The Sun.
London, England, 1823-03-28 00:00:00

LINCOLN REFORM MEETING.

On Wednesday a Meeting of the County of

Lincoln was held a Lincoln Castle, to consider the expe-

diency of presenting a Petition for a Reform in the House of

Commons.

The Meeting was called in compliance with a Requisition,
very numerously and most respectably signed, addressed to

Sir WiLtram EARLE WELDY, Bart., the High Sheriff of
the county.
At half-past twelve o'clock, a considerable number of country
Gentlemen came on a temporary luistings, erected in front of
the Castle. Among them we noticed Lord Althorp ; Sir R.
Heron, M.P.; the Hon. C. Pelham, and C. Chaplin, Esq. the
Members for the county; Colonel Johnson, M.P. ; Sir E.
Bromhead, Bart..; Sir J. Thorold, Bart. ; the Reverend Sir
Charles Anderson, Bart.; Colonel Allix, and Captain Wood ;
N. King, C. King, George Lister, and - Gardner, Esqrs.
the Rev. M. Allington ; the ReV. - Latham ; and the Rev.
:S. Hopkinson; and Major Cartwright.
The Meeting around the hustings was not very numerous,
but it was very respectable, consisting, for the greater part, of

substantial yeomanry.
The 11 mu SHERIFF having taken his station in a window
which ove:looked the hustings, the business of the day was

commenced.
Sir R. HERox then came forward. He began by observ-

ing, that many persons were averse from calling meetings to
petition for reform, because, as they. said, the House of Corn-
mons would never reform itself. He, however, held a different

opinion. He thought that the firm *and temperate expression
of the public opinion, in favour of reform, must prevail—that
the House durst not resist it.--(llear !)—lt had already ad-
vanced with steady strides, and in his opinion no doubt could
be entertained.of its ultimate triumph. That triumph had
hitherto been delayed by a variety of circumstances and acci-
dents. The county of Fork bad not long back taken, as it
ought, the lead in again coming forward in support of reform.
The example was followed by many other counties, and the
prospect -was most cheering. But it was nearly blasted by
the intemperance and folly of a few mistaken advocates, who
in their support of it introduced the most extravagant plans.
The enemies of all reform seized the opportunity and spread.
the
drtln lie aulusarm : it was taken by thousands, who were frightened
away, and thus the cause was left with comparatively few firm
supporters. He trusted, however, that the meeting which he
had then the honour of addressing would avoid following such
mischievous precedents—that they would not consent to any
extravagant propositions, which, however plausible they might
appear, were the most certain means of destroying all hopes
of reform. He sincerely trusted that the decision of that day
would be: the result of a sober consideration of what was for
their best interes. All that he should propose was the general
question of the necessity of some reform. It was of the divi-
sions occasioned by the discussion of the merits of particular
modes of reform that their enemies took advantage; and, found-
ing their objections on those divisions, often drove them (the
reformers) from their vantage-ground. It was, then, reform—
not the mode of reform—to which the attention of the public
should be directed. Let the people of England, with one
voice, cry aloud, " We will have reform ;" let them but agree
in that one particular, and their enemies durst not resist the
cry.—(Cheers.)—He was ready and anxious to go into a com-
mittee of the House of Commons on the question, even on a
pledge to give up part of his opinions, in order to yield to the
prejudices or conscientious objections of others; for he would
rather have the principle once admitted, and a reform of even
a very limited kind 'than none at all.—(Hear, hear !)—But
if he were asked, had he no plan ? he would answer, that
he was not without a view to same specific mode. Be would
say, that one of his principles of reform would be, the restora-
tion of .triennial Parliaments : the other, such a system of
rapresentation as would give to every freeholder, copyholder,
and householder, in some way or another, a vote in the elec-
tion of their representatives.—(Hear, hear !)—He would go
into the Committee, pledged not. to oppose even annual
Parliaments and vote by ballot. Though lie ,by no means
thought that these were the best modes of reform, yet-if
he found that the general wish of the people of England
favourac Commons
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would
were not the best modes. They were told that a reformed
House
war, or the French war. He would in).mit that if the reform
, had taken place only a year or two before either of those
events, it might not have had the effect of preventing them;
but lie would contend, that if the House bad gone on a re-
formed principle—had been reformed several years before,
neither of those unfortunate wars would ever have been corn-
menced—America would never have been insulted and oppress-
ed, and forced into hostilities—England would never .have
joined the despots of Europe in league against France—the reign
of terror would never have begun in that country; she now might
have had a Constitutional King upon the Throne, and never
have been given into the hands of the lowest miscreants on the
face of the' earth —(Cheers.)—These events would not .have
disgraced our foreign policy, and our domestic situation would
have been very different at the present day. It was true, as
was urged in favour of the present House of CoMmons, and of
those who controlled it, that Ministers had reduced some
taxes, and abolished some useless places. They had; but
like all such measures, they were too little, and too late. It
was said that Ministers had done something for Ireland, and
were disposed to do something for Spain. There were some,
however, who thought there was a great deal of humbug in
all this. There might, perhaps, be some towards Spam ; but he
thought that. Ministers had shown a disposition to ameliorate the
condition of Ireland. As to Spain, however lie might be dis-
posed that we should make every fair exertion in support of
her cause, lie did not wish that we should now go to war with
France on her account; because, by that means, we should be-
making the war popular in France, which it was not at present.
He would rather let the plans of the French Government work
on, for he believed that they would end in driving those detest-
ed' Bourbons the third time, and for ever, from that country.—
(Cheers.)—lf, however, it should prove; in the course of events,
that our aid in war would be of material benefit to the Spanish
cause, there was, lie trusted, no Englishman who would refuse
it—there was none who would make the sacrifice of a little
paltry gold an obstacle to the support of that great principle—
the right of a nation to govern herself by a constitution of her
own free choice. He had ever been opposed to the war against
France, until Napoleon attempted to get possession of Spain,
and then he thought that the Government of England were fully
justified in carrying on hostilities to prevent it. If there was a
change in the disposition of Parliamen t with respect to our foreign
policy, what thanks were due to the House of Commons for it ?
They were the same House of Commons which had supported the
cold-blooded Londonderry, who was the advocate of that league
of tyrants called the Holy Alliance, and who would, if unfor-
tunately for the country he had continued in office, still be found
the ready apologist for all their projects.—(Cheers.)—The same
House of Commons which went with him in his measures, and
through him gave their sanction to the conduct of the tyrants of
Europe, would, at the present day, if the foreign policy of
Ministers continued die same, be found to adopt the same mea-
sures. In conclusion, the Hon. Baronet observed, that the pe-
tition which lie should now propose was one to which every man
who admitted the principle of Reform might subscribe ; and
therefore it had the advantage over any other, which, pointing
out a particular plan, might only create a-division among the
friends of the ineasure.—(Cheers.)
The Hon. Baronet then read the following Petition :
" To thte Honourable the House of Commons.
" The humble-Petition of the Inhabitants of the County of Lin-
coln, duly assembled by the authority of the Sheriff—
" Who beg leaVe earnestly to express their conviction, that
neither-the wishes nor
.the interests of the people are duly at-
tended to in your Honourable House.
. " They have seen, during successive Sessions, your Honour-
able House, contrary to the universal desire for economy and
retrenchment, still sanction the support of immense establish-
ments, and mock the public misery by the maintenance of un-
merited pensions and places, avowedly useful only for the car-
rying on of Government, or in other words for the corruption
of the Legislature.
" Instead of their privileges being safe in your hands, they
have frequently seen their rights diminished, and their liberties
sacrificed to the encroachments of undue power.
" They do not complain of the return to cash payments,
but they cannot conceal their opinion, that in the arrangements
for effecting that necessary measure, far more than justice has
been done to the funded proprietor, at the expense and almost
to the ruin of the landed population ; and at such a period
of deep distress, they cannot but protest against being called
upon to provide 0,000,000/. annually, for a nominal sinking
fund, which has hitherto operated only as a delusion on the
country.
" They have listened with joy to the just and liberal policy
recently professed by Ministers towards Ireland and Spain ;
but their joy is converted into shame, when they reflect that
the same House of Commons, which now applauds these ge-
nerous sentiments, but lately supported those who ruled Ire-
land with an iron sceptre, scarcely even preserved a cold neu-
trality towards our old and unfortunate allies at Naples, and
assisted, rather than opposed, the combination of arbitrary
monarchs, united against freedom, under the name of the
Holy Alliance.
" More and more convinced that your Honourable House
does not represent the feelings and opinions of the nation, they
humbly pray that you will be pleased to take into your serious
consideration, the necessity of making such a complete and
effective reform, as shall render your Honourable HOuse in