The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-04-20 00:00:00

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in) sAitimenb, fur if have any claim to your
f.erour, it is, that from the moment I entered into
rublic life, I trust for the People's welfare, I have
not, in pity assembly, been afraid freely to state
my °pillion. I sin not noir afraid of losing the
&Isere I possess of your favour by telliag you what
toy opinions arc on the p> sent occasion. If, when
the leepiry against the Duke of York was insti.•
toted, there had been no privilege in the llouse
.uf Commits to compel the attendance of wit.
LCSIV,S, to force ,thent from the protection and
'shield er thh..trown, supposing it to have af-
fanied-itr /inflection,. tray -111butO We' 'noised rid
COMMOtti have been throivn au Its liaekee4tow
wooW the People have been foiled-'bew ;would
that great Inquiry have failed for *tot of !hat
polver e hick, when it is properly empliyedilt is
'necessary the House of Commons shetisld have.
I:uw to reason from use to abuse, and to say•that.
because &privilege has been abused it therefore k
net a necessary privilege, is not to• reason fairly%
Do nutlet us, because bad men have attempted's:
abuse privilege, or have misconstrued it, Woo,
h ipe. to live under a reformed Parlianstesti liwii
stray that power .which is necessary to :111reellse
licence, and then have it thrown is our Itediel
that .in reforming Parliament we have rendered,
it incompetent to the protsotiun of the.peopits.'
It would be said, " you were the persons who
snainteised that the 'tyke of Commons ought to
be shorn of its privileges; now see the condition
to which you have reduced it.—you have made
your bed," and you snorts been it : there is your
reformed House of 'Comment, but it is powerless,
and the people are consequently without power,
or the mesas et redress." But, Gentlemen, do
not•Amagine that I mean to contend for any urine.
rosary assamption of privilege or power in. the
Henley( Consmeos. If any privileges dr powero
lettobeen exercised which belong not to. the Ikea*
of, Ceen...nosne Jet them be .destroyed ; let these
who hoe abused their privileges be punished fee
the *busts of them. If the privileges of the Houser
of CoaimonS,...w.hich I admit ought to vary as thsi
times lety,. Ids found 'to be too great, let them be
abridged. for; I 'never will say that the House et
cohimons ought to do that in a summary war
11 bo.b may be dohe in another way. I never will
say that they are,to be supported by depriving thh
sobject,of that great palladium of public liberty,
the Trial by Jury. Gentlemen, perhaps I ask
trespassing teo.lung your time. [No, no! rag
sounded hum all parts.] fam anxious before"
numerous and respectable a Meeting to explisideste
s we all know that the privileges' six Ilks
louse of cOuntions did formerly exist ,ialfinitelt
beyond tae latitude in which they are. addicted ail
the preseut.dst;•; we know: that they hate..betut
ceutrouled.ty statutes, and if it shalliciteit found
uecessary further to reduce them by statueby again
let it Leese.. With respect to the case of that pest
son tido', contrary to my wish, is suffering thq
punishnosot Welted by the 'rouse of Commons, I
mesa Mr. John Gale Junes, I am free to say that
his.eifeeteAwas one which ought never to have been
noticed by amyl person who claimed to be consider.
ad as possessing a competent understanding. lam
of opiniou that it is a must salutary thing in every
point of view fur .the people of this country to
,slisenes On, conduct of their Representatives in
Partioment. I am, as welt as every Member of
rarliseent, sod *every me .elso obtrudes him.
self 't• - public notice, -*ibis. to that- canvass
which every men is open lavabo so conducts him.
sell; but God forbid. titatiellisciman any set of
Coen, cnnsciuntiously or otherwise, should impute
to u,e motives malicious, conduct base, or under-
standing-weak, that I should find fault with it. It
itood and beneficial nut only fur the Public but
for the eidividual ; fur if I cannot stand the test of
sucles discussiou, my conduct must have been such
as (light, nut to be passed over. Yea are all
owate, Gentlemen, by the dissemination of know.
ledge, and particularly by that political. knowledge'.
?which is every where diffusing itself, that the peas
411 e naturally ,take) an interest in public affairs.;;
and when was.dom, by, becoming more mike.**
"Creaks Piero talkers; and debaters, is that theater'
-taunt' whims I, slsould close the mouths of mite,
whicti aetike opens, because they are enlightened?'
I[Vaitenteiti plqualiit.] No, Gentlemen, I *Odd
.4titit do it• wit; of , pulley—l would not do it frame
,principle feeliag. I would not do it, became
tibcoold...not bear that my own mouth shoal( be
Alueml....l,would Dot do it from judgment, because'.
Apo, ant i& the thing was practicable, it would
creistelsomething worse than discussion; but I am
ileersdaded, the .thing is impracticable. The names
of those perfume and the subject connected' with
~titan, which would have been discussed at one
-meeting •befure, a select and respectable auditory
.(fur bet ssl to-suppose it would have answer,
.end that deseription), are now discussed throughout
,the whole sif,the United Kingdom, from one end
Asa abstotioee, . Thellesied effect of the eenduetof
ttituse alto wished to shut two hundred mouths in
•Jellebstiog Faciety, has been, that they hare open-
;Jed the' mouths of. ten- millions. Even supposing
stisek there bad been any thing of a libel is the pa-
per, gehlisha by John Gale Jones; was it wise in
lithe auuse Commons.•to notice it ?. . Did it
Arai suy obalesetion whatever to the proceed-
-boot the limos of Gammons is•—lt•clid out;.
• oilkthereforo" the llowse • of Commons acted une
vitisaly to notice it. ~.It was•wroug to take
4ubjectr af this kind.oughtnut to 110 touched bj
olie Hemmer Commons, .b,ut night to be sefeenet
:-act a Court of Justice—to the proper teibxt Id
4
Trial by Jury, who alone ought to decidee
the party bas beep guilty of a libel. I come spin
3no thy tsestiots, as it relates .to Sir frauds Ber.
olds. I calloot say that, the case sofiSir Fraueis
kiiiestlett is nut dissiiiiiteelrecarfilsati,elgulwi Gale
. Jones, .becsuwe he' is s Moon of
fiCootourot;. but will ant rirdesay,Amt.liiibadAiet
les right to dismiss the. coodset of,rtisedliesite:ef
.'69eperots •in • thy way 'ho, did, • When :if goes
rostimniv,-,1 to aayaya opnoopen tbeollegoilipsilt
..lpf fee ilestleity;befOre f•hast
tdlttlpattt plow to comatierHhe subject, f
liw4s4Hound to say, he was not guillYvvi
elavt-iii total ignorance uf the case' 41.fierwirds,
„ whoa 4 was asked to say Libel, or ocisLitml,• IL Itin
;fa* Sitilegbireo it :was ny (Minims that.it wad, 04.
hat sal here sititi in the linese of