Star.
London, England, 1809-05-27 00:00:00

acted in the sister kingdom, old in the practice of cor-
ruption though young in years, should be detected at
last through a carelessness arisirg from constant habit
and h,ng impunity, how much stronger would the ar-
guntont of defence from the frequency of he practice
be in such a case, than in that of the Noble Lord to
whom he alluded ? The tie of honour, as it was cal-
-Ir4, would then be stronger, and it would be urged,
from the very circumstance cf the little notice taken
cf the N,ble Lord's case, that their ancestors never in-
tended :hat the present Bill should be carried into ef-
fect. The Hon. Baronet referred those who asked
where they should look for the Constitution, to
MatTa Chart a—to the Act of Settlement and the Bill
of Rights. It had been said of him, that he had held
out the Bill of Rights as an existing law. He had
only referred to that among documents. as proofs of the
principles of the Consitution—of " the unalienable
and imprescriptibie rights of the people," to use the
language of the Bill itself. That subsequent Acts had
vi dated those principles, was one of his grounds of
complaint. As to the time of RefOrm, there were some
who thought there were two seasons improper for Re-
form—a time of peace and a time of war. In peace it
was a pity to disturb the general tranquillity—in war
the nation had a great deal of other business on its
hands. There were many also who denied that Re-
form would have any effect in diminishing the bur-
thens of the people. This was as much as to say, that
there was no connection between representation and
taxation. But unless the Gentlemen expected some
practical good of this kind from Reform, why did they
support it ? For his part, he saw no use in it, except
from the effect it would produce with respect to the
controul of the expenditure. In the year 1785, Mr.

Pitt • .15 a friend to reform, as was Mr. Dundas.—
But a Minister might wish for reform, and yet be ut-
terly unable to effect it. From the length to which
these corrupt practices had proceeded, it was apparent
that tl:e'great object of reform could only be attained
by a firm but temperate action of the people out of
doors upcn the House. If some of the friends of re-
form had injured the cause, the friends of corruption
had certainly injured their cans% The priests had
torn as de the veil of the temple, and exposed their
ido 1. That idol, he hoped, would fall before the uni-
teJ voice of the nation, as Dagon, the idol (if Pales-
tine, had fallen before the Ark, and put to shanae his
worshippers.
Mr. FULLER was astonished that a Gentleman should depre-
ciate the liberty of the country at a time when he was making one
of the freest speeches that had ever passed the bps of loan. Not ith
respect to being a real representative of the people, he certainly
had as much right to call himself so as the i lonourable Baronet ;
for he had never bribe. the County of Midclletel, and thrown
away .E 70,000 upon an election; nor had he ever produced three
or 403 voters, who were afterwards found not to be voters, and
maw, of whom had since been sent to Botany Bay. (.1 laugh.)
As to the people who made fine speeches, and clapped their bawds
upon their Isearts—they might a., well clap them any where else.
(.1 1a:.g.4.) After they had gained their object, they might per-
haps e xclaim like Jack Wilkes, " What fouls these z.re to
be so deluded." He had no objection to allow the Bill to go to a
Committee; although he did not like the administration .of oaths
proposed in it, by which the Duke of Norfolk, (Order,,; or the
Duke of any body else, might be sent to Botany Bay for giving a
pint of wine, and then inadvertently swearing that he had not
been guilty of bribery. (A 1.7:1h.) Instead of such a penalty, he
would propose in the Committee to substitute a heavy nne, and
raclutioA hum the existing Parliament.
Mt. W'ILBERFORCE recommended moderation to both sides
of t I iofoe. On the one side they ought to Leware of defen-
co: rup•on ; on the other, they ought to bewure of vilifying
the Consti: mini., ant! shew..g an insenstbilin; to the ble,sings they
enjoyed.
tli. WINDHAM defended the present system of elections to
Parliament. It was neither criminal nor improper to buy or sell
a Seat in that lintise, except ohe expressly forbidden by lbw,
and the term corruptton misappiied. As to the brilnog of
voters. this was a maim p..31:i1,ti0,i, sod properly so. but ti did
not follow that the paying for seats st..s corrupt. Morality
bad nothing to do with the matt, r. he one was wrong becat.se
Prohibited by Law, the other not being so prohibited was not in-
cestarily wrong. He remembered, when a buy, to have heard a
kind of wit, at a Notfclk election, witch applied to this aqu-
i:tent. One of the candidates was obnoxious fur having inelesed
a part of a common; a questieen was frequently asked, " What
does he de,erne who veal- a Goose limn a Commor.?"—t he answt r
was, ::eat he deserved to be hanged.—and this was followed up by
ano her cif etfion, " What does he deserve who steals the Com-
mon frara the Goose ?" loud:arolh.) But though it would have
been wrong to hays stolen the Goo-e Fre m the Common—it was
not su :o have stolen the Common from the Goose. tse same
manner it might be very improper to bribe Voters, and yet per-
fectly inne e t to buy or -eli a :Icy:.
Mr. IsR.. k.; GE BeI..I*HURST supported the Bill.
L:n.cl PORCHES FER was of opinion, teat if the House went
Into a C....rn.mittee on the 2111, its provisions =i,ght be made eE-
*scions.

Mr. TIERNEY adverted to the animadversions which the
Honourable Baronet (Sir Francis Burdett) Lad ventured to make
upon Lis puldic conduct out of doors. It the report which had
gone abroad was correct, be should ask how the Honourable
Baronet dared to state that his pockets were filled with public
plunder? -At least when the Honourable baronet commented
upon his (Mr. Tierney's) public conduce, he advised kires to re-
present it fairly. In what view did the Honourabie Baronet ex-
hibit hiinsnli? He was, indeed, a polnizal sea-CU!, cuntinnally
screaming fool weather; accusing all other public men of
hones,e,and allowing neither patriotism nor integrity but to him-
s-li. When the Honourable Baronet was olaced on a table at the
Crown and Anchor, his object was to fashion his expresaions
to the taste of his admiring auditors, amply gratified with the
plat din, they bestowed. The Honourable Member next alluded
to the statement of an Honourable Member (Mr. Wardle;, that
Parliamentary Reform would diminish considerably the publ:c
hardens Of the country. He (Mr. 'tier-n.7) thoui,htt t..11.1c cteutle•
man cannel inom to state the grounds of that. opinion.
Mr. WARDLE -avowed his conviction, that by the proper and
due &economy, which in every branch of the public expenditure
would be tke consequence of a fair and just representation of the
people iu Parliament, burdens to the annual amount of eleven
miilions might be saved. He would, on a future occasion, state
ttlly in, grounds upon n Inch he formed that opinion.
Mr. MADOCKS vindicated the conduct he had pursued in
vie:email:lug to obtain a Reform in the ReprLsentation of the
People.
Lord MILTON gave his support to the bill, and at the same
time hop.d that the Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Wardle) would
tide a>a catty opportunity of proving to that House, that such a
beneficial ressl: as the reduction of eleven millions annually from
the public borealis woad follow front the adoption of Parliamen-
tory Reform.
Sir RALPH MILBANK expressed himself the decided friend
to Parliamentary Reform, at whatever time, and by Wll.olilat,
Lv. r, it WAS brought forward in that House.
:)ir FRANCIS BURDETT, in explanation, stated that he did
Lit charge the Right Honourable Member (Mr. .1 ierney) with
ka:ing his pockets filled with the public plunder, because the
Right Honourable Gentleman was not long enouL,l, in office for
that apse. (Goad lasTAtar.) Whatever observations he had
5....de, or ever should make, upon the pul.iic conduct of that Right
flotiouraloe Gentleman, or any otiler, hie was ready to answer
der them in his own person,
LYTTLE lON gave the present Bill a limited support,
ft!ATVICZ, to himself the full liberty of assenting to any ulterior
neasure of Parliamerinzy Reformation which may be submitted
ea the conneleriet ion of Ike House. He next adverted to the crate
tf parties, and thobgh unwilling to issdulge in any general pro-
acint non of public men, he still should declare, that, in his opi-
nion, more than one party in this country, by ►waving from their
;o4fhic principles, had disgraced themselves.
Mt. BARHAM, after the declaration of an Honourable
11.1tratr (Mr. Wardle), that eleven millions of the peddle taxes
nould br saved, considered that Gentleman bonnet to name a spe•-
•..S: day when be wotdd mak good that dream, t.a t.) the House.