The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-04-25 00:00:00

PARLLAMENTARY REFORM.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL thenoom end said, it became
Iris fluty to renew the motion he had made lest year, and
call the attention of the. House to the Petitions which
lny upon theaable, calling upon the Home f w Reform.
Numerous Petitions of this description were before the
Houle, and there wonlil be others, if many of those who
tricolored with the Petitioners in their opinion of the 1
,necessity of Reform, did not consider the petitioning of
the Donee areperfertly 'useless. Among those Petitions
Imes one kenithe county of York. the like of which be
believed bad neverbefore been laid upon that table. It
was signed by 17,000 resident freeholders, each stating
hie rendenceond his property; and among those pd.'
tions too. though it was net yet laid upon the table, was
that of the +City of Edinburgh, containing some of the
runt intelligent persons in the country. Ile use fully-
aware of the difficulty be bad to eticoanter in pleading',
the cause of those petitioners; a ditlicnity not Jemmied
by the redeetion that he- woe accusing those who were so •
bit the lodges of the .eanse itself; sad that thetlearer he
made out hie care of rsecasation, the more certain wookH
he the sontewee-agniner htm:' fie thought it singular'
too, tint although the Cabinet was divided tipaa many
impermat guestiods, it wad perfectly united ppitp:lsts.
liefeed thst brought fltelldrof before ill
Abe Right Hon. Gentleman opposite, who was the great
opposer of all Parliamentary Reform, had been highly
advanced, and had been called upon to undertake
what wastealled the management of that House.—
The Right Hanourable Secretary was therefore under
the necessity of coming to closer quarters wilt
the system of corruption; to decide upon the giving of
the Peerage to one, office another, and to distribute other
rewards in proportion 'to the number of seats possessed
by the objects of them. He fain would have hoped.that
the Right 'Hon. Secretary would have been disgusted at
ouch employment, and would bare been content to di stain
the support of an intelligent people represented by an
honest Parliament. He now came to the subject itself.
He presemed he might advance, as a proposition not to
,be denied, that that House, which was the Constitutional.
Guardian of the Public parse, should be as well guarded
arapossible, against any of its Members becoming the sc-
compliteiref those whom it was their date to check. To
aceouiplish this there were two principal means :—One'
was, by excluding from that House those who held office.
under the Crown ; the other was, by giving the people,
from time to time, opportunities to re-elect their Repres
suntatives, or to choose others ; and this was the way ex-
pressly poietedout by the Constitution. lie did mean to
contend that the Constitution called fora representation
of public opinion, as it might decorate from day to day.
He meant ; he asked for, a fair mode of, and a fair time
for trying the RepreseeloCres of die People. Eie.Vitegv-
titer disclaimeritheldiagreich had been *rowed, that a
'majority of the Howie Of Commons should be formed by
the Crown. and tho ficoMe of Lords. I n support of his
own Opinion on %hie subject, he could quote that of a
pertain formerly a Member of that House, trio, to la solid
jcidgmenk ignited the most inflexible integrity. tit meant
fair J. Lowther, the first Lord Lonsdale. the Noble Loind
then proCeeded to meet the different objections which had
beep urged atrainst Parliamentary Reform. It -hid been
sane that places of little population had long returned
Members to Parliament. But to this he answered, that
it was not until the Revolntion that the mischief was felt.
in the lima of Charles the Second the Haunt reptesental
the people. lie might state many instances in the pretest
day, of direct nomihation and overbearing indenrce; but,
they were well known. an I perticulorly to the Members
of that Home. lie shonld therefore confine' himself to
general remits; for the Right Hon. Secretary had said on'
a former occasion that the details were admitted. lie'
found, that out- of the 513 Memheis whet sat in that'
House for lingland; no lest than 290, a large majority,
sent by MOW electees. So that, in the outset' he shoved.
that a majarity'vf the English Members was seat by per-
sons' not greater in smother than thorn> who had signed
the Yorkshire Petition for Reform.—(Hear, hear
tett thought this tact alone wet conclnaive to call fer in-
qniey. Then it was °blotted that toe practice, as it" new
stood, had been the sane at all times of our hi-tort'; and
pArtientarty dtring the reign of Ebealret h. Irk answer,
was that such a practice might snit th• people of those
'times, but were not suitable to the people of the present.
They ware now sOffudently informed to desire that a stop
might he put to these corruptions. It Was said also, that
if she Parliament was corrupt, the people were snore
corrupt Char the Parliament. he did not believe;.
sal Hilt* House %timid bear in reinerobranee the acts of
profligacy which were exposed in therm of the llorongb
of Grampotind, and compare them with the way in which
tie elective franchise of that place wont' be exercised in
Sorkshlre' to whirl' it had beat tran.ferred, the assertion
;Weald he completely refit ed. Indeed h thought It
;would be found reference to the general manner in
whirl (*only elections were carried on. It was objected
and that thole whoa advocated Reform, ought either to re-