The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-05-05 00:00:00


He continued. GantlentenY if. these Resolu-
tious should meet with your concutrence, I shall
then propose that a Petition. be presented to the
House of Commons, which Petition you will have
read to you.—[Loud acclamations. Many ex-
claimed, 44 what is the use of presenting Peti-
tions 7—they gill only be rejected."
The first Resolution was then read by the Crier.
Mr. WAITIIMAN. Gentlemen of the Li-
very, I come before you for the purpose of sir:
conding the Resolution which has just been read to
you, and I regret, that from some particular cir-'
cuinstances, it has been deprived of the support
which would fuse been given to it by an excellent
friend of mine who has before addressed you with
considerable effect.---I mean Mr. Jotres..[A rhea.
pause ensued.)—l am told,. Gentlemen, that Mr.
Junes is here ; but it is only necessary for me to
state, I did expect he would have come forward hi'
second the Resolution,. but-that fearful he would
not be able to. attend,' ke-hal requested me to Se-
tuna it in his stead. I shall, therefore, Gentle-
men, beg leave to offer a few observations in Ott..
tion to what you have heard from my worthy`
friend, Mr. Favell.--.-Gantlitmen, was this a 'sub-
ject entirely unknown to yetui it might have been
necessary in that cue for those who had to ad.
dress you, tuhave been furnished with much in-
formatiou, and to have produced some ingenious
arguments, in order to have made you perfectly
acquainted with the facts • and circumstaticee be.
longing to the case; but, fortunately for the
People of England, the matter has undergone so
large and such able disculion; add All the public
prints 'have treated the subject in a• manner that
1111 S done so much honour to theage and nation,
that I think I may presume there is hardly s man
present who is nut perfectly welt qualified to give
an opinion on the Resolution which has just been
read. However, is lam colt aware of the arts
which ale made use of by your enemies on Ow-
casiuns, and; may be resorted to upon the present
unreason, iu order to throw some odium on the in-
dividuals who are contending for your rights, and
to impress 'upon the public mind that they are ac.,
bated by motives which they tto not entertain or
profess, it may be necessary to take a short re.
• view of the history of the country fur a few xears
past, in erder to thew you that our opinions atenot
new opinions; that they are doctrines not brought
!vowel by individuals who have any selfish mo-
tiveslltutupon principles which have everbeen main.
tanned by the greatest, ablest, and most virtuous
characters that ever adorned this country. In the.
first place, Gentlemen, it is necessary to consider+
what is the nature and institutions of Parlialuents :
I believe it will not be disputed with me, that the
use of a House of Commons is to protect the Peo:
pie in the enjoyment of their lives, liberty, and
property ; and therefore I cannot express it better
than in the language of Mr. Burke, twenty years
Igo, when he was speaking of the corruption of
Parliament, though he was not a friend of Reform:'
He made use of in one of his speeches, and after-
s-Yards in a pamphlet which he published, an obser-
vatitin, which, iu my iiiitid, contained;onio of• the
strongest arguments which could be oroduced in
favour of Reform. Ile said, that it was owing to
the corruption of Parliament that that which was.
inteuded as a balatace in ,favour of the. Pea*
against the Crown,. was made accessary to •the
power of the Crown. _Gentlemen, I shalt trouble
you..for slow moments,. in stating what a Hogue of
Commons Ought to be, by reading to you the °pi.,
uion of a character, who must be venerated
long as the page of history • shall -remain, I mean
Lord Somers. He says," " the House of Coti-
llions are, by the Constitution of England, the
great inquest of the kingdom, to' search •into all
the oppressions of unjust Kings' Ministers, and
that nothing but the neglect of their ditty, an not
making signal examples of justice among the Mi-
. nisterial dispensers of the law, and the Officers of
the Kiug, u our ancestors used to do, had been
the encouragement and cause of so many usurps..
tions and invasions of the laws, the immunities,
the rights and privileges of the people." There.
fore, Gentlemen, at this period, it appears there
had been a laxity in the House of Commons with
respect to the performance of. its duties ; and
tord Somers, after stating what was the use of
Parliaments, expresses his regret that they had not
exercised their duty with so much fidelity as the
Constitution required of them. If it be the duty
of Parliament to protect the people in the enjoy-
ment of their rights—if it be, _according to the
BM of Rights, their duty to redress all grievances,
for the words of the Bill of Rights are, that for
the redress of all grievances Parliameuts ought to
be held frequently—if, instead of 'amending and
strengthening the laws, they have overstepped the
laws, and violated them—if, instead-of redressing'
public grievances, they have been inflicting them
themselves, then, I ask, how has the House of
Commons answered the purpose'of its institution?
I would ask you, whether there is any right be.•
longing to-the House of Commons, which his Ma-
jesty himself does not enjoy ? When the peo-
ple have a right to approach his. Majesty to ex-
press 'their grievances, is it to bo said that they
cannot approach the House of Commons to ex-
press them ? Are not the people to be at liberty to
express their disapprobation of the proceedings and
conduct of tho.Huuse of Commons, without-, by
so doing, endangering their lives. and liberties ?
But yet such appears to be the fact. .It appears
that certain individuals had taken the liberty of
animadverting upon the proceedings of the House
of Commons, and it also appears that Honourable
House, under the pretence of preserving its 'dig.
nity, has thought proper, eontrary to law, to de-
prive those persons of their liberty. If this' is to
be the case, we are left without any remedy. My
worthy Friend, who at firat addressed you, has
observed, it had been the opinion of an eminent
Statesman, that England would nut be ruined but
by its Parliament. I have only to observe, that
Sir Win. Blackstone has several passages,' in cor.
roboration of the opinion of Lord Barleigh. It is
not necessary for me to go over the chide ground
of argument which presents itself upon this sub-
ject. I need only state to you the words of Chief
Justice Hale. He says, that if there should be, at
any time, a misgovernment in Parliament, the•peo•
ple would be without remedy. It does appear that

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if we can approach thtS;7trown, and Oro v,
grievances, but if we cannot approach Abettitase
of Commons to state, them, we are in,that--4.4.-
perste situation that we are without Lippe, and
then it becomes necessary fur the people to exert:
themselves to obtain redress; supposing I haw;
stated correctly that the nature and institutions of
Parliament, rather the particular ends and pew
pgses of Parliament, are to protect the people
tipsiest the encroachments of power, and against
the violation of the Constitution.' It is hardly'
'necessary to go over the history of the country for
.the last forty years,,, to show that Parliament has.
never exerted its powers (or the redress or public
'wrongs; but, 'on the contrary, that all subjecti
of complaint have arisen from the corruption of,
Parliament itself. There is another thing that'
dray be Stated to sheor that the House of Commons
His not altogether infallible, for in the celebrates).
Aylesbury business, when they imprisoned five of.
the tneetors, they were afterwards obliged toe
make their retreat, and it was a retreat as scan.-
dalons as some of the late retreats of Ministers.
Here, then, was en instance of their not Win:
Witli respect to Mr. Alderman Wilkes,'
I %teed not appeal: to von to state what Parliament
did. Although they did imprison an individuate
for. a libel on the House of Commons, yet some
of their votes in more recent Parliaments wore de-
clared to have been subversive of-the rightatiff the
whole body of the electors of Great Britain.—
Here, thee, is another instance of Parliament
having proceeded .to acts 'of violence—of having
infringed the tights of the people of Great, Bri.
Aoki, and of subsequent Parliaments having de-
dared seat acts to 'have bden illegal. The fact
stands so retooled upon theiroan Journals. This
having been the case, and as the Parliament can-
not prefentrto ittfallibility, I should think they
ought nut to pretend to impenity—at least nut so
far as to deny 'the people with whom they take
great liberties, in: the shape of loading them with
taxes, the right of investigating their conduct
whenever they think proper. [Loud applause.]
iVith respect-to that part of the subject' which re.
rani* the dignity' of Parliament, I own it does
1, seim to,nto 61 be an odd and curious mode they
hove 'adboted.- for all the former proceedings to
sail& ['have eluded,' *ere thought necessary to
Oilect the same• purpose—newly, to support the
honour and dignity of the Nettie ; and yet you see
bow disgraceful those very acts, which tend .to
rapport their !mobile and dignity, were made to
appear by 'the Votes of subsequent Parliaments.
It strikes me that it-would nut be necessary for the
House of Commoris to take any measures to vin-
dicate themselves, if they *ould confine their pro-
ceedings to those acts for the promotion of which
the House of Commons was instituted. I need
'not say I mean the redress of public grievances.
[rßursts of applause.] Let them act as Lord SO-
*len says they' Ought 'to act. Let them correct
abuses in the naval and military departments. Let
'them do justice on the heads of public Ministers,
.who violate their duty. Let them punish with
severity the:pablic defaulters, instead of protect.
1:4 theM ; and then the House of Commons may
leave tho.POOple at.full liberty to discuss their pro.
,reeding,, without any apprehension of their chit..
'ratter taut dignity being in the least impaired by
'the consideration of the subject., It does seem an
teatraordinfry thing indeed, 'that the very House
(11 Commons which refused to punish a Minister
of the Ceovin for offering his official patronage in
exchange: fur a'Writerehip in the East India Corn.
:party's service, -and thereby of corrupting .the
House of 'Conimons, should not only suffer that
Minister CO isattpe with impunity, hut should al.
ton ItIM to 'remain a Minister of the Crown, and
'even give him their confidence and support. But
after such conduct, it. is still more extraordinary
that the House should have taken the step it has
with a view to support its dignity and character.
Where, I would ask, was the dignity of the lion.
House upon the particular occasion to which I
have referred.?—["' Disgraceful I disgraceful !"
exclaimed myriads of the Livery.] Where was the
, dignity of that Honourable • House, when the
hope. and wishes of the whole Nation look.
*I to it for inquiry respecting the lamentable
Convention of Cintra, and that House passed the
subject over without, aoy inquiry whatever ?
[flm., hear.] Where was tho' dignity of the
Mouse when Mr, Percent and Lord Castlereagh
were charged with selling seats in that Assembly ?
The Howse took no notice of these measures, either
by a vote of censure or* expulsion. ' It expressed
Oo disapprobation of public Ministers, who had
do grossly 'betrayed thointerests of -their country.
Gentlemen, you will have to consider, and you
have a right to consider whether du:snare national
-grievatteefor not.L-I"ifterrree grietstiltteh"-re.
sounded from every part of the Ilatl.3—ls it sot,
I ask you, a remarkable thing, that Mr. Perceval
and Lord Castlereagh should, after •such an ex.
posure, have been suffered to continue to direct the
1 House of Commune at the head of their hundreds
of piecemeal pensioners, and reversionists.—[« 41
disgrace lode Country," said many voices.] Is it
not still merceatraordinary, that at the moment an
Inquiry was carrying on respecting the most dis.
graceful and afflicting transaction that ever disho.
noured the character of the Country,- I mean the
Walcheren Expedition—is it not, I say, even
more extraordinary than any thing else, that
these men, the authors' of such a calamity, should,
in order to screen themselves, hare retained the
power of voting in their own defence ? Arc these
the men who, after such &grant acts, ought to be
permitted to turn round upon the people of Eng.
land, and by the exertion of an arbitrary power
be permitted to say that they are supporting the
dignity of the ROM of Commons ? Is it not
dreadful to reflect that these base Ministers should
have had it in their power, at such a season, to
close the doors of the House`of Commons against
the public--a delicacy not shewn even to the son
'of the Sovereign ? 'ls it to 'be endured that when
the subject of inquiry was their own disgraceful
conduct, they should have been permitted to debar
the people' of the country from hearing it .1
above all, are those men to talk of the dignity of
the House of Commons, who, begged of punish.
iug the particular individual-
.who we* patty, of
such an outrage againstpublic feeling, have had the

7.77:
THE STATESMAN.

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audacity to reward hint with a place of public trust ?
At the very time when the individual to whom I
allude was thus insulting the people of England,
:the Ministers of the country, who are talking of
:the dignity of the House of Commons, were re-
.warding hint with a situation of high official trust.l
Jan universal burst of indignation.] Is it, I
lutit you, to be sutkred that: Ministers should bu
Waiting the people of this country by recoil'.
mending a man to hist Sovereign's confidence, after
he had been indignantly, and with every possible
=mark of contempt and reprobation, spurned and
rejected by his uwu Constituents ?
[lt may be said, with a strict adherence to truth,
'that there never was an occasion on any numerous
;popular-meaning, io which there was so marked
an expression of patine indignation and resent-
ment. It was nut one emanation of general disap-
probation, but it was continued after having re-
peatedly subsided. There was a general cey of
," Shame I Shame !" and ,it was nearly tun mi-
nutes before- the torment raised by the allusion to
Mr. Yorke's appointment subsided. At length
silence was obtained, and the Orator proceeded.]
. Gentlemen of the Livery—and yet this Gentle-
man, Mr. Yorke, apd•the House of Commons,
tell us that it appears the people of this country
are trying .experiments, and that we arc wishing
to see how Limey insults that Honourable House
will suffer. - Let us rather ask them, Gentlemen,
how many insults they mean to throw upon the
.people, and how many insults we are to bear with
patience. I would ask them what it is they would
have the people of• this country do ? I would
like to know what those individuals and some
,of those who are around me mean ? They have
been frequently 'called upon on different oc-
casions to state their opinions. Sometimes
they. have said, a For Gud's sake look at the
situation of the country. Look to the enemy
we have to encounter. Let us be unanimous." I
Would ask these honest Gentlemen to come for-
ward, and I hope you will give them a patient
hearing in order that they way inform us of any
public measure upon which it is possible that
we can be unanimous. I would ask them whe-
ther we could be unanimous if we were to come
here to pass a vote of approbation in favour of
Mr. Perceval and Lord Castlereagh for their con.
duct with regard to the Waleheren Expedition.
Can we be unanimous in a vote of approbation of,
the conduct of Ministers for the armies they have
sacrificed lin Spain ? [Dreadful, dreadfuln I
would askwhether, after all the multiplied errors and
crimes of these Ministers, we could be unanimous
in a vote which should imply they still have our
confidence ? [No, never, neverl] I know how
I shall be answered ; I shall be told by those who
may oppose me, " We do nut desire you to give
Ministers your confidence, on the contrary, we
will go with yOu to his Majesty and entreat him
to dismiss them from his cuunsels." To this I
answer," oh! why dismiss them; have not theythe
confidence of Parliament ?"• These Gentlemen,
Who would have Ministry dismissed, tell us that
• the minority speak the sense-of the country, and I
firmly believe it has done so fur the last forty
years. They say we will ask for the dismissal of
:these Ministers. .Why should we ask fur their
.dismissal, when-the late Mr. Pitt has told us that
without a Reform in Parliament no exchange of Mi.
sisters can be of the least advantage to the coon.
try: We have besides the declaration of Mr.
Fut to the same effect,. when, being in opposi-
tion, hesaid he would not accept any office without
an expression on the part of those with whom
he was 'to • act in favour of a radical Re-
form, both for the People and the Parlia-
ment. lie said, that no good could be done
without it. Let us take these Statesmen at their
word—Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox have told tit, we
must have Reform ; Lord. Chatham has said the
same thing—then why suffer ourselves to be de-
luded by a mere exchange of men without an ex-
change of tnessures ?-Far be it from me to cry
•downpublic men, fur the evil is not in public men,
it is in- the system. If you employ .stewards in
your own private affairs, you will cheek and con-
trout them ; you will look into and examine their
accounts, and if you find they are defrauding you,
of course you will dismiss and punish them ; but
not so with the House of Commons—the House of ,
Commons will never reform itself. If you have a
House of Commons returned by a Borough
faction, how can yen expect they - will reform
abuses in the advantages of which they partici. ,
.pate ? It is impossible there can be any reforma-
..tion in the House of Commons, unless it it pro-
duced by an unequivocal expression of the deter-
mination on the part of the people to have it
effected. But, Gentlemen, I may assure yen)
that without such reform in our representation,
-there neither is nor can be any chance fur the sal-
vation of our country. A great deal may be said,
,Gentlemen, about the indecorous language which
has been supposed to be used with regard to the j
House of Common. I might -detain you upon this
theme for upwards of three hours, if I was only
to read to you a book Which was published under ,
the authority of the Corporation of this City, and
contains Addresses much stronger than any lan-
guage that harbeen lately adopted. ,It has been
Declared in the Addresses of this City, that the.
House of Commons was a corrupt House, and that
it dienot truly represent the People of England ;
and therefore upon the score of libelling the House
of Commons by what has recently been said, I
think no imputation ought to be cast on any in.,
'dividuals, who have been only enforcing the
same arguments which have berge been stated
in much stronger language. Gentlemen, lam
afraid of trespassing upon your time (No, no,
no! go on, *proceed). Well then, Gentlemen,
I ought to mention another circumstance.—
On looking into the records of this city, about,
20 years ago, I find there were Committees ap-
pointed by the Common Council and Livery fur
the purpose of obtaining Parliamentary Reform—
I And that Mr. Pitt was. one of the Delegates
upon that subject, and that there arc addresses to
him in that character, and to which addresses he
returned answers. In one of his answers to the
Livery of London„ he pledges himself to, promote
4 Worm- in Parliament% and states that the eon.
summation of drat f(ctiam islessentiid to the ea-

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I

perfect!
istence of the coutiti.Y. I knowy well
that if I wao Jo venture to express sentiments
ils E
miter to Pion 'which are contained in the Ad.
si-
dressetrof the City of London, or in the Answers
of Pitti strioutliir' e charged with lie or in the Speeches u "ord
Chat publics •
and !acobiuisn. I am perfectly sensible it is
.neci.Xsary- for me to impress upon your minds Or
necessity of that Reform, of which the City the
London and the persons I have mentioned have
been the promoters and advocates. I only wished
shew you what t
!seat authorities we have
follow. During eftse disputes in Mr. Wilkes's thee:c
Lord Chatham said, that the privileges of the
. greatdt and the meanest subject stood upon thu
puns foundation, and it was thereforeiheir into.
'rest, as well as their duty, to watch oeee
the rights of every class of the people.
--11 e lle observed, that the liberty of the pee.
pie had nut only been invaded in distant pm.
winces, but at home;
,that they loudly demanded
redress of their wrongs, and that till they were
redressed, they would never return to a
state of
tranquillity. He added, that it would be better
for the People to perish in a glorious contest for
their. Tights than to prolong their existence at the
expence of their liberty. This great Statesman
upon a memorable occasion, when he was answer.
ing Lord Mansfield in the House of Lords, oh.
served, " The Noble Lord has said that the House
has no law but its discretion, that its discretion is
law, and that if it is wrong in the exercise of its
discretion, the public have no appeal. What
then," said be, " are the results of all the glorious
contests of our ancestors reduced to this, i
that
n.
stead of suffering under the arbitrary power of
King, we must submit to the arbitrary power osit
Parliament ?" 44 Tyranny," lie says, "is never
so formidable as when it is exercised by a number
of tyrants. It is the first principle of the Consti-
tution that the subject shall nut be governed by
the arbitrium of the King, or any one branch of
the legislature, but by the laws which are framed
by the whole."
.Such was the language used by
Loki' Chathatn, When one branch of the' le.
gislature claimed rights which did not be.
long to it; :'att'dis it 'to be said that ihe House
of Commons of
_the. present 'day are to be
allowed to • send a man to prison for asking the
question...« Whether shutting the doors of the
!louse, %lieu a subject of national importance was
to he agitated, was not an outrage against the pub.
lie feeling ?" [4 general exclamution " it mu an
outrage, a shameful outrage."] Gentlemen, I
could, by reading similar extracts from the speeches
of eminent men, occupy yotitsn ttention till this
time to-morrow ;. bat it is not my purpose to de.
taro yon much longer. Having token a very short
review of the proceedings of the House of Com.
mans in former times, .1 certainly think it be.
comes us most seriously to reflect on all theie
past measure's. We were called upon sixteea
years ago, when I first had the honour of shaking
my appearance among you, to give •ur support '
to one of the most ruinous expensive wars in which
the country was ever before engaged. All the
conseetuences of that war did the Livery of London
foretel. They said, that the objects for which it
was entered into were nen attainable: they spoke
the truth; for all the objects of it have been
defeated, and yet you ,are still asked to re.
pose confidence in public men, and to repose
.cbafidence in Parliament. Yon arc told that
you are nut to profit by experience; and are
not to advert to the consequences •of past
errors. Thu Government will not allow us to
revert to these things, but still they have the face
to call for unanimity, and desire us still to afford
them our confidence and support. I have,. Geo.
tleman, a declaration of Mr. Fox in my pocket,
but having already ocenpied so much of your
time, I will not trouble you to read it, in which
that Statesman expresses his opinion that nothing
but a Reform in Parliament can save the country.
am persuaded that desirable object will never be
attained till the nation at large expresses the same
opinion. Such is my firm persuasion. I trust
that opinion' will be expressed temperately, but
at the same time nobly and firmly.—.l am
satisfied that it is only by a firm. and des
termiued appeal to the house of Commons,
that we have the means of saving the coun-
try from the horrors of military despotism
[long and continued plaudits] ; of saving it from
foreign subjugation [most vehement acclama-
tions]; of rescuing it from an infamous and op-
pressive system of taxation, and the miseries of an
unheard-of inquisition in this country. 'Gentle-
men, we have seen a variety of great public di.
hullers, from Lord Melville, down to Mr. !lout
and Mr..Villiers, and we do not know of any no
Ilia of jostles whicli has been performed by the
House of Commons, with a view to redress the
'wrongs of the Public. We have seen the failures
of our impotent and imbecile Ministers, in twenty
or thirty of their expeditions, . and Ito inquiry in-
ktituted, either .to ascertain the cause of their
failures, or to punish the authors of ovr 'Whoa!
diagram. Then how can we expect that Parlia.
nent will ever institute any inquiry, either
the abuses of office, or the waste of public
money ? Do you expect that your House of
Commons can ever have stronger cases brought be•
fore them than theme which have lately called fur
their interference? Can any events, or calamities,
arise, more calculated to Mill them to a sense of
their duty, than those which the country ha*
lately experienced ?—[" No, no," exclaimed many
hundreds of the Livery;
" It is impossible; we'
have no confidence in the House of Gonsmons.'4
—Gentlemen of the 'Liver , I cannot leave you
without cautioning you agpat those arts Which I
' know, and am confided' arc, and will be em-
ployed, to cry down and defeat the cause of the
People. Our enemies dare not meet us openly, 6
but` hey will attempt to counteract us by esivat
machinations. That such arts are insidiously
those
carrying on I am well convinced, and
who are the authors of them, want nothing
but a pretence to carry their designs inn;
execution. I should think it by no ma.
wonderful if your enemies should send some o_s,
their agents amm °, your, for the purpose of.f_
fording'a ground for imputing improper acenfel
to your aeta. Gen/Tommy, yeti bare wavi

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