The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-04-27 00:00:00

it

f..r Ir. Mellish to continue while them is Ws.
Perhaps Mr. Mellish will explaMbimPlirs
and I think you sio well, for.your orrm saris.
f.ction,•t,) hear him: [This was a salitiffOistn -
the ithulders did not seem al alt disposed to
sr joy
Mr. BYNG.....Gendemeo, Freeholders of the.
C;onlity of Middleseg--4 think it right, upon the
present occasion, to come fo,ward, in order to
awre you, that I shall with great pleasure pre.
Sent your Petition to the House of Commons ;
tad 1 hope and trust you will Pel confident that
I shall support the principles upon which your
Petition is foundetl. [Great Applause.] I think
Gentlemen, that the House of Commons ought to
be armed with great Power ; but I also think that 1
its power Ahould only be need for the protection of
the people. it is necessary, on many occasious,
that they rhould have this power t but the only
occastiotis on which they shoold cacreise It ;re,
those where their proceedings sr. likely to bl an.
royed. I think, therefore, that the Majority of
the House of Commons have dime wrovi4- fiV. the
present instance. I think that to define the privi-
leges of the House of Commons would be difficoh;
but I am of opinion, that where the nicessityfor
exerting them ceases, the privilege, theinstives
should cease; Lain also of opinion, it could bat
productive of no benefit to the Muse of Cons.
mons to notice the discuskion which was intended

___ ..._.. ..__ .
to take place by Jones in the Debating Society, .•f
which he was the Manager. It was meant to in a
. discussion which went merely to criticize the pest
conduct of the House of Conan►ens, and I think
that the conduct of the 'Members of that !loose
ought at ell times to be cyiticited and submitted to
fair and free discussion. For the same reaming,
Gentlemen, I could not possibly have vied that
the Pamphlet which Sir Francis Burdett wrote fo '
his Constituents *ea a libel. And, Gentlemen,
though I gave my vote for an adjournment, •I
would rather have met the question, and voted the
publication no libel. I think Sir Francis Burdett
had a right to address his Constituents, and satis-
fy them of the grounds upon which be had acted ;
and I certainly believe that Sir Francis Burdett
never meant that his Letter to his. Constituents
etntild be considered as a lihrl upon the House of
Commons ; because, in the course of his Address,
he three times makes an exception as to the pow-
ers of the House. He says, that the House of
Commons cannot commit any but one of their own
body ; and therefore, such being his argument, I
think it never could have entered his head that hit
is'as uttering a libel. No, never, exclaimed hun,
dreds of Freeholders. With regard to the roes.
tion of Parliamentary Reform, I think it right tb
state, that from the earliest period of my lifel• I
hive seen and been convinced of the absolute net.
ecss;ty of a Perliamentary Reform. I do not
think that the .present situation of the represents.
film of this country is an adequate one. In pro-
portion as population and wealth spread through
the land, the elective franchise shonld he enlarged;
but I think that the people themselves are in a
great measure to blame that Parliament has net
bith-rto done any thing on this subject. The peo-
ple themselves ought to come forward and state

their opinions distinctly : sod constituted as the
present Parliament is, I do think, that if they did
so, the•voice of the people would be irresistible.
Ido think tnat Pailiausent would act upon the
sii4gestions of the people, if the people' them.
selves would come forward, and freely-and loudly
declare their principles. Gentlemen, l atn sorry
to have heard Mr. Hare Townsend • fie • broadly
attack ail public men; fur I am sure there
never was a Howe of Commons in w Welt there
were so many busiest men, willing to act' for
the pc..ple, if the people wid act for themselves.
[.Vo such thing—no such thing; there itt,el.too
tretiv Placensen in it.] Gentlemen, that is nay opt.
neon. If the petiple would come forsiard and de--
elare their sentiments, I am sure there is no reform
• of abuse but what the House of Commons, would
agree to. [Why riot do it now nrepeat, that
is my opinion, and I wish, therefore, to see all
honest men united. I wish to see all friends to
Reform; all enemies to corruption unite htwrt and
hand ; and, though there should be shades of dif.
furence in opinion among them, yet, iL they are
founded on a well-grounded and deep-rooted .at-
taehment to the rights ind libertiei of the people;
we ought not to vilify and attack one another, but,
on the cut.: nary, we ought to act cordially and
firmly together: Gentlemen; the enemies of Re-
form always are united; and nothing but a firm and
determined union among honest men can defeat
the machi,tatiung and the power of the foe.
Mr. CIA FFORO—Gentleinen Freeholders of
Aliddlesex, after the matinerin which I have been
cdkd upon by Mr. Townsend, it is impossible for
inc not to say a few words to you before the clues-
tion is put to your 'vote: Gentlemen, of all the
arguments which have been urged against this
power, claimed by the Honlit of Commons, the
strimgest is that with *hid: Mr. flyng has concluded
' —*the excuse which he has, given for the supineness
di the Nietntws of the. Hou,e of Commons, is this
that the People have not met •and discussed the
subject of Reform, and urged them to act tipun
the result of that discussion. Now, Gentlemen,
how is this cumistent with the fact ? Upon the
only occasion where the right of the House of
Commons has been questioned by a 11Iernber of
the house of Cuminons.—by Sir Francis '8 ellen
in the House, and !iy John Gale Jones out of it,
t he. consequence of flock attempting to discus.; their
power has beet--that the one has, by 'ire assumed
anthurity of that been lodged' in Newgate,
and the other has been in the Tower.
(jrutlemee,lll4: 3ilslVer we ive to the asseirtton of
the lion. l'qe:oher, nho states that the People
tliumselree shout'] come forward is, that we have
boot Sit/intim of Parliament tothnHoose of Com-
mon:, %eh° ought to know their duty, without the,
a,cestions of any one from nut of doors. Gen-
itensen, the privilege the House of Common, elm-
ink fur, is, that thoush they are the serviailli (2f
the People, they have a right to imprison us, their
"'tasters [Applause]. 'So lung so we value our,
:hilts, we ought to be eautioes how we.eitfrer snits
411 ileorpiti(iii, lest, in 'the emphatic language Ot
Sir Francis litirdutt, ndeubjvet ourselves to that
orb, of trill; the curse of Cumin, and become

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