The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-04-27 00:00:00

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I,

theOers'aets of sersa9b, iteenttelnens whit: 94/
ftlh from Mr. Metlieh• pee wet eurpriq
will Certainly pay him this compliment --=.ti.ciptepli-
I ment which cannot he paid to ',luny public rein, it
ie, that from the first moment he presonted himself
'to per tipper, he has bleu always cenristcni• It
is in my recollection at Brantford, what pains Sir
Fsancii Burdett, dty after day, limit, in ass{ to
c*tort froth this C:ettleman avowal )li4
principles, without' ever bang able to obtain aft an 4-,
sever froii him. Mr. MethOr did, incletal, somee
times condescend to say, ‘ LOO4 S. hel. P 54117
bee he never coutlesceeded to give ell reason.—.
ik has come for wept te-ilay, eayineiViat lie can.,
net SueeMet in the Douse of Contouona the Peti-
tion which yOu hive su poaeeitnnusly approved of.
True it is, he has not repeated his favourite words,
Look to the but he it uniformly steady
and consistent ie giving 'you no reasolo. Now it,
seems to me; that he has given a strong OrguIPPI
seeingt the power, oat claimed, by the noose of
Comnt'ons. • did think that person; might be
foitod 1144 enough 19 come forward lied say they
would support the power or the Ikose of Cethe
mous ; 'but J certainly,could.not insegine that any
man w9tslitexpose his want. of sense, by refusing
to support the Oetitine of his Cep:stile/cots, with.
out code:savouring tofitell a reason for his conduct,
'and without attempting to prove that the power,
the exertion of whicials complented of, existed.—
reienflotee, I shalt state to you my reasons for
contending that no such rower does exist, and I
shall contend, in opposition to Me. Hytigi and in
the words of the Petition, that we ought'not only
to object to the exercise of the power, but even to
its existence. I. have to say, and I say. it with
oonfidence, that at tie period of :the history of this
kingdom, has the -:ffouse of Gammons had the
power it nowclainsso:exemit et the time of the rd.
hellion, when they iiidipted the /Sewers of the
other branches attics Legislature. I venture to
say, that the }Nose of Cottimons legally possesses
no such power as they have recently exercised,
and I trust, that as lime as a spark of freedom re.
mains in the country, they never will he suffered to
have.such powers. Gentlemen, let us not con.
found power with privilege—what is the duty of
the Huusc of Commons, and what are Us tune.
tions. Its ditty and its functions are to enquire
into, and redress public grievances--to originate
and give sanction to taxes—to act as a Court of
Inquiry into publiti crimes; to i%peach the delin.
quents, and, If they are found guilty, to
demand punishnient They cannot punish with-
out bringing the party to trial ; but in the present
case they have claimed the power of punishment
without trial. It has beets said by a person, whose
knowledge of the 'Lang and Constitution of the
country I highly respect—that the only ground
upon which the House of Commons can exert the
power it has assumed, is in the case of an ob-
struction to its proceediugs—but yet he observe
that a libel may he such au obstruction to its pro.
ceedings as may justify its exercise of that power;
and he supposes that any two persons, Members of
the House of Commons, r ho wercgoing to support
a public. meeetire which might be olotroxictis to cer..
lain individuals, and they were to chance to meet
with Ostrow:ion, that, in that ease, it would bctho
duty of the flume of Commons immediately to
imolai the offenders. I deny the proposition. If
such a circumstance were to take plaee„ I contend
that the Home of Cotentin's would hiee'no ritht
to do any thing more thais to remove the °Wine..
tion by the adoption of legal means for that pure
piss. There is uo man who hears one, that is not
convinced, that an obstruction tgaiitst the whole i
body of the Legislature would not be an offence of
a much more aggravated description than one which
is only directed agaittet itaingle branch of the legis.
lature, or .an individual forming part of that
branch.—rie House of Commons is not the only
branch o( the legislature, ,aril surely I may sup. 1
pose that, an ehstructiint .of to one of the
other. branches is, as great an offences, au obstruc-
tion offered. Co the lipase of Commons, or the
individuals composing it. You all remember that
some years ago, when Ids Majesty was going to
the House. of Lords, with only his orilinary
guard, .he. Wei stopped at Whitehall:by-Abe ristib
—.that his . carriage was broke, and 'that he
was hit by lonic dirt that that was thrown
from among the 'populace. You must recollect
these.eiscumstances. Now, what was the cuttse-
quence 1, The consequence was, that the con.
stables removed the obstruction, and his Majesty
afterwards went and opened the Pa'rliament. Bet
did he immediately punish the offenders for the
obstruction ? N0....-Kid Wake was one of the
persons who was guilty, and .though this was
an obstruction to one of the branches • Ur' the
Legislature, yet the King did not punish him
without a trial. The King diet not *et tike
Yorke; but the man was tried by a Jury of hit
country. 1 put this case, in order to show 'ytisti.
that if the House of CoMmons, which is only a Chico
branch of the Legislature, have the power they
contend for, they have a power different from that.
which is exercised by the other branches of the,
lAvislature—they he ,e a power paramount
to that of the King, and if their present claim is,
allowed, I should not be surprised to hear them,,
maintainoliat they have in all cases power ecrial
to that of the King, because they world hive
no diffietilty io toakile; the Speaker's Warrant byl
the application of the doctrine of analogy 'of the
same force and effect as the King's Writ. it well
Afield subscribe to these doctrines, the lima or
Cminnons might vote the. wig .of the Speaker
to be of equal authority with the crew'', and the
dace to ham the same power as the King's Seep.
tee. Now this being the case, it does seem to me'
Oita strung argument against the power that those
well-meaning people who have attempted to
defeed it, have got lute such absitriliiies as
they cannot extricate themselves from, and must
have astonished all who conteuiplete
Gentlemen, it seems (0 NV.' heeti the fashion
to sly, that though it lnay not be right to
exercise the power, yet for the benefit Of the
country, it ought to exist. I say (hat A() povier
ought tai exist in the House of Commons, which
eves them. the right to. imprison the people of
ltlitt eeentry without trial. The Weise of Corn-
slOUS ullghCto be possessed of no • power which
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TA'
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,bo' exerted against the .people, I do let,
•know Opt they can hives any power, the limits of
which 'are unslefined. 4.110 w me to say it was thsg,
isoomption of this poiver in the Legislature, their!
.test ap America. For although the Stanip,Act at;
.that period was repealed because it was found to
be is rung, yet those who repealed it had befetei
asked fur an Act of Parliament to satiction it;'
but the people of America west net to be dr.
They justly thought that -the Legislature t...,1:
had adopted the measure because they 'thumbs,
themselves they were sarong, had only tescind
it, becaese they fotiu4 themselves to be weak.—'
Gentlemen, 1 have only to observe to you, that
Aim: Petition skids ham been subnigted to your eon..
aideratioo reminds you. of the ancient Constitution,
of the country. There has been very little done
In the preseqt instance which was not dune in the
time of Mr, Wilkes, and upon that occasion the:
House of Commons were oat ashamed to resehid
all their former Resolutions, and to declare that
they were contrary to law. Let us hei,c that the
present House of Commons will nut compel us to
maintain a tweety years' struggle. Let its hops
they will grant, with a good graie, that for Which.
we shall be grateful, instead of reluctantly
yielding that which we are wresting from thews,
and :for which, if so obtained, we shall
owe 'them no , gratitude. There is one other..
observation arising out .of this Petition, which I.
wish to offer to you. ;There is in the Petition *,
passage respecting the blood of uneffending cid.l
tens being shed in the 'streets of the metropolh.
For one, kniust gyro I present my thank! to Sir
l
Fronds Burdett for so nobly standing forth: He
could not otherwise hare proved to his country, that.'
there were no means of executing this unjust war.
rant of the Speaker,. but by calling in the aid of,
the ,military. lie has 'liven', that the House of
Commons can have
,nis Power which they ..do not .
possess the coustitutional means of carrying irate
execution. `He. has shewn, that. their assumed
power has puzzled all who are entrusted. with the
'execution of the laws, It is absolutely frivolous,,
to argue a question of the kind ' • it only wants to
be disenssed in.order to be refited. Let us hope,
that we hod that support we are entitled to, even
in s corrupt and degeneste'lluitse of Commons.
Let us hope, that if *with firmness and determination.
'we dotnau d our rights, opt voico will be attended to,
and that the House of COmloona will not only listen
to us, hut alitaro us irediesi. It wadi formerly
said bj Sir 11. Walpole;speaking of the Ministers'
of his day, that 66 Give them the power of blood,
and you gave them blood"--that expression was
afterwards parodied
,by Lord Chatham ; he gild,
" Give the Huns° of ( ominous the power of
corruption, and you give them Corruption.!' We
cannot pm rody
.4iie ,ex pression, for the present
House of. Cnuonous hate admitted that they ire
corrujg. Gentlemen,. the House of Commons,.
though. 'destitute_ of. the- power of executing the
warrant of 'limit. Spea,icer, have claimed the power
of bloost, end blood they have had. Now see,
bow they Attlee executed their' warrant: It is a
notorious fog, that wiikoit'thitild of the mi:itary ,
they could nut hate executed' it; (No, never, said
may Freeholders) then the warrant is not the
orirrsat of the Rollie of Commons, or of the
civil power ; but it is the warrant of Ministee.,
and to' be executed at the pleasure of Ministers;
and the; consequience must be, that the executive,;
if this pretended.' power is not resisted, will pos.'
sets the means of destroying whenever* wishes'
the Rights and Privileges of the People through the'
Houk of Commons. I ask you, Gentlemen,.hOw
that power can be said to be legitimate in the.
House of Commons, which cannot be carried
into effect and executed without the assistance of
the Crown ? Upon all- uccasions, with respect to•
which history informs us, it is uniformly observe.,
ble, that where remittal have brought to their aid
Allies more powerful. than themselves, they bate
become the slaves and vassals of those who have
so afforded them their assistance. Let Os hope
that will not be the
,case on the present oc.
casion. bet us hope that the Douse of Com.
mons 'seeing the intention of the people will
unite, whenever called into action, . with the
declared opinion and sentiments 'of tr -people
of this kingdom.. Above 01f,,,1et u*. Appe thit
the House of Commons will not rotate to silstea.-
to the voice of wisdom. Irtheyaliould. tiot,
in the first instance, still let us ant despair.
Let..us repeat the same language temperately and
firmly, in. order that 'they may' feel the force'Of
our aigavaafis, andthen, howeterthey may affett
to hold the people in
,contempt, they
..eill,Yll
length, flail it iseetatiapy,'‘fiti ittelt own security, to
yield to them. tOreaterpplosese.)__L___ , . •
The Rev.
_WILI,IO pit.x....--Giiritia-
men; I had no intention
,wien Il'eijotts here to take
'up'your time respeetiug the eticistisittinces to dim.
'Mt which you are• callet), terrier:.
,I knew that,
setts more able, and' fellati willing, would come for.
OA andgins you a stronime,and deuce account
Of the fraiiiit3tinisii irliiili,Tuitic urged-yeti to 'Mi.'
..
amble; he riOniiit Wok lids transpired since I came'
bete,' n hick peters te sue that the Freeholders of
Addiesex,'howeiCr they May lament that their bre.
therkof IVestusiniteiliive been deprived. of their
representetivelare tdeln#elea in a much worse si.
,legion. Their, sisiiihy SiTid :beloved Representa.
Cite cannot, it is true,ispt,pteiinit support the cause
of his Constiluonts ;. btetalii.Jn, Goodenteu, he is a
nap who will. never oppose the cause of his. Con. '
',Rooms. • You,' owlhe ether hand, have a itrOle- ,
.6critithil WhO huts-Imikesi the .eunstit it titomi bond ;
which ought ti) unite you,, for what can .bin a,
greater bond of 'union than that of a 'Represent*.
live anti' his Constituents? Now I conceive that
'when your Representative sits in the Housed
Commons, that he sirs there as .your scrtain, and
that you have an undoubted right to lay your cons.
mends upon him. Could ail" man of iiense*.nosi
I may say of integrity, have made the declini.
tiust which your mionbet has those this day? Had
he received instructions front his Cekatititents con.
Crary to his private opinion, he mono have said,
66 This eeitahily is not my opinion, but it comes
fresn's hiAlser authority ; it is. therefore entit lest to
more respect than my opinion, fur it is the voice id
the united nieetinz of the county at large." . Pen.
tb•men, your Member list declared his indepeo.
thmee, mid I assure you I never before heard
:. .

s _f -6

••••••urviim

and,.
ill
. .
man declare- his intlependonce but 17;
onooma
respected him for so doing. This ho aud
exception, and as it is Said there is en eswetiertiil„liu
eutoftooftjyou"er uBL
every general ride, so is Mr. Mellish'sdecicae-'6O-;.°T
will tell You. how he has declared his ind
—he
of app.blaLe e. declared
ti independence
iv"isitie se i d
.support your Petition, and what
vou 'conc*."l"°t
be your rights. 1 have only one Word nteivre '3l
would have every person clearly. understand e"-‘
terms tliby use in the business they set oholt the
Wry. opinion, the sustrest, the safest, toil hest .rcllf
all our veils is Parliamentary Reform. ; and iriti;ilu'
to distinguish those who are the true, or l/41-i-tt
tended friends of Reform, ask them, whet: ii
use the word People, whether they mean the' y
People; ask them, whether they who pa;ll.ce
reckoning, are to have the right
much worse situationth at
of contro"
le
the accounts; or, whether these who pay will":
words
part of the rechiseing, are to possess that pow : -
ith the
for 1 think there might be partial Reform, potter,_.
would leave you in a
you are in at present. I shall conclude wild"'
rum of Scripture, one half of which you ha,e
I
often heard, but the other half of which is not
i‘m,
!Honourportant;
the
the verso
nvge,r,s,e
hubegins
ends with iwt
46 Honour all men." [Plaudits.]
- Mr. WAPPIIM AN. —Gentlemen, Freeholders
of the county of Alidillesex, after you have been
addresser! by so many of par brother Freeholders
and with such ability, it would- be wrong, and ill
become me to attempt to take up much of your
time. Indeed, I enter so fully and so completely
into the arguments mid observations of must of the
Gentlemen who firisie spoke's this day, that I lime
nothing to prop* from myself; and, in fact,
they require little to be said in couOrmatien of
them. Gentlenien,• one Worthy friend, Mr:-Clif.
I.ferd, hair elated, 'the 114 prevent content
simper to the contest. which this. country was en,
gaged In forty years. ago. ;It is eery true :hat at
that particular- period, your rights and liberties
were.attitelied; tot by the Spetker'e. IYarrant hut
by the, warrant of ISecrerery of State. 'the hli.
glisters of "that-day...claimed a .right. of .breakie,
into matt: Iseltoesoind seizing their mess by
virtue of 4.sootetar of Staters .Warrant,
_,sed we
certainly. Witch to that , (Mr.
~Wilkes), whitevEt shades we may discover in his
~eliaraiser, for the noble stand he made. Iso
_persuaded, that.ife be the result of that contest,'
period had not beetivnt to the pretended power
of a Secretary of:States ' Warrant, none of
would have met iipon this day to express our opt.
.nion of a trsusaction•witlets is very touch of o
miler nature. I think you. will agree Oh on
that during the suspession of tile- Rabe*. Curlers
Act, and during the Opt:alien of thspe go/toots
eels of the House of Commune of late years, if
Ministers had the ppwcr, no Englislunio told
be securie)n 'either hjs 'property, his libortr, or
his life, The preoyot Ministers .h.ive :wt rcArirt-1
to precisely the some expedients'r but tio'y hare
resorted W another, which woehl 'billions/Ird
their Peepuse. fiat as well ; and if they hul
succeeded, 'they would only have bad 1p hire ph.
stituted the Speaker's warrant for the Secretary of
State's warrant. Gentlemen, it must be peel et.
ly welt known. to you, that the repreeentatire
body were armed with this power, as fat sp they
have a right to it, in prder to use it for the pro.
teetion of the people against the encroachments of
the other branches of the Legisteture. It is !Pled
by all Constitutional Writers, that the three
'Estates of this Kingdom arc so. formed, that
they have the poster of counteracting the user.
pation of each other. Though they are united
is one bod,v, yet they arc geparatelytarmed with a
police which is calculated to prevent any undue
encroachments by ILI one branch upon the priri.
lege' which form the basis of the other. If,
therefore, the Legislative branch has a right to
exercise this power against the people, soil to
call .upon the liwistive to assist themp what
it, in effect, but st power in the !mods of the Crown
It appears to me that if this assumed right of the
Rouse of Commons is persisted in, we are in the
Situation in which it was declared, by the Bare!
, Montesestieu, that our liberties would be at op end.
.Thatphilosopher has stated, that whePefef Olean'
presentative Power was nominated or competed
by the Executive Power, the Constitutleeearaf!
tend would perish, and for Pas rr0500..410. ass
presentativeiindy, inktead of being the proteetorS
of the rights of the people, would be the
meats for enforcing the Prerogitiec of the Crown,
and eicrcise.that *rattily over the People which
the Crown of itself would not be able to effect.
Gentlemen, I would now Overt to the particelar
point which ind,sco I me to come foreard, for,
much as I approve of the custluet of one of the
Gentlemen who has adders. sed seetl who it,
your Representative, andhighly as I think in
his 'honourable and independent principles, 1
mudt take the liberty of making ga obserst•
lisle spots what has tallest from him, [le has said,
that urh3 pteght not to abuse public reep. I agree
With him, that we ought not to do so withyut kid
.occasion. Hut, Gentlemen, public men have a
great:duty to perform, and if they are neldigent
of that doty—jf, instead of consulting the inte-
rests of the people, they net for piety puttees's,
or with a view to their oen ensolumeist, 11011
then become subjects urjust ani:aadversiun. It
matters nut to the people who governs the
.
country,. provided it is well • governed. 11,e
ought nut to trust to any particelae
but rather look up to she I.iw and CuPstitn''''n_
of the country, amid to those flows independent!
men who,..haviog no object butt the
:he:people, arc attached to nu particular
or factions. It is ucorious circumstance, tid:
one of your Represeiktatives should have told
that 0 you are of opinion a Reform in Poo•
meat is neetesiary, ion should tunic furwatJr.”4:o
"troll twa Olen 'that this individual I &IN"
and others retail(' also be indncei to We
wArit, in order to assist you in rilitaiiliag (12.'
form fur which yot4 are su anxious.. 'tkituthet.t",
Who, iv alas your Itepremeniallve,
told yo.ll 0144 lte i, ittdeoendaltt of you. Waal:
is
That yoe have sent him to P.irliainent, w her '
to act , for himself, acc,srding ''' hi an
i4dgifetom--tio says, if 4 ii,deritama
hls
opl _cif.'