Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-07-12
FOREIGN,
HOUSE OF COMMONs-Mov l6.
SIR RORERT prrr

HOUSE OF COMMONS-.May l6.
. SIR ROBERT PEEL.
MIR. Cobbett, alter thanking the Hon. Members who
hah gwen way to him, said that he would introduce his
nolon without either preface profession. lie would
rst read the resolution he intended submit from which
The House might gather its tendency: after which he
would submit such observations as he considered
y' In order to endeavor to prevail the House, though
ne feared that would be difficult task, adopt ii. The
Hon MEMBER then read the following resou,ion-
Resoiued, That according the laws and customs of
this Kingdom, the King Sovereign Lord can do no
wrong 10 he whole to any part TO any one, of his SUBJ
!ecs that however, eectually guard against wrong
being, in his Msjesty's name and under his authority
done TO his subjects with impunty; the same laws and
customs which have at our birth hit IN mo
from ourJus and wise foreiahers, make all and every
one, acting in that and under that authority FULLY
and really responsible to the good people of this Kingdom
Tor every wrong done unto them any aud every person
invested with such authority, and that in virtue of such
responsibility, the wrong doing party subject TO such
ensures pains, and penalties as, in virtue of the said
laws ana customs, the several tribunals Of the kingdom
nave In all ages, been wont toinc that if this respon-
sibity were not real and practical we should be living
moi only under desposm, but avowed despos; for
the kng, being incapable OF wrong. doing, and his ser.
wants being responsible merely i'm name and orm and not
pracuce, hey also can do wrong, and then the peo
PIC OF his renowned Kingdom, the cradle OF true liberty
would be the most wretched slaves ever yet of un.
DER the SUM- that in cases, where the wrong. doing is
committed by inferior funconaries or is i'm its effects
confined to individuals small numbers of sufferers
'he ordinary courts of justice have usually been
competent to afford redress the injured; but tina, when
'e wrong is the act OF minister OF State sworn 10 adj
hat nil
Mister oil state receives, as reward for his fidelity and
skill, large sums Of the peoples money! and when The
wrong 6y him done is in its effects deep, and so
rally mschievous TO send ruin and misery 10 sween
over The Kingdom like the pesence then there is for the
purpose oil yielding justice TO the suffering millions no
power competent but that which possessed by their faith
iul representatives assembled in tl, house
in the year 1919, there had long been and then
Wai' IN virtue OF divers acts OF Parliament
passed. paper money in circulation throughout this king
don, winch paper money was in effect legal tender in
payment oil all private debts, well the payment of
axes mat this paper money, descending SO low as to
notes OF H. had been the almost only circa,ing money
the country from the month of February 1897 that
10 say Tor the space of twentyone years. that the psper
money soon became deprecated great an xten thai
e prices oil commodities had during the said twenty one
years nsen on an average OF years and OF commodities
10 about double the amount Of the prices AZ which
Inc same commodities were usually sold before the is
sue oil the said legal tender paper. money: that the
depreciation Of the money was so notorious and en- amni
avowed IN Parliament that divers acts passed during
he said II years. TO raise the allowances TO the roya
dnily The salaries OF the Judges of the police ,naos
rates OF the army Of the navy and of almost every one
IN puoc employ, for the purpose of the Of
OIL s very great depreciation; that during the said
81 years next preceding 1919, all rent charges
leases, settlements and annues, bonds and other CON
tracts for time, together with all wills and had
1een agreed on settled and made the basis of this
appreciated money; and that during the said 81 wears
about 1--we hundred millions of the public debt had been
contracted in the said deprecated psper-money thai
therefore, to passan act compelling the debtor parties to
make good these contracts for time TO the very Iee II;
sterling god must be, in fact coniscaon against
anu sentence oil rum pronounced upon these parties while
WIN regard TO the people at large such act INNS, In
reality nearly double the oi the public debt ne
~ double the amount OF the above I'd augmented
salaries aud public pay and of course nearly dohi d.,
real amount OF the taxes.
That notwithstanding these premises and conclusions
so ihduoany true, and so clear 10 the of
every man OF common sense the right hon. Robert Peel
ueh one oil MS Majesty most hon. Privy Council did in
The said year 1872 bring into the then House of Com
mons and procure 10 be passed by that house bill to nut
an END TO the legal tender paper money, which BILL unac-
Tor ~ 4
rectying OF private contracts and for the NJ
public engagements bill inevitably tending to pro-
auce hat hsce that conscation, and tina, ruin lie rein
before described.
That this act which received the royal assent on the
"a OF July, lSl9 though provided for what is called the
gradual resumption Of gold payments began Al once IN
plunge the whole community into pecuniarv confusion
that the prices Of all commodities and of all pronerv
movable or nnoveabe. began Instantly to fall podri
ouy IN price that morigaged estates were in thousands
upon thousands oil instances taken from the owners and
sold III many cases, for less than the amount of the
cages mat III other cases fixed charges upon estates
swallowed up the whole OF the rental while with regard
TO leases, bonds, annuiies aud other contracts for time
and, above all things, with regard TO property dropnino in
TO be disposed OF by WILL the demon Of Injustice seemed 10
have BEEN by this destructive loose upon the king
dom, setting landlords and tenants creditors and debtors
brothers and sisters parents and children 10 ear each
10 pieces, bringing down hundreds of thousands of aini
Hes from state oil competence and ease ana many from
slate oil opuience to state Of ruin and begearv
while all those who living OIL the taxes and wio
were, IN iact, receiving double pay, rolling wealth
and II over the rest OF the communy; and that Of
all these DIRE OF such measure the said Right
Hon. Robert Peel had been warned even before he
brought in the said fatal bill.
| THAT, by the said act, gold payments were 10
Pe'eiy resumed, and the pound notes were 10 be
wholly abolished, in the month of Nav 1885, but 60 fer
ribe were the effects OF the aforesaid act such wf Inc
ruin ans misery that it had Produced that on the 22d n
July, 1922, another bill was by the then advisers Of liz
Majesty (of whom he said the Right Hon Roher, Pei
was one) brought into the then House of Comons and
was afterwards passed into law postponne The abolition
OF Tie one-pouDu notes Tor eleven years longer that am
Par' OF me act OF 1919 was thus repealed that
an acknowledgment thus virtually made by an act nj
me house ITSELF that 1t had principally by the said Rich,
tion Robert Peel, been induced act nyise1v anil IN
do great wrong 10 the people by the said act of 1919
"lbat II the act OF 1922 had been wise If il had nnt
stop TO the wrong done and still doing by the act of IsIo
II came very iardily, it waited ill prodgious ruin had
been effected; but that this of 1922 while posnone
The abolition OF the H. notes for eleven wears left the cold
payment part OF the act OF 1919 in fpll force so t1at
while issuers OF paper money thus invited and en-
couraged TO inundale the country with pound notes
they and the holders OF their were lett exposed ~
constant, and first or last, certain ruin; that this run of
which the said Right Hon. Robert Peel and his
were duly warned) not slow in making its
That towards the close OF the year 1925 the bubble thus
created by the law itself began 10 burst and a befor
the end OF January 1926, hundred banks had stopped
not having gold wberewh TO pay their notes the whole
Kingdom being thereby plunged into alarm and confusion
thousands upon thousands OF families (descenJn~ IN ,e
very artisans and laborer being brought down 10 bepga
y and, such being the state into which the roun,rv baj
been brought, that the ministers themselves declared in
parliament, that at me the country had actually been
within eight hours OF barter, that il 10 saw destitute
OF all measure OF value and in state of utter confson
and anarchy.
"Fha with all this sad experience Of the effects of his
measures, the said Right Hon Robert Peel ti one of
his MaJesys Most Honorable PTvy Council and thsg6
n Maiesv's princinat gec