Star.
London, England, 1817-01-24 00:00:00

WOOD, )4 IYDR•

ACOMMON COUNCIL. hoiden its the A-
mber of the Guildhall of the Ci:y of London, on Thursday,
t:ie 23d day of January, 1811.
Resolved. -:ha: this Court, at a crid, of such v'wri and on •
exampled prekossre and ellamitv, feel thentselvCi called upon to
lay before Parliament a 'airlifulrepresmtation of their stieesocm.
Resolved, That these Btieeanc,o4, .0 deeply aff-eting all elitosti
of Society, are not temporay, unforeseen, or ut.avottlable
nurture, but are to be trae-tl to a In op and' frai ecurle 4.f warion
and 'wasteful estfavagancu In ihe expenditure of the Public
Money—to x profusion ut useless Places, bAnecuree, and unmet-
tited l'epshin.—to an enormous and uur.ecosioty btanding Array
in lime of Pe.iee--and to thl want of vim visilaoce ant corl'u-
twi.toai controul over the Executive Govertnneot, which can
only spriug irons a free, rival, and pure Rciresentaton of the
Parliament.

liesolwiti, -Lim this Court feel it untecessary to enter Into the
afirclimgdwail• of Distre-i and Suffering so Vriv:r.ally felt, b.e
cute col have become too manifest to have e card the ob.
szrva, ce of Parliament—the 4ectyed state of 'fr.td .—of the Ma-
:tun:. cres-...0f the Agricul um of tie Country—with the great
tiepteciatioolit the value of Property, athl the erorninut and via-
aduat weight of "Flotation have grievously attlud the inhabi-
tant, tt:c Ufl,ted K,Oglurit, perudalarly the middl.; and labo-
rious classes, sill a larg.: Onion of the pireulation • are compelled
to adeh subsistence upon c:.aril,or to tale tig in a wurhhouse.
liteutiveti, That the present cornpil 4 alumbr evils
demand immediate anti effectual remedy—t , as they have
chi" fly arisen from the corrupt and inaeequa:e st tte of the Re.
vresentationi•rall attempts to provide an et.ctuat rentedy, without
a *tinplate alad comprehensive Reform iu the Cans:num House
oLliartisinent, viestid prove delusive, and could neither allay the
initAted tilditlis of the Pewit, or *ford security agaisist future

encroachments.
Resolved, That lie conceive the Inequality In the ft epreeenot.
times is too notertous to requite to be pointed opt, when it le
known that Cantwell alone returns more *rough Members
than £5 outer Counties tegether.including, blidllesex, and more
than eleven Coundes, even including County Members.
Resolved, That the mode of Electson, the influence and Pa-
tronage. the dideibut mu of Places anti Petulant among. the Mem-
bers sued their Relatives, are facts that cannot but be equally wed
known; aud, even us prosperous times, would Alford buaciritt
motive to every friend of
.Fieethint Ala lover of the Consmution
to seek la ileforma ion : Inv. under the pretent acctimulation
of Distress, which thi: System has so unhappily engendered and
liiiiiitisi, we conceive the motive" are beemise too powerful., tut
talPerialle,htiOooger tat be masted or delayed.
',Reddest/mi that as txtravaganee and corruption in Govern.
Puna h4lig ltren:the 4kstrverlosi of all free States, so is it imp's.
sible that kshstem,•whie.h baa proved fatal to other States, should
• Ifs; 'innobessily!,puesued in this. We trust, therefore, that there
'May be at lallal late seatelitiell to the rsmatlt of the elistorkin, who
,has.so, *aided/tired the rise nod tall of other I:dapire ;, - Tk.it
Indi•Uiwit svietiosi .trVit .41 rimer—C:lll,-,,,,,..,5i r: r.v iii..--
am: thl:. hr t ttttt 17 1130thlaidirra, the ruin of the british Cenci-
tit (CI may be averted. . '
Recleetf, '1 hat this Chart, knowing the midepresentations
anti tattletales that aerie all boaes thro nth upon those W:ei Ale
avebialls iu a peaceable- and crinstitutlx:al maoner, a redress of
grievances, declare, that we cotertaiu n-. VrojvCtS ifiCOrsatitealt
with strand 'pros ice and experienrv. it is to the resturauun of
the *Mitt Couldstitien —to the amino; ut It tick to its true
Pria'cirkg'4l22t we lank—the sionistaing the dnratkat ut Parea.
talents, and a fair and edttal didttbotion of the elective trae.ctitte
amain! all Frerbohlere, Cupylwitters, aid How:. tt. Ida., 1 ityhn,
• tax •s—avith such regularities se win preserve the patty ...,1 na • i
Citric, of the Members, and render the House of etnallitilsll en
efficient organ df the Pe.pig. . I
Resolved, 'f het tor. the a:min:nem of tbese great and nationat ;
objeai. by audits a general union and co-Uperattisn, and giving
co the aktiocal fsellug a Arm. tviiiperate,pexceable, and constitu-
...
• -dlel abet thceiMerecot ab
• .
persons if rink, • ;sill{ prufecty, to ;pie their cortial and'
sea!oas assisissm to the peppiest large; and we. du hereby Write
them thereto, as the best naracoof prometing and securing the,
peaces liberty, Lappmest, and prosperky of the *MTh armpit&
Resolviid, 1 hat. Petitions, titeretete, be presented to Perlis-
merit, praying them to taint t mr.ters into their serious eon-,
'hieratic'. and that thefeilil. piewieri immediately co take the
ri
stoat affective cremates for inking alt Sinecures %ad mime.
tiled Pensions—fur reducing the present enormous litfilitiry
Pistabilshinent—tor establishing a general System'. of Retrench•
inert and tednenly—acid tor the more effectually obtaining a
Kadress stab Uraimances, and guarding against future Evils--
they. Will cause such a' Reform Li the Commons House of Par.
liatr.eot as will restore to the People their just and fair weight in
the liegishitute • WOODnio APE.

CuVRT OF COMMON WUNCIL.

PARLIAMEN rARY REFORM.

After the disposal of some routine matter, Mr.
Warritatewrose to introduce his motion, sad spoke
to the following' elect
MY Loan Marna—After the full discussion the
seat queuion-. of Parliamentary Reform received
from the Corporation of the City of London on a
lomat occasion, it Lifer from my intention to review
•the commanding principles upon which that measime
stands supported, ur to renew a line of argument that
has never yet been answered or contravened by its
oppor.ents. Indeed I have little in the defence of its
necessity to trouble you with this day. The convic-
tion of the Country is satisfied, and the enemies to
that desired .accomplishment have deserted every
round at alLtenable, to profit by misrepresentation,
or to delude by unjustifiable alarm: These are now
the expedients with which we have to contend. They
"sill misrepresent where they cannot argue ; those
who live on the tares, and are terrified for the exis-
Noce of their sordid advantages, will prejudice where
they -cannot convince, or work on the fears of the
timid, when unable to repress the reason of the dis-
'Owning and enlightened. They make up in malig-
east activity for their deficiency in truth and num-
bets, and in event of failure in their schemes of con-
itemplated taisrepresertution, have ventured to resort
.to the device of irritating the distressed and suffering
classes in the lower ranks of our population. It is
aot.enoegli to impute to the Reformers who have
uniformly advocated that question, views that the
whole tenor of their life and (*Watt repel, but a
desperate endeavour is attempted to irritite, insult,
and provoke the-. humble classes of society, because
they venture to attribute the sources of their increasing
and poignant miseries to their proper source. • The.
men, who, during an eapensive sad protracted near='
fares paitieatly;,submitted to every sacrifice, who
filledlooriorasite and manned your Meets, to whose
,Prewesa.tbelspletuleur of your naval and military re-
.potation icsaeisaly attributable, all of a sudden are
stripped of their claims, have their character of loyalty
and patriotic attachment vilely traduced, the moment
abet, 'tinder the pressure of calamity, they give ex-
resat to their sufferings, and complain of the mis-
Iv* end esyroption from which they sprung. That
thelle grievances were real—that no false view .of
Idteir sitaation was taken by the people, it is wholly
+e pi #2, two* nd emir enemies, the cot-

,rupt ()FLO laud, the holders of sinecures .nsl the re.
ceivers of nemerited pensions, know the tact wen,
and from that full perstrasinn they are. the more
alarmed. Ii is net surprising, therefore. that. at
the present moment they should apprehend lest the
bend of retrenchment should reach ami force thews
to theeurrender of their profligate restyle:es. Still it
is the duty of public bodies; such as I now address,
to vindicate the people in their collective astern-
, blies, peaceahly and constitutionally convened, Item
the Invectives and insinuations of terriied ext.-Ilion.
Now that the people its every district of the empire
ere deservedly solicitons for Reform cf the Repre-
sentAtieg—when they are renewing their Petitions
to the Legislature, the slanderous and atrocious cry
of disaffec..ion is unjustifiebly arrayed agaiest their
?trayer and their wishes. No man would say that it
was necessary that all petitioners should be qualified
for Ltgislators, it was suffitient that they *ere ag-
grieved, and that they in colisrleitional language de.
mantled the applicatinn of tae remedy.—:(lfrae, hear),
—ls this an unfounded picture that I have exhibited?
No—ic has been taken from the lite. it was to be re-
cegnized in every feature of the Declaration of the
Magistracy of Manchester. No Englishinan, could
peruse that document waren feelings of the deepest
indignation ; there is blended in it more 'of folly,
falsehood, and wickedtess. than his fallen under my
view, even in the rank harvests that the lest 25
years of corruption have produced.lirar, hear).—
Forsooth the great body of the people were to be
aspersed, because one or two acts of mischief bad
been committed, or through the folly of indiscreet
agents ene or two scenes of tumult had taken plum
tiave the authors of this Manchester Declaration,
and their worthy cooperators, some ulterior design
not yet visible, in contemplation ? IS it intended M
deter the people from the exercise df the right of peti-
tioning, that most effectual security for *hat remains
of popular privilige. as it is the most efficient instru-
ment of recovering what is lost ?—(llear, hear).—in
whet other. eppoiry, I would ask, nay, I will say,
irwehat other periods of our history have meetings of
the operative classes of our countrymen been con-
vened, where under the pressure of distress indescli-
hable, such a peaceable and temperate conduct has
been exeelptified in the investigation of riAtionel
grievances, eveeing also a degree of cnnstitutional
information hitherto in that sphere uhf life without a
parallel ?—( Mar, hear, and a ford'ul.-.:;. It was •,:in be
ascribed, and it •eas a gratifying promise of the hi.
tune, to that diffusion of knowledge and cairn rea-
soning that the hlessiegsof edlicAtien were extending
thioughout the conntry.—( Hear. liar).— Yet wl,en
I carry back me recollection et some of the argue
merits I advene.4 in this ceurt by some eppeeents
of Reit,: rn, I Ant led to suppose that the true nature
of our Constitution was in some quartets not v ell
uuderstood. I have heard the authority of our most
peototend,leamera, of our most distinguished Hitto.
times, of our most revered Statesmen, opposed by
precedents, in themselves at best but exceptions, and
derived horn the obscurest piniods.—((Borer, hear).
Our situation at this day, in my mind, bears. a elm
resemblance to the times of Charles if. with this
' great exception, that, then the people of the realm
.had a Parliament solicitous to redress their grievan.
ces, and to oppose the aggressions and corruption of
the Executive Power. Their coincidence with the
public feeling suLjected them to frequent.dissolutions,
but when the profligacy of the Court, compelled to
seek supplies, had assembled then,. 'true to their
trust, they directed their attt.ation to the wishes of
the constituent—iteeetd of ye:teeing tie demand.
they fell upon grievances. Tee Clown, again dis.
pleased. hachrecout,e to di,selution. In the cave-
geney how, did tbe City of London conduct its, e ?
It petitioomllec 'chess. There were hoverer rose:,
of the same;,deacription, as weak and as currepeee
the Magistracy a blencbester, litho also dated to
publish libellous declarations against. petitioning bp.
di,s, and froM their hostility, were detlgnatettet the
Abhorrers." Some of these men weretipened by
the House of Commons even in the reign of eStute.t.
while others, out of the House, were by ita
.order
prosecuted for their aggression on cereeitut:onel
privileges. At length the profligacy of the Exec*.
live Power prevailed—all connection between are
People and the Throne was intercepted—tee lt,veiss-
Linn followed—and in the person of James, tie fa-
tuity of Stuart was for ever benished from this realm.
Did our atirestois satisfy them elves with this eepul.
sion ? No—they provided against their future recur-
rence; and before even the deliverer. Whliam was
crowned, the Bill of Rights guaranteed the Riebt
of Petition and Remonstrance—(efeeihrere.)—Sure4
it is nut the way to uphold public tranquillity and
attachment, to contend that the people of England
had from name no rights : that all privileges to' Bri-
tish subjects were the spontaneous bounty of the
Crown. Doctrine such as this, if it ever could tee
tolerated, was for ever disowned at the Reyolutitia
of 1688. Let us for a moment consider the actual
state of our representation. Cornwell eloee send e;.
Members, whilst 15 other Counties send only k 0 Be--
gesses. Three Counties might be named sqich .e -
turned 104 Representatives, whilst a greeter number
was returned by et) others. vnt, could deliberately
say this was a system of Representat:on suited to the
character and corresponding with the interests of 0•-is
country ? The man who should, without steeei4
motives, answer, *melte affirmative. was i tieintnte
for ficellam. ,geidly rhe common sense cf mankind
Would be sufksient Aft riferobaten system iuckeivis,
inhich, radicille unjuatAprinciplee bad gteerAted a
rite of .politiciene, splicitOes for nothing but to di-
vide enormous emolument:3 amongst themselves, at
ombeyntwtaoonts, waleeadnentdhuhrttiJeov.v.eyt large is borne
doyen speaos of re/R-
-an
inity; but I have.; it it
.aefuey to .clothe myself woh
authorities the; in sir ewn. temes.uPbeld the tights
t
and characteref tWs nation, teed now coostitute te.e
glory of our history-e(Hhue heo.)—What says Mr.
t.Lot Ix ?--.
se
01 The supretw eeacutor e,ts contrery to his tuts,