The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1848-05-05
fatr FOREIGN Nrws.
The News by the Acadia.


s;a,osthat Prince Meuernich ha6nntt then
arrived in London. He travelled through
Germany under the name of Herr "
Meyer, anA Lady, ard, suite, merchant of
Gratz.
The ChartisI Petition.
70 TIE HON. THE COMMONS oFGREGT BRIT
AIN AND IRELAND, IN PARLIAMENT AS
sEMBtRD.
We, the undersigned inhabitants ofthe
British Isles, and subjects Of the British
Grown, thus avail ourselves of the consti-
tutional privilege of submitting the con.
sideration of our political rights and
wrongs to your honorable house, in the
hope that they will receive from you that
degree of attention which the impor
TANGO of the one and the oppressiveness
of the other demand from the guardians
of the civil. social, and religious rights OF
the people.
Your petitioners declare. that the great
end Of all governmental institutions
should be the protection Of life. the Se-
curity Of property. the promotion of ed.
ucatiou and morality, and the diffusion Of
happiness among all classes.
That your petitioners consider the on
~ legitimate basis of an equitable gov
ernment is the expression of the mind Of
the whole male adult population, through
the unlrammelled agency of the fran.
chise.
That your petitioners regard the rep.
resentatiOn in Parliament of every man
of sound mind as right compatible with l.,
and sustained by, tho laws OF nature and
Of God, and that mans privalion by his
fellow creatures Of such right is an act
which, If tolerated, evidences the exist
encc Of tyranny and Injustice upon the
one hand. and severity and degradation
upon the other.
That your petitioners regard the Re-
form Bill as unjust, as it restricts the right
of citenzcnslip 10 oue,seventh of the
male adult community, and stamps the
other six-sevenlhs with the stigma of po
litical inferiority
That the system which your petition.
srs arraign before the judgment Of your
honorable house renders seven men sub
servient to the will, caprice, and domi
nance of one; that it not onl y establishes
the ascendancy Of small minority of the
empire, but it invests minority of the
small enfranchised fractonwith the pow
er of returning a majority Of your hon
orable house
That your petitioners have never ye
heard valid reason urged for maiutan
ing the present representative system
and that the arguments pleaded against
the admission Of the people to the immu
mites which the social contract should
guarantee are based upon gross selfish
ness, prejudices, and contracted views d
humanity.
That your petitioners hold the elective
franchise not to be trust, as has beer
absurdly represented, but right inner
ent in every man for the preservation o
his person. liberty and property, whicl
is to be exercised 10 the best Of the poss
essors Judgment. withoutlet or hindranc,
from his neighbor.
That your petitioners. believing tn
principle of universal suffrage to be base,
upon these eternal rights of man which
although kept in obeyance, can be Meth
er alienaed nor destroyed, appeal l.
your honorable house to make such OF
gauic reforms in our representative sys
TEN as will make that principal the foun
dation upon which shall stand the Com
mons House of Parliament of Grea
Britain.
That your petitioners, in order that III,
elector may possess perfect security il
the exercise of his franchise, pray tha
the voting at the election for members o
Parliament be taken by ballot. YOU
petitioners aware Of the great, coercive
aud corrupt power possessed by weatl
and station over the poor eector, see n,
hope Of securing purity of election ant
genuineness Of representation, but il
throwing the protective mantle of the bal
lot over the electoral body.
That your petitioners regard the pres
ont inequality Of representation to be op
posed To common sense, aud inimical /,
genuine representation Of the people
They therefore appeal 10 your honorable,
house TO remedy the defect in the legis
lative machinery, by the division of tn,
country into equal electoral districts, as
signing to each district one representa-
tive.
That your petitioners hold the legisla
tnre, equally with the executive, to be III
servants of the people, and consequeuI
ly entitled TO remuneration at the publ
expense; and, believing that the House O
Commons should be the minister and no
the master Of the people, call upon yol
to establish their just relative position b.
hxinga an equitable salary for the servic,
of its members
That yourpelitioners consider septen
NAL Parliamcnts unjust as they prevent
forsix years out of seven, those who ar,
annually arriving at maturity from exer
cising tho right of suffrage. Your peti
TONERS also consider that seven years
too long term for the existence of
Parliament; peiodthat affords an oppol
tunity TO venal and lime serving men I
promote their selfish interests at the ex
persc of those whose welfare should b.
the ultimate aim of all their Iabors.-
Your petitioners, therefore, entreat YOU
honorable house 10 create between IN,