The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-06-05 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN.

nos impossible for hint to describe the satisfaction I
which lie felt in having Isis motion seconded by a man, I '
whose very name was a pledge that the reform which
hr contemplated was a good and an efficient Reform.
'I he lion. Bart. who hail addressed them, tntsted that
the motion would do good, though he confessed that
hr WAS not acquainted with the nature of it. He would,
therefore, seize the opportunity of telling the Hon.
Bart. what he intended by it. It was that the dura-
tion of Parliaments should be shortened ; that there
should he an extension of suffrage to copyholders and
leaseholders in counties; that all householders should
be allowed to vote for towns; 'and that there should
be some new regulation as to the capability of leues-
hers to sit in Parliament. It was also consistent with
his plan that corrupt boroughs should be disfranchised,
as also small and decayed ones; that their franchises
sl Id be transferred to great towns ; and that, for
the sake of preventing the great expense which was
too often incurred in elections, the country should he
di; ided into tlistrirts. l u proposing a reform of tit'.
'boort-, he trusted that he should satisfy all the real
friends of reform and of the constitution. There was,
howevor, another notion of reforus, which, though he
as friendly to it, he did not think t :Ise by itself sufficient
--lie meant the disfratirhising of boroughs notoriously
corrtipt. lie c.itilll not think it sufficient to mend
one lii:te in a wont, Is Ilia there were also a hundred
oilier places in dee.iy and long rheering.)
iiitlecil the %cry proposition of such a plan reminded
him of the story of the beggar, who, in reply to
Pope's usnal exelaination of tiod mend nor,- said,
(los' mend you !—lse might snake twenty such as use
bebtre he could mend one such as yon.---(Lattzliter.)
So he said with regard to the representation—it would
be better to 111Pke a thorullji ribeirnt reform 111 it at
once, than lo it only by the disfranchisement of
places like tiraospottml, which, though not more cor-
rupt than many others, had, fortunately for the coun-
try, but unfortunately for itself, been detected in all
its bail prve.ices.—','Clicers.)—lle then proceeded to
say that there sayer was .t period in the history of the
rountry alied more for indepentletwir, both in
the people and in public in n, tha:, the present. If the
spirit of independence slid not exist lei the people, all
the e‘ertioe• of public men in their behalf would be
1.11. and useless. Ihe result, however, of the late
election. L. d convinced him that the country hail no
reason to despair—that there was a spirit of itidepend-
viler abroad in it, which proved that Kutrlbtinnett had
not degenerated it the high chararter of thr:r fore-
fathers, anal that, if independent 111111 WlOlllll e
forward and solicit the stiffraTes of their countr men,
their countrytm•ei would not desert, hut tirmiy support
them. He was nut surprised at the holleatati 0000 telt ley
his lion. Relative at the scenes which lie had beheld in
the present Parliament : hr had himself now %.ite in
that Mom for seven years. and had from use come
more callous to its practices than his Honourable Rela-
tive- ; but still lie mast say that his honourable Rela-
tive could not 'lase felt greater indignation than lie
Lad himself stoat. in witnessing that infamomi and abo-
minable Scot. li which had lately been exposed to
the country. 'Eliere sower was a case of greater abuse-
brought before the notice of the House, nor one in
which tiovernment had more need of the serviees of all
its dependents. 1 Ise manner its whirh they had de-
fended it was more a subject of joy than of regret to
bins, becalm- it was by such deeds that people hail
their eyes opened, and lweame convitieril of the neer,-
silty of reform. Ile therefore hailed with pleasure this
fresh IllstAllee of corruption, beennse it would hrisg
over to their cause many well-meaning lint weak and
timid mesa, who required such arguments in onier to
lie eons lured. lie ought to apologise for trespassing
so much upon their attention.—(rheers.)—But, con-
ise..ted as he had been with the toast of Parliamentary
Reform, lie hail felt it necessary to state how far he
was willing to go in the procuring of it, and lion great
and urgent the necessity was that some sort of reform
should immediately be granted. 1% ithitut it, retrench-
went and econony would be quite useless ; an:l do what
they might to cleanse the Augrais stable, and he was
willing to do every thing in Isis 1101Ver, they woltlllllllll
it of no effect if they slid not ohtain a thorough and
efficient reform. The Honourable lientleman then
proceeded to snake souse remarks on the manner in
which be himself had been returned to Parliament at
the late geteral election. Plareman as ilia antago-
nist formerly had been, pensioner as he how was, hr
(Mr. Lantliton) had discomfited all his efforts, and
had taught him that the rights of the freeholders of
the county of Durlnim were not to be placed at the
mercy of any individual whatever. He (Mr. Wharton)
had likewise been taught that, as in Middlesex, the
electors hail the courage to despise the solicitations
of the Board of Oriltiance—(Loud cheering)—so in
Durham they had had the courage to spurn the solici-
tations of the Treasury, and all the gentle insinuations
cf the Church.--(Applause.)---Whilst upon this subject
lie would, in reply to sonic calumnies which had ap-
peared against him in that common sewer of all Mini•
sterial filth and dirtiness, the Costlier newspaper, state
again what he had stated on a former occasion, that
of the members of the church, when they performed
their duties as Christian ministers ought to do, and
When they inculcated both, by word and action the
doctrines of genuine charity, there was rota warmer
admirer than himself ; but that,when they grovelled in
th • mire of Ministerial politics, when they identified
theniselves with the assailants of independence, and
When they no longer afforded an example of that pu-
rity oh character which ought to belong to them, they
had not a stronger or more decided adversary than he
was.—(lsond cheers.)
Toast, " Aldermen Wood. Walthonan, and Thorp. and the
Independent 1.i% ery of Loudon.-
Mr. W turitu•st Terme/nal thanks in a speech which
we are sorry that oar limits will not allow as to re-
port.

Toest, "The Marquis of Tavistoek, and the Independence
of the County of Bedford."
The Marquis of 111'18711M returned the company
thanks fur the honour which they load done him, and
observed. that though he was not much in the habit of
attending public meetings, he could not refrain from ex-
pressing the high satisfaction which lic-derived from the
present meeting, as well on account of the cause for
which it was convened as for the expression of public
feeling which it had occasioned. His Honourable Friend.
Mr. livng, well knew the high respect which he enter-
tained for him ; and when be said that the warmest po-
litical attachment which be had ever felt in his life, was
Ito the late Mr. Whitbread, they wouW see that, knowing