The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-02-10 00:00:00

MgETFGEG COUNTY MEETING.

through Louden, and being asked 'where are your M.
jesty's Guards, she pointed to her people. and sake
these are my guards.—(Applause.)—The same Princess on
enrolee. occasion had made use of this expression—g,
shell not have my people taxed; the money of the people
had hest remain in their pockets." Tense principlrs
were worthy of so great a Princess, but thee were not
the principles of the present day. Numerous Acme of
Parliament hail been passed against County Meetings,
and against the liberty of the press. Even the scant
was used to put down those who met only for the pur-
pose of obtaining a redress of grievances. The affair of
Manchester could never be forgotten, Lot now Provi-
dence had so ordered it, that the very men oho heir.'
upon that day, who on that day eat down their country.
men for expressing their grievances, now held emeemeni,,
to inquire into the causes of their own distress, and to
thermion for relief.—(Applanse.) The root of all evil in
the country was the state of the representation, and of
what avail was it to talk of any.particoler grievance—
to endeavour to lop off a rough branch, whilst the roots
of corruption remained firm in the earth; Reform 8104
could save the country How was the House of Cone
'Dens composed ? Of Pensioners and Plecemen.Offierts
in the Army and in the Navy, dependants uptin the
Minister, who sat there with the greatest eomphicenev,
overpowering upon every question those few who were
elected by the people, supporting every mearsure or
'the !Minister, taking the money of the peopl
e
out of the pockets of the people inetle to pet it into
their own.—(Applause.) It would never he forgotten
that in the Petition of the People presented by Lord
Grey, it was stated, and offered to be proved at the Bar
of time House that a few Peers and other persons returte
ed a majority of Members, to that House. Old Sarum,
as had been stated, had no inhabitants—there was no-
thing there save a few brambles an.l stumps of trees, and
these' actually had two Members to represent them in
Parliament (a laugh). Appleby had no hotiois—there
were a few pig-styes there—the pigs of Appleby, me. r'
important it would appear .in the eyes of the Anti lie-
formers, than the inhabitants of Leeds or of Manches-
ter, had actually two Members to represent them in the
(louse of Commons (continued laughter). Thus, se
the system worked, for some places Gentlemen
repre-
sented stumps of trees, fur other places Getitleesen re,
presented pigs ; some represented, as they were pleased
to say, their own consciences, but they meant their own
interests, against the wishes, the interests, and the liber-
ties of the people of England (hear, hear !). The
Honourable Gentleman next toilette., on the dura-
tion ot Parliament, and on the general character of that
wetubly. Sir George Saville had truly sail that the
House of Commons might as well be said to represent
the people of France as the people of England ; and the
great Mr. Fox described them in the follow nag %lards:
They have (whatever might have been their views amid
intentions) heen the cause of spending more of the
treasure of Great Britain, and shedm:ing more of the
blood of hnuran brings in every part of this world than
any other Government than ever precede! them. With
the word humanity in their mouths, they have filled
every quarter of the earth with more misery, and with
religion in their professions, they. have Spilled MO,
Christian blood than any King, Prince or Emperor did
in the annals of ti.e world. They have peen the came.
of destroying more of God's creatures than the greattet
conqueror in ancient or modern history, and have lest
more at the same time than any of those eeneeterers ever
gained," With respect to the kind of Reform that was
wanted, he would say, without going in'o particudir
details, that the interest and security of the people
required a state of representation oeposite to the pre.
sent—required that all placemen and pensioners, this
all those who received the public money should cease
to sit in Parliament, and required that representation
should be co-extensive with taxvion. Was it right that
men who fought the battles of their country, and who
contributed their mite to the public exigence, sheds' he
denied the privilege of voting at an election ? The du-
ration of Parliament ought, in his opinion, to he annual,
in order that the people might have power over their
Representatives. Of all abuses, the existence of sine-
cures is the greatest; nothing could he mere moostreits
than persons receiving thousands upon thousands ofite-
puhlic money for doing flotilla:re What would they
think of labourers, who remaining idle all the week.
should demand their wages as a matter of right? Yet
there was no difference between such persons and sine-
curists, save this, that the sinecnrists received a [root
deal at than the labourers could possibly demand.
The pension list was one of the most curious sights its
the world—the names of men, women, and little chil-
dren appeared on the face of that list who never loot
done, and who never intended to do any good for the
country. These things ought to be put an end to, limit
retrenehment ought to go a great deal farther—the sala-
ries of those who performed duties ought to be reduced ;
they were raised when corn was high, they ought to be
reduced now because corn is low. But even if all these
timings were accomplished, he feared that taxes wetthl
not be reduced so as to give any sensible relief;
it was his opinion that recourse should be had to
the sale of public property; of Crown Lands
and of Church Property also. No men could foie'
y object to the sale of Crown lands, and has
tithes were established by law, they might also be mo-
dified by law. Some seemed to think that religion
would be injured by the abolition of tithes ; but there
was nothing about bishops—about Vicars, and, above
all, there was nothing about tithes in the New Testa-
ment. The Church was established by the law of the
land, and was open to legislative alterations. There
were some who would say that Reform, beautifel
in theory, was in practice dangerous;—but America
had certainly a free Representative Government, and
there was no confusion or disorder in that country. The
taxes in America amounted to two millions and a half;
the taxes of this country amounted to sixty millions;
the King, as he might be called, of that country had hat
6,000/. a year; the Speaker of the house of Commons
received the same sum ; there were no Bishops in Ameri-
ca, but there was a Clergy free from reproach, and a
people who venerated religion. France also was free
from taxes and front tithes ; her improved sheath's
could be traced to the reform of her government. lie
hoped that the progress of Reform in this cuastry
would be marked by the same result, and that the im-
provement of the constitution might lead to an ameliora-
tion of the condition of the people. The llon. Gentle.
man concluded by moving that the following lewd,
should be added to the Petition :
" Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray that your
Honourable House will immediately proceed to pass se
Act for a Reform, upon time Constitutional priaciples el
Representation being coequal with Taxation, and of Par.
Lament being annual, in order that time reformed Perlis-
went may adopt the following measure ;—lst. A total
abolition of all sinecures and unmerited pensions.-24.
A reduction of all salaries, and a reduction of the stead-
ing army to a scale of expence as low as that which
existed before the last war ; and, 3 4. Snell a sale of the
public property, of whatever it consists, and such an ate
plication of the proceed., as will effectually relieve the
distresses of the people."
Mr. FORDHAM rose to second the motion. lie 0114
that Reform was absolutely necessary in order to save
time people from absolute ruin. The eistresses of the limes
pressed much more heavily upon the tenants than the
landlords, and they at least were called upon to demee'l
,hat Reform which ought to have been long since brought
about ; which would have been accomplished 31) year*
ago, it it had not been for that political swindler and.
apostate, William Pitt. (Applause, %tit!' some We. Ir. of
disapprobatiot.). The worthy lieuticumn, after Wads