The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-04-05 00:00:00

.THESTATESMAN

_ er.
neatly andillirleesly before his coontrymes .—(6reat ap -
please.) The Honourable Baronet then moved that the
Petition he proposed should be adopted is the Pefitiou
of the Meeting. [A copy of the Petition will appear
in our next.]
Sir %Vat. Penxest rose to second the Petition. lie so
fully concurred in the sentiments expressed by the Ho-
nourable Baronet, that he felt it necessary only to say,
thee he approved of the Petition which bad
been just
read.
ut by the S
The question was then pHERIFF on the
Petition, and it was (with the exception of one or two
hands) menthnously adopted as the Petition of the
Meeting. •
Mr. 6nocn, M.P. then came forward. The Honour-
able Gentleman was received with some strong marks of
disapprobation, which occasionally manifeited themselves
during the course of his speech. As a freeholder be
claimed the right of addressing the Meeting. He stood
there in the midst of his politica! enemies—he was not
supported by one single political frieud—but he felt it his
duty shortly to state his sentiments. He always wished
that the people should enjoy the right of presenting
Petitions to Parliament, though he might differ with them
as to the expediency of certain measures. The Honour-
able Baronet said, that some taxes had been taken off,
but lie would tell the Meeting that it could be proved by
black and white, that not less than 22 millions of taxes
hail been remitted by Parliament. For himself he never
touched, directly or indirectly, a shilling of the public
money.
A voice in the crowd—" No; bet your sons have."
Mr. flooen, in continuation, said, that if they intended
to answer him by ridicule, he could not but wish them joy
of their taste.—(" Don't be angry. Uallet t" a 111100—
lie contended
o o,v
th tali: ti
nthe h Ee lreecitgince
ofF r efinecnbriys e twh
ea sT mh
io; rde, ex-
tendedfur
40s. then were as much as 401. now. He bad dispassion-
' atelv considered the question of Refute% and he bad made
indi I
notto this,exis tt, hbautt nti
they
e Reform emfoursmt
reform which
humanitad been
natureyet
proeosed would be of any benefit to the people.—(Laugh-
ter, and murmurs of dis.upprobetion.)—The Constitution,
as it stood, was sufficient
theorre abues. The law was
strong enourrh.—et Yes, Six Acts ale strong,indeed,"
a laugh.) He did not mean to say that bribery and cor-
IluhrpteiPfliotiirlenibildrlibery and corruption could be destroyed. For
himself he had attended to the wishes and interests of his
cons ituents without considerine whether they were his
political supporters, or his political enemies—he would
continue to do so; but he would not consent to have his
bands tied. As long as he continued their Representa-
tive, he should remain free and independent. he saw
no prospect of any Reform that could tend to make the
people more free, more happy, or mere prosperous than
they were at present ; but if the Petition were placed
in his hands he should certainly feel it his duty to pre-
sent it.
Mr. S. R. GAGE then stepped forward and was loudly
cheered. tie addressed the meeting nearly as follows :--
Sir.—lt is along time since this county has heard the
sound of my voice, indeed. 1 never had the honour of
addressing you hut once, on the occasion of the election
to the Commons' House of Parliament of mywand wortererhy
friend Sir Win, Rowley. Having been long a
front Englaud ever since the peace, to get out of the way
of the rapacious tithe gatherer, and still more repacious
collector of taxes, I return again to this happy country
(I say happy in comparison to others), and find it still
'groaning under burthene which, hoeever, partially re-
', pealed, just to put the " flattering unction" to the souls
'of the higher orders, still bear too hard upon those orders
lof men that are least able to bear them. To relieve them
I declare must be the object of the present mee ing,
noting hat a Constitotionel Reform in Parliament can
possibly relieve them— list, as by the general law of the
Constitution the majority is to decide for the whote. the
Representation must be chosen by a body of constituents
whereof ihe elective franchise Inv extend to the m tjority
of the people. For, if the constituent body consiated of
but one thousand for the %hole nation, the Representa-
tives chosen by that thousand would not, in any rational '
sense, be the actual Representatives of the People. That
nothing less than a Constituent body rosined on a princi-
ple that extends to the majority, can be coostifittio, aily
adequate to the return of an
be actall represallyentation of the
people, and that unless the people actu represented,
they are not constitutionally represented at all.A new bsdy
of constitnents is therefore wanting, and ione, that n their appoihnt
ment ten things are to be considered ; tey
should be numerous enough, because numbers are neces-
sary to the spirit of liberty : the other, that they should
have a competent degree of property, because that is
conducive to the spirit of order. 'The Reform
necessary, I think might be settled by amode Committee of
the present H. use. Of the necessity of Reform I pro-
pose to give the follows;g argument :—The Constitunon
consists of three order one monarchical, one aristocra-
tic, an I one popular ; the b dime consists in maintain-
in", the equipoise between them. This balance was lost
in the firs part of the Norm ,n era ; it was recovere4 in
some degree in the period of the Tudors and Stewarts ;
at the Restoration it is supposed to have been again k
recovered. Let us see if it has not been impaired since.
lite Lords have been the most stationary parr t,
House yi t by
has
au
increase of their numbers, of late the Uppe
obtained a great many patrimonial and private boroughs
thereby obtaining an undue influence in the House of
Commons, which does not constitutionally be d
lon to
them. But the great alteration has happene ong th
part of the Crown—as the memorable Resolution of the
House of Commons itself said—" That th iottuence of
the Crown had iucreesed, was increasing,e and ought to
he diminished." A learned author has said—" that a
free people will pay more taxes is it
heh gres
ate
the r al
ea so rite than
a people that are not free ;" and sea' r be-
cause they hive a compensation in the rights they en-
joy." The people of England pay upwards of fifty mil-
lions W the revenue. This purchase they pay for the
Constitution--shall they not have the benefit of it ? How
many enjoyments must every individual relitainish, and
how much labour must he undergo to enable him to
make
of 6overnm thi
th
s contribution ? No people vier deserved er
ent au the people of England at thisbettmo-
ment. Notwithstanding the severe agricultural distress
felt by every class of his Majesty's subjects, therefore, I
cheerfully give my vote for the proposition moved by
Sir It Bunhury. But one word more etc we part, and
that to an Honourable. Member of the House in question
(Mr. Gooch,) %show face is the very picture of roll hu-
mour and bad politics (taught .r.) There is a political
effrontery about that Gentlemen, only equalled by his
bad jokes in that Honourable House. 'I he lloneureble
Gentletuan'e arguments tend completely to the " what-
ever is is rielit." lie reminds tae much of an incident j
which happened to my brother, when in Lisbon some
years ago. My brother, with that sense of morality be-1
longing to an Englishman, wus tote day inveighing
strongly against the moral conduct of the Portuguese
ni whet ladies in general, when a Portuguese nolteenuan
standing by said to hint, " My good Sir, our fathers
wore horns helm us, therefore we must wear them like-
wise." (Much laughter and applause.)
Mr. James M‘Doetetee next presented himself, am!
was received with the loudest and strongest expression
of popular applause. He said that few, save those who
Its I voluntarily absented themselves from their duty that
day, stood in need of making an apology. Yet perhaps
he was bound to do so, standing as be did ansonest lien-
tletnen,who on every account had superior claims to their
attention. lie would certainly have remained silent haul
it not been for the extraordinary and inconsistent speech
of the lion. Member—on the point. at least, he had
cense for congratulation—the contliet of that ulev—if
conflict it could be called, whic h rested on such a speech