Star.
London, England, 1830-02-19 00:00:00

desire to appropriate to themselves a part of the public money, it, on
open, fair, legal, and honourable manner. What hypocrisy ! ex-
claimed the noble lord, do not you, every one of you, obtain larger
sums of the public money by dishonest, flagitious, and covert
means ?
The house divided, but owing to the forma of the house, the
question, in point of fact, though not of form, wu taken on the
original motion—
Against it l6O
For it

Majority
Mr. BROUGHAM said that as many member had left the
house during the division, it might be better not to put the amend.
ment.—Adjourned at halt past one o'clock.

THE EVENING STAR.

LONDON.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19.

We shall print at full length on Monday the Bill for
restoring the Representation of the People, which the
Marquis of BLAN DFORD moved for leave to introduce
last night into the House of Commons.

The speech of the Marquis of BLAN DFORD, intro-
ductory to his motion for leave to bring in a Bill, "-to
restore the constitutional influence of the Commons.in
the Parliament of England," will be read with feelings
of equal interest and admiration. By very few—if few
any of the living Reformers, who have distinguished
themselves by submitting plans of reform to Par.
liament—has this great and comprehensive ques-
tion been treated with such a condensed use of
historical and constitutional authority, such a power
of precedent, illustrated by usage and by statute.
Besides all this, a strain of old English eloquence,
such as that House has for at least a century been
unaccustomed to hear—not over-ornate, and yet by
no means destitute of ornament—pervades the speech of
the Noble MA RQU is, and carries persuasion with it to all
uncorrupt and candid judgments. The Minority is almost
more than minor : but its record speaks eloquently the
disgrace of that House, and the glory of the Noble Mover.
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT—belying by his true conduct
some insidious reports, which had been spread indus-
triously by the rotten at BROOKS'S—gave an ef-
fectual and noble support to the motion. His
indignant allusion to tho apostacy of the Attorney-
General from the constitutional principles in which he
formerly affected to glory, stung that renegade placeman
to the quick. He rose to defend himself, but all that he
advanced only fastened upon him more irremovably
the stigma which he seemed ashamed to carry. He
said something about " the liberty of the Press
being the terror of the Press"—he should have said
ratber,the terror of real-administrants and corruptionists
—and he justified, before an unrevolted Howse, the per-
secutions which he had conducted. Let bim say what he
pleases, in their justification—he is paid well for the dis-
graceful work : but it is time now, since the Press has so
few friends, and so many enemies, that it should adopt
some means for the counteraction of this malignant
spirit. The treatment of Mr. ALEXANDER, in New-
gate, has been incredibly scandalous and cruel: the
public would scareely believe—if we were to narrate the
particulars of the first days of his imprisonment—tbe
unnecessary coercions and restraints, the infamous per-
sonal indignities which were heaped upon him. But we
shall return to this.

To Sir FRANCIS BURDETT, then—independently of
the strong support which he afforded last night to the
motion of the Noble MARQUIS—the popular Press of
this country owes a debt of unfeigned gratitude, for the
chastisement which he gave its oppressors. Sii ROBERT
WI LSON spoke, also, in favour of the general necessity
for Parliamentary Reform, but avowed himself unpre-
pared for such an extensive restoration of Con-
stitutional practices, as the Noble MARQUIS ap-
peared to contemplate. He, also, spoke of his pre-
vious distrust of the Noble LORD, but admitted
that—by his present conduct—he had removed that
unfavourable feeling. The Honourable and Gallant
Member appeared to indicate a certain point, up to which
he felt himself authorised by his Constituents to support
reform: but this point stopped far short of the renova-
tions, proposed to be introduced by the Noble Loan.
We were not aware—until we read this debate—that
the men of Southwark were so moderate, in their
sympathies for the Constitution: but, doubtless, they
know best, what standard of parliamentary purity
they have commissioned their Representative to
exert himself in their names to obtain. We cannot
dismiss, without one other remark, the speech of
the• Honourable and Gallant Member—it is this : that
his use of the phrase, " authorised by his constituents,"
seems to favour a doctrine, at which all independent mind.
must revolt. A member is chosen by his constituents—
or ought to be—,because of their good opinion of his
political principles and powers of judgment, pre-
viously formed. But in the great aggregate Ab-
sembly of the Representatives of the People,
he is to speak his own best persuasions accord-
ing to his own judgment, and not to be over-
ruled by the opinions of any knot whatever. For any
one body of 'constituents—when considered relatively
with the mass of national electors—dwindles immediately

into a comparative knot of men. This putting forecuti,
therefore, in a great deka, of whatever may be the
sal or pleasure of the speaker's constituency, is but the
making that constituency a stalking-horse, behind which
te shelter opinions, which the person speaking may feel
it either inexpedient, or reproachful to avow. We cannot
topetrongly record our disapprobation of such a pru-
de*: it only saves the person resorting to it, in the eyes
of the unsegacious. To be sure, though, that is a great
deal : but we do not envy the manoeuvre.
Want of space obliges us to forego much more, which
the discussions of last night suggest: but we cannot too
cordially thank Mr. BEN ETT of Wiltshire and Mr.
O'Cow ELL, for the spirit in which they supported the
Noble MAIQUIs. Mr. HolillOusz—notwithstanding
his profession of radicalism—Ave cannot help saying, made
bat an epicene sad suspicious figure ; and there were
others, whose support was wrung from them by
position in which they stood, rather than from any
antipathies with which they are known to regard Peale-
sasteary corruption. Hortacx Twice is beneath anima:id-
vindoo. The thanlis of the People of gngland are due
to the Marquis of BLANDIVILD--and no doubt they
will be loudly expreased—for the dauntless and tho-
ages explain which he has given to the sys-
lima 4( beViNeible abuse and depravity, which
hes el bog dipileed.—nad still deprives them—of their
Oesatileilional right to vend their own Representatives
is Phillessent.
, •
Zama s Primed ad Pibilsbed by imp Moves, ge she Pees-
Orme ITe.l, Piebett-pleesaemple list.


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