The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-05-23 00:00:00

was mettrions that the persons sending theta, were foestite•
plan of the lino. Baronet, not that of the lion. Gentleman.
The petitioners wanted what was little short of universalsaf-
frtge. Bentletnen could not say that an extriment had not,
been made nn this subiect. It had been tried in 'France,
w bete the Legislative 'Body absorbed the other Orders- of
the State. In America, too, the nnstem.had beeo tried, and
Gentlemen had heard the Report of a person who had been
on the spot, who deelareff that an boors? tradesman would
mot suffer one of the Legislative Body of' that country to en-
ter his shim.. .k ohle Lord too, a Member of the other.
House ( Lord Selkirk), who had also been in America, hid
borne testimony to thefailure of the experiment in the case
of America, and, of course, gave up the opinion he had.
formed nn the subject. Ile, on these grounds, objected so
the motion.
Air. WARDLE observing, that an nttaek had been made'
on the plan proposed last Session by his Hon. Friend (Sir F. '
Burdett), not the less honoured from his being a prisoner in
the Toner, and having a faithful recollection of the plan of
his Hon. and Worthy Friend, hogged to call the attention .of
the House to it. from which they would see, that instead ell
there being any thing objectionable in it, it wets highly the ,
reverse. It went to two propoiit ions, the Endurance of Par-
liaments,
and the persons who should have, a right to vote.
Ilis Han, Friend did lint press any particular method of ef-
fection those objects. Ile did indeed suggest, that Freehold-
ers, Ilioneholders, and others, subject to direct taxations in
Church and State, should have a right to vote: and. as to
Vie Endurance of Parliaments, that it should be brought
back to the legal period. His lion. Frieud certainly did
take property as the basis of political power. It was to
property that the% looked in the days of Henry VI. when
the amettni, at which an Independent Freeholder was to be
estimated, was hsed at 401. If they were at this tley then-
.deavnur to ascertain the same thing, who, he woidil ask,
were more likely to be independetit than those who were able
to pay the heavy Nether's now imposed on the people of this
country ? He had nit hesitation in declaring the feeling of his
mital to he, that the right of Election should be regulated by
tile prep erty of the country, and should belong to those who
contributed to the exigencies of the State. Who were they
that now represented the Freehelders of 40s. a-year ? They
were comprised exactly in that class of men to whom he had
alluded ; namely, those who pay all the taxes of the State;
aid who by paving the whole taxes, are taw the most lode-
peodent body of men in the kin-dons. The-Right Hon. Ono
tleman (Bourne) had said, that the Constituent Body had
greeds increased. Why should it not do so, in proportion
to the increase of property. f t was a doctrine which he ever
should maintain, that people could trot bestuxed unless they
were represented. Henry VIII. when he imposed taxes
upon Wales, gave the people of that country Representa-
tives—thus laying down and marking this distinct line of right.
As to the duration of Pailiomnits. the Hon. Moyer pros
(erred triennial. By an Act of Edward 111. Parliaments
were ordered to be holden every year, and oftener if neces-
sary. This rule was strictly observes! from the 18th Richard;
11. and was tint infringed in the reign of Charles I. when
for twelve years tngether there were no Parliaments at nll.
After this time triennial Parliaments Were :first introduced,
and came, at the tune of the Reinliition, to be considered as
she law of the-land, althongli, in the Bill of Rights, fre-
-9444 Parliaments are the Words made use asf. The idea of
triennial Parliaments was a sentiment held sacred • till the
'reign of George 1. in the year 1716, when, lasteqd of three
-* years, Parliament itself passed a laws' ?Mining that' it
should live for seven years. It might heniroed that the su-
preme Legislature (ammo be hound, Butt if the Representa-
tives of the People took upon themsettes to desirtin the
power of the people, he should condense as-e,et,ahat a mitre
illegal act could not he committed; add that. if ever High
Treason was committed 'gaited the Rafe, it was in thht very
ad. He hegted-leave 'to read to the niMists' the sentiments
of my Lord Raymond on thisoccanott.,-B`thrking, Lords:
and Colman can no more pollen* a. Peril:intent beyond its
natural duration, thanthey can niake a Parliament." Again,
alluding to the despotic Minist-ers of those days—[a laugh]
the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite (Perceval), 'night judge
how far the words Were applicable to the present times.--
/le said—" A standing army and a standing Parliament -are
In instruments to Support each other." The Right Hominr-
able Gentleman would know how far this applied to himself
and to the present Ministers;-[Cries of hear, hear. question,
question !)—He asked what loosed last Session? Was it wit
then admitted that taxation and representation should go
hand in hand? That was all he asked. The advantages to
he derived front this rule, he could not pretend to calculate;
but when be heard the Right lion. Gentleman (Bourne) con-
tend unit, when that House imposed taxes on the public,
they also taxed themselves he could not forbear Irma think-
ing that the sums distributed from the public revenue among
she Members of that House might account for snnte of the
votes passed by them. If all the people Who paid taxes were
entitled to the right of voting, he entertained on doubt that
there would he an end to corruption, as it would be impossi-
ble that bribes could he given to so valt a number of electors.
How theneould a seat in that House he swapped for a Wei-
tership ? ( elludine to the case of Lord Castlereagh!. meets a
thing would be impracticable—it would be impossible.—
[Cries of hear, hear! and question! question.']—As Gentle-
men seemed to be in such a hurry for the question, he should
tint trespass much longer 1111 their attention, though, to his
mind, the subject was of far greater importance than they
seemed to suppose. There was another reason, why nie was
anxious to see n more extruded exercise of the right of fran-
(ase. It would do away Ike number of controverted •elee-
lion petitions, with which se much time was occupied. Be-
tween the reigns of Henry 111. and Edward IV. being a
space of 200 years,- there were only three petitions of thy
kind presented to the House. The questiolibeingagnincallen
for, the lion. Gent. satdown.
Mr. W H ITBREAD said, that he rose to express bis com-
plete assent to the arautnents and propositiniss advanced that
might by his .Him. !lend (11r. Brand). To the netesiity of
a Reform in the Representation he had been unifortalO Mite;
he felt that necessity from long and mature reseatch-afolsaiss
reliance in the totems aril integrity of these great intikirnies, ,
which had form many seers pressed-itslAdsiptioa,sas.well as
from the innate strength which accompanied the very Prollna;
intim% itself. It • had long engaged the lineation of that House;
by Parliatueutits merits and denieritslitid been bete befere
canvassed. It had to boast Innis footle the conviction of
many great men, who, thouth differinn nil other subjects, in
the necessity of Parliamentary Reformation all concurred. it
had been considered by Mr. Pitt himself as of the mast vital
importance ;• acting upon that feeling, by him it was submit-
ted to the consideration of that House, anti was prevented
Rom being carried into effect only by a majority of 20 votes.
TO the intruduction, of such a measure no objection upon the'
ground of its being a rash and crude innovation could apply ;
and what ewer differeuce of opinion may even now prevail,
upon the propriety or expediency of bringing it lanyard,
there seemed, however, to be a universal assent from ail sides
of the House. to the explicitness, the candour, and the inn-
titration, with which -his Hon. Friend had on that night in-
troduced it. Not withstanding the commendations pronstunced
by Honourable Members on his Honourable Friend (Mr.
Brand) for the illustration of all those quelit ies. It was Winos-
sible for him not to think, that from some of their insipuations,l
his Hon. Friend had not been fairly dealt with. Motives
were attributed to him for bringing forward the subject of
that n*lst, w hien no fair construction of his language or Inn
conduct could warrant, It was charged against him that be
was induced to press its consideration now, in consequence of
the popular clamour, as it was styled, which prevailed nut
of noorao-ibut such a love of duty would not he embraced by
him if Sic. Francis Burdett bad not been sent to the Tower,
mid 'Mr. Gale Jones committed to Newgate. On the part of
hiss Hun. Friend be protested against such a Construction, add
be could do so with the more propriety, inaktnuch as he had
the best reasoo to be eons/Sneed, that no such influence op&
rated with him. no fee hack as the morning of the decision
on the Walcheeen question, tbe Hon. Mover had intimated to
him his determination of making a motion upon the subject.
For reasons unnecessary to explain, lie (Mr. W.) had re-
commended to hint not to• press it immediately at skim moso
ment--om that hekad ceased to entertain she least ilsabt of
the .propriety gaits adoption. Indeed, a,s he had before said,
there could be no reason for a change of his opinion, agitated
as that question had been for ahnost half a century. lir 1793 ,
he voted for it; when brought forward in 1797. he took thel
same course; and .so would he have voted in' 1809, when it •
was introduced by Sir Francis Burdett, had he been in his
place, (tom which lie was alone prevented by the utter im-
possibility from the short interval hetiveen the notice and the
decision, of reaching town from the part of the country iu
which he then was. The motion now proposed- wisely ab-
stained from urging any distinct plan; it followed tbepreceo
dents which were mu existence; it was the course 'pursued by
Mr. Pitt when be came forward the advocate of Reform ; it
was that adopted by the Irish Parliament, when that Assem-
bly a ere impressed with the necessity of correcting the pro;
veiling abuses in its own Constitution. Such also was the
eoune recommended when he had tint the opportunity of ea-
. pressing his opinion on the subject, at the period when it was
introduced by his Dear and Noble Relative ( Earl Grey).
True it was, that at that period, one of the great and stre-
nuous supporters of Parliamentary Reform changed his opi-
nion upon it. Mr. Pitt, the Minister of that day, struck with
the awful coange that had taken place in the political situa-
tion of Europe, Affected, as he said, by those changes. com-
bitted with certain appearances in this country, then called
upon his Noble Friend to retract the notice he had given of
brining forward that question. But whence sprung the ob-