ESSAY I.

ON SIR FRANCIS BURDETT'S MOTION FOR PARLIAMENTARY REFORM;

ON THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR;

AND ON

THE CRY OF THE WHIGS FOR PEACE.

1810.

B

ESSAY I.

ON SIR FRANCIS BURDETT'S MOTION FOR

PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

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SIR FRANCIS BURDETT, in his speech upon the Walcheren Expedition, argued that Parliamentary Reform, through the want of which he affirmed that miserable expedition had arisen, was the one thing needful for the salvation of the country. Without it,' he said,..without a change of system,..without reverting to the principles of the constitution, ⚫ with the decline of which the country had declined, no permanent good could be expected. If we wished to be rescued from our present perilous situation, we must have reform,..reform ' which would revive and re-establish the ancient ' fundamental principles of our constitution. Un'less this was obtained, neither himself nor the

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country would be satisfied. From the folly of 'not demanding this arose all our evils. All our 'calamities, all our disgraces, were derived from

the want of a fair and equal representation. To ⚫ that, and that alone, the people ought to look; ' it would be folly to expect relief from any other · cause. If this were obtained, they would no longer see ministerial weakness working on abandoned prostitution. This was their only ⚫ avenue of escape from ruin, imminent ruin.'

His own scheme for renovating the constitution he had on a former occasion thus specified:

Having taken the laws and the constitution 'for my guide, in preparing the measure I have to 'propose, I examined attentively all those plans ' for carrying the same principle into execution, 'which have at different times been proposed; ' and having avoided all those intricacies which I 'considered as so many impediments in the way, 'have reduced it to a plain and simple form, the express image of the constitution itself.-My 'plan consists in a very few and very simple ' regulations.

That freeholders, householders, and others, subject to direct taxation in support of the poor, the church, and the state, be required to elect 'members to serve in Parliament.

'That each county be subdivided according to its taxed male population, and each subdivision ' required to elect one representative.

'That the votes be taken in each parish by the parish officers; and all elections finished in one and the same day.

That the parish officers make the returns to the Sheriff's Court, to be held for that purpose at stated periods.

And that Parliaments be brought back to a constitutional duration.

Under the operation of this reform, it would 'be attended with much less difficulty to return a 'whole Parliament, than to settle a dispute at a vestry about a parish pauper. Those disgraceful practices, which now attend even county elections, would be put a stop to. No bribery, 'perjury, drunkenness, nor riot; no opportunity for 'mock patriotism;—no leading attornies galloping

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about the country, lying, cheating, and stirring up the worst passions among the worst people; -no ill blood engendered between friends and • relations, setting families at variance, and making each county a perpetual depository of election feuds and quarrels. No demagogueing! • —If I am a demagogue, I am as complete a felo de se as can well be imagined; this puts an end to the occupation.-No qualifications nor disqualifications; no invidious exclusions by reason of any office, from the highest to the • lowest, either in the elector or the elected; no ' variable, fantastical, litigious, rights of voting; no possibility of false votes; no treating, no carrying out voters, no charges of any kind, no expense, legal or illegal, no contested ' elections... The people would have a choice with' out a contest, instead of a contest without a 'choice. No sham remedies worse than the 'disease pretended to be cured; no Grenville • act! Here I speak feelingly; I have undergone this remedy. It is the remedy of a toad under a harrow. Under the operation of that act, I have suffered a greater pecuniary penalty than any which the law would have inflicted for any 'crime I could have committed: this remedy is a ' luxury a man must be very rich indeed to indulge himself in. I could not afford it a second time, and preferred abandoning my seat after having been returned, to undergoing another operation of the Grenville act. One great object 'I have in view is to relieve other gentlemen from 'the like benefits, by preventing the necessity of having recourse to such remedies in future,.. by getting rid of all disputes and contested elections.

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