The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-02-19 00:00:00

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The nom of this morning takes great merit to
Itself for " having always opposed the folly and
wickedness of Universal Suffrage and Annum Pit.
Vaments."—in the opinion of that Journal, soda
work which itsquotes, the Rights of Property are
Paramount to all other rights of civil society ;..fory
In the estimation of the wiseacre writers of theter
publications, property limits the.tillbt, and nothing
can be for the public good bet wieetoprings from this
qualificatiou!" When any is claimed, the
common gond must constitute the touchstone of its
validity, and the criterion of its truth."—Grantml ;
but how is it proved that Universal Suffrage, exer-
cised in the functions of a voter for a Member in
Parliament, would not hare this effect ?—it directly
aims at producing public good, and this alone, in ex-
cluding individual advantage and monopoly. Row
is it proved that such a doctrine would be found
wofully mischievous in practice, when no attempt
to practice it is made, and every thing,that we see
.lamentably testifies that the Government is distinct
from the common good ? To the vindicators 'of these
rights of property and enemies of Reform, we would
earnestly recommend the perusal of the following
letter from a Tory Dean (no less a man that; the ce-
lebrated Dr. Swirr) to Mr. Pore, after the full mea.
sure of experience, observation, and retirement had
given more then usually oracular truth to his senti-
ments. They are strikingly applicable to the politi.'
cal features of the present times:—

" I had likewise, in those days (when he was
moving in the political world), s mortal antipathy
against Standing Armies in times of peace; because
I always took Standing Armies to he only servants
tired by the master of the family for keeping hit own
children in slavery; and because I conceived, that
a Prince who could not think himself secure without
mercenary troops, must needs have a separate in-
terest from that of his subject!. Although I am.not
ignorant of those artificial necessities which a cor-
rupted Ministry can create, for keeping up forces to
support a faction against the public interest.
" As to. Parliament, I adored the wisdom of that
Gothic institution, which made them annual: and I
was confident our liberty could never be placed upon
a firm foundation, until that ancient law were re-
stored among us : for, who sees not, that, while such
Assemblies we permitted to hare a longer duration,
there grows up a commerce of Corruption between
the Ministry and the Deputies, wherein they both
Sind their accounts, to the manifest danger of liberty ?
which tragic would neither answer the design nor
expence, if Parliament met once a-year.
" I ever abominated the scheme of polities (now
about 30 vests old) of setting op a monied interest
in opposition to the landed : fur I conceived there
could not bee truer maxim. in our Government than
this, that the possessors of the soil are the best
judges of what is for the. advantage of the kingdom.
If others thought the same way, rueds of credit and
South Sea projects would neither have been felt nor
beard of.
" I could never discover the necessity of suspend-
ing any law upon which the liberty of the must in-
nocent person depended; iseither do I think this
practice bath made the taste of arbitrary power so
agreeable, as that we should desire to see it repeated.
Every rebellion subdued and plot discovered, con-
tributes to the firmer establishment of the Prince.—
In the latter case, the knot of conspirators is entirely
broke, and they are to begin the work anew under
thousand disadvantages ; so that those diligent en-
quiries into remote aid problematical guilt, with a
new power of enforcing them by chains and dungeons
to every person whose Nee a Minister thinks tit to
dislike, are net only opposite to that maxim, which
declared' it better that oh guilty men should escape,
than one innocent sutler, but likewise leave a gate
wide open to the whole tribe of informers, the most
accursed, and prostitute, 'and abandoned race, that
God ever permitted to plague mankind.
" it is true the Romans had a custom of chusing a
Dictator, during whose administration the power of
other Magistrates were suspended, but this was done
upon the greatest emergeucies ; a war near their doors,
or some civil dissension : fur armies must be governed
by arbitrary power. But when the virtue of that
Commonnealth gave:lves. to luxury and ambition,
this very office of Dictator becpme perpetual in the
persons of the Caesars and their successors, the most
infamous tyrants that have soy where appeared in
story.
4` These are some of the sentiments I had relating
to public affairs, while I was in the world ; what
they are at prevent, is of little importance either to
that or myself ; neither can I truly say I have
any at all, or, if I had, I dare not venture to
publish them; for, however orthodox they may
be, while I am now writing, they may becomecri.
initial enoegn to bring me into trouble before mid-
summer. And, indeed, I have often wished,. for
some time past, that a political catechism might be
published, by authority, four times a year, in ordef
to instruct us how we are to speak, write, and act,
during the current quarter. 1 hate by experience
felt the want of such an instructor: for, iiiteuiding
to make my court to some people on the prevailing
side, by advancing certain old Whiggish principles,
which, it seems, had been exploded about a month
before, I have passed for a disaffected person. lam
not ignorant how idle a thing it is for a mats in ob-
scurity to attempt defending his reputation as a writer,
while the spirit of faction bath so universally pos-
sessed the minds of men, that they are not at leisure
to attend to any thing else. They will just give them-
selves time to libel and accuse me, but cannot spare
a minute to hear my defence. So, its a plot-disco
ruing- age, 1 have often knows an innocent man
seized and imprisoned, and forced to lw several
months in chains, while the Ministers arc not at lei-
sure to hear his Petition, until they had prosecuted
and hanged the number they proposed."

Earl GREY is arrived at ifowick, in Northam•
berland) from imobton•ltall, arrham.

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