The Sun.
London, England, 1823-02-20 00:00:00

favour, it behoves him first to clear himself from imputations
which malevolence attempts to fix upon his individual cha-

,acter,

•
-,er grounds of disqualification, however, are urged against
me. 'Unquestionably, Gentlemen, according to the Constitu-
tion which Colonel Williams wishes to give to this country-, and

in which the' worthy Freeman who proposed Lord Molyneux
seems to concur, I should be disqualified; but, according to the
constitution ottngland as it has prevailed at all times, and
more especially since the Revolution, lam not dbqualified.
It is only a farther proof of that confusion of intellect, of which
the Gallant Colonel has furnished so many examples--(A laugh)
to find him stating as a legal disqualification, which would at
once close the doors of the House of Commons against me, his
individual opinion of what ought to he the nature of that con-
stitution ! The plain question, therefore, is, are we to ;be
guided by the spirit of the constitution and the letter of the
law, or by the wishes of those whose views (I say nothing of
their intentions) would lead to the subversion of the_.one anti

'the other ?—(Loud cheers.)
Noir, Gentlemen, I can assure you, that, having disposed of
*hat I must consider as an objection in bar to my becoming .a
'Candidate at all, I am quite ready to admit, that Ido not

7 - .
corns here with any personal pretenaions- to your favour.
disclaim them all together. Never would it have occurred to me
to offer myself to your notice on these hustings, if I had not
been invited by a very numerous and respectable body of the
freemen. I will not waste your time by going into any Vindi-
cation of the public principles upon which I have acted, be-
cause I trust, that those public principles are known to ,the
freemen of Liverpool ; because, I hope and believe, that it was
in consequence of your approbation of those principles that you
honouredine with that invitation.—(Cheers.)—Gentlemen, it is-
not likely thatl should now swerve from those principles ; and
the -Hon. Gentleman who opened • the discussion, le perfectly
right in supposing, that my public conduct in Parliament, will
not, shouldTbe the member for Liverpool, differ from what it
has hitherto, been. Gentlemen, I am ready to avow to you,
and I take pride in making the avowal, that I am not likely to
desert those principles,,and those attachments to which the-Heine,
:Gentleman has objected. Since my arrival in this town, I
'have seen and heard much to confirm me in'the imprestion,
that it it only by a steady adherence to those principles that I
can entitle myself to your approbation and support.....(eheersey,,
—I sliaold have been sorry that, in a community so extensive
and so intelligent there should not be, as there will be among
Englishmen, a great difference of opinion, as to the course
*lnch Public. men ought ,to follow in their endeavours to pro-
mote the happiness of the country. I firmly believe, however,
notwithstanding the contriver opinion so strongly entertained by
the worthy Freeman, that the public principles which I profess.
are not only in unison with those of the great majority .of the.
freemen of Liverpool, but also with the principles of the great
majority of the people of England.—(Loud Cheers.) •
Gentlemen, the objections which have been made by -the
worthy freeman td my election are, as far as they rest on public
grounds, the same in substance as were urged to the election of
the distinguished public character who has now retired from your
service. lientlemen, the retirement of Mr. Canning I consider
as no coMmon-occurrence. I consider it, and lam sure all of
you must consider it, as the lose of no common representative.
Gentlemen, it is no common occurrence which has compelled hint
to decline to renew to you the offer of his services. In the pre-
sent critical circumstances of the country, more critical, per-
haps, hi reference to the peace and happiness of the Continent,
and eventually, perhaps, of Englan, then any which have
occurred ranee the breaking out' of the French Revolution,
my Right Heintiuruble Friend occupies that exalted, but Wu-
OUR ant responsible situation in the councils of his country, in
Which every man feels, that to his energy, to his prudence, and
to his talents, is committed principally the momentous trust oft
endeavouring •tb avert those calamities' which must be the result !
of the attempt to impose on a gallant and tree people, or at !
least, a People struggling for freedom, an interference in their
institutions, ..the ptinciple of which I detest as much as the
Honourable Gentleman himself (Mre Rushton) can detest it.—
(Immense and long.eontinuod cheering from every part of the
hustings.)-eLet me not be misunderstood ; I will always main- '
Min the right of, a country, if hs internal security or its public '
tranehillity.he'obviously expend to- danger from the machine.
lions- of *neighbouring power to take such measures as may be,
necessity to :preserve its own institutions and to vindicate and
assure its own independence.--(Loud cheers.),—lt is no bulgi-
ness of mine to advocate or justify the new constitution of
pain. In many respects it is; lam afraid, very faulty e but
om this I sin clear, that Spain has a right, undeniable and pae
remount, at an independent State, to alter its internal intakes
dons in such manner and to such extent as it may think proper,
with a view to its own separate Government, and to endeavour
to acquire and secure the blessings ef civil and religious lifter.
ty.e....(Loud and general cheerings)e-lt is quite, consistent in
me to object to rash and theoretical innovations in this country,
where freedom lies so long taken root and flourished e anti to
thinkithat such an experiment as is now making for the establish.
meat of free institutions is justifiable in a country which' has
been so hing suffering and falling, to decay from the want of
such institutions. Spain had the right to make the experiment,
She has made it; and, in the course of that experiment, be it
sUccesaffil oebe it unsuccessful—successful, I trust, it will be,—
Spain has hitherto kept herself within those limits which belong
to her exietence as an independent State. The Sovereigns of
Europe nava no bettertight to interfere with Spain, on this ac-
count, than _ they haVe to interfere in the internal concerns of
England., or of any other independent State.—Wheeringlye.
Therefore, let me not be represented as wishing to countenance
those monstrous pt inciples- which have been lately. avowed. As
en Etiglislintan, I disclaim them; anti, I fear, if they are to be
avowed itnd..iicted .upon, its a part of the new public law of
Europe, that they may lead to want and calamities greatet and
More durable (great as have been the sufferings of the late war)
than any ,which have desolated the Continent, since those wars
of opinion which grew out of the equally frantic attempt to put
down by arm& the doctrines of those who doubted the 'infalli-
bility of the Church of Rame.--(lmmense cheering.)—lf the
absolute Monarchs of the Continent aro prepared to involve'
all Europe, perhaps, in war, upon the principles put forth in
the King ofrance,* speech, it is not for me to predict what
may_ be the final issue of such a tremendous struggle,—(ltes-
aimed Cheering.) : ;
Now, Gentlenten, another of the objections which were made
to me by the worthy freeman was, that I had supported mea
auras which he thinks are to be compered to the present con-
duct Ofithe Powers of the Continent; .measures which beeeme
necessary, in my judgment, for the' preservation of the Coneti-:
tution and the liberty of this country, at the period of the,
French ltevolution. Gentlemen, I did support those measures,;
becanee I- felt they were necessary t'or our security and hide;
penedence. The country, too, supported thteitt measures, be- t
cause, in common' with the Polimente they were convinced oft
aheitenecessity, in order to prevent Europe from being nee ,vait!
military Monarchy, in the bends of the greatest enemy to the
peace of thiworld, and above all, to the independence and toms •
Merge of Eriglandethat has existed in modern times. These
elms could net be suetained without great saerificee; but they
,were finally crowned with that success which 'restored to Ettg-
land the,bleietinge: of peace, with all the glory of having, by
her perseverance finally echiewed the independence of Europe.
--(leheets.) , ' . • - ...,. .
Gentlemen, it gives me great, pain, when / hear, in this and
In oth
tt r places, diet the efthrte made to accomplish Er great
and tone an object have entailed on us a load of debt
wh
I,e or:
we cannot pay. Gentlemen,. I deny this alleged Ina-
filthy ao meet our engagements. I trust. that the country
'Willeel am sure that the country can—faithfully and honour-
ably discharge all its obligations.--(Cheers,)—lt is no light ,
Matteri aes period like the present, to call in question the
publicfaith and the public honour of England.—. God knows
how seen, though I trust the necessity may not occur, weinay
be col-lapelled again to resort to the aid of that public credit.—
In Ertgfaiid.ptablic. credit is public power ; hie the staff of our
siecurity.-e(Ellieers.)--W hen, however, I my thits, let lime not
be considered as meeninett imply that England could not de.
fend her own intlepeedeuee, Wetted:od on her own shores with-
out the'uid of pnblic ,tredit. —felieers.).....But I declare that I
have :no -conception ;eliat 'England , could maintain her. rank
among the nations of the world, if we once lay the axe to the
root ot publie credit. Without that credit; the mane, of hdlg:
land might 301 be nietuioried for some few .years 'with respect
by the great 'Potentates of the ' world ; but it would no longer
be that Eiglandwhich checked the ambition of 'Louis XlVese
which, in the Seveh Years' AVer, stretched otit with one hand
succour and support to' the feeble' states - of Genuttey, whilst
with the other _the sent forth her titetsi to conquest and triumph
in every quarter Jades world.—( Loud clittering.)-elt would no
longei be that England which again, and ii a greater degree,
rescued ' Fetiope ,in ,the late tremendous woggle, whilst 'IN
naval superiority'was-stall More succesifitlly inserted end:mein.
esined...-,(Renewed elteering.)—Thereforit,. !Gentlemen, let tie
het think lightly -Of the advantages of pehlie credit. -I see 116;
thing, in thusituat ion of the country which can
•entianga the
security-of the:public crediteresand it is -not a 'little stirprieing
thateamidat '-all ,the 4:widens which the indium:lone dalletai are
enjoying, and in this. county 'And in this town-in particular;
;11114 -ielgrottittg improvement of, the Publierevenue, awlwhin-that unprowaneipti tis you have heard trotht hie hisj eltyle
speech, admits of a reduction of the public burdens—it is, I