Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-05-03

the oGnaIS OF right SHSenucIS
eos" OF wrong; and were tho Government even in
ensb!e to The sigus of the timca, and 10 oil the
''her examples winch II has furnished 6ef"tc H. IL
would IN my opinion, be perfect madness on fts
port to resist the unanimous appeal OF suffering
people Loud cheers. | give you not counsel.
rnI LORDS. to yield to neDance or bend 10 fear.
only give you that counsel which have before sd-
dressed 10 he other House oF Parlioment-but
give you that counsel which has been often given 10
you By those uoblo persons who have been most |
forward in promoting tho success of this great and
healing measure ofyeforr, They honestly and man
ioiy performed their duty in those times az the risk
81 tho animadversons which it might d.aW down
upon them, They laughed at the ridiculous charge
OIL yielding to fear, and If they did far d.sconlen
ted people, tell you plainly. my Lords hal share
In that fear With them. own that Far the discon
at The thought OF going on further wtRost eDdea-
vorlng 10 appeasa 1t, feeling | do that they ASK
for their right and hat right. if withheld, and that
wrong undresscd. might rouse their sumbering
strength To day. That appears TO ne reason winch
fairly calls upon to yield 10 the just demands of
the people. But this measure has been called re
Vnlutisnary measure. ard great and unca He'd tor
change My Noble Friend (f5urd Wharnc IT, has
said that is an unprecedented hin. to do that which
he argued this measure goes to do-namcly, to alter
the frame of the constitution ofthc country. Now
will willingly meet and Engage him on this ground
Without going into the details of the measure, viii
maintain that the principle OF the bill is the principle
of the constiIution-tha it has been unifurmy acted
upoR and hat"it has been acted upon in a
way it acted upon i'll this instance | will
meet my Noble Friend upon the very threshold OF
the BILL the acknowledgements OF sixty boroughs, and
the. IN part, Acknowledgement of fortv-sevan more
This is the part upon which the great attack has
been made, as If ii were the weakest and most vu-
Dc'abls part ofthe bill. AS to the chIec ion about
giving CT increase to the weight OF the landed inter
est. though some Of the opponents of the bill may
not Inject 10 it on these grounds they h-'e the bill
account Of the disfTanchisemnnt of the boroughs
and that acknowledgements represented as an un-
q tptI nf ,I,ac
try. Mr. Ginning " con .tsnt and ingenious
a s:aesm mike and successful, because consistent
enemy OF all rcfnTin. He oh c:,d TO all kinds of
change, and when | would draw his attention TO
Leeds and such places, he would admit the fac,
bnt then be woull that liverpool. York aaj
Ponetssct were represented and that uTeprcsent ed
Manchester was safe in the representation of Liver
poo i'hcn when he asked What he could say
to Scotland, where there evon that virtual
representation which he could point out in Ilnrland
where unrcpIeecn'ed Glasgow could not be said
to be safe in unreprnsented Eiinburgh-ybere from
tho banks OF thu Tweed to John OGroat's house
there not even the resemblance ola popular cleo
ton, and where .bings had come to euch pass that
as had been said by Nr 11ux the 45 REPRESENTATIVES,
of Scotland might be chosen by men living in Lom-
ard street, London-Mr Canning admitted the ar
gument, but then he contanded that any change in
such state OF things, would be only portion of
parliamentary reform; that it would be an alteration
in tina; parliamentary constitution which had been
m
stltu'lon they had right to alter in any resbect
and that they might well think of touching tho
constitution Of Parliament tho crown on the head
of the monarch. Now thst. at least was consistent
argument. In some years after, when Mr. CANNING
supported The Acknowledgement of n borouoh which
had proved delinquent asked him On what grounds
he then justified such when he reelected
the arguments which he had formerly urged AGAINST
any thing Of the kind. Mr. Canning justified the
measure on the necessity ofthe case as he sr0ued
that those people had committed offence for winch
they should be punished. That was the only an
sWcr that Mr. Canning could give to that question
But they we're told that the Acknowledgement of the
boroughs mentioned in the bill was o revolutionary
measure, as there had been an eternaly fixed or
der and custom under the constitution CT this conn
try for the maintenance of certain nnrnbar ef ho
ronghs-as if the number of these barouqhs should
remain perPetuaiy the same and as it, rs their nj
vscaes assert they forR"d portion of tho ancient
AID immutable constitution of this country Now
there never chargr brought arains. anv msa
sure which was more completely founded upoa sn
utter ignorance The history of the constitution of
this country Well and truly did nv learned and
eloquent friend Uho Chancellor for Ereand saw that
such pc had read history TO little or M nYrnoso
that they Pored with the delight of an aa,ionari,
eyer the rest of tn" brazcn toys which thew collec
ed in thar search but that they did MT dip into tho
mines OF solid ore, nor seok for the precious gems
OF truth. Do sneh persons mean 10 ASSERT that |
Gstton and Old Sarum and all the other hsruphs
have been, time out of mind part and parcel ef
the consultation Of the country, and that MANY of |
them have not bceI in recen, tines altered and
sbrogated? do not know whether am about TO
give information to your Lordships Of that which Won
90 not know, but judging from what has taken place
elsewhere, am certain that communicate Informal
ton to some members Of the House of Commons
when state that to the crown Of this country, up |
TO the period OF the union with Scotland never was
denied the uhqnestioned and nndispued rinhe of !
sending wIltS TO any borough pleased and Of ceas
ing to send them to any borough il MIGHT choose
not 30 SEND them to. Ifyou look into vour history
you VIII lind tost sccb was the case. It. spears,
from statement. made by Mr. Pitt. that about the
period Of the revolution seventy boroughs were dis
franchlsed' and thirty one were enfrunchised. We
only now propose TO do that which the crown has
ot'en done previous To the union with Scotland
Can That BILL, therefore which DISTINGUISHES certain
number ut boroughs be justly described as bill
which goes TO put down the constitution. whom Won
ind that up to the beginning ofthe seventeenth cen
tnry exactly the Same power has been exercised bv
The crown; The Noble Earl who smoke an thai s;Jss
oi thF House has taunicd some Of my noble friends
GppoSe because they the disciples Of the late Mr.
Cnnhlng support Tbs bill. and be has described all
me speakers at present in Parliament us mere pun
1,ators compared with MIR Canning. The Noble
Bart. most probably never baforo bear II tbo 7 81