The Sun.
London, England, 1835-09-02 00:00:00

-__________________
then reso?ved itself into one of self-government, which the
bpeople would possess, but the exercise of which the Lords
at stern
teyrfere to prevent. lie congratulated the meeting
and the
had arrieed at a state fit to agitate that question,
meeting which he addressed was a fit evidence of the
9pabili ty of the people to govern themselves.—( Cheers.) The
I,IZ
,'wnerte removed from the seat of local government, they
did not participate in it. Mr. Lawrence concluded by di-
souse length, upon the iniquitous principles intro-
weed(into hie Corporation Reform Bill ; and added that the
Bill
of Commons could not, with consistency, receive the
in its Present state, and would cover themselves with
eternal disgrace if they backed out of the question.—( Cheers. )
The resolutions was seconded by the Rev. Mr. MukcH, and
carried unanimously.
Mr. FLEVCIIER proposed the third resolution; which stated
that the House of Peers, as at present constituted, was inade-
quate to the* purposes of government, and that reform in that
branch of the Legislature is essential to its utility, effective- liess, and alignity. The people had been disregarded and
duped by file House of Lords.—(Cheers.) The Municipal
aßeform Bill had been deprived by them of all its strength
ndlo pcower. In this respect it resembled Sampson shorn of
sks. But the House of Lords forgot that the hair of
L.raPson grew again while he was under the despotic power
ca the Philistines; and that, in revenge for the injuries in-
meted upon him, he applied his mighty strength to the very
Pillars of their temple, and brought down its roof on their de-
.ted heads. The power of public opinion grew rapidly.
iarporation reform could not be long held captive by the hos.
tile Peers, of h
; nay, the attempt itself might prove the destruction
bliththeir own order; and, seizing the two pillars of the State
e Lords Temporal with one hand, and the Lords Spiritual
tie: other—the Corporation Sampson might retort on the
modern Philistines the example set by his illustrious proto-
tY
e..-(Hear, and cheers).
r aa Prim:in( seconded the resolution.
, Mr. OPPENHEIII then moved the fourth resolution, propos-
-111g that an address should be presented to the King, and a
Petition to the House of Commons.
Mr. OPPENHEIM, jun., seconded the resolution, and it was
i
,unanimously agreed to.
The address and petition were then read and agreed to.
and Mr. Molten then proposed that a vote of thanks and an
ession of compliment be presented to Lord Melbourne,
and
an address, founded thereon, be signed by the Chairman
sauteCommi
inttee, and that they be requested to present the
the manuur most acceptable to his Lordship.
The resolution was seconded, and carried amid loud accla- i '
snation.
Mr. /TARMAC% than proposed a vote of thanks to Dr.
"shengton and Mr. Clay, for their earnest endeavours to
secure to the people all the benefits of the' Reform Bill.
The motion Was instantly acceded to.
h Arr. CLAY, M. P•, in rising to return thanks was most en-
t-lisiasticallY remit/ ed. He spoke nearly as follows :—lt
cannot be doubted but that recent events afford both a suffi-
clent reason for holding this meeting, and ample justification
iol.afrteaebreeeseolutions to which it has unanimously come. What
those events ? The Ministers of the Crown,
sprtly after their return to power, matured and presented to
veryarliament, With, as I believe, the cordial approbation of a
t h‘rge majority of their fellow-countrymen, a Bill for
~,a reform of the Municipal Corporations of England and
nales-_:
great , LII aether words, for restoring to the inhabitants cf th.e
- cities and towns of the kingdom that control over their
viO% pro
i e aPertSi that power of regulating their own affairs,
and a' 'I the creep;.ng in of abuse —by negligence on one. hand.
encreachmente on the other—had in the lapse of time
been taken from them, and transferred to self-elected and irre-
31:iintsyihrljfe bodies_.bodies. that had. in many cases- been proved
theirevslifaspTher,fegertoss malversation, and in all had lost the confidence
fellow-t awnsmen.—(Cheers. ) I do not say the Bill
; bet I do say it was a wise, a just, and noble mea-
taree'e-a'alleseing on the part of the constitutional advisers of
the ii.„o," a just appreciation of, and honourable reliance on,
felleva."'crmal ion, intelligence, and moral worth. of their
of da-ecuntryinen. This Bill passed through the House
the ai;lnution's scarcely opposed—almost wholly unaltered—
it embed e lead er of the Opposition fully admitting the principle,
Tbeyati•--Cheers.) What was its fate in the Lords .
freem ave retained in perpetuity the elective franchise ofbthe
be,„ en---that franchise proved by unvarying testimony to
la%vees
ate eequall'Y a source of degradation to the freemen themse •
contreiv'ss
eleaaasaursi-1 to their country ; they have retained the town-
coo ,ila their situations for life, thus depriving the town-
of control over their own functionaries;... they have
Le_ id to keep alive all ancient animosities, jeaousies, and
haVlblernings, by retaining the present aldermen ; they
s • 0 done what in them lay to revive the almost expiring
„Pfirit tee religious discord, by enacting that none but members
Zt.tr,4 Church of England shall have a voice in the disposal
z„ Church patronage in any corporation, though they have
b`atralized this enactment by the absurdity of omitting to state
il What test a Church of England man is to be known ; they
a'a broken in on the vital principle of the Bill, viz., the se-
eu4—
tio'rt oche responsibility of the town council, and the concilia-
-1;, the members of the council, by means of that respon-
Z4itY, the affection and confidence of their fellow-citizens,
end accomplished by subjecting the whole of the council to
l'ainlieetien at short periods--they have broken in on this prin-
fo;:°,'. hY enacting that one-fourth of the town council shall sit
eedife, to consist at first of members of the. old corporations,
6111 last to
and most extraordinary of all their amendments, not
R. y have they inserted the pecuniary qualification which the
nglit Hon. Baronet the Member for Tamtvorth proposed, and
e1;101 the House of Commons rejected, but have added to it
ve almost incredible affront on the people of England, that
kin e-sixtbs of the inhabitants of every corporate town
in the
gd
ailjera are to he Considered unworthy to be entrusted with
, share in the: management of the affairs of the society of
a"_tell they constitute so large a majority. Upon hearing the
amendrne•at proposed, I declared that I doubted the evi-
haevne° "ray 'senses. I appealed to others whether I could
can heard correctly; and could not help saying, o. Where
their
these Noble personages have resided ?—in what society can
Intent lives be passed ?—do they all, and always on the termi-
to Vi n clf their Parliamentary labours, retire to Petersburgh,
the etlntt, or to the moon, that they can be so ignorant of
try Intellectual and moral condition of their fellow-coun-
t:4n' as
ato think such a prevision necessary ; or of their"
• (Co -!
as to suppose they will patiently endure. it
ceetpued cheering. ) Gentlemen, it is impossible to con-
ourselves that the question of the fat! of
is, la itiLciPal Corporations Bill, interesting as it certainly
:it:: I Ur. :tee sd in the greater question involved in your third
constituted whether the House of Lords, as at present
' Can co-exist as a useful instrument of legisla-
self with
a aeformed House of Commons ?—(Chee_rse.m)
_lim,, my.
to eon 'Talk no hostility to the
andsHoue of Lords. 1 w.IIII"g_
their ceue to them the free independent exercise tat
tine, P°.,wers and privileges as a branch of the Legisla-
feetai, ',believe that such hitherto has been the prevalent
that if, ,7,4, ,the country. But it is impossible not to anticipate
that
i-am this case it should be found that reforms of ourl
4nd deete,:t--, anxiously and ardently sought for by thepeopree,
PreBe4tat""ned upon, after grave deliberation, by theird their ivesslio 1
a efEcien u (1' frequently be refused, or
people will of
be
en3l3ted . eY by the Peers, that the that ‘o ask
dreg Provision
Of our
reform should not be applied to
constitution which enables some hun-
hole andcn fifty irresponsible onsible individuals to impede the
Ivz!lieh a-,-„lirs? of remedialp legislation ; and an instrument
el thw --aY In the hands of a faction be made themean;
Inc wh:trtrilg the wishes of a whole people- —(Loud cheers.tdat
serit • sPirll, it may be asked, is legislation conducted
tioti,,, 'll the House of Peers ? Does the majority in: thatA
eirei.onatsynlpathize with any large portion of the people.. •
will en tance connected with the fate of the Corpoiationß ill
jo th., able us to judge. The leader of the Tory Opposition.
eiai " Hoe
of Commons declared he approved of the prin-
aoe ef the Bill, and he proposed no amendments which could
aeolY be said to occasion any doubt of the sincerity of that
ia. aration. But in the Lords, not only did the majority go
aal" O Committee protesting hostility to the whole Bill, but the
t7entrnents carried were such as to change the whole cliarac-
7Zr oy the measure the were such as Sir IL Peel could not,
51./Isistently with the opinions he professed, have proposed,
,o..eyen supported if proposed by another.—( Cheers.) We
pteist, therefore, from the approvers of the course taken by the
of
werhs., strike off all that portion of the Conservative party
WEI tell the Right Hon. Baronet is the organ and the leader.
• at then r
*new. , miming ? Will aught be left but a faction, as
imu the
in point of numbers as most assuredly it is in
toupee ence or consideration with the country ? Upon this
ta,i. however, gentlemen, I will no longer dwell. No man
of ,smore deprecate than myself a collision with the House
donbrers,—disastrous (although its event would not be
recd tful) as it would surely prove.—( Cheers.) Upon the atat4lMendation embodied in the resolution relating to the
u„ ter which you have just adopted, I do not feel called
filzeoa to offer any opinion ; but I repeat,- that under the very
iinliar circumstances attending the fate of the Corporation
lifieteil the House of Lords the meeting is abundantly jus-
14°t the expression of sentiment contained in that resolu-
-0111. In the approbation you have expressed of Lord Melbourne
( the Cabinet of which he is the head, I cordially concur. ,st. !itittinlied cheering.) An attentive observation of the course
too
~e Administration since their return to office has satisfied
ear29at they are disposed frankly and honestly to carry. into
ke'fet those reforms of our institutions to which Parliamentary
te them was a means--( Cheers)—and I have accordingly given
witiluein a fulness of confidence which I was compelled to
Greys) h, with whatever regret, from ghat Government (Earl
14of which they were the successors. As well for the
a,i„Presentatives of the people themselves, I think it is the
,i•Tt course, if there be reason to believe that the Ministers
qotillr..,,rown deserve confidence. to yield it ungrudingly,
those rat, rows,
to impute to difficulties and obstacles of which
the ef only who have to oppose them can fully appreciate
puri erce,
apparent falling short in carrying sound
thon_c'Ples into practical effect, than to an abandonment of
eaa'e principles themselves. These feelings, Gentlemen,
:•";`:e actuated not myself only, but a large portion of those
night of the House of Commons with whom I have
ina„t co the
coincided in opinion.—( Cheers.) These feel-
daT's will, I doubt not, lead us—during the next eventful few
teas ----I will not say blindly to follow whatever course Minis-
eeti_zbaY Point out—but, at least, to have a very decided incli-
i;unustri to afford to them a firm and cordial support under eir-
antes of almost unparalleled difficulty.—( Immense cheer-
*) Wh
tioo , ether the course pointed out in your second resolu-
emoue.suchas it would be advisable to adopt, must depend
taneac'remnstances of which I, at least, am at present in igno-
aosol"tit;i but of this I am quite certain, that the language of that
"rred Inn (amply justified as it is by a recollection of what oc.
rite ast autumn), will be felt by Ministers and the majo-
leatne the liouse of Commons, as affording them most va-
anoe
~caotuntenance and aid, by conveying to them the assur-
their that the people of England approve of their exertions. in
tion,i '' 'alf, and are prepared to sup Port them in all Constitu-
tions
fufrii4affsuereets......, Iv(
Ihmicinhemnsaeyebbeeenreilclge.s)sary to give those exer-