The Sun.
London, England, 1823-02-12 00:00:00

sorritwAltii REFORM MEETING.

In conformity tyitli the Requisition of 1'27
Electors of Southwark, the H:on BArr.UFF convened a Ilket.
ing of tlic Electors, Inhabitants of ne Borough; which was
held in thp Town.hall 'yesterday at one o'clock. The hall
was completely Shed.

The Iltoir BAILIFF having taken the Chair, and tha
quisiticn being I.t.ad;
Mr. BLACK ro&.. to offer a petition for consideration. lie
obserVed that the requisitionists were not perfectly unanimous
in their choice.of the language, 't.y which they would express
their wisho. Ile had a petition to present, and he believed
others were to be proposed, perhaps equally good; it would
be for, the assembly to adopt which they. most approved. On
for Mer occasion*, he said, Reform was an object rather to be
desired than hoped for ; but now the strong holds of corrup-
- sera beginning to yield to the attacks that had been so
perseveribgly made upon them' and a reform of the representa-
tion could not be far distant. Many of the counties of Eng-
land had .exprztaeti their opinions most strongly ; and the
whole people of Lngland felt that this was the grand object
which it bssate them to again. A necessity existed that'
0-Meth it* kfrect,lls4 • tbOUR be done to relieve the country
from the pressure of iaxatiott, and to prevent a recurrence of
those evils which occasioned it. After several remarks
on the nature of taxation, be concluded by reading the follow-
ing Fetition :
" To the Honourable Commons of the United KingdoM of
Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled,
" The humble Petition of the inhabitant Householders of
the ancient Town and Borough of Southwark, in Public-1
• Meeting assembled,
1

Slierieth—That your Petitioners, in the exercise of .their
ccmstilutional right, respectfully and firmly- approach your
Honourable House with a statement of the grievances under
which they in common with their countrymen are suffering,
and to suggest such remedial measures as in the opinion
of your Petitioners are best calculated to affurd the desired
relief.

" That froin among the many evils of which your petitioners
have to complain, they will briefly enumerate the following,
viz. An excessively burdensome taxation ; the existence of
severe and arbitrary legislative enactments, incompatible with
the spirit of the British Constitution ; and at the caprice of the
Minister of the day, the occasional suspension of'those laws by
which the personal freedom of the subject was intended to be
secured;—all of which evils, your petitioners are
seriously im-
pressed with the conviction, proceed from the present impure
state of the representation of the people.
"'That the lavish expenditure of the public money, most
wantonly-bestowed in the shape of grants, pensions, and sine-
cure places, upon persons whose only claims upon the admi-
nistration arise from the possession of undue Parliamentary in-
hence; the continuance of the increases) salaries of his Ala.
jesty's *ervants, after the reasons assigned for that increase
have ceased tO exist ; and the maintaining a large standing Army
in timeof.. peace, are subjects that „have deeply engaged the
attention of your petitioners : and it appears to them that the
only mode of effecting the destruction of such pernicious extra-
! valance, Is by withholding, the means necessary to its support.
Your petitioners, therefore, humbly pray, that your HonOur-
able 11 ouse will be pleased to pass a bill for the repeal of the
ftS.Seitnti taxes, and that you will proceed to. nialte a reduction
of the general taxation of the country, as shall leave at. the dis-
posal of the Ministers of the Crown such funds as are necessary
for national purposes only.

" That your Petitioners conceive they would be guilty of a
gross dereliction of their public duty, if they did not unreserv.
edly state the fact, that your Honourable House has long ceakd
'to be the organ of public opinion; and that they cannot:dis.
guise from themselves, the lamentable truth that the general
measures sanctioned and adopted by Parliammtit during the
past thirty Years, have produced nearly if not alt the evils under
which this once flourishing. countly, is now labouring. I' otti
Petitioners are tiLo of opinion, that so long as 3011 Members of
your honourable !louse continue to be rem:lied by the nomi-
nation of Peers, and 107 by that of other powerful individuals
and the tiov,!rnment, no real community of interest can exist
between the representatives of the neople so called, and the
people themselves. The existence of this qndue nomination
is more szverely.felt by your Petitioners inteimuch as in the
county of surrey, of which this 'borough forms an integral
parr, 14 Members are returned, to Parliament, 11) of N'Thont are
the. nominec of eight wealeity families. yont Petitioners,
therefore, earnestly crave that your lloneurahle House wilt be
pleased to adopt such itinuediater measures as will secure to
the people a full, fair, and equal representation in the COM-
Molls Bosse or Parliament.
" And yaitr Petitioners, &e."

•
_ .
Mr. BLACK, in continuation, said, he had not proposed in
the Petition any specific planof Return, being disposed to take
us much as die House of Commons would give: anxious only
to have the goes:ion so considered, as to get justice done to the
people according to the principles of the Constitution.
G. W. BuT LE seconded the 4iropolition at some length.
Mr. Joust ELLIS assured the Meeting, that nQ man more
ardently desired reduction of taxes and reform of Parliament
than he did ,but he'approved of' something more specific. He
would attack a bad system in the detail in the-manner in which
Mr. flume had done. The machine was, indeed, most wofidly
out of repair ; but he preferred mending, it by simple processes,
to any more general and extensive plan. He thought, more-
over, that in this way much more would be attained. Here.
posed a resolution for extending the right of voting in tive
cayed Boroughs in Surrey, as well as an improvement in the
mode of election, but the Resolution wax finally negativeth
Mr. sirtuowastrrn spoke at considerable length against the
funding system, which he described as the great cause of the
national distress. He thought the benefits secured by the Re.
volution of ItidB were over-ritual, inasmuch as it had intro.
duced this walla system. in the.course of his speech, he an.
mented with severity on the press of the country, and the land-
owners, who had incited the people to war, and encouraged it
with all their might so long as it Worked well for themselves.
He objected to the advocacy of she cause of reform on the prin
ciples of natural right, as calculated to retard it, preferring to
seek the it as necessary anti.expedient, s' Still he was friendly to
reform, inasmuch ass Government was a trust reposed in the
governors fur the benefit of the petiole, anti they had a just
claim to tls best that could be tievissd or administered. He
thought the'pecrpleof England had noi beco true to themselves-
-they had not: done all they might have done, even according to
the present system: There were the csuntiet ; and they were
very far from returning men who primarily sought tbepeople*
interest. Again, the city of London had rejected. the mtaibers
who sought reform and retrenelonent, acid returned one whO
invariably opposed both. In the cases of Mr. Brougham, anti
thelate Sir Samuel .in. the contests for Liverpool,
'Westmorland, and Bristbla the people had- given tiountentuice
to a prominent objection to reform—via., that the boroughs af-
forded means of procuring !Ate it Parliament for men of talent
and virtue, but without large fortunes. 'Whether it was owing
to their ignorance or want of principle, he. could not say ; but
certainly. he thoughttbe insolvent debtors, and other man.
itancee, indicated something like the State of the people in
Prussia, rather titan the honesty which was formerly the pricks
and boast of England: At the dote of his speech, he ex_
preasd an opinion that the corruption of thespress had been
greater and. more injurious than that of the rotate ,of Coln.
mons. This gentleman then read a petition, btu. it was
neither moved nor seconded. -The original petition wait put
and carried by acclamation; one hand only being held up
against it.
• The Hicat Bat Ltasr.—" It is My duty to say, that this pe-
tition is carried by tr very large majority."
Mr. CALVEUT observed, that it had not been usual for
the numbers of Parliament tor Southwark to obtrude their
opinions on the electors, whilst matters of public interest

were under discussion. In, his opinion, it was the duty of
the former to receive and obey the inetrnetions lit their renre-
sentativee, ft was with e'reat pleasure he contemplated the
•
fact of general agreement between him anal his conetituppt
but never did he More cordially approve of their. tondittlt
.and their sentiments than en the preeent occasion. eil
was not accustomed to dint- front his 4t
, but he, muat.
31 on the present occasion from Mr. Ellis. A geritleman in the
hill had called out, in reference to hie (Mr. Ellis'it)' obeseria*-
tions, that the mode of iefeam •he ativoeitedtwoeld take
years to complete, but he (Mr. Calvert) thought lienitiglite*d
another 0, for it vaould require 1,600 years to eflhet.'"' When ha
considered the constitution of Parliainent, and -Lite eery ernitiU
mpane left to the people of securing a majerity favouraitle to
their interests, he despaired of much good eo long as the be-
rough syetern remained in Action. It seas natural that the fac-
tion who controlled it, would retain their power as long its they
could,. and act as they did for private benefit eStrillnbe people
should perseveringly exert themselves; and leave n i stone ten--
turned to secure a fair and free reoresenuriort If cry protect-,
sition for detailed measured should, however, Leepropsed and
carried 14, that,Helle "1," said the lion. Meirther, will pro.
?NSA ate tl support in" Otte fact would suilie to show the ine
attequacy of the in-esent system of representation. The'
county
of Cornwaii returned 44 Members, whilst Warwickshire' con-
ttlig 11, population of thirty thousend re %eels me thanec: n-
wan, and paying 60,000 i. more to the property-tax, only teett 4
Members to.Pitriiarnent. It. was thus notorious that the reneple
were not fairly reprerented. The lion. Member eat down amidst
loud and continued shouts ofapplause.
Sir ItonEtter WI LsoN rose, and when the acclatnations
which followed had suletided, said, he had never received a
summons from the electors of Southwark to attend them white
out feeling assured that he should reeeivebiglegretilication ;
but in the present instance he felt.particularly confident that
the instructions he should receive would do honour to dime
from whom they Caine. What they, had time day dene, and. the
manner in which it was done, would serve to support the high
character for enlightened views and consistent conduct which
the electors of Southwark had acquired. Nailing enuld he
mere agreeable to a Member of Parliament who sympathized
with the people than to propose a reduction of the amount of
• their burdens. In this case it was the mere grateful an office,
because no partial 07 inefficient remedies were pro used.. The
whale of the people of England are suffering under excessive
taxation, and though the pressure rnay not be equal, yenta are
grievously affected by it. The remedies then should- be uni-
versal. Reduction of taxation would, however, in his view, be
of little importance if it did not lead to that most importeoz of
all measures for this, phlntry's weal, a reform in Parliament.
The evils which exhatti in the country were:mainly, if not
wholly, to be ascribed to the trent of this remedy, The linuse
ought to be the guardian of: tee public rieitts, ante t~reatatrct
steward of the public puree. Tias is was not. ,It was useless
to revert to former times to prove -that corruption then existed,
Grant it t--.what then ? There im nentealogy between these and
ancient times. Lawry have since been abtogated through the cote
minions of Parliament, which were layout:Able to public liberty.
There is an improved condition of itottinty. Theneople are not whet
they were. Knowledge and wealth are unoregeocrally diffueed.
The improvement is mainly to be ascribed to the press,w inch harm
been the -great instrument of unfettering theJhumen mind and
enabling the people of England now not only to demand, -with
prospect of success, their own rights, but to influence the Dli-
nisters of the country, so as to enable them .to aid the rising
. cause of Freedom all over the vvorld.. The Frees, has been a
mental eye to and not only has it secured nights, hut
averted wrongs. It has excited faculties, and called into.action
energies of the noblest kind. It is true there ie a 'cortupt press in
England as well as on the Continent, anti that ?resit has goaded
on the Allied Sovereigns to that infamous attack they proprote
to make on the liberties of Snainand the human nine; but ehe
result, after all, nmst be invaluable to the establishment of that
which they would destroy. A reaction has, been, and mutt Le,
the resuhe The hireling part of the press has it is said, re-
ceived what may be considered, not merely a reprimande licit at
dismissal, front high authority ; and will, it Whored, ceeee
to have an opportunity of caltmatiating :di that ie :god; eel
exalted, and free.--(A voice trona-the cronot, ate le Le t
they should.")—ln reference to the rejected medic anion of
England in the affairs of the Continent, the.lioneureble Oto-
tlenian asked if such would have' been the ease in the event
of 'England's having had a re/brined Parliament ? or that
the spoliation in Genoa, Naples, &c. or the'cruct proeeedinge
in Turkey, would have been permitted a And that .fentika
which has drunk so deeply of the neap of adversity, without,s4.-
gitiring the learnt portion of wietlont ; which hue been seated on
the throne of France by the exertions of this country; think yeu
it would have ventured in Ruch a cue to pout contempt act
1 the councils of its deliverers ? It is wawa, England al
well as Spain that despotism virundly wages. War. it hetheit
Barone which they proeteibe, that rests on no other hash; tiitut
the resistance of the people to the arbitrery and illegal
of power. The allied potentates had been accustomed to . ratlitt
With acquiescence on the part of oar. Ministers, with their.itri-
principted spoliatione of I.Tirror states, anti on the nen of as un-
reformed Parliament subservient to the will orehese 111i:tee-
ters ; and they did not reckon oit that .alteration whichbae,
even in spite of eorntption, been manifested from a peopie,whe
pee principles at work ItO directly. at varituice with the liberty of
nations, and the constitution of their ,own... list;, fortunately
, for Europe, anti to the honour of this country, public. opinion
has struggled, anti will triumph over the Principles oftleipot-
ism. Thank God, our Mini-.ter now ennuis 440 stn elevated
ground in his communications with . those of tither eountries.
because, supported by the while nation witha not eintatentatia
peculiarly its own, and while he struggles to maintain peace,
he may safely say, ". We seek no peace founded on principles
adverse to the rights of independent statee, mut handle to thew
on winch our own Government is founded. AVhen I apealt
nitnee as being an enemy to freedom, I :Teak of France ea tti
faction, and not as a People. France as a peoplenvill.never
march under those banners which are theintognia of ayranny;
and you, gentlemen, I.think I read your hearts in your court-
tenances,if the time should ever come to call for your exertion 3,
as well as your sacrifices, they . will be made in ' the. front Of
freedom's line.' Fla be it froin. tee en seek to inatigate war ;
but if war should be inevitable, itiap happy for the people of t heed
isles, that it may be carried on &to ris to deliver Spain, aaaii tea
.enable the inhain tante". f France, Gerntae yowl reece,to ucga ire
for themselves, and to maintain, too, truly repreeeotative and
liberal governments, at a comparatively trilling expence to us.
We have only to put to sea shirty Gait, of the line, tosaeneti by
our brave sellers, and commaded by our pilaw. nevaofficers
—to repeal the tbreign enlistment bi 11..: and to export.. to the
Continent two or three thousand stand °fatale, to enure, these
effects. think with my Hon. Colleague, that yait beve adopt.
eel the right course in not insisting on aoy epecific Op of
Reform.* You do not wish to ditaract the feelin;, of the court_
try. That is universally in favour of the general principle, and
it sat wise not to press any particular plan. Votnetonduet • and
unanimity this day will do you honour. 'Voter object is
to preserve your own liberties, and to extend mast secure
thew inestimable benefits to ,others.'!--(l,oud and lira conti-
nued cheers it • • - ,
Mr, .11LACX Moved, " That the petition :be aigned by the
High Bailiff in the name, end behalf of the meeting, .40.4.4)pt
it be presented to the /louse of Comutons by our worthy liepre-
sentatives, who are instructed to support the same."
„Before this Motion was sect' tided, 11r. litintnEtt arid, tie
tillibught hecould show mese why :annealing more sheithi be
done. The titre Gins Conte whets something more than laying
petitions on the table of the Iliante of Commend eras abiblitteiy
necessary; he therefore would Move rat addition to the.resedu-
thin, viz,—." And to take the earlitat opportunity of making
far a Committee of the House to take the none into toe.
sideret ion."
Thie, being seconded, watearried tinnuienouely.
Some conversation then arose, in which Mr. litaltre Mr.
Calvert, and Mr, Ellis toek part, respecting a &A:titian-fur
adding to the number of electors in home tottett boroughs in
Surrey ; which was finally withdrawn,
„bid
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veitrotetro
rDtahveilreAninteerlti,lntrieta
atitk sent:
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general parliamentary c.ttridlic.t. 'fins wee seconded. by .11,1 r.
tictitia:tierroarepirlbelvirtipa4rob;cslatittan:etniihiteiwianekalt7iilowYlurieg':irricrtirisi")ltlthil;tirtetc'3aiti;;le4t).ierl!''etiti3j.:4;l4:f
the good spirit end unanimity which banal beta displeyeoeee
The latter regretted the sacrifice widelt be might eo eeibly be cal..
ed•iipon to malrst, in discharge of what he might, hereafter tent-
inganytielreurorstdinetanees the unlit steadily:l(qt view,
till:Pkt3eirlaawtne.tireuh"etintirttinuPt°4l7;