Star.
London, England, 1831-05-23 00:00:00

MONDAY EVENING, MAY 23, 1831.

PRICE 71).

What good to the hewer of wood and tie drawer of water ? How
is he benefined, if Old Sarum is abolished, and Birmingham members
created ?" But if you ask this question of reform, you must ask it of a
great number of other measures ? How is he benefitted by Catholic
Busaneipation, by the repeal of the Corporation and Teat Act, by the
revolutions of 1688, by any great political change ? by a good go.
veromeot ? In the first place, if many are benefitted, and the
lower orders are not injured, this alone is reason enough for the
change. But the hewer of wood, and the drawer of water are bene-
fited by reform. Reform will produce economy and investigatior ;
there will be fewer jobs, and a less lavish expenditure; wan will not
be persevered in for years after the people are tired of them ; taxes will
be taken off the poor, and laid upon the vkb ; demotic habits will be
more common In a country where the rich are forced to court the poor
for political power; cruel and oppressive punishments (such as those
for night poaching) will be abolished. If you steal a pheasant, you
will w punished, as you ought to be, but not seat away from your wife
Wm and cla far seven years. Tobacco will be 2d per pound cheaper.
Candles will fall in prior. These last results of an Improved govern-
ment wilt be felt. We do Dot pretend to abolish poverty, or to prevent
,sitracheilmem ; bat if peace, economy, and justice, are the results of
refines, a another of small benalha, or retiree of benefits which sprier
small to us bat not to them, wilt 'case to millions of the people; and
the connection between the existence of John Russell, and the reduced
price of bread and cheese, will be as clear as it has been the object of his
honest, wise, and useful life to make it.

Don't be led away by such nonsense; all things are dearer nodes a
bad government, and cheaper tinder a good one. The real question
they ask you Is, What difference can any change of government make
to you ? They want to keep the bees from bussing and stinging, in
order that they may rob the hive in peace.
Work well ! How does it work well, when every human being, in
doors and out, (with the exception of the Duke of Wellington) says it
must be made to work better, or it will soon cease to work at all P It
is little short of absolute nonsense to call a government good, which
the great mass of Englishmen would, before twenty yams were
elapsed, if reform were denied, rise up and destroy. Oi what use have
all the cruel laws been of Perceval, Eldon, and Castlereagh, to extin-
guish reform ? Lord John Bassett. and his abettors, would have been
committed to jail twenty years ago for half only of his present reform :
and now relays of people would drag them horn London to Edinburgh;
at which latter city we are told by Mr. Dundee, that there is me eager-
ness for reform. Five minutes before Moses struck the rock, this gen-
tleman would have said that there was no eagerness for water.

There are two methods of malting alterations : the one is, to despise
the applicants, to begin with refusing every concession, then to relax
by making concessions which are always too late, by offering in 1831
what is then too late, but would have ban cheerfully accepted io 1830,
—gradually to O'Connellise the country, till at last, after this process
has gone on for some time, the alarm becomes too great, and every
thing is conceded in hurry and confusion. In the mean time, fresh
conspiracies have been hatched by the long delay, and no gratitude is
expressed for what has been extorted by fear. In this way, peace was
concluded with America, and Emancipation granted to the Catholics;
and in this way the war of complexion will be finished in the West In.
dies. The other method is, to see at a distance that the thing must be
done, and to do it eflictually, and at once ; to take it out of the hands
of the common people, and to carry the measure in a manly liberal
manner, so as to satisfy the great majority. The merit of this belongs
to the administration of Lord Grey. He is the only Minister I know
of who has begun a great measure in good time, conceded at the be-
ginning of twenty years what would have been extorted at the end
of it, and prevented that folly, violence, and frames, which
emanate from a long denial and extorted toweled.* of jam.;
doe to great masses of human beings. I believe the question of tefetm,
or any dangerous agitatioo of .t, is set at resdor thirty a forty years;
and this is an eternity in politics.
Boroughs are not the power proceeding from wealth. Many men,
who have tio boroughs, are infinitely richer than those who hares-but
it is ,be artifice of wealth in seising hold of certain localities. The
bororghnionger is like rheumatism, which owesit newer, not so much
to the intensity of the pain as to its peculiar position; • little higher
up, or a little lower down, the sane pain would be trifling; but it
Axes in the joints, and gets into the bead quarters of motion and acti-
vity. The boroughmonger knows the hoportanoe of srthlsie positions;
he disdains muscle, gets into the joints, and lords it over the whole ma.
chine by felicity of place. Other men are as rich—but those riches
are not fixed hi a critical spot.
I lives good deal with all ranks Lod descriptions of people; I am
thoroughly convinced that the party of Democrats and Republicans is
very small and contemptible; that the English love their institutions
—that they love not only this Kings Oche would not love hint ?) but
the kingly off:ex.-that they have ao hatred to the Aristocracy. iam
not afraid of trusting English happiness to English Gentlemen. I be.
Rea that the half million of new voters will chase much better for time
public, than the twenty or thirty Peers, to whose usurped power they
succeed.
If any man doubts of the power of Reform, let him take these two
memorable proofs of its omnipotence. First, but for the declaration against
it, I believe the Duke of Wellington might this day have been in office ;
and secondly, in the whole course of the debates at county meetings. and
in parliament, there are not twenty men who have declared against Re-
form. Some advance an inch, some a foot, some a yard.-hut
nobody stands still—nobody sari, we ought to remain just
where we were—every body discovers that he is a Refonna
and has long been so and appears Infinitely delighted with
this new view of himself. Nobody appears without the crekede--
bigger or less—but always the cockade.
An exact and elaborate census totalled for—vast information should
have been laid upon the table of the House—great time should have
been gives: for deliberation." All these objections being turned into
English, simply mean, that the chances of another year should have
been given for defeating the Bill. In that time the Poles may be
crushed, the Belgians °ennead, Louis Philip dethroned; war may
tur all over Europe--the popular spirit may be diarted to other
objects. It is certainly movoking that the Ministry foresaw all these
possibilities, and deterwined to model :he iron while it was red, and
glowing.
It is not enough that a political institution works well practically:.
It must be defensible ; it must be such as will bear discussion, and not
excite ridicule and contempt. It alight work well, for might I know,
if like the savages of Onelashka, we sent out to catch a King : but who
could defend a coronation by chase ? who can defend the payment of
40,0001. for the three hundreds part of the power of Parliament, sad
the re-sale of this power to Government for places to the Lord WE-
Hams's, and Lord Charles's, and others of the Anglophasi P Teach a
million of the common people to real—and such a Government (work
it ever so well.) must perish in twenty years. It is impossible to Tx:-
sonde the mama of mankind, that there are not other and better methods
of governing a country. It is so complicated, so wicked, such envy
and hatred accumulate against the gentlemen who have fixed them-
selves on the joints, that it cannot fail to perish, and to be driven as it
is driven from the country, by a general burst of hatred and detestation.
I meant, gentlemen, to have spoken for another half hour, but I am old
and tired. Thank me for ending—but, gentlemen, bear with me for
another moment; one word more before I end. IAM old, but 1 thank
God 1 have lived to see more than my observations on human nature
taught me I had any right to expect. I have lived to see an honest
King, iu whose word his ministers can trust; who diadeins to deceive
those men whom he has called to the public service, but makes coo-
mon cause with them for .he common good, and exacices the
powers of a ruler for the dearest interests of .he state. I have
liveds
to see a King with a good heart, who, surrounded by nobles, thinks of
common men ; who loves the great mass of English people, sod
wishes to be loved by them ; who knows that his real power, a lee fads
that his happiness is founded on their affection. I have lived to see
King, who, without pretending to time pomp of superior Intellect, has
the wisdom to see, that the decayed institutions of human policy re-
quire amendment; and who, in spite of clamour, interest, prejudice,
sod fear, has the manliness to carry these who changes into immediate
execution. Gentlemea farewell r shout for the King!,
•

LORD CHANCELLOR Tli URLOW.--When it was resolved
to deprive Lord Thurlow of the seals, none of the Ministers seemed
willing to be the person to demand them, (which it was desirable should
be done personally,) from the ungracious reception which it was sup-
posed he would meet with. At last Lord Melville was prevailed upon
to undertake the task. Readopted the following plan for that
The evening beibre, he sent a note to the ahasealloc, infamies
that he proposed havlag the honour of bessideting with hie
neat day, and that he had some very peetteldst beeline se utile
biro. On his coming eettereerning, Lod Thole* said W Nth, " I
know the business en width Yew have came. You than laves the
and Beale. There they ww,• (pointing*. a table en width he bedpans&
them,) " and there is yaw breekfaet,"—wf which they partook vinyew•
ciably together. Lard Melville said, that be never saw Lord Tilde,
in brUer humour, and they parted apparently very good Mende.