The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-01-28 00:00:00

• that betides these ururvolAeble Retirees praurrepte,
others of •ai a.lveniltiens mature have not best WWI et,
4113114 %tin ()LIM mode lettoptod for the administration of the
.aulira of the country. amongst which your petitioners wilt
oily twintiort isio--vit. the enormous increase of tau-
awls; amd thmitrodigions augmentation or the peerage-
" Tim% while the voice of the people has tits been, in
feet. continually less and Less pretlominont, the ople have
at the same time become, by increase of inlet /mice; NO
formation, and knowledge, more and more caps lerof form.
ing.a, right judgment on the conduct of their Representative",
enedi,orthy of enjoying a direct control over Mein. -
" '7 eat it therefore appears due equally to tho people ,to
Rite them a more powerful voice:in umelection of Members
of the House of Commons, and to the Crown:sao wtharen
that Mouse, which, neglecting their own pecelftet ,duties,
have invaded the prerogatives of Royalty and seeped Its
power. •
" That this meeting is happy to he assur,, I,,st Om
desirable a change involves no innovation in Re ip rk of
the constitution of the country; that it merely ebrrecte its
manifest abuses, and adopts to the change of cironnertances
which time has occasioned, recognized and 11114Pwiedifed
principles.
" That your petitioners therefore pray, that Our Hon.
House will, without delay, adopt those measures which may
be necessary to erect such a change in the constitution of
the House of Commons as will render it the real and efficient
representative of the people, able and willing to redress
their grievances, to maintain their rights, and to provide
alike for their lisppinei and for the honour of tine ()tit.
-4,
'• And your petitioners will ever prig." . ,
1.....

The petition haring been gone tlrrongh,
Mr. Evstosr said, Gentlemen,—This is the: petition
which I hope wilt be adopted by the meetinie. If the
noble lord by whom the petition was drawn lnp bad
pleased, he might easily hare selected a gentler* n better
able to propose it with effect, and whose oPinlo would
ad Art id inllr -hut this I
lied •
r

have hid 'greater weight and influence;
am sure, that an individual more deeply imnpresm, with
the justice and importance of the constitutional princi-
ples laid down in that petition lie could not have found
any where. (Applause.)
TIIOMA3 Bowen, Esq said he rose for the purpose
of seconding the proposition which had just ficen remade.
He had carefully examined the petition, and lie)nustlay
that it met with his entire approbation, kle..was ex-
tremely glad that the terms of. the requisition %vent di-
rectly to time subject of Parliamentary retorm .(appliuse) ;
because he was thoroughly convinced that the repluction
of taxes, and the removal of those evils by which the
50
constitution had been assailed for the last pr flo years,
conlil never he effected except by a change ig therepre-
sentation of the people (hear): so long as: the public
money was expended on jobs and sinecures; anisettes
pensions, so long as the influence of the crown con-
tinued to he so widely extended that, to use the words
of Mr. Wilberforce. "It met us at every corner, and
confronted us at.every turn," all hope of the redress of
popular grievances was perfectly vain ; beelassommler
styli a vicious system, the Minister could command a
majority on every question which he wished to bring for-
ward, and, of course, on every question whichahms wished
to put down. (Hear.) lie addressed these observations
more particularly to the yeomen of this country, and
in-
dividuals who were engaged in agricultural pursuits;l
and he was of opinion, that the counties of Norfolk sad
Hereford. who were the first to originate publiemeet-
ings on this occasion, would have acted more efficiently
if instead of petitioning for relief (mom agricultural (Hits
tress, they had boldly called for Parliamentaty reform:**
(hear), because time latter, iu a very considerable degree(
iuchmmled the former. (Cheers.) The manner in whicip
that reform should he kffected, was so well, •et froth by
Lord Milton, in a speech delivered by, him atthrlate
York Meeting;,that he waisldotith.the the
assembly, read the passage. [Here the hritilArson
;gait. iiiat part of tamed impeecL •

Do WreaTrefici It* sloolThiaKitt it at
the same time let UN be firm. If we ponce. a moderate
and firm rourse,ait reonires, I think, no groats iris of
prophecy to declare, that our cause, in spite' of every
obstacle, Most he finally successful, (ehrering;) and
then %%111 the House of Uonimons again become, what it
always ought to be; the efficient organ Oahe feelings
and sentin►•nts of the great body of the people. (Cheer•
int.) Taking, therefore, all these points into considers.
flirt), I think we may fairly pronounce, that" there is
something rotten in the state of Denmark," which calls
for immediate and effectual reform. (Cheering.)

_ ..
The limn SIIERIM—If any gentleman Arms to the
petition, I am ready to hear his sentiments. Votslil you,
geetlempo, wish to have the petition read again ? (" No,
no.") No gentleman appears to disapprove of the pe- 1
titiOn in any war.
A FREEUOLUER.—It • appears to be unanimously a.
greed to.
After a short pause,
: I
Lord FoLgesrons presented himself to the POW 6f+
the meeting', and was received with loud ace ens.—
His Lordship said, that as no opposition had oltreil
to the motion of his Hon. friend, it might perhaps appear
rather a work of supereedgation when he took it on Wm-
self to address so numerous and respectable a &esti .
At the same time, there were one or two things old be
wished to notice, before the fleeting separated ; •an - s
his honourable friend bad said, in bringing the pet n
ti
under their view, he would detain them but lot a: sr
moments. Before he touched on the matter of tile. , , i.
tion, it would perhaps be right to coif plibingt bidn.
friend and the meeting on the speech did' which I
petition was introduced to their notice.' His how. d
prefaced his observations by npologisinp for tali .-• so
prominent a part on this occasion. He bad,howeve, s.
played so much talent, that when he happened to be t '
malted on to address the county of Berke, apology ' d
be quite sdpetlinous. The matt* of ins -epeeetti,na,kl
manner in which he delivered it, must always sem to
him a patient. anattentive, and a will.pleassed unlit -
similar compliment was, he coneeived,tketo the
•man who seconded the motion. He must likewise vein
meet those who signed the reqnisition for the ut
this day,on the number and respectabilltyof the else y
which they bad been the means of esdlerdng fog .'
When he arrived in Abingdon, be- aris afraid, fen
state of the weather, that there would be no inciting au
all ; but he was rejoiced to find, in spite of the inelemen-
cy of the season—and snore inclement weather could n
be encountered—that so numerous a body of irentr
and yeomanry had attended, for the purpose of dischar&
ing a most important 'duty. Intleed,lsef bad never serf:
A more respectable assembly than that width was nag.
convened. (Ilear, hear.) He Was the more pleated at thin
circumstance, because the wording. of the requisitioq
and the purpose for which the meeting was called, weed
not, perhaps, of that twodier nature Whirls would foul*.
the feelings, and come to She bosonaeotithose who wertO,
suffering from the distressed state of the agricultural in-',
tercet. If the meeting had been oonvened fur the pur-i
pose-of devising some means by tehich the prevailing
agricultural distress might hr relieved,* would; perhaps
have been more alluring ; but he was cenvineed, that
very many gentlemen were of opinions tthat the ques-
tion which they had met to discuss, treat more isnme-
iliatelv than was generally supposed to the grievanees
on which agricultural itistrvas• was Jeally founded.
(Hear, hear.) While he agreed with Mr. Bowles, that
the prevailing distress was fundamentally connected
with the business of the day, Ire felt etweedingly glad
that tlsose wham he -now addressed saw beyond the
mere surface of things—that they traced the depression
agriculture to its true source, the corrupt state of the re-

intry (hear. Israe)ante 11 that
sottelit, not ky jlepeelci . end
, hut that the MI could one. be
reform in the representation of the
-41wi-sisheinefatilpr &fectieo
tatiQ't
IDP coley, the deotrupt process by
Which the Hotter aft strurfions (no lontc€ the true re.
presentativestf-tisepeopie-me 4oreger empressing their
wishes, sentiments, and feedings,)
,were elected—them-
were the cellars 00141 the dietresaapiler which the agri-
cnltnrists were NW iiifferitig.-44planste.) 8y flir
measures which lidiimalliniant• hot pursued, and whirls
hail been so welrpnistiesFootlby.his !Immutable friend
(Mr. gimlet)) that it Was nnooreesary to recapitulate
' them, had all this mischief been poured upon the na.
Lion. If Parliament had islien- earefitl ni (tie peoples
money—if it had been true to its,trust —if it least been
diligent, arid Netted ferwerd to the probable resalt of
the laws which it hid enagted, (particularly that which
related to the enrrency)?—if it had adhered to its duty,
or if, nottaving done so, it hail been so conitititted that
it 'night have been.laistelliately galled to account by tie
people. the eonntry would not now he involved in that
Labyrinth of difficulties from which it could only he eN-
trieated by the grealest wisdom, 'prowled by the most
persevering virtue.—(ll-ar, hear.) It followed, as a
Maitre of course, that to get rid of those difficulties, the
pimple mast intrust their interests to other and cleaner
bands than those which us-ere instrumental in creating
the misery by which they were Oppressed. --(Hear, hear.)
Hr would ask any. roar, if be bad steward under
whose thistnanagetpent his farm became unproductive,
his offices were falling down, and his whole estate bore
the appearance of decay and dilapidation—be would ask
of hint, whether lie would employ that steward, after he
had discovered his criminality —(Hear.) What, then,
was the House of Coimnons ? h hat were its duties:
Were not the members of that House intended to he the
stewards of the people, to take care of their lib.rtis.s,
of their lives, of their properties ? (Hear, hear.) Had
the House of Commons fulfilled their trust ? Had they,
elected as they had been for a long period. so exercised
their fun ctions, that the liberties, the lives, and the pro-
perties of the people of England were perfectly safe and
secures! ? (No, no.) If, then they had not done their
duty, it was necessary that the people should select some
other stewards, who would not betray the interest of
those who employed them. (Hear, hear.) How, then,
were they to procure such stewards ? (Hear, hear.)
The House of Commons, it was true, was elected in n
public manner, but still that public election did not give
to the people such members as their welfare required.
What, then, were they to do? Why thee must adopt
some other system, by which they might hope to send
members to parliament in wbom they conld place con-
fidence. (Hear, hear.) He would not now enter into
the question, as to what species, or whet extent of re-
form ought to be adopted. Ile would not say but that
his views on this subject might go farther than those
disclosed by Mr. Bowles in his speech. He would
not deny that lie thought reform, to be effectual,
ought to go much deeper, and to a moth
greater extent. (Hear.) They would not, how-
ever, split hairs on this occasion. (Hear.) Whether the
rotten boroughs should be done away, or what specific
plan should be adopted, was not now the question.
'ley all agreed upon one great point—namely, that
some reform was absolutely necessary; and without any
conceal:tient of his own,opinion as to the necessity of an
extensive reform, by hoped the petition was so drawn
op as to conciliate. the unanimous approval of the meet-
ing, since it c tiled for no particular or definite system
ofreform,—(lleac.)—Neither a radical nor a moderate
reformel- could dissent from the. petition, because it
only prayed for tbat which all felt to be requisite for
the well being of the country—a reform in the election
of members of the House of Commons. Was it not era-
sonebtethat such a reform should fake place?—(Hear.)
Was it unreasonable that such a return} a.bould be- de-
=faded ?—(ilear.)-11Aad,ary tieing been 11$ Par-

it thiierioil wtOst elveiiiont tooVphie? et" Claad been
passed, withoet end., for regulating the election of mem-
bers to sit in the House of Commons—for the punish-
ment of treating and bribery, and for various other pur-
poses t. but one Act hail been introduced to render the
electimi of members of Parliament snore extensively po-
pular, Indeed, so long ago as the reign of Henry VI.,
tile right to elect county members was extended to forty I
shilling freeholders, and Acts hid subsequently been
pissed for the regulation of the elective franchise, with
reference to particular places, where great and notorious
colmotion was known to have previiled. But this he
wold say, that since the first formation of Parliament,
-no et had been passed to render the popular voice stif
ti ieptly powerful, in the election of uienibers of the
House o( Commons. So far from that being the case, I
he had a right to contend, that the voice of the people
had been of late years rendered less powerful than it
formerly was, by a variety of circumstances. But
assuming that this was not the ease, he would ask, had
not the people a right, in the present age, to a match
greater and more powerful control over their represent-
atives, than they had in former times? One of the argue
tnerus to which theopponents of reform adverted with great 1
pleasure, was, that if the House of Commons were badly
constituted now, it had been long constituted in the same
way, and yet the country had (seen blessed with much
happiness and prosperity. Now, in the first place, hr
denied the fact that the mode of election had been
always the'same as it was at present.Frotn the ordinary
infirmity of Imolai' nature, it was clear that undue and
corrupt influence must hourly increase. There was a
common saying, that money produced money ; so cor-
ruption begat corruption—power extended power ; and
when once it was grasped, those who haul 'waked it
never let it go again.—(Hear.)—The improper influence
which was exerted in returning a member to Parliament
might indeed be lost by an individual, but it was only
transferred to some other person, and therefore the peo-
ple *were not iteaufitted. ilf bad not. perhaps, been able
to consider tkis point very deeply, but the justice of
,his opinion hart been confirmed by facts ; for if any per-
lion looked over the list of rotten boroughs in the noini-
nitiou of any individual, he would find that the members
for those places new originally selected from amongst
the gentlemen in the neighbourhood ; but that in modern
times the property of those boroughs, having got into
the hands of sonic particular family, the representation
was no longer given to persons resident in the neigh-
bourhood, but to those who were connected with, or
dependent on, the family of the patron. As this power
~of nomination, when once obtained, was never given up,
the places in which it was exercised were nolouger open
and accessible to the people. But there was another
,way in which it was still snore evident that the rights of
the people, with respect to elections, haul la-en greatly
Ittirroit et!: he alluded to the great increase of peers.
.;Suppose a borough, some 50 or CAI years ago, in the pos.
Isession of an individual residing in its neie libourhood—
ft commoner, being part and portion of the people.
Now, although in that cafe it would not be so bentlicial
for the interestse of tl e community as he cold I wish, it
would be very different, indeed, it it got into tie hands
aif a Pier, Who would lice the power which it conferred
r his own necessary purposes. Such a man became
used to a particular system without being aware
o it, and therefore a borough in his hands was a very
i
different thing from a borough in the hands of &gentle.-
, mai) who resided in the neighbourhood. The immense
molter of Peers who were created in the late Kinu.'s
~
I reign, and who had great borough influence, operated
in a considerable degree to keep down the popular voice
al elections. The votes of those Peers in the House of
Lords, and their influence is the House of Commons,

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thestrier;N:isnnothe vitlu of inotoly, has 1 but Air . , -e t• oforyci
NI Orret,rdirfe tiutel;coiititeiaatetl VAJ •'• et o.' ..‘ e - AA w iv e
t res. Which-in toe eommoo course of Min.' mu. e . . iiip ziock, o s,
lullixiduriog No long a period, have arisen to introduce at cnreil by a wholesome re
opt and endue intlaeoea.,' -1., •:. '... ~• Teeple% ri•n • erelly Miii-
.. .t luslaiAr. •6.... itnrinenLin hln aniirr•q of iparrentizse_ : ~ _ • e ...