The Sun.
London, England, 1819-12-15 00:00:00

he franchise to some other pl ice for the general '
utility of the country. He apprehended the same
principle was now to be followed up. He trust-
ed, when they 'came to details, that there would
•be no great difference of opinion between the
Noble 'Lod .'and himself. in a former. Session,
when the Noble--Lord had -moved for the pro•
"duct ion of Records, he had experienced no ocopo-
siriom.end-now,--- when-the -case of Grampound
(-aloe before the House; he- was persuaded that
there 'esriStert' nothiug to prevent him (Lord. Cas-
-tfeeea-gle)- ,acrd the. Noble-Lord -opposite front
arinsiii to s'conturrent • vote:. • But the question
was, when Gratuvound was disfranchised, what
should he done with the 'franchise, which it was
propo!cd to transfer to some populous place ?
\Vhet would be proper to he done' With it he
kverirld'ltrit nowlsay, but certainly lie felt no
peisit,ion• to take R course opposite to-that which
(~ad been recommended by the Noble Lord.
Local peculiarities might, perhaps, throw 'inSur-
ditticelties iu the Way of giving it to
the populous place immediately adjoining the bo-
rough ; .but on this subject he would not have
tire [louse pledge• itself to any abstract proposi-
tioiC:' That principle, which had been suggesied
by the Noble Lord, 'and %tibial in some cases
would tlie best that could be adopted, might,
frbeli t'h'e pechl ter situation of Cornwall, be wholly
inapOiceble to that. part of the 'country.' 'That
course' proceeding -might be proper in the case
of 'a 'single lioeutigh,'Wthielt.:- Woad& be injuriorts• if
made general and acted upon to any great extent.
mil— because he objeCtedtO ..the principle recom-
mended by the Noble' Lord, as applied tra
he slid nog mean to-say that in no case ought
the. franchise 'to be transferred trout a corrupt -bo-
rough to The circomjacent 'district. All he 'ob-
jected t o'the Noble Lord 'was this, that he 'had
fallen into the 'common 'error of all 'Reformers,
iird'hail -endeavoured to create a system unneces-
sarily, which would be in some cases extremely
i'itoristeriieht. To coming to a decision on an ah-
rstract question he must object, and he thOught it
1 ed from the' Noble 'Lord's own reasoning •
that'lr'e ought to desire to'avoid this, aa'porsiiing
such course would he fatal 'to his plan., which
most perish it it were attemPted.. to' establish' a
-tuirind'in Cornwall different from any locivVit in
:tither parts Of the kiirgainn. -He'would 'state what •
a4trldil he the first embarrassment if the' Nrible
.
platt•wroe acted' upon. diarran-•
iciasid the 'Borough Which had beet' 'convicted
irif 'Corruption, he would then 'have.to consider ill
what' way. it shosuld be 'disposed of. Carrying it
to the'adjoining county, he would then he
!'obliged • tu"set up an 'arbitrary system to- admit
;-tit the continued' exercise of the elective fran-
ehise, thine by whom it had' not been 'abosed, and
be seen the anomaly of a' County
I.lferribt-r returned, not by Freeholders-alone, but by
a fragment 'of Housekeepers who
hit Vdt"t6cteit6l their. votes at the dithanchised
Iplace.•:This 'Might 'redone' in a case where it
he 'neces'sary,- without air Cumbering
the HOrise. befOrehand 'with an abstract system to
w•fijlcti it would be 'bound with all its in-conveni-
ences, or. exposed to 'be charged with inconsis-
l•
":tency in departing from it'. Heswoutd subMit (Odle
Noble Lord whether it would nUt be hest to take
thi;pe'rticular case; and deal' with it in a Bill. Let
bins ask for leave to bring in a Bill, and he (mit
pledging
,himself to -sopport its Particular pro-
Vision"if wodid not oppose the introduction' of
a measure to disfranchise Gratirpoittol, and dispose
of the right asf electing two -Members to that
place, which, tinder all the circumstances, the
Noble Lord should think best.—(Hear, hear !)
—He would consent to this, that the measure
might be fairly discussed, and would not be dis-
posed to look with unkindness on the Bill, though
some of its. provisions, looking at them in a local
light, he might be obliged to oppose. This
course of proceeding he thought the most unex-
ceptionable, as it bound the House to no prin-
ciple, which, though right in one case, might be
wrong wrong iii another, but left them at liberty to deal
with each particular case according to its merits.
Such a mode of proceeding appeared to him much
safer than the adoption of a plan which went to
beat down the established forms of the country.—
The present system, as a whole, he defended
as the practical result of judicious legislation
through a long course or ages. He denied
the truth and constit ut lona! wisdom of that
policy which wroth' make county representa-
tion that which alone ought to be valued.—
Though be did not deny that county repre-
ientation formed a very important part of the
system, and threw into it that life and animation
which gave increased value to a popular assembly,
still he wrthl beg to say, that it was not in that
species of represeutatiou alone that political wis-
dom or public virtue was Wood to reside. If then
it were to be established, that in all cases where
n Borough-was disfranchised, the franchise should
he traosterred -to a county, or to a place contain
ing a population of 15,0U0-persons; -'the House
would be doing that which was certainly unneces-
sary,' HMI worse than unnecessary, would be fur-
nishing arms for its own destruction, and ultimate-
ly fur the destruction of the very plan of the Noble
Lord by-which it was to be introduced. He hoped
the Noble Lord would add one •to-the -many proofs
which he bad given in his speech of the tempe-
rate view which lie took of this subject, by ab-
staining sting throwing the torch of discord among
them when there was a disposition to meet his
views as tar as' might be practicable. Let the
Noble Lord then 'bring in hint frame
it with a referetice to all the peculiarities of Corn-
wall—let him deal with these as he thought &t—
-end let the House be lett •to deal -with such cases
as they ocerirred, in the manner which to them
should, seem necessary. He should have no dread
of the franchise".falling into a populous town if
the course 'which he recommended were taken.
It was hi's ceramist hope that ilie Noble Lord 'would
act ou the suggestion which he had thrown out, as
in days like these it would riot be well that they
siosidil fight for shadOwe'Whell they had subStan-
eitenries to contend against. He-had spoken
Ilk mind. with sincerity. He had no parlicui4r
hostility to I course recommended by the Noble
Lord, but that lie objected to the adoption of au
abstract principle, which, thoiigh applicable to
stithe eases; Might in others be turned against the
Constitution (such he wes sure Was 'not* the ob.
ject ut the Noble Lord), which provided the