The Sun.
London, England, 1818-06-27 00:00:00

J. S. WORTLEY, ESQ.

The following Speech, worrhy of the character
of an indt:pendent Country Gentleman, who will
court neither Ministers nor mobs, was drlivere(l
by J. S. WoRTLEY, Esq. at.ShefSelcl:, during his
canvass among the Freeholders of the County of
t)ilk

",c4entlernen,—There are two,: great political
questions upon which 1 think it my, duty to say a
• few words :,anti though I doubt not but that I
shall ditter, (row many of you in my opinion, I
shall uevertheless.give it freely, fairly, and open-
ly. These questions are, the Emancipation of the
Catholics, and Reform in Parliament : in giving
,you my sentiments upon which, I shall endeavour
to be explicit... With respect to the first of these
.pftstions, no than cart be more satisfied than my.
of.the right which all have to their own form
worship;
,but I am as satisfied that in a country
,like this necessalry for its well-being that
here should be an established religion connected
,with the state. With the same feeling our fore-
fathers thought it, necessat y to impose certain re-
straiuts upon the Catholics, which restraints (bey
,now seek to have removed. I have always voted
for this question going into a Committee of the
house of Commons, in order that its meri s might
be more minutely discussed. I would likewise
have facility give') to every man to worship God
according to his conscience, in Iris own way and
. manner, so tar as while both Church and State are
Quit of danger ; but I can assure you, Gent!, men,
that my conscience has never been satisfied, or
my reason convinced, that the objects which the
Catholics now .s.ek could with safety be granted
to them, and until I am so satisfied, I shall ever
consider it my duty to rank myself amongst the
opposers of their claims.
" The other quesstion is Parliamentary Reform.
I know that thy sentiments on this subject will
differ very materially from those of many who
hear use, but I shall give my opinion on this, as ots
the last, wit bout the least hesitation. A won pt
the number of those whom I can call my friends,
there are some with whom I cannot conscien-
tiously join in opinion, but I have never failed to
draw from their candour a confession of way
right and honest intention. Upon this principle
appeal to your cat done, whilst I declare to ot►
that I consider the good of my country insepara-
bly connected with the Constitution as it wit*
established in 1688, by men as eminent for talent
as for attachment to the welfare of the people
With this conviction upon my mind, 1 cantiou
all who hear me from being led away by the in-
sidious though eloqaent harangues of certain de-
magogues, who, under the mask of reform, seek
to make you their tools for the destruction of the
Constitution ; and whilst I detest and abhor the
means which they take to mislead you, I fed to,
hesitation in saying they would, to obtain the ob-
ject of their ambition, wade to it through your
blood.

" Upon a former occasion, when I solicited
your suffrages, I did so as an independent country
gentleman, and I trust there are some before me
who can testify that 1 have never, in any one
instance, shrunk from the duties of that im-
portant character. For the last fourteen or fifteen
years, since I came to reside in this part of the
country, I have always attended to the call of
duty from this town in parliceilar, whether' it►
Parliament or out of it; and tho.,gb,• in the dis-
charge of my magisterial offit e, I have more than
once been placed before you in an unpleasant si-
tuation, I feel a pleasure it► saying I have 'lever
once torfeitcd that independence upon which
build my pretensions to the afire of 'your Repre-
sentative."