The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-09-19 00:00:00

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to make the laws ; which would be no protection
at all. Hence our Constitution has establiihed these ,
maxims : that none shall. be bound lke. lawi not
made by.common assent ; *that what .ctnicerns all
should.bit done with the' approbation of all ; and
that dangers common to ell should be guarded
against lay...remedies provided by all. :The lawi
Which have been made in conformity fo.,these
inns, are our greatest and
.bolt -ieberitance, and not
only protect its against aggrissioni of indivi-
duals, bubisitpres.sly declare, that ."without the com.
mon assent-of the whole realm,, no Olt of Lay
wwsn'iproverty shall be taken froM bite,• even for
national iiiirpwses. Mut. homis theCtatisonon assent
i(tlittt is, by the custom of Eugialitt, .1.44 assent of
the inajority)-of the whole realm to be obtaftied ?
;The blisig and the Lairds may personally appear ,and
Icclave their wilt ; but the Commons at large tan.
'not ; for which reason they moat either clioose a
.selectoutirber of mil to act for them, or be without
the means of giving their assent, and so he,both
empted front takation, arid deprived of the benefit
of equal laws, 'loco eleitions were introduced,
and they are commanded to be free ; in order that
thefew ?An ire called to Parliament on behalf Of
the Mann may, rcally.be of choice of the minty; and
consequently.fit.to transact their businela fbi 'Owe;
in such a moaner al to semi to be 'their very image
'representation.. • • '
Aservc; thai Idl this 'alt these just
4h '.provident laws are Violated. Very few elec.
tionVare fEee.:--The Houle 'of CoMtnons Ja not tile
imager
• . •
•ur representation, of the CoMmons at large,.
but Composed of IR embrs collected togethei.i by
Means whlkh ire at the'ilisposalof Very foil eitibir• '
--An'Act4'oiirtianient does hot oonvtihiirtOtn:
mon assent if the whole realm.
The consCqUences 'are such is might have been
expected :,:" An addressing Wiese of-Commons,
anti a petitioning Nation ; a House orCommons
*full of confidence, when the Nation is plunged in
, despair ; in the utmost harmony with Ministers, •
vrhotu the people regard with the utmost abhor.
.tense; who vote thanks when public' opinion calls
upon them for inipeachments ; who are eager to
grant, when time general voice demands account ;
viho„ is all disputes between the people and Admi.
olstration, presume against the People ; who pu.
nish their disorders, but refuse even to inquire into
; the provocationsl to them'."
Such is the real picture, to be contrasted with the
opinion, that the House of Commons is controuled
by the jealousy of the People, and I might, per.
haps, be contented to leave the subject here, as It
die impossible to defend such a state of things ; bet
-I.ani willing to attempt to remove the scruples psi
have suggested.
Yea. say that the people are virtually repro.
'orated; but whit does this mean? What is a vie-
last representative ? He is a person who is not a
representative, and yet possesses the power to act
'as one. -The word virtual denies the actual repre-
sentation'—lt Implies the power, but not the choice
Or appointment of thu parties said to be represented,
oi the will to mit for them. On this head,. how.
ever* I must giie you the words of Sir W. Junes,
who espresses himself very warmly on the subject.
'He held virtual rePresoetation " to he actual folly ;
.at childish-as if You were (*talk of negative repre-
sentation, co
and to, ntend. thatiti involved some po.
sifivA
.
Subsititte:the Word delegation, or de.
putatioul• and yen will instantly see the absurdity
'ollie conceit. Does a. man who is virtually, not
actually, represented, delegate or depute any per_
son to male those laws which may affect his pro-
perty,, his freeduln, or his life? None: •• for he
has do suffrage. how then is he repreiented ac.
cording to the principles of our constitution ? As'
'well atifhto Roman tyrint have urged that all hit
vassals :were ropreseOted in his :person. He was
atigui and high.priest; the religious state was there.
fore represented by him: He was tribune of the
people; the popular part of the nation was there.
fore represented. • He was consul, dictator, master
of the horse, „pvery thing he pleased ; the civil and
Militaryitates wee_e, therefore, concentrated in Um.
The next deduction would have been that the slaves
of his empire were freemen f."
To this nothing heed be added. I shall therefore
proceed to your Oblervations on the connection
•
.between property, avid political poles, 'and repre-
sentation. .You seem 'to hate thought thit property
and power were separate thing, requiring some
foreign agency. to Unite them : whereas property,
as I have said, is a power over things which cannot be
presersed inviolate without a power of giving or refus-
ing assent to the making laws, and which power the
peupie can only exercise by delegaticin. That poll.
tical power shuuld be anncied to property, and be
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4 Xpercb en Refortnniti:a ruArlik:Aiaiorat, ,01. VI. p. 74%