Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-05-06
Sy Robert Pee,ss Speech concluded.

leave to say that he ud not participate In the senii
ment Gu the contrary. he should ever repudate u
from his heart for he derived his strength from that
order of society he of themselves and should
always be proud of his connexion with them (Cheers
Of the Judgment and sound understanding of the
middle classes he entertained very high opinions and
well would it be If they evinced more good sense and
moderation than their rulers-( Cheers-if not, then
indeed did he despair OF the destnes OF the country
There were, however. daily indications that his
fdence i'll their clear sightedness political subjects
would not be misplaced 1t was not long since the
noble Lord, in the Office OF Chancellor of the Exche
quer, had assumed that large body of the people
had borne a tri-coloured flag to the palace of ST.
James, but the assertion met by their indig-
nant refutation. So far from intending to launt
such an unnational symbol in the eyes of their
vereign-so far from preferring foreign emblem to
"The dag tina, bIsved a thousand years
The battle and the breeze"
they conceived themselves very much uggrieved by
the misrepresentation, if it carried with it On in
snut ton that they conveyed treason under the garb
of an ensign of liberty. The truth turned out TO
be- that instead of thus exhibiting their supposed ad-
miraton OF the three days OF Paris this tTl-coored,
or rather quudrcoiored flag, consisted of three or
four remarkably beautiful specimens eff silk msnuae
tufe, carefully folded and sewed together at the we'll
known establishment of Leu, Bousfeld, g. Co. loud
cheers and laugher.1 If in inqurng whether they
should adhere to the constitution esta bished
they found that oil its benefits only centered in DO
roughmongers then argument in its favour would be
nugatory; but he submitted it would not be difficult
to make calm, temperate appeal to the better
Judgment of the people on behalf of the old
English constitution. of which he was suro no
such assertion could be predlcsted. 1t had been
said by the late iliustrous Mr.. Canning,
that the modelling of constitution was
q matter of extreme delitacy in proportion to the
complicated character of delicate machine
who could pretend to Judge of the symmetry and
proportions of the human frame of its organs, and
faculties, and endowments, which fell so little short of
angelic existence itself, by merely examining iso
lated member detached feature of the fabric when
perfect created? Let honorable gentlemen re.
member that ell moral theorists and philosophical
writer's for thousand years had despaired of rea-
Zlng IN practice system of such excellence as the
British constitution. Must not Cice himself have
contemplated our form Of Government when he said
'EXistImo cam esse optimsm republican qua
stltuia est eX trlbus generbus?" Had not Tacitus
described the best and most durable government to
be combination of king, nobles and people, partic-
ularisng with accuracy the several parts Of our con-
stution as it operated He had heard frequent al
fusion TO Burke and Canning. and other great author
ties whose Opinions had been adduced the course
OF this debate, but he would quote passage from
speech of the noble member for Tavsiock (I.ord j.
Russei in the session of 1919, which he considered
much more to the purpose. and was, besides being
opposite TO the question: one of the most beautiful
speclnens OF eioquence uttered in that House.
IL had the additional merit of having been spoken by
the very noble Lord who now sought 10 lay violent
hands on the constitution. The discussion alluded
to related to the Acknowledgement of a corrupt bo-
rough In cornwall, when the noble Lord was asked
what ne proposed to do with the unconvicted bo-
roughs to which he replied follows; but in making
to blame The noble Lord for changing his opinion
sce then, It he saw sufficient grounds for the change
out the reasons which he then assigned appeared
eternal and rrefran able, and not of nstprn IN bo
less cogent now than when originally uttered. He
on that occasion replied that he would consider ore
neral dlsiranchisement of the uncon icted borouhs
reconstruction Of the House of Commons atogeIh-
or. lHear.) He had, therefore, the noble Lords
own authority for so designating the present plan of
REFORM (ieur.) Fhe noble Lord however went
on TO eniogze the constitution in the most eloquent
terms OF praise which it was possible to employ He
observed that cold Sarum had existed when Mon
tesqu1eu pronounced the constitution of England the
nearest to perfection of any which the most enubt-
sHed States had ever before experienced. When
Lord Somers, and the other great legislators and NH
iosophers who fourished With him, bore attestation
10 ITS merits, 1t was open to the same objections
Whfch were since urged against il; and when Ham,
den lost his life Rutland returned the same number
OF representatives. as Yorkshire. [CheeTs7 He
was not inclined, with the pscudo-merchant in the
table, 10 cry "New lamps for oId"-fiaunhterl-andI
would not consent to exchange the instrument which
mad created so much national prosperity for n burn
lShed and tInseled article of modern manufacture l.
tLaUghter.l Neither would he willingly throw DIR
potlcal system into the wheel the chance of oh
talnlng prlze IN the lottery of constitutions :"
lCheers and laughter ! Such was the noble Lord @
Judicous, and at the present moment timely Tnin
against the danger OF rashy departing from the prac
'csi wisdom of mankind, during centuries of histo-
real experience proftered too, at the critical iunc-
lure OF 1919, when the six acts had passed-when
the slzure OF arms bill, the blasphemous libel bill
and the newspaper stamp bill were in actual progress
through the House. [Cheers If such was the
line OF argument of The noble Lord IN 1919 he in
his language would theI call upon tho House TO
prefer the solid ancisE lamp of the constitutions to
the Inc temporary insel of modern sopbistry rIIparl
lth respect to the great question before the House
he could not but declare that he saw in it but the
instrument of men endeayouriDg to retain power
Lhear ana mol He begged pardon if in error but
they all knew how prone people were TO receive
the disclaimers of anxiety to possess power with
suspicion And this alluson to office led him to
another topic not disconnected with his subject
IL had been industriously circulated, that with n
view TO ou-bid, rather under-bid the noble Lord
IN his measure for reform, and with view to efec
ting restoration to Office some member of this side
OF the House would have come forward with some
pan o. moderate reform of his own. lie knew not
Ieany now TO meet this absurd assertion. Ebe fact
was That there IS class of newspaper writer's who
seem TO think that the suamUul bonu1p of human
felicity the sole object of all cxertons and ami,
uon, IS the. opportunity of wasting our time and
heath on the Treasury bench opposite For his
part ne was 0ctuated by no such idle ambition fLcar