Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1831-05-13
@OG@N4Nfs
HOUSE OF LORDS, IS a MARCH.
DEBATE ON PARLIAMENTARY REFoRnt.
TIoDTJpyoJ

hOOSE Of LohDS, IS 4 MARCH.
DEBATE ON PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.
Continued
The Duke Of WELLINGTON would not apoloy;,e
ior rising so late, or for not having risen be fore. be.
cause, really uoUl the speech Just delivered from ,hf
woo'ia'k no answer bad been made, whate yer nigh
have been a tempted, to hs Noble Friend I.ord WhaTn.
eife) have not (.aid bis Grace) in any degree
cbsI ged my option since I addressed your LordsLip.
cary IN The session, upon the subject OF reform. In
pfihclpie, The representative system OF The country i.
so pefiec', that IL ought moi TO be ,hanged; in p,i1ci.
Pi-, you can no more deprive a borough uf lis fran.
ehise' without proof Of delinquency, than you can de.
pilVe me oil my seat here, or my noble friend Of his
estate In Yorkshire. Until now, This Hous. la, al.
ways required prof Of guilt before il proceeded 10 die
nanchi'enen'. L admit that there might be circum-
Stances OF necessity which would govern this s!ric
rule, but what l contend for now, and what | have
son'ended FOR al! along 10, that his is mol a case OF ! e.
cessi'y. No necessity has been established. The
noble Lord on ihs woolsaek talks of the claims Of these
who nave shed their blood in the service OF their couu-
ny. l feel tor ;hat class TOO a. sine eIoly as The no 4.
L1tu; nu. ', us r. collect shat hey ave not the peson.
VINO are 10 receive this franchise. (Hear, lear.) Al
the noSie Lords AID all the honora!la members VIII,
nave bl'heftO spoken, seem to hav, LETT out of The oues-
non ihis cons dera'ion-that il is, legislative ass. M
by You ought 10 create, and not a TO " of voters ,
House OF Commons, and not a CONTINGENCY. This i.
. point to which it bee1.ies m'nist. r. esp cially to look.
Tie noble and laarnci Lord tells US that he woul1
Keep some Tottrn horoug' g in preference 10 Others.
Preference defeats the principle Of the til, and if he
hhneIes % his preference, he must relir qui,h his prir-
rlple. NV a. % the present House of Common. I
InaIn'9in that i is az complete and perfect a !esi.ia, We
BODY az can be required. ! assert, that, especial v
since the peace, il has shown itself ,hs most eficien,
guardian OF The stabili y of the throne, The in. erests of
the nation, aud The rights of The people. cay IA Their,
that it has done bett, + service as a J., gislaive body
ihan any assemble Of lie same character at any for.
mer slime, and for an equal period, aud that u /, bere
NEAL course was only ioter,u u, ted by the introduction
oil this di''uS.ion (I arr / have he au!ho. uy OF
the noble Ma qui's himself, the Pre- i 'ent Of the Couu-
Gil, Tor s"ying, ihs', were be 10 appoint a House n,
Commons, he could no. selections better adapted to the
great ends Of national welfare, giving, a, il ought, a
cue prepondeeaHcs to the weight OF landed properly
The Noble Earl, TOO, al the head of his M, jsstv's Go.
vernpen', in 1917, on the presentation OF A ne i ion
upon ibis very sub e-t, admitted that the House al
Commons wa always ready TO asser, and maintain thr
interests oil TIE people. Therefore, instead Of abandon
ing or even qualifying the opinion | delivered al the
opening OF the session, | continue 10 ente rtain il in its
in' force, supported in it, by the sentiu ents of the
TWO Noble Lords L hare mention ei. Some remarks
by the Noble Baron Duf ham, and by he Lord Chan
celor for Ireland, do rot seem to me exactly correct
IN pointo oil TACT. 1t is very true ttat the lac Govern
nent brought forward the Roman Catholic re ief bill
and its equally true that | lost the regard and support
OF many valuable friends by the introduction Of iba,
measure; but, did no more than | thought my public
duty, and ] was not TO be misled by imaginary dan.
gers, or alarmed by intimidation. (Hear, hear /
did wh!tasa man | ought to have doue, and what as
a man would do again. (Hear, heat) afterwards
but, no with standir e, | felt called upon 10 retain the
position l held in the Government "a long as / en-
J,'yed the aPpTo5aton OF my Sovereign and The conf
dence oil the Legislature. Then came the revolution
i'll France, followed by that Of Belgium, and like the
former revolutions OF Naples and Of Spain, they ndur-
ally excited a strong sensation here-a strong desire
To- parliamentary reform. But | did not ihink then.
any more than / think now, that that desire was ire.
sishble. III Parliament should see reasons 10 decide
That the proposed alteration 10 the constitution is net
Necessity, and ougb, not 70 be made, / am COL Fl lent.
that The country will acquiesce in that decisiop.-
Clear, bear) | believe that the wish of reform i.
strong and grow ing; but if The people see that tn sub.
Ject - ia'fly discussed, aud honestly determined here.
4 am sure that they will submit witbou, a murmur
CHear, bear) Already tho sensation produced by The
french and b. lgian revolutions has subsidized; the ma
tves ard this county have seen the depiOrable esult.
by which those eommolior have been followed. ard
are "i.ely warned by the sufsrings Of their neish.
bore. Then came 'he question Of the civil Ilst. DO
not asser; shat here was actually a combination of par
ties on hat occasion against the Government; bui !
certainly heard ~; and whether II were or were not by
conc ri, parties certainly did unite, Ministers were
left In a minority, and we thought proper 10 reign.
This, | beg leave 10 s,ate, however, that the question
OF parliamentary rel, run bad no more 10 do with our re.
re'igna.ion that it had to do with any other part Of my
conduct. We were out voted on Monday, and Tuesday
morning %re'ignet; and for this rea'on, | would rot ex-
pose his Majesty and the country to The inconvc ME nee
OF being out voted on the subject Of reform Of Pdrlia-
ment. Th0re 10 The truth. / repeat il; we resigned
on Tuesday, because we did not choose TO expo,e the
KING AID tie country TO the Inconvenience of our be-
ing deieated, ss we should probably have been, on the
question Of reform. (Hear, heard We re,igned be
cause we did not enjoy the confidence Of he HUI .
oil Commons, and II was not worth ny while 10 cen
iinue In Office a day longer with the chance Of being
again Out.vOtgd | now come 10 the cirenmsianees IN
der which his M7jesly's pfeseGt Ministers came into
ofies. Ga the hrst day the Noble Earl came down to
this House, and stated, that he took office upon three
pTincipes-1. Retrenchmsnt-2 Peace-3. Parli,-
meniaiy Reform. a. to The two rst-refrenchmen
and peace, there is. j apprehend, no difference between
the Noble Earl and myself. IL has turned out hat NOT
a %sixfencs is 10 be rstreAched by The Mob 2 Earl aud
his colleague; and they have, | believe, admitted that
In point OF economy We have doUe al tia! could be
done. ~ 70 peace, also, hope | may say that the No
bic Ear found every thing 10 such a train az TO enable
him 10 ~ lid hostlihes with all the world. Upon some
minor points there might be differences; but his,
must observs that rather than run the risk Of putting
the N bic EIl in a situation Of difficulty, I nfve'
would consent That even a question should be pvt q
hiCt here regarding our 10 eign relation, (CbeeTs) No
man desifos moro earnestly than I 20 he prosperity
ard pefnsn.n e OF lbs Noble Earls Government
not, iudesd, out Of personal attachment 10 bim,eli, bu.
oWt Of regard 10 The interests Of the country, which