The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-02-13 00:00:00

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opinion against the. If Wit bit opiiiititi OW
mot only the practice of granting *wet.
sion we: improper, but that the rown ought to
put in force, for the interest of the public, the
resumption of all such grants. By.such measures
neither the Crown nor the People would lo at any
thing. Whilst the present system existed, it tile vain
to expect whatliad been proclaimed by the great
Alfred, that j ustke should be carried to !bedews of
every man. The innervation applied particularly to
the IV.lndia Islands, where tho,Proprietors did4wit
make two per cent. on their capital, and yet were
obliged to contribute very largely, in the shape of
tales, to the State. It was nut his wish
.or in.
tention, hi bringing forward this motion, to stake
against or break down the influence of the Crown.
On the contrary, he was glad to perceive that tho;
influence of the Crown had increased in proper-
(ion as the corriiption of the morals of the people
had been 'progressive. This accession to'thc in-
them, of the Crown was necessary to the prime.,
vation, of the balance of the Constitution. But
this formed no part of the propOsinu.n he had. to
bring forward. His object was, to prevent- the'
avaricious part of the aristocracy from providing
for the younger branches of their families, by.,
procuring for 'them sinecure appointments. • It
appeared from the Appendix to the Report of the ,
Committee of Finance, that three hundred and
silty thousand and odd pounds of. the public mo-
tley were enjoyed in that way ; an 4 it was obvious
that the whule of that sum might lie saved to 'the
nation, if such places were to be abolished elle?
the death of the• preseut possessors. He did ilOt 1
wish to take from his Sovereign the power of the
means of rewarding meritorious services ; but he
thought it necessary to the interests of a country
ornamented and distinguished by the etaleed genius
. of Nelson, and the divine intellect .of Mr. Pitt,
that its resources should be properly inisbanded2
and disposed of only in remuneration .of national
services. He should therefore move for leave to'
.bring in a Bill to abolish Sinecure Offices.
Onahe question being put, .
Air.' HENRY. THORNTON rose, not "to op.
pose the motion of the Honourable Gentleman,
but to state his opinion, that •it would have beets
better if the Honourable Gentleman bad deferred
his elution, till the Report of. the. Committee
should enable the House to come to some decision •
upon th:, question. There were various consider-,
ations eetineeted with the case, which should be
attended to before any final determination • could
be had upon the subject. It would not only be
necessary to consider what since-tires should be
abolished, bait also what places executed by daron-
ty should be regulated, as well as what increase ..of
salary should be given to the deputies upon whom
the duties of the office would fall. I.j:ion all these
grounds. he was of epiniun that it would-be better
for the Hon. Gentleman to Put uff his- citation to
some future'day. • -..
The Honourable Mr. WARD felt hiurself call.
od • upon to state his reasons fur .the vote he was
shout to give, as they might not be elect!), un.
rd.crst"d from the shnple.act of voting fur the
,motion of the How/arable GOUtiliMan. For that.
OlOtioll he intruded to vote, but, 'at the sato° tittle)
he could not adopt the notion which appeared to
be entertained by some, that the propriety of.
abolishing sinecures was* truth sopiain and at.
most self-crWuskr, es to wpm those wimp refilir4
to concur in it, to sespiciens. of their patitieal in-,3
tegrity. lie begged to be considered, as having
nu share its that vulgar plejudice. - The propriety
of •leaviog a certain fund in• the hands of the
Crown, to be dealt out in pensions to those who
did nothiug for. them, wets with bins a doubtful
point. Indeed the doubt *as so strong in his
mind, that if we lived in such times as existed
about half a century a4o, he did, net believe he
would give his assent to any measure of this kind,.,
and therefore he did.stut thiuk, that any blame at-
tached to those-who might differ from him on this
question, any more than blame could attach to a
mere difference of °pilaw' on any other ques-
tion. Bet lie would vote fur the measure of
the Honourable Geollentan now, . precisely on the
..ground which the Mover bad disclaimed ; because'
he thought the tonna-sous influence of the Crown .
aught, by all fair and constitutional means, to be I
diminished. Many years ago, a innorable mu.
lutiuo had passed iii that Muse, " that the influ.•
once of the Crowh had iuereassxl, was increasing,:
;ad ought to be diminished." If, ist that time,
the resolution was eurrect in point of fact; if it
was nearly se; if it u as not a.complete and psi-
pable f.alsehood, what was the state of the influ.
cite° of the Crown nowt During the 'tail ttility•
years, it had been rapidly increasieg,' strengthen-
ingwitli our weakness, until it irriv...l .-• '.

e ages forms Which were eiltated, there Wen two width
y the , shil thine/Mot , 'imminent cotolMmeteee-litst, a re.
iimpn form it+ the greet departments-of the State,
'which
probably might, to a certain degree, be expected
'on of a from the lalsoure of the -Finance Committee."
ha Crow and secondly, a reform in the whole motto
eilst the p and principle of cOnductiet llie- war. Week
what-had heat !) The House would recollect (lint .twieu
ttjustkesi as much hattheen expended on the late catatnituus
erce, h
The hser and most intitoylc Eepeditiuns, as world have
t Islands, o pfirchased the fee simple elf all these oinecures.
cr cent. on What was the use ()leer economy, if the freits of
otribute vet 'it:Were to be converted into a fund for the Minis.
State. It ten to squander Open such frantic eiaeditions as
inging forwai, that to %V alchercn ? • [Hear, hear!] For his
tk down the i, part he hail rather that the money shuttle he theowt,
ry, he was gla away upon- the idlest end must useless of Mankind,
e Crown had i (ban that it should form in the hands of Ministers
option of the u an instrument for the destruction of our soldiers.
vssive. This ac [lkar, hear I]. Ile
.coold name no artielteof ea.
own was necessa ' pence so expensive as a wbak and projecting Mk
lance of the Got, ttiatry ; [Mar, hear!] and he thought the Hue.
rt of the propeels acutleinati who made the motion would du more
....
(is object was, is vied to tits constituents, to his country, and to
the aristocracy frt. his,Sovereign, by one . vote for the exclusion of
trenches of their t sueleMittiitess, than .by any proposition of this
) sinecure appoints, nature, its which he Would find himseff most obsti-
I.ppendiz to the Rep netelyopposed by those it honk he its general sup.
me, that three hunts purled, [lledi.; hear!] .
Id pounds of. the put The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
hat way ; anti it was 0 adrertetliin ford* terms so the remedy fur all
sum might be saved h grits which the Win. deittlematt (Mr. Want) re.
were to be abolished , etennictideJ. Change but the Goverocant, put
it possessors. He did my friends in placer and then the public feeling
svereign the power of t and public. hope will be gratjermd. Let but the
itorious services ; but It country again see in power that consummation of
he ititerests of a country virtue and oonsteflation'ef talent, and every cause.
hed by (hes:tailed genius for public complaint; will cease to have effect..
e intellect .of Mr. Pitt, Upon them, at this inuntera, were fixed the oyes
'0 properly iiiisbanded, of the people ; and if the Honourable Mover
muneration.of national (Mr. Fuller) be but solicitous. for the attainment
fore move for leave to' of Isis object, be, had only to join our phalanx to
ecure Offices. . secure it. Such were the observations of the
lion. Gentleman (Mr. Ward); but what coin.
ON rose, not "to op. lactate' did the reel facts give this •statement ?
curable Gentleman, %Vero those that inveigliej against sinecure offices,
t would hare' been themselves so who ly free from the imputation of
leman had deferred fielding such situations ? Were they net as much
of, the . Committee connected with the_ anticipation of the thing's
to some decision prerugeeive, as that Gwen-Wee:it which was sac.
variens consider. I veiled for supporting their continuance ; or rather
which Mutat] be wee it. nut the fact that such offices were held byi
rmination • could those oppotetl to his Majesty's Government In al
Id nut only be mue'legreater properties' ? [near! hear !] Was it
tree should be then fair--was it holiest tntte to amuse, to de.
uted by them'. (wire the people by an affected hoetility •to- the
'at increase 'of conliutiance of places, e hich ' were in the hands
s upon w hunt of those very persuas in 4 far greater proportion,
on all these who propagated tee delusion ? With revert to
old-be better the offices themselves, there were vast shades its
1. elation to their constitution; and hewas convinced that any
attempt to abolish thee would deprive The State
lasself call. of a-wealth:el of efficiency. Indeed he did out think'
etc lie was 'the House' would du wise even to' act upon the
tactly un- principle of the 'Honourable glover. It was iffl-
ic for the possible crew in the operation of that principle,
Fur that o but that some substitute should be provided ; and
IMO time that being the. cage, he contended that. the best
teed to I cou'rsu was to let things remain' as they were..
'ay of Allusion had been made' to the memorable pro-
tad at. position of Mr. Duanirea, relative to the in-
Ifaled eveneattisdhsetcco-. of the (keens ;.ad it 'was thence
al in- 'lnferred, that if the limitation of ' that ir.-
tying fluence was. necessary in 171303 it' became' much
icty more so in Pie present dines.' That was what
the he denied. Since' that . period, ' Mr. Burke's
7hu plan of reform in the public expenditure had been.
ful carried into effect; as was the much snore even.
tis sire system of *e. Pitt. But then it , tras. said,
el OW out iucreased establishments and augmented.
u debt had throw* a consider' able Addition into .the
scale in tamer- of the Crown. Upon this poiate:
even he was at •4'sue with the lionoureblteGentlee
man opposite, cotivittced that he could prove, pal:
withstanding such seldition, that during that period
the lemur of the people had mote than proper.,
tionally increased, (row the great growth of wealth,:
Of inch:pc:Mimeo, and• of information which had
been circulated throughout thu cuuntry. With'
'respect to the reference made 'la the late Exited..
tions, ho did uut see how they applied to the pre.'
sent questien. It stood upoo its owl, AttriOsic:
merits; and it was also to be recollected, that
whether such expeditious. were successful or not,
the expellee would ,have been the saute. The Hon.
Gentleman concluded by expressing his &tenni:
nation to oppose the motion. - -
Mr. LithlßE. could slot see upon What ground*
the Chancellor .of' the Exchequer could assume
that hit Hun. Frlend (Mr. Ward) was influenced
__ -.eeemeatt.4l, weed at hie:slow .14 µebbs. suoasamme 'l.y the hope of
e ..... weigut-e-soWe height that et per- succeeding to place. Fut his part, he considered
traded the whole face of the country; that it Iniie them slitecureess a great detrinieut. IVhen there
nuated . itself. almost into every family in the existed a claim front any great eationel service,'
nation ; and that there was hardly au individual such pieces were net vacant-, and when vacancies
so obscure, or insulated, as nut to be subject did occur, there being no claim from service, ttiCy, ,
to it, either directly or through his conuections. were conferred u pole persons fur no other mesas..
[Hear, hear li But to show to what an enor. than'lllinisterial Getter. Another great objet.
mous height the influencer of the Crown heti Ciao to their cunticsuanee was, that they afforded
grown, , nothing more was • necessary than the a juetificatien fur mutual reproach in that [loose,
fact, that then were the Ministers of the cowry iudepeutlentof that improper 'preface) vihich they
[loud cries of hears hear!] for if it had not held out to the disgust of the coat ry, when it
*town pct such a size as never bad been known stnee saw men of large private fortunelalrdrawine Fe-
der the House of Heutenvick,seeli a Ministry could' venire from the pockets of 'the people. Their
not have existed a moment (Hear, hear! )'- uay, nu abolition he should comider as striking at that very
such Adrainistratiun could omelette been formed, centre of corruption, which entlermined atsd can-
na nu vine mould have velours:el . uport such an ea- seined every thing healthy ind vital iq tlio Stole. Nor
parimant --flieur,ltear !) No one could 'more amongst theirenhichievous effects was there aue thing
shoat dm tie did any thing Which led to violent more pernicious than, tbuir introduction of a set ef
aid revolutionary changes—he would go further, men into that House, who, actuated by nu poetic
and say, that if there nes any branch :to which he, 'principle, cueverted their'suppurt into a species
would withuut much, apprehension allow rather of traffic, and though uut, perhaps, alwayrilectd.
'more the-skits due share of power, it was the Mu. lug against. fhb public haereste still considered
berchieal branch—hut for the sake of the people. every other object as subservient to their own in.
some stop ought to be lea to the enormous growth dividual aggrendllement. [Hear! heat !] • Aup.
of the power of the Crown, and also fur the ad.' thee great evil was, their tendency to kedges) the.
vantage of the Crown itself, '(ilear, hear !) lest worst eeecies of feetionst composed of men, whose .
, the time should at last cook, when it must male-
,vutme.thoegle numbered its the day of battle, were
finish the ether breeches, or be itself eatielguished. overlooked and forgotten in the hue.. for distr.'.
.(Hear, hear !) If .he would dimieish the power bating the spoil, and who were, therefore, de.
of the crown, it was. to. widen its halls, . suit eu.- termiuml to extort by deplie4 and 'let...ague,
crease its security.: There was nothing Ras* tr. Ow they !mind thien
seltesßitable 10.1%414u le
be depreckted at preseet than the abstraction of svrvility and prostitution. He Ireel4) fur se
else mind by minerelbjecil feint those of a peaty! •reeeons, give, his ittopitort th the Vfdittle nicel
and teffil iplotsolty importapm Of all the. rt 4
.potiovt:siti In,' altiteugh 'be re.P.A--
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