Star.
London, England, 1823-01-30 00:00:00

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LAZJVE L Ate riy.
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of England tlemander4 rights, and L
. were granted they would iteser return to a state .t..
tranquillity. Better to perish in a glorious contest
for liberty, than to lead a 11fe of slavish dependence,
or Icoe ygeietaeof. their. constitutional privileges.—
The rot-*,6toughtystetri iCbatlsanedescribed-
as onewirieinntit aldtrocAiWO Off, it MUiffseiinpu-
tated.. He had thus occupied the tithe of-the .00tut
at aok-le,ngth, and he would now. pnly add, that
theritaid i
erashodetktheir opinions and these faits its
•i 1 low Pitition, o* ethic's . they Wished the public
tint thtileveise its judgment. aitighthe Charged
factioN of entertaining visionary jetiOns; but
LCUdetamden" and Chatham wet's, obliged-to defend
themselves against Similar charges. -It is just•like.
the conjuror, who must say something while he is'
.• putting his hands in your pockets. The cause of Re-
form was daily gaining ground. He remembered
talking to Lord Folkstone, and endeavouring to con-
vince him of the necessity of Reform in vain, and yet
they all now saw how nobly-711e stood up for Reform,
from A conscientious conviction of- its necessity. A
majority of the County Members had, during thelast.
Session, and a majority of the Members for large
towns, had voted against Ministers, so that their ma-
jorities were got from the rotten Boroughs. He had
thus shewn the inadequacy of this state of Representa-
tion, and the way in which taxes were raised on the
People without their fair consent. He had no fears
of the success of the Petition, and should now content
himself with moving a Resolution which embraced
all the descriptive parts of the Petition—(For which
sec. Advertisement).
.Mr. Falter. rose to second the motion. He felt
great difficulty in following his worthy friend, who
hicl.so often, and so ably advocated the cause of
Deform ; but he was glad to see a gleam of hope
that. there would be that union and co-operation in
the country which would bring about a Reform at
list. The City of London bad hoisted the standard,
and the brave yeomanry of' England had joined it ;
and that brought to his mini the old proverb, Nil
desperanduau. The corruptionists and borough-
mongers must fall. Lord Bolingbroke somewhere
ta4 said that the Constitution would be immortal, as
long as it was maintained in perfect purity. To over-
- throw the doctrine. of jure divigo. passive obedience,
Mid non-resistance, suppotted.by the whole Learned
xiodr of Word, cost this country,
.twenty years civil
war, and the expulsion of the Stuarts. He attributed
the loss of America, and the enactment of the. Six
Acts, to the want of Parliamentary Reform. This.
was about the 140th time he had addressed his couu•
trymen in London or the Borough, and chiefly on
Reform ; and now was consoling to him, as an old
Reformer. to see that great cause prospering so well.
Ile quoted Oldfield on Boiouglis, where he describes
voters holding. up five or ten finger, to signify the
number of guineas they expected from a Candidate
- for their votes. Mr. Canning had raised a new bug-
bear, and that was, that Reform would endanger
the existence of the Monarchy; but that was sup-
posing the People to be disaffected, or generally Re-
publican. In 1792;the.Public considered Reformers
as levellers of property; but who had been the real
levellers? Why the supporters of Tythess Pensions,
and a Property Tax. 'rho Howie of Commons had
itself began to dabble with Reform. Indisfranchising
-Grampound, and giving two Members. more to York-
shire. If they pursued that Plan, sufficient bribery
might be proved agitinst all the rotten boroughs to
'disfranchise them ; and in that Wa7 thee would ob-
tain Reform to a ce: Lain extent. 'He was a Moderate
.Reformer, inasmuch as lie sought for it onli through
Constitutional means ; and he was not an advocate
-for Annual Parliaments, though there ought to be
an extension of the right of suffrage, but not to the
day labourer. who would loie much times which
should be devoted to the maintenance of his family.
They were arrived at a remarkable era, where there
were so many quacks in Reform, that spewed the ma-
lady under which the country labours to be desperate.
The Recommit then read the Resolution.
Alderman 'ENABLES knew the disadvantages he
laboured under in following the two last speakers ;
but he felt it his duty to deliver his sentiments on
this subject. He considered a Reform necessary for
tle tranquillity and happiness of the country, and for
the maintenance of the- Constitution. It was said,
that the People had .already a sufficient share in the
Representation; but to that he answered, they had
not that share in the return-;f their Members 'which
'the-Coristitation had originaUy.graoted to them. In
E;ing John's time, and Edward I. they stated their
cts of Parliament to have.been enacted, with the
advice of the freemen of their realm. zip one could
be ignorant, that now a. great majority of Members
of Parliament was returned without the generil con-
sent of the People. If, as it had been said, virtual
Representation was as good as actual Representation,
then the latter most be as good as the former; and
why should the People be deprived of it, when they
prized it so much ? The house of Commons, as it
• was flow constituted, enjoyed more power than ever
it did, and the fact was, it was differently constituted
now entirely from what it had ever been before. Let
them look at the parsimony and niggardliness with
which Parliaments in Queen Elizabeth s and Charles
the First's reigns doled out the public money to the
Sovereign. This was enough to slimy that the House
of Commons did not now fairly'represent the People.
lie had no fears of endangering the prerogative ofthe
Crown ; and he believed that all the nations of Europe.
would gain Representative GovernMents ; 'for,: in his
opinion, it would be as itnpossible.to stop, die dawning
- light of morning, as to ;heck:the' Spirit of i,nquiry
and information which was _now'abro4. :in fall ic-
appiaoss). ,
Mr. S. Dixos wafr•of opOrim.that,',the, extension of
the elective franchise ;night, endanger the safety of
4/le' country. 'Could, poly ;4 die -,G4inftemina who
wished to set this great marintelo,M4o pr!!end to
stop kif itseent tOo f0r1,24e iieed the car."
llitrante,:irbere the Reformers wt7t.,swdalowed utt
• iii
their 11(101eL 80t.f.ef1•80T9411% as tlitl.were
oft n been represented by 1400461'a as much
wrAitt imegrstraa those whortsat for Conn.!
: Jia tier eatension sought for, w 4'. jaw Intense
••n ,sl!tleitintrihntla.til.erPhersal Parliament.. The influence'
- :-• tediihad: btu% tatlig brti.44 itittegett.froiti
tended commerce and niatitifi4ures 'Or the country,
and not from a defect in the representation, nor from
. undue exercise of the Royal prerogative. Mr.