Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

the evils which, it was afferted, might have been avoided, had parliamentary reform been adopted. But he would contend, that the war originated not with us; that what had been called inroads were bulwarks for the defence of the conftitution, and that the feelings of the people went uniformly along with the proceedings of the parliament; never did it enjoy the confidence of the country more than at this crifis. (Here Mr. Fox fhowed fome figns of diffent). Mr. Pitt faid he could maintain this affertion; for was the houfe of commons fo far from being the image of a reprefentative affembly, that a general election afforded no opportunity to the people to exprefs their fentiments? He defired gentlemen to recollect how far the oppofition, and the support of adminiftration, were grounds of pretenfion in different popular elections, and what had been the refult of thefe contefts? They might recollect alfo, that in the city of London, where they were most confident of their ftrength, where they were fo affured that the voice of the livery was in unifon with their efforts, they were confuted by the refult of a poll. They could therefore produce no proof that parliament had acted in oppofition to the voice of the country the reverse was truth. He objected flrongly in the next place to the introduction of numerical representation. On what experience, on what practice, was it to be introduced? Were we to renounce the benefits of a tried fyftem for a monopolizing theory which had no example in its favour! It never had been contested, that the inequality of the reprefentation had been attended with any practical difadvantage; that the intereft of Yorkshire had been ne

glected, becaufe it fent only two members to parliament; or that Birmingham or Manchefter experienced any ill confequences from having no reprefentatives. The propofition was new, extenfive, overturning all the antient fyftem without fubftituting any real benefit. In the mixed reprefentation which now fubfifted, the fcot and lot elections were thofe which had been thought moft objectionable; and the honourable gentleman had formerly agreed with him, that burgage tenures and small corporations were even less exceptionable than open burghs with fmall qualifications: yet from this extenfion of them it had been a general complaint, that much confufion, debauchery, and abuse of elections had arifen, which, notwithstanding formed the principal feature in the plan. Upon thefe grounds, ferioufly furveying the fituation of the country, examining facts with attention, unlefs we would belie the teftimony of our conftituents, and feal our own difhonour, Mr. Pitt avowed his total difapprobation, and gave his negative to the motion.

Sir Francis Burdett declared it was his most ardent wish to preferve the country from ruin. He wanted (he faid) to protect the rights and liberties of the people, but not the undue influence of a junto of nobility and placemen. He deplored that humiliating confidence which had enabled the minifter to bring us into fo deplorable a condition: it had fupported him in a war, which, like that of America, was a bold and daring but unfuccefsful attempt to ftifle the flame of liberty. The minifter had endeavoured to restore monarchy in France, he had procured its utter annihilation; he had endeavoured to deftroy the

principles

[ocr errors]

234'
principles of the French republic;
he had established them on a bafis
The motion
not to be fhaken.
laid before the houfe had his con-
currence, as a measure highly ne-
ceffary, and one that fhould be
adopted without delay. Had the
people been fairly reprefented be-
fore the war had been undertaken, it
never would have been undertaken.
It was in vain for the minifter
to talk of preferving the bulwarks
of our conftitution: he had himself
deftroyed them. It was in vain to
deny the existence of abufes: they
were to be feen in the barracks
which had been erected all over the
country; they were to be found in
the laws by which the people were
prohibited from faying what thev
thought; they were to be lamented
in the practice of fending away the
public money without the confent
or even the knowledge of parlia-
ment. All these were abufes of
the ancient conftitution, and never
could have crept into it but by the
corruption of the executive go-
vernment, and that corruption, un-
lefs we had a reform, would be-
come its euthanafia.

Mr. Robert Thornton denied that the fyftem of government had been as corrupt as the laft fpeaker had reprefented. Some reform was requifite, but the fe were times unfriendly to reformation; in a few years he hoped it would be otherwife. He gave his negative to the prefent motion.

Sir Richard Hill faid, he was far from confidering the prefent as a weak adminiftration; there never had fat in that houfe one more able. As to their wickedness he charged them not all; he would join neither fide in abufe; he believed there was much virtue in both, and he wished to fee them united to fave the country. From

the first moment he faw the pro-
priety of fo doing, he had voted
against the war. He difapproved
of fending money to the emperor;
a loan he would not call it, for he
did not believe any of it would ever
be repaid. He wished well to re-
form, there was much of it wanted,
and the best way to fet it on foot
was for every man to reform him-
felf. He willed we had paid more
devotion to that Being without
whofe will we could do nothing.
He concluded with voting for the
motion.

Lod Hawkesbury was decidedly
against it. The time (he faid) ren-
dered it peculiarly improper, but
that was not his principal objec-
tion. The advocates for the plan
of reform differed fo materially in
their modes, that, in fact, it
was impoffible to unite them.
The reafon for fo much diffen-
fion was obvious: the evil of
which they complained had no ex-
iftence; if it had, there would have
been no difficulty in fixing the re-
medy. He obferved, there had been
many wars in which this country
had been engaged that might not
have been juft or neceffary; many
that were actually fo, had been pro-
tracted longer than was wife or
prudent, but none in which the
houfe had perfifted against the will
of the people. The American war
was, at its commencement, a popu-
lar war; the houfe of cominous
and the people went hand in hand
together; the opinions of the latter
changed in the courfe of that war,
fo did those of the former; and the
reafon that adminiftration was af-
terwards fupported was, because
fome riots happened in the metro
polis, which made the houfe, out of
a fenfe of common danger, rally
round the executive government
to fupport the fate from impending

ruin.

ruin. This was a striking inftance of the parliament acting in unifon with the people. And at this moment, fo far was the house of commons from speaking any language but that of the people of this country, that they expreffed the very fentiments of the majority; and fo far from innovating upon their privileges, that he would pledge himfelt to prove the popular power was continually improving, and that the house was more popular than ever it had been before this time. In fhort, his lordship profeffed himself convinced that the motion would lead to the overthrow of monarchy and the house of commons together.

Mr. Sheridan ridiculed with a great deal of ingenuity the alleged proof, "that because there was difficulty in fixing the remedy, the evil did not exist." It reminded him of the old adage, “When doctors differ," &c. If that was to be the anfwer, it would follow, that if they differed about the remedy, the patient, though apparently dying, was in perfect health. He knew not where the noble lord had ftudied his logic, but certainly it was not in the college of phyficians. Much had been faid of throwing the country into confufion; the minifter and his advocates affected to dread the principle of the prefent measure, because it seemed to proceed upon the Rights of Man, and thefe principles were adopted by the French, and led to all the horrors which had been tranfacted in their revolution. But for his own part, he must deny that the horrors of it were produced by the rights of man bloody calamities there had been; but that they originated in thefe principles, he difputed There was not one individual who was concerned either in writing or

publishing them, that was concerned in any of the maffacres in that country; and here he repeated what he had faid on former occafions, that excefs was the natural effect of all re volutions, when men shook off their flavery. Under the neceffity of recovering their liberty by force, they were naturally intemperate. If the question was asked him who were the real authors and abettors of thefe maffacres, he fhould not hefitate o place certain defpots in the front of his accufation. Mr. Sheridan faid nothing could be more unjust than the view which the minifter had thought proper to take of the reform and the reformers. He had defired the public to look upon the one as fo many masked traitors, and upon the other as a latent mode of overthrowing the conftitution. He knew not why univerfal fuffrage should have been brought into fuch contempt; he remembered having figned his name with the duke of Richmond at fome meetings in favour of it and of annual parliaments. He confidered it as the right of every man to propofe that, if he thought fit; its expediency was matter of difcuffion and deliberation; if any other plan was better, there was no reafon for its not being preferred. But it seemed now to be treated as a fpecies of treafon; nor would he admit that every man who thought univerfal, fuffrage the beft method, would neceffarily with for anarchy and confufion. It had been stated, that the number of those who defired a reform in parliament, was fmall; he did not believe it. The whole. body of the diffenters wifhed it, without pulling down the fabric of the conftitution. He had himfelf been accused of feeking to join the friends of anarchy. he begged to alk, what temptation he could

236

have? What provocation to oppofe the aristocracy of this land or the monarchy He had poffeffed, during the time he had filled an of fice of confiderable trust, some confidence from the monarch. He had been honoured with the diftin-, guifhed favour of an illuftrious perfonage; he had been treated with civility by many of the first families of this country; he knew of no occafion to regret the want of attention from that houfe; he therefore expected credit for his fincerity, when he declared that he fupported this motion, because he thought it tended to restore to the people the purity of their excellent conftitution, and to "fave the state from ruin.

Sir William Young avowed him felf an enemy of every plan he had ever heard fuggefted for the alteration of the form of our reprefentation; and the prefent, in his opinion, was as objectionable as all the preceding. Every fuch plan would finally extend to univerfal fuffrage, and the multitude would convert it into the most mischievous confequences.

Mr. Barham thought, that in this feafon of fo much difficulty and alarm, it would be unwife to call the attention of the houfe to a fubject which muft excite very strong emotions in the country, and create divifions injurious to the common intereft. When the proper time arrived he would give his countenance to a well-digefted fcheme of reform, by which the house of commons fhould be the efficient reprefentative of the country.

Mr. W. Smith warmly efpoufed the motion. Parliamentary reform, he faid, could no longer be treated with indifference by good fubjects or real patriots; it little fignified whether the landed reprefentation

had the fuperiority over the com-
mercial, or the commercial as
greater than the landed; the quef
tion was, whether the crown had
not a domineering influence over
both; and if this was the cafe,
they ought not, they could not
long refift the imperious demand of
the people for a reform. But it had
been faid, at what point will you
ftop? To this the anfwer was eafy :
if you concede in time you may
fix your own bounds; protract the
meafure until calamity fhall have
made men defperate, and it may be
impoffible to reform at all. It had
been urged as a proof, that the pre-
fent houfe of commons fpoke the
sense of the country, becaufe, at
the general election, the people had
it in their power to chufe men who
had oppofed the war, and their
having done the contrary was a
proof of its popularity. Before this
argument could be admitted, it
must be affumed that the voice of
the people was free, and the elec-
tion fpoke the genuine fenfe; if
that were true, there would be no
neceffity for reform. But it was ob-
vious that where popular fpirit did
prevail, men gained or loft the elec-
tion as they had oppofed or fup-
ported the prefent war-he was an
inftance himself of this fact; and
an honourable baronet had loft his
election in the fanfe place, because
he had given his countenance to the
minifter.

Sir Gregory Page Turner profeffed never to have had but one opinion; that it was madness to change a fyftem which had been handed found and entire down to the days of his father; and if every body would confide in adminiftration as he did, this country would foon be enabled to contend with the combined force of France and Spain.

Mr.

Mr. Pollen voted for the motion.

Mr. Fox arofe, and in a long and able speech lamented the want of unanimity upon a subject which involved our dearest interefts, and our future fecurity. He expreffed his regrets and his aftonishment that there fhould be any difference in fentiment refpecting the circumftances of the country, or the meafures which its fituation fo obvioully required. Arguments had been used, he faid, to perfuade us we were in a state of peace and tranquillity, that we enjoyed intermal concord and outward profperity. To perfons who made fuch affertions, every propofition tending to meliorate our condition must be a fubject of jealousy and alarm, and, if the difference of opinion was fo wide, he faw no probability of an agreement in any meafure which could be propofed. According to his own views, he could not but think every argument againft reform, which pointed out the danger of innovation, was ftrangely mifplaced; and it was only by a reform that we had a chance of refcue, not only from extreme danger, but from abfolute perdition. Mr. Fox took notice of the frequent infinuations thrown out by the gentlemen on the other fide of the house of party feelings; and he particularly withed that his reflections, proceeding from a principle of free enquiry, might not be attributed to the bitternefs of party. He faid it was neceffary for him to remind the chancellor of the exchequer, that he hirfelf had brought forward the fubject of reform in the year 1782, which was a time of war and of public calamity; and that the motion had had his feeble fupport. The right honourable gentleman again brought it forward in 1783,

when he (Mr. Fox) was in an of fice high in his majesty's fervice, and gave it his ftrenuous affent. Again, in 1785, when the right honourable gentleman was in place, and renewed his propofition, it received from him the fame countenance, and invariably had he continued to declare himself a friend to parliamentary reform, by whomfoever propofed. Now, particu larly, he could have no hesitation in faying, that it was become a defideratum to the people of Great Britain. Between the alternatives of bafe and degraded flavery on the one fide, or of tumultuous, though probably fhort-lived, anarchy on the other, though no man would hefitate to make a choice - yet if there was a courfe obvious and practicable, which, without violence or innovation, might lead us back to the vigour we had loft, to the energy that had been ftitled, to the independence that had been undernined, and yet preferve every thing in its place, a moment ought not to be loft in embracing the chance which this fortunate provifion of British system had made for British fafety. Mr. Fox then touched upon Ireland: had reform been conceded to the eighty or ninety thousand moderate petitioners, we fhould not have had this day to deplore the union of one hundred thousand men, bent on objects fo extenfive, fo alarming, fo calamitous, Every argument which had been ufed that day in the house had been used at Dublin. Unwarned, untutored by example, would we ftill go on with the fame contemptuous and stubborn pride? He faid he did not mean to affert that Great Britain was at this moment in the fituation, or prefented, the afpect of Ireland; but he deprecated the courfe purfued in that

country.

« AnteriorContinuar »