The Sun.
London, England, 1818-06-20 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

RESPONSIBILITY OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.

[PART 11j-
Whe Lord PI3IIVAL•B ColMittlentS. i t 1742,
sent him instenctious, he answered then
Gentlemen, you are welcotne, on all occasions,
+ll,l I look upon ibis application.as a rresh instance
,t your. friendship. As I have tiev••r concealed
,o}• principles from yon, so never will deoart
from their. •The osily'motives that direct lit?
conduct are the preset vatiou of THR CoNSTITU-.
71014 of my country, the security of the present
Rovse FAMILY on the tliroile and the common
liberty of Europe. These views I shall ever think
inseparable in the prosecution of them, any judg-
ment may, but my heart shall never, fail ine;
remember,
.on my part, 'that to your independent
voice I owe my seat i.O Pailiatneat ; yours, I
'rope you will not forget that I ought to be inde-
pendent there: When I differ -fr,tin yOur send-
mews, I 'shall do so with reluctance, and then
only when I ant convinced that your true interest.
must -exfort it from me. In inch case die crinie.
is equal.to flatter popularity, or court power. It
becomes me to' respect both,. but it is my duty to
,follow :.neither beyond those limits, which the
Circumstances til-tirne, prildeoce, and the public
safety can alone dtrermine "
Yet it does not follow that becauseißeoresert.
tatives are riot bound to consolt with their Consii•
tuents;or rake their advice,. it may .never tie pros.
per or prudent to do so, as. stone pet soos
falsely concluded. They may %%stilt information,
Thos! he Commons did nort hink fit to Brant to
EDWARD 111 anylax until they consulted their
Constituents, but this was the Commons in gross,
and not a single Repres'eutiative, , tgatit
Mr. PeuMMER, on rite motion for repealing the
Septennial Act in 1734, said, that toe House
could not retnse, or agree to, a proposition. for it,,
until they went borne and consulted tht ir Consti-
tuents.' Llere, as in all the other instances to, ',(l
in the Parliamentary Debates, it is sten nia tie
consulting Constituents is but matter of occasional
opinion. Zr is true the City of London, it. the
33. kn. 11. sent instructions to her, Ilemhers ,
sisting that they should vote for the Bill of Excht•
sion,- when Sir ROBERT CLAYTON complied, say-
ing his dory ito his Electors obliged him to ir. By
the same rule another Mt mh Might say he voted
against it,' according. to hi, jodgm+ lit, and be
equally warranted i:. his duty,
.regardless of arty
instructions, which to follow woula lower theta
to domestic servants, obeying' the Anders of their
lotds and toasters. Justly they arc left at discre-
tion,i their Constituents, during the.r political ex-
istence being politically dead; and when it'ex-
'fires, their Constituents rise again to a now poli-
tical purpose.
To suppose the Legislature capable of work,ng
injuries would mike the community a felt de se.
The three branches of Parliament are a check on
each. oither.., Weak indeed are those who make
the people nothing, becautte their Representatives
are not hound to consult them. As the toundation
of legislative Power, they are every thing. Kings
are their 'Majesty-, .Lords are burn of them, and
both are upheld div them.
The idea of responsibility being indefinite, 'all
the arguments in favour of it turn tiptoe a Ira stake
of the question. Supposing them to ne-rk.ftornies,
which they are not, if te.peetabl+. as such, they
ore intlependeni of their clients, who employ them
to dot hat for them which t hey cannot do lrem‘ei yes.
Were They responsible in this stay, their t .tents
would be the fluorides, anti' the attorni, a the
clients. Every County, City, or Borough, stip..
dying its own advantage, ilj exclusion of +aril
other, against the vet y' principle Of I,egrsiko ton, d
• would become a private faction, to the estruction
of that liberty it thence endeavours to maintain.
A Representative in Parliament sits -there for
himself, and in the ag,gregwe character +,r all
Constituents, subject to no controid but of toe
Constitution, the Luws of Great Britain and of Par-
liament. point tat questiou admits of little
doubt, and weile in every comMotilry an unli-
mited authOritv necessarily exists, and an 'obe-
dience is required from individuals it ss,ons ab-
surd to say Otey are above the atitirotisy toey
create, which they would. be, according to a long•
ta!ked of but fallacious theory, it leer,- remained
With them a right to remove or alter rite Legis-
lature whenever they, in their whimsies, think it
acts contrary to the trust reposed Trite it
is, that all power originated' it I it the people, but
never to he exerted to the destruction of their
whole frame of Government. This 'would be ano-
malous, and then no Government would ever be
settled. ,
Parliamentary responsibility savours so much of
this theory, :that to oppose it is to be reproached
by the enemies of our constitution in Church and
State ; although, when seriotetly examined, it va-
pours into nothing.. The only bond whereby the
union of rI eeople subsists, is authority wising
from themselves, and obedience thereto ; both
which are presupposed by the laws, and when- a
ever these are defective, the laws lose iu their
eff:et. On the foundation of this bond Govern-
ment rests,•and from a careful preservation of it.
Britons boast of liberty ; under a power from
whence there lies no appeal, however devolvahle , •
it may be in a particular iostaoce, when a n'essf
danger must provide a new rented', as was partly
the case at the Revolioitni, when, on time varaticy
of the throne, by the albdica ion of JAMES 11., the
Lords and Commons; as -Guardians and Repre-
sentatives of the people, but no! the peoVt,
calf-
ell in the nearest heir Of the .Protestant line to
A - VITUTIoNALIST.
(To be continued.)

succeed him.

• . I M PRONIPT .
•
.Says.TURNER to Vir?,RREN, " 1.1! world must declare,
" That though we are rivals our conduct is fair." •
" No. 'no," replied WARREN, " for each ir, our station
" Do all our endeavours to blacken the nation."
" You mistake," rejoined TURNER, " your censure abolish,
" 'Tis rather our aim, Sir, to give it a polish."
VERS f FICATOR.
F

, the rteif,nnotirhoo,l OE
Temple Bar was in great. consternmion, by a fire
breaking out "at• Mr. DowNE's,a priwer, Where,
by the activity of the firemen, wio• ,vere almost
instantaneously on the spot, its, rav,ges were
solely confined to the Premises of Mr. bowNe's,
which was nearly consumed, with the whole of
his pawing materials.