Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

will be wholly forgotten by the natio
at large we shall do, ist
bicketing families "dofor
grounds of animosity, except wid
the parties persevere in their
and every man do his best to cause the
nation to be restored to its former
happy statedobasdamb ge

have direischames down in evermoting the now if the reformi had Pakeji přice print,having voted against that in 1817; but still it jamii whichimmerything hundredths of the so frank and ratious gamer, that whole kingdom had prayed fors The past refusals and past hatch mea Bloody Old Times newspaper has threat ened the opponents of the bill with a publication of their names in RED ink. If anything would induce a gentleman to insist on having his name down in a division for a case like this, it would be such a bloody and brutal threat; but there needed no threats at all, other than the legal and resolute expression of the public opinion; and it is this expression, and this expression alone, that will have produced this great and salutary measured best

66%

It is impossible for the Ministers not to perceive that, when they meet a new and reformed Parliament, in which “ treasury members," nominees of peers, members who run down to vote at the Lord Chatham said, more than fifty ringing of a bell when they meet a years ago, that, if the House did not Parliament in which all these will be I reform itself from within, it would unknown; when they meet a Parlia "be reformed from without with a ment in which they can never comvengeance." It will be, to a certainty, mand a majority; in which they reformed from without; but, happily must not expect always to have for the country, not not with a vengeance; a majority; in which they are not but with gentleness, good-humour, mo- to expect support from any cause deration, and harmony, unparalleled. except that of the wisdom or justice of It certainly is what not one man out of their measures. When the Ministers fifty thousand ever expected to see; meet a Parliament like this, their situa and, if the measure be carried into full tion will be totally different from that effect, it will reflect honour indescribable in which they are now placed. They on the character of the country; honour must see this; and, therefore, their on the King and his Ministers; honour having resolved to form such a Parliaon a large part of the Parliament; but ment is an indubitable proof of the honour on the people beyond all de- honesty of their intentions. Cons scription. Its enemies call it a revolu- We shall soon see the manners of the tions so it is ten times as great and ten Parliament wholly changed; the hours times as good as the revolution of of meeting will be hours of day1688. Revolution means great change; light; the attendance of all the Memand here is a great change; effected, bers will be regular they will need no too, without a single commotion; cook-shop, no drinking place, no smokwithout confiscation of any sort, with-ing place, beneath the roof where their out punishment inflicted on any-body. deliberations are held. The evil exNo nation upon earth ever did a thing ample of their lives will no longer be reflecting so much honour upon itself. the cause of destruction to young men of It is clear to every one that knows fortune. Along with "Bellamy's," the how to calculate, that the people could Club-Houses, and the Hells will disdemand a great deal more of the arisappear: there will want no odious and tocracy than they are now demanding; rediculous law to prevent men from but, as I have a thousand times said, bringing either House of Parliament deal frankly and liberally by them, and into contempt; both will become obyou have nothing to apprehend from jects of respect with all men of sense, their demands. This justice to the people has been delayed very long, to be sure there would have been less difficulty in the sequel than there will

J

and the esteem of fools is never worth having. Accordingly, the laws will be respected; crimes will become more rare, and punishment will be efficient

for it, nymassz because men will acs of Billy the thing that we havet bema í quiesce in its justicegi fling and 181 bouring for, for so many years, in Flow monstrous is it then, that any here insert it Is that the merit of men baxing the the smallest pretensions to having na tautology in it, sind is therese vistus should not bail this measure fore short, compared to what idundersä with delight! of monstrous in other headed fellow would have made iti bons en what must it be in men of your The speeches that you wilkofindudeg profession This measure, if carried come after the bill, I insert entire, asi into full effect, must pearly put an end specimens of the talk on this memorable entirely to all that bribery, corruption, bill. They will amuse, you, and, ushb perjury base lying, false, and foul deal- have mentioned them elsewhere, I insert ing, drunkenness, debauchery of the them at full length, to `obviate thes vilest kind, acts of violence, disturbance charge of garbling, ban loyal sdt nede of the public peace, quarrelling, ha- There, now, God bless you! This tred, and malice amongst neighbours, is a day of real joy for Old England.s amongst friends, brethren, parents, and We shall once more see the labouring children; all these, which spread them-man with meat and bread, with a bed selves over the country at every elec-to lie on, and a linen shirt and a Sunday tion, leaving wounds half-healed to be coat to wear. This, my friends, is what torn open again at the succeeding con-I have in view more than any other test; all these, which, at every step and consequence of this great measure, så → at every breath, openly violate, every I am most faithfully yours, principle of Christianity, and these are now to be banished from the land of which they have so long been the foul disgrace and the incessant curse; and yet do you, the teachers of that Chris-A tianity, mourn at the prospect of the change

WA. COBBETT.

1

g dia tud BILL TO AMEND THE REPRESEN TATION OF THE PEOPLE IN ENG LAND AND WALES. We shall hall see, on Thursday next, at [NOTE.-The words printed in Italics are pro Winchester! But, if I am to judge posed to be inserted in the Committee.]] G from what I behold in and near LonWhereas it is expedient to take effectual don, I shall now find you, at last, measures for correcting divers abuses that amongst the disaffected. Act as you have long prevailed in the choice of Members will, however, you will, until you make to serve in the Commons House of Parlia atonement for your behaviour as to me, ment, to diminish the expense of elections, to deprive many inconsiderable places of the for your malignant acts against me, you right of returning Members, to grant such will be most cordially detested by Tre privilege to large, populous, and wealthy towns; to increase the number of Knights of ots25ga!!¥f *w¢! WM. COBBETT. the Shire, and to extend the elective franchise¡ -dowe na p Aarili on,qode-do to many of his Majesty's subjects who have ziedi scadar bone ad? fressad not heretofore enjoyed the same. -29 live set blad na enolasenacted, by the King's most excellent Majesty, ad agnol TO THE to sly by aud with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, 1 READERS OF THE REGISTER. in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the boroughs enuinerated in schedule (A.) to this Act annexed, shall cease, after the end of this present Parliament, to return Members to serve o in Parliament, and that no writ or preceptd shall be issued or sent to any of the said boroughs to return Members to serve in any future Parliament,ge of gaidtod 97ed

[ocr errors]

Kensington, 16th March, 1831.

[ocr errors]

Be it

I had written a long letter to you on the prospect now before us, but some thing has just (Wednesday morning, 6 o'clock) come to hand, which is a And be it enacted, that the boroughs enugreat deal more valuable than any-shall, after the end of this present Parliament, merated in schedule (B.) to this Act annexed, thing that I am capable of writing; return one Member and no more, to serve in namely, the REFORM BILL; the Bill Parliament for each of the said boroughs.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

of the county to the other, to rake to- out of his office, and bereft of all power, gether a crew to carry can address, because, and only because, he had exapplauding the horrible bills which plicitly declared that he would make doomed the reformers to dungeons; no reform of the Parliament. It was and will you now hang back! Your the people that had driven him out; -pretence then was, that the reformers mind that, Parsons: it was not the were disaffected, and that it was neces- Parliament. The Parliament liked him sary for you to come forward in sup- well; but it could not keep him and port of the King and his Ministers. carry on the thing quietly. The new Well, Parsons, and are not the borough- Ministry, therefore, were compelled, mongers now disaffected; are not the whatever might have been their inBARINGS, the PEELS, the CROKERS, the clination, to promise a Parliamentary HORACE TWISSES, now disaffected? reform. And to satisfy the people it Are they not now raising their violent required nothing short of a total devoices against the Ministers and the struction of the rotten boroughs, and a King; and is it not now your duty, great extension of the suffrage. It was then, to come forward in support of this not sufficient that the new Ministry Ministry and this King? If I find you promised a reform: it was necessary absent the day after to-morrow, I shall that the reform should be extensive and * certainly think you the most inconsist-satisfactory. A trifling reform could *ent of men, and what I shall say of you not have saved the Ministry for a day. 'God only knows. They would have been in a worse situation than Louis-Philippe with his sham revolution. The people insisted upon a large and efficient reform.

But, Parsons, you hardly imagine that this reform is to be productive of no consequences! You hardly suppose, I take it, that it is intended to produce The Ministers have now tendered "no effects. If this be your notion, them such reform. In this reform they never were men more deceived in this see the thing that they wanted. It is whole world. It has been made be- not precisely what many of us wished, cause the 'Government could no longer but it is quite enough to satisfy all reago on without it. A reformed Parlia- sonable men; and the people will have ment must, therefore, act differently it. Now, then, Parsons, though I do from this borough Parliament. If the not like to plunge you into despair, I usk reform produce merely a change of you whether it is reasonable to suppose men, it would be of no use whatever; that this measure of reform is to be debut it will produce a very great change feated in spite of King, Ministers, and of another sort, and will thereby enable people, all combined, and with nobody the Government to go on. In what but the base boroughmongers to opposemanner and what degree that change them.

will reach you, I leave you to settle It is a question which has, I am sure, amongst yourselves when you meet at been a thousand times put to me: your benches, whence you send poach-"Can you possibly believe, Cobbett, ers to dance on the tread-mill. "that the Parliament will ever reform

[ocr errors]

"While there is life there is hope;"" itself? Did you ever know power and accordingly you, I dare say, enter-" pronounce its own death? Can you tain strong hopes that this fatal measure" believe that those who sit for the will not pass into a law. From the boroughs, will vote the destruction very first, it was evident to all men of" of their own seats? And can you sense, that this hope was groundless." expect a reform from any cause but The case was this. Before the Reform" that of physical force?" My answer Bill was proposed, it was evident that always has been YES: and I have rethe Ministry must propose a measure peatedly said in the Register, that I that would satisfy the people, or be driven from their posts. The Duke of WELLINGTON had actually been driven

hoped and believed, that, at last, when the people were united and resolved, the borough-holders would give ways

that some Ministers or other would at-last be found wise and honest enough ~to make the proposition that the borough holders would stand out stiffly; that they would die hard; but that when it came to the pinch they would give way, and that thus the reform might be effected by a moral and not a physical force. 1

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[merged small][ocr errors]

tained the age of twenty-one, "who is of sanes mind, and who "has not been legally convicted of "an infamous crime?

[ocr errors]

Nay, what is that which we now behold but the almost literal fulfilment | "Clap W. R at the bottom of that, of an opinion expressed and published" and then we should see whether they by me in a very few days after the "would pass the law! Pass it! Aye present King came to the throne, in the “would they, and with double dilliRegister of the 17th of July, in a pas-“ gence! They would; without a dissage which I will now quote. "Your"senting voice, thank you for your "Majesty must clearly see that this gracious message, express their grati"feebleness of the country arises from" tude to you for the wise suggestions "the wants of a due representation of “contained in it, and promise to set "the people in Parliament. What have" about the work with all zeal and you to do, therefore, but to cause that “industry; and they would keep the “due representation to be restored?" promise too."

[ocr errors]

66

[ocr errors]

وو

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

At the time when this was written, though little more than six months ago, not a man in England expected to see what we now behold. The thing will be done well now: but it would have been done better by a message from the King; because then, there would have been no doubts and no intrigues and no rumours upon the subject. There would have been none of this cavilling on the part of the borough-holders; all the ill blood would have been spared, and it would have been better for all parties.

“But,' some one will say, 'those who "fill the seats now would not pass a "law to do this. Would not they! "Oh that y your Majesty would but try them. I beseech, I pray, I implore you to try the worthies. Let them "finish their elections,' as they call "them; then instantly call them to"gether; make no speech to them, but merely send them a message in some"what the following words :"The King informs the House of "Commons [the same to the "Lords], that he has called them “together for one important pur- To hope that the bill will not be pose, and for that purpose only. carried, argues almost insanity. I al Upon coming to the throne, he ways thought, that the Ministers would "finds, from a careful examination propose a great measure of reform or "into the state of his kingdom, go out without proposing any. If they "whether in its foreign relation-proposed such reform I knew that they "ships or in its domestic concerns, must carry it; and when I heard the "that there has been for many nature of the reform described, which "years great mismanagement; I heard before Lord Jons RUSSELL "that the country has sunk in the had finished his speecht, I gave it as my eyes of the world; and that his opinion that the bill would not only people are in a state of ruin and be brought in without a division; but beggary, such as was never known that there never would be any division "to their fathers. The King has at all upon the principle of the bill; "traced these sad and disgraceful because, though I thought that there was "effects to the want of a full, free, a very great majority of the members "and fair representation of the opposed to the bill, I knew that, in the people in the Commons House present circumstances of the country, "of Parliament; and, therefore, he and of Europe, few men would like to

166

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

5. THE WOODLANDS; or, a Trea- 16. ROMAN HISTORY, French and tise on the preparing of the ground for plant- English, intended, not only as a History for rea- Eng ing; on the planting, on the cultivating, on Young People to read, but as a Book of Exerthe pruning, and on the cutting down, of Fo- cises to accompany my French Grammar. rest Trees and Underwoods. Price 14s. bound Two Volumes. Price 13s. in boards. in boards.

6. The ENGLISH GARDENER; or, containing Observations made in that Country, 17. LETTERS FROM FRANCE; a Treatise on the situation, soil, enclosing and during a Residence of Two Months in the laying out, of Kitchen Gardens; on the mak- South, and Three Months at Paris. By JOHN ing and managing of Hot-beds and Green-M. COBBETT. Price 4s. in boards. houses; and on the propagation and cultiva tion of all sorts of Kitchen Garden Plants, and CORN; containing Instructions for Propa18. A TREATISE ON COBBETT'S of Fruit Trees, whether of the Garden or the gating and Cultivating the Plant, and for Orchard. And also, on the formation of Harvesting and Preserving the Crop; and also.. Shrubberies and Flower Gardens. Price 6s. an account of the several uses to which the 7. YEAR'S RESIDENCE IN AME-Produce is applied. Price 5s. 6d. RICA. The Price of this book, in good print To be had at No. 11, Bolt-court, Fleet-street. and on fine paper, is 5s.

[graphic]
[ocr errors]

day

10. SERMONS.-There are twelve of these, in one volume, on the following subACHARIAH PARKES, 279, HIGH HOLjects: 1. Hypocrisy and Cruelty; 2. Drunkenness; 3. Bribery; 4. Oppression; 5. Unjust MILLS, for Grinding Malt, Beans, Peas, BORN, LONDON, Manufacturer of STEEL Judges; 6. The Sluggard; 7. The Murderer; Oats, Barley, Coffee, Pepper, Rice, and Drugs 8. The Gamester; 9. Public Robbery; 10. The in general, begs particularly to call the attenUnnatural Mother; 11. The Sin of Forbidding tion of the Public to his improved HAND Marriage; 12. On the Duties of Parsons, and on the Institution and Object of Tithes. Price 3s. 6d. bound in boards.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

and in extra boards, price 1. 11s. 6d.

14. THE EMIGRANT'S GUIDE. Just now Published, under this Title, a little Volume, containing Ten Letters, addressed to English Tax-payers. A new edition, with a Postscript, containing an account of the Prices of Houses and Land, recently obtained from America by Mr. Cobbett. Price 2s. 6d. in bds. 15. MR. JAMES PAUL COBBETT'S RIDE OF EIGHT HUNDRED MILES IN FRANCE, Second Edition, Price 2s. 6d.

Printed by William Cobbett, Johnson's-court; and published by him, at 11, Bolt-court, Fleet-street

L

« PoprzedniaDalej »