The Statesman.
London, England, 1819-12-21 00:00:00

mile,. for o Clmmittee to iminire into tilt state of cote•
merce Red manuf■ctere.

Lori LAS ELKitE.III/1 said. that if nth •had been
the inti ntion of Government, the Ilmme should have
1.4 d twice. of air motion; bat oo each notice had hemp
. i
giver.
The rtition was then ordered to he printed.
Lord CASTLE. 9 FAUN moved the Onler of the Day
frr the Honer resolving itself Into a Committee on the
Stamp Unties Bill. .
Mr. MACDONALD rose and said. that his Majesty's
Ministers having conceded the delay of a day or two. lal
%Lich time the public opinion had hastened to express
itself sonnet these measures ; mow called for ,
nersione Upon public liberty by
.coereive esnetmeata
ageism the meal tender of all those principles in which
it trued—the public press. It was a subject, as delicate
and daftness to-meddle with. as the right of petition. I
Ile denied the totompettoey of the existing laws. There
vu • return*, the table, which proved, that up to the
moment when iiiise sew measures were contemplated, it
was not Attempted to carry them into execution. As tbe,
Dill at ?relent before the House was essentially coo-
tinted with that on seditious and blasphemous libels, for
though noatina!ty disjoined, both bad the same object,
be would ipeek a them together. The same objections
could not be urged against those, which had bon made
in regard to some other messares of Administrationi—
onowiy, that they were unintelligible and impracticable.
It appeared to him that they were but too intelligible,
and whatever difficulties might lie in the way of their
enmities. certain he was, that they would in practice go
go far %Byroad any thing of the kind which had ever yet
been attempted. The laws which they were Intended to
aspersed.. bad. is times of cieil discord and rebellion,
been proved salicient to protect property and es-establish
onder ; or, if other acts bad bees resorted to, they had
regulated, without disturbing any principle. Such was
that of the litith of the King, and that toe at an era
really trenteedons ; but how was it to be accounted for,
not is a time of profound peace—la a time when the
it anis bad attained to an unexampled height of glory,
the laws whisk hail carried it with safety and honour
through the most perilous circumstances were found
inefficient ; aid that en for the repression of blas-
phemy and sedition ? it seemed strange, that after
the close of • twenty-five years war, the people of
this canatry. who had borne the complicated hard-
shipsaf than awful struggle for existence a ith a perse-
vermin without preeedeut, and a patience of which his-
t.,:7 furnished no example, were now to be told that they
were vent to enjoy the liberties fur which they bad made
s.:.:11 vast sacrifices. It was strange, that a people who
casid sot be disheartened by miscarriage and defeat, and
who, sormotinting all dillkolties, had foothill Welliog.
tso to bring that wary a glorions terrnisatioo, went
c.s to be told that they were not worthy to retain
lt. s rights which they had derived from their ancestors.
It appeared that the intensity *flight which had broken
in upon nem, bad produced effects which required that
• ; onion of their freedom should be sacrificed to their
security ; hot. good Ood I (said the Hon. Uentleman)
where Is their security? If the Bills now proposed pass
iota laws, it mast be at an end. The people ss Dull loathe
victories which terminated in such its.
The extra-
ordinary man. whom genitors sad power had been called
r-' by the aggression of bad governments. might now be
sail to triumph even in defeat; for one hundred vie-1
t9rits, sash as that of Waterloo. coo'.ii not cornrows's
for the loss of one atom of liberty.—(Hear l)--In dm 1
gnat confiiet which was new past, the pres.:had animas
ted, iospired, and encouraged the people; it kept slice l
f-eir Pokes love ef a fret: existence, by denouncing the
vices and exhibitTng the peaceful consequences of mill.
tary trawl. lie then proceeded to animadvert upon
tl.e principles and object of the Bills; of the first pro-
vision he would not oar mach; that was the one which re-
spiked a stamp to In affixed to all publications of a certain
sose.it eras the cast important of all the provisions. but,
he believed that it was the first instance where a stamp
had been imposed with any view beyond that of mere
revenue—of more consequence, were the provisions by
which recognixames and safeties were required, and by
libido • man on a second conviction fur libel, was sob-
joctrd to the penalty of banishment. These were. he
contended, a gross violation of the liberty of the press;
to precaution of the former kind had ever been acted in
hot a, a penalty, for sureties were never required by the
• Esiglish Law, but in eases a hen a man had transgressed.'
or where, by wine overt act. the had shown a desire to
dl au; hut there were sureties on presumption, and their
principle was tuonstruns. It was the privilege of au
Englishman to peiblitib whatever he thought fit, subject
to his own responsibility. lie was not surorised that
the Noble Lord (Castlereagh) should feel no compunc-
tion in subjecting the literature of the c orutry to a sla-
very like this. Too meek of his life hail been already
pawed is devising restraints for the public mind. He
( ar. Macdonald) had heard something of a censorships
be did not thank the Ministers fur not imposing it. Bo
dud net know how far tier people might have submillail
to it, hut be ;souls' say. that of all species of censorship.
the most contemptible and repast was the cao/11.
chip of mosey.--(Hear!)—That did not pretepd to IN&
sore the attainments ; to gauge the intellect of • writer.
lie was sure the noble Lord must hare heard of the rss.
poblie of li len. I Legged to assure him it was no
4,
'elision, in tau e 'tie name for a substantial thing.
11, u.eaat that th e was in literature an anima for the
riser. aft ifief In ; for the display of the tas
ites
leo- s .Lisi Ms amend ; *nil it was open to every
man, vrita Mania or station, who chose to present
lint;eif as a caodidata fur the highest honours he-
fete the tribunal of the public taste. He required no
other onalification but what be received 'roux the
Wrirt rays of Mid intelligenre which tiosi bad
given him to dispel the obscurity of his birth, am!
mark him for ilishoction. Bet if the Bill proposed
were pressed, then there would he established a painful
aristocratical qoalifieation—destruetive to the spirit of
trworement--and this, too, at a time when, as bad
Bs stated by the Hon. Member for Bran ner (Mr. Wil-
Aterfnrce), the greatest eforts to dissiainate instruction
' Borough the community were encouraged. Thins, while
Ile means were conferred upon the people, the object
less removed. Our liner:tors bad soiiil reasons fur not
intrqucing into the British system of laws a punishment
whisk had been so offensively exercised in most of the
otkgr countries of Europe. He objected to it also as
being molt anemial I to a min who bad few ties in the
'country It might be comparatively light; to one Om
was engaged by an than ties that interest the manly
mind, it was worm perhaps, than death itself. The
Asa. Mabee Ilmo animadverted upon the definition
itasolweid km tlatt Libel Milani which spoke of bring-
ing Isis Weed awl wowteaspe either House of Perlis-
anald... as onneeniPi that this was an improper defini-
tive:of Ilbel. as it was Impossible to disease some
rattle
theories, particularly that of Reform, without
• some way berrying into What might be called hatred

• ;stiuni: 1
7t
he bel
but bi
seers%
which
1 w hick
joi.ted
water
pri
brit al
• 1:11gli
s.r It 11
su
trinci
EGO
to 111
ti.iti
',Pry
• • passe
(Ur.
lie di
did u
to it,
the a
' Lhip
sure
Ile it
• pnbti
• sPisi
L
re::
was,
Minn
fete
uthri
issir
glee
were
mist
Sere
.• her(
• site
• •she
Ir. arts
lOtn
4
with
utlif
loch"
•coat
wan
salt
Not
lets
lag
We
pet
)•I