Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-02-14

from the eyes OF contemporaries by the burn
ing of the papers of the minister, yet Al
Smollett reveals, volume two, page 3l1,
the guilty minister quarreling with con
federate, Mr.. Stanhope, revealed their prac'
tice Of selling places and reyersions. A
member standing up said, "Since they hat
by mischance discovered their nakedness
the other members ought, according to rtht
custom of the East, to turn their backsupor
them" In bis History, Mr., May. (page 300
says that the majority of the House Of
Commons was long retained In sabjectior
to the minister by an organized system Of
corruption, >. .. :.
This system was continued until the reign
OF George III; and Lord Butte secured the
aid OF Walpole's agent to keep up the man.
agement of the Commons during the early
part, of the reign of George I'LL. The wal
with America never would have been un-
dertaken or upheld but for the purchase OF
Parliament. by, Lord North. Shops were
opened for members. Some years 1,00C
OF the secret service were used to purchase
votes. Stock -jobbing and lotteries were
substituted for direct bribes. Not until Mr..
Pitt came into Office was there stop put on
these infsmies, and then only for a time.-
Contractors, nabobs, gold-these are the
words upon which the changes were rung
by Burke and others pleading for reform in
the English Parliament. But Parliament
stroye in vain; the age was corrupted by
war and avarice; it was time 81 ,trr-s ,sI
When infamous Yenality. grown bold, ra5,
1t was from this source that good men
predicted the ruin of English liberty.
Montesquieu said, "Il perira lorsque In puis-
sance Legislative sera plus corrompue que rerec-
utice." But for the restraints of the press
gradually freeing itself from the tolls OF
the time, and the public opinion which was
enfranchised by the French Revolution. the
admission of the public to the Commons,
and the publicity of the debates, the English
Constitution would either have been de-
strOyed or revolution would have changed
its features into something like our own.
OF all the instruments of despotism paid
Parliament is the worst, just as the cor
ruption of the best things are the
worst. Tyranny said Sydney Smith,
speaking of this time, sis worst
where majority of popular assem-
bly, are hired, and a few bold and able men
by their brave speeches make the people be-
lieve they are Free" The secret influence
of the crown was at work through the in
tlueuce of the younger Pitt all through the
French wars, and was sapping by its cor
ruption the foundation of English liberty.
From that time till the last reform bill of
1860 efforts have been made to lessen the
corruption and bribery of the English cleo
tions and Parliaments, butin vain. So long
as men are moved by their interests, so long
will places, honOrs, emoluments, contracts,
and power feed the servilehorle of merce-
naries who will buy out OF the labor OF the
oppressed and taX-ridden people the very
offices OF legislation to prostitute them to
power. r "
| do not detain the House with the spe-
ciiic modes by which the Crown or the
ministry have ruled England through. a
subordinate Parliament. Sometimes they
made the Speaker; sometimes shut the OPP
position members In the Tower; sometimes
the king himself, as George III at Ports
mouth, intefered to secure the election of
his friends; sometimes the list of court IA
yorites was tOisted in upon boroughs
against the will of the people, as I'm Wilkes
case; sometimes, as in the case of Colonels
Barre and A'Court, officers were deprived
of their commands for their votes in Parlia-
ment against taxing America. Lord Shell
burne was dismissed from his office as aid-de.
camp to his Majesty, Mr.. Fitzherbert from
the Board of Trade, and General Conway
from his office of Groom ofthe Bedchamber,
for the same reason. JamesI had commit
ted Sir Edwin Sandys as Charles had COM
mitted Selden and others to prison, and the
Georges had punished all prominent OPP
ponents SO far as they could for their con-
duct in Parliament. Everywhere in Eng
lish politics do we find not only open but
secret interior cabinet influences at work
to .assail the, Parliament and assist, the
fIo
low to the King that he lost the dignity of
his character in his obeisance, while he shed
tears at the kindness of the King in making
him the lord which killed his influence. In
the time of George Ill the King asked his
personal credit upon the success of his
and regarded opposition to his
as an act of disloyalty, and
their defeat as an affront to himself, (May,
49, During this reign, when England lost
10 much, Lord North supported the King
against the aristocracy, the Parliament
igainst the people, and the nation against
.he colonies, 1t was this influence which
Mr.. Burke called 'the perennial spring OF all
and Of all disorder, which loads
is with millions OF debt which takes vigor
rom our arms, wisdom from our councils,
md every shadow of authority and credit
rom the most venerable parts of our Con-
Complaints of this infuencedid
lotstop with the death or insanity of George
Iii. England learned nothing In the SUBJ
'equent reign of George ~ Mr.. Brougham
the same influences OF the Crown!
10 itmayjustly be attributed the long dis
,ussions year after year as to reforms and
Catholic emancipation, which In our sys-,
EN- would never have been patiently lis7l
ened to fora day. Upon the accession of