The Sun.
London, England, 1819-07-26 00:00:00

MODERN R EFORMERS

The following observations on the late iirrorm
MEETING on Ilunslit Moor, of which we gave an
ample report, in a private letter from Leeds, ott
Wednesday last, are extracted from The Leeds In-
dependent, of the 22d inst. Considering the mis-
chievous nature of another Public Print in the

same town, we must repeat our satisfaction, that
there are two such loyal Journals as The Leeds In-
telligencer and The Leeds Independent, to coon.
teract its tendency, the first a Paper Of establish-
ed reputation, and rising fast into credit, and horn
being under the evident management of talents
and knowledge :

" The Resolutions are curious. We are to
have a Member of Parliament elected for Leeds,
in the same manner as Sir Charles Wokeley has
been appointed for Birmingham. As it seems to
be a matter of indifference is !tether our new Re-
presentative be a merchant or a landholder, so as
he is a rich man," we advise our unrepresented
townsmen to apply to Walter Fawkes, Esq. of
Faruley Hail. Mr. Fawkes, it will be recolicct-
ea, at the Anti-Property Tax Meeting, held for
this county at York, in the Spring of 1816, first
Magnanimously declared, that he, for one, would
never consent to petition the House of Commons,
as at present corruptly constituted ! He went
further, and asserted, that if ever they felt dis-
posed to come forward and demand their rights,
in a manly manner, they would know where to
find him. What he meant by their rights, he sob.
sequently illustrated by his famous work in sop-
pott of Annual Parliaments and Universal Suf-
frage—the fame of which, by-the-bye,was speedily
extinguished by the learned, unanswered, and.
unanswerable Reply of Mr. Sadler, of this town.
Thanks to the candour of a celebrated Reformer,

the Rev. Christopher Wyvill, the public were
soon informed that notwithstanding Mr. Fawkes's
pretended horror against petitioning Parliament,
the petition adopted by the very Meeting he
was then addressing, had been drawn up by Mr.
Fawkes's own hand !—and this foul blot upon
his political character Mr. Fawkes has never
attempted to remove ! Mr. Wyvill, also, at the
same time, strongly condemned the inflammatory
and the dangerous tendency of Mr. Fawkes's
language, and predicted, that if such language
continued to he held, and that if the schemes of
his hiend Major Cartwright were persisted in, the
country would ere long be exposed to the dread-
ful alternative of either submitting to a military
despotism, or of encountering all the horrors of
revolution and civil war. How accurately Mr.
Wyvill estimated the consequences of Mr. Fawkes's
conduct, we are daily receiving proof. His de-
termination—or pretended determination—never
again to petition the Legislature, has been univer-
sally adopted by the Radical Reformers—ark
alarming and an unjustifiable resolution, which
in charity we might have supposed Mr. Fawkes
never contemplated in the moment of his pas-
sionate address, but that the political hypocrisy
which was detected by the fact of he himself have
ing written that very petition to the presentation
of which he objected, proves thal he coolly medi-
tated a mortal stab on the affections of the peo-
ple toward their Representatives. Mr. Fa nkes,
therefore, having the honour to be the author of
that anti-petitioning system which is the present
rage of the day, ought not, in our opinion, to be
deprived of the ulterior glory and fruits of his
own scheme. He is a " rich man," and what is
more, an able one. He is a man holding the very
same sentiments, and advocating the selfsame
scheme of Reform, now so agteeable to the mul-
titudes whose frequent meetings wear so serious
an aspect. He is able and willing to lead them
on their march ;—and we say again, None so fit
as be to " represent the unrepresented part of the
inhabitants of Leeds !"

" But, some others of the Resolutions of the

last meeting are still more curious than the one
relating to the election of a Member of Parliament
for Leeds. The eighth Resolution declares it is
" highly necessary that Deputy Meetings should he
appointed, and out of these Deputy Meetings, Dis-
trict Meetings, and that out of these, men shall
be appointed to form a National Meeting, that
the whole may be brought to one focus, in order
that they may devise the best plan of obtaining'
annual parliaments, election by ballot, and Uni-
versal Suffrage." The Resolution does not in-
form us in what manner the District and Na-
tional Meetings arc to be elected ; but it is evi-
dent that it is intended the General Meetings shall
elect the Deputy Meetings—that the Deputies
shall elect the District Meetings—and that by
these again shall be elected the supreme power,
under the name of a National Meeting !
" This is in itself a pretty commentary upon

the doctrine of Universal Suffrage. I❑ the scheme
of their own temporary government they aban-
don to a few—to the members of the District
Meetings—the right of electing the supreme, or
National Meetings. [By the way, does not this
scheme of framing power upon power, very much
resemble the organization of the famous Society
of United Irishmen ?]
" The multitude who adopted this Resolution,
it is true, in all 'probability never thought any
thing about either its object or tendency. They
never inquired whether the election of these Meet-
ings had any thing to do with their favourite doc-
trine of Universal Suffrage or not. It was enough
for them, that it seemed to be a new scheme—
for, in their present temper, every thing which is
new must be good. Now when it is explained
to them, however, it may serve to shew to them
of what sort of stuff their leaders and orators are

composed. They will allow you, at your public
meetings, to elect your deputies by your univer-
sal suffrage, because they know th.it you can
have no other choice than that of electing them !
that point gained, Universal .snffrage is to tl►em
of no further use. They will take care to elect
wise and discreet men, out of their own body,
to form your District and National ..leetings.
That is a task which, you see, they think too de-
licate and important for you to be entrusted with!
fake warning ill time. The end of all these
crooked ways, into which your betrayers are se-
ducing you, will be disappointment and vexation,
it not ruin or pretnuttate death."