I shall briefly
touch upon this question, whether or not it may be expe-
dient to give representatives to the manufacturing towns.
If your Lordships consider what vast capital is employed
in carrying on the trade and suanufaseuees of this great
country, and to what an extent that capital is affected by
injudicious legislation, and the injuries which trade has buf-
fered ,rorn the imposition of unwise dories -such an that upon
raw cotton, which tbeMinisters who proposed it were ..bI iged
to retract; and if you consider the mischief which has
been done to those manufactures by- the rein.,vai of the re-
strictive duties upon foreign goods, I think you will ac-
knowledge the necessity of giving to the manufacturing
towns representatives to defend their inn tests in t• c other
House of Parliament, and to point out the injerisais ten-
dency of measures affecting the re ,tinfecures. of the
country.—(Hear.) I have long been of this opinion; .
and • t think, my Lords, that the cour,e adopted by both-
Houies of Parliament, in refusing to transfer to those
towns the franchise of each boroughs as have been con-
victed of corruption, was most injudicious and unjust.
Now, my Lords, I will consider how far the Bill upon the
table is calculated to correct the evils which exist, and to
extend the franchise to the great towns at present unree
presented, in the most effective and constitutional manner.
I do not think that the part of the Bill which goes to dis-
franchise non-resident voters will he quite effectual for the
purpose, as various ways tney be found of evading it. 1
also entertain considerable doubts whether the enactments
of the Bill to curtail the expenses of elections will be as
efficacious as the framers of the measure wish. For the
reams already stated, I am fully prepared to give repre-
sentatives to the great manufacturing towns; therefore I
approve of that part of the Bill. I also approve of the
clauses which give an additional number of representatives
to large counties in England. If we reflect upon the enor-
mous increase of wealth and population in some provinces
we shall look upon that part of the Bill as well worthy of
consideration, attention, and support. I must declare,
however, that although I may agree with the Noble Eatl
that the present number of the Mouse of Commons ought
not to be increased, I think that Ministers, for the pur-
pose of giving Members to large towns, have carried the
disfranchising powers a great deal too far. Although I
am prepared to disfranchise boroughs that have neither
inhabitants nor houses, or only a few of either, I am not
prepared to sanction so sweeping a disfranchisement. I
am convinced that a more judicious and a more moderate
guhst have. been bteehn
Members,pursued, and insteadthey oefved
neptr
to the
some talowi
coallnositietau'entocy- "nitiagihntin many instances, by .
created and an efficient
I am persuaded,have
• hiveon e , 1 and
,een
g,. i
given,
an e
ni n,
ohpuenndiredng.thestroh ufliwtouniadej:iining parishes,
would
given 'much greater satisfacition toldtbe• Constitutional Re-
grfaheiermsad:sigeareeof kicongeulnottn;
memwb::
s,
ianlillsomhiyagvheot
pghiinvaievonenbnehoernae
I• bt to the agricultural interest, which notwithstanding:.