Page images
PDF
EPUB

ment:

spoken their minds to his Majesty in the Commons; and your Majesty will thereby
honest language of loyalty, and as in com- be convinced, that while great numbers of
mon with them, he had something to lose by landed proprietors have been driven from
misrule and convulsion, he could not suffer their paternal mansions, and have been
the present opportunity to pass by, without compelled to see them occupied by loan-
declaring fully and fairly those sentiments mongers and stock-jobbers, while others
which were uppermost in his mind, and have removed themselves, their families,
which he knew to be the prevailing senti- and their fortunes, for ever from your
ments in the minds of the great mass of shores; and while the middle classes of
his countrymen. The noble Marquis con- your subjects have been reduced with
cluded by moving the following Amend- frightful rapidity to the labouring class,
the labouring class has been reduced to
absolute beggary and want. That num-
bers have actually died from starvation,
and others have been obliged to submit to
the most degrading services, and to see
themselves and their families the victims
of fever, induced by famine-that thus, in
a short time, instead of ruling, like the
two first Princes of the House of Bruns-
wick, over a nation devoted to your
government by the happiness and bless-
ings it should enjoy, your Majesty may
find yourself ruling over a nation of pau-
pers and of placemen-of those who live

"In this its first Address to the Throne of a new King, instead of making itself the mere echo of the Ministers of the Crown, this House feels that it ought to show itself to be the very mirror of the people; and that, to do so, it must not fail to lay before your Majesty all their thoughts and feelings, all their wants and wishes, as well as all their loyalty to your office, and attachment to your person.

"The discharge of this important duty, and the present serious aspect of public affairs, render it impossible, as well as improper, to address your Majesty other-upon the taxes and the poor-rates on wise than at considerable length.

"Your Majesty is to be informed that this House, in common with the great majority of your people, holds the memory of the House of Commons of the last Parliament in utter hatred and contempt, for the following reasons:

the one hand, and on the other hand of loan-mongers and borough-mongers, wallowing in the stagnant and unproductive accumulations of their joint and several monopolies. Such, Sire, are the effects of the accursed and unnatural funding system, in its last agonies, and the vain attempts to save this monster in England are at this moment overturning the governments of other countries far more rapidly than the folly, or even the wickedness of their rulers. That the acts of the late House of Commons, both of omission and commission, under which the people of this once happy country have been brought to such a state of wretchedness and suffering, inculpate all concerned in the highest degree of criminality; from which nothing can excuse them but a sincere and contrite confession of their sins, and a total and immediate alteration of their conduct, without which it will be the duty of this House to expose, by name, to your Majesty, all those who are feeding upon the vitals of the country, as the only chance left, since argument has failed, of saving itself, and perhaps even the Throne of your Majesty, from the storms of convulsion.

"First, because the last House of Commons uniformly turned a deaf ear to the just complaints and petitions of your people; and, secondly, because instead of acting upon the old constitutional principle of withholding the supplies until the grievances of the people were redressed, which it was earnestly and seriously urged to do, it seemed to consider itself of no other use, and chosen for no other purpose, but to vote, night after night, immense sums of money, to be drawn from the pockets of the people; exhibiting, at the same time, the utmost indifference, and often the most sovereign contempt, of all consideration in what manner such enormous sums could be obtained, without the risk of involving the great productive interests of the country in the most extensive embarrassment and ruin.

"That in proof of this, your Majesty has only to look at the unprecedented numbers of bankruptcies and insolvencies of farmers, traders, and others of your honest and industrious subjects, through all the years of the existence of the last House of

"That in order to have obviated such complicated evils as are hereinbefore set forth, it was the duty of the late House of Commons to have done more, and to have talked much less.

[ocr errors]

"That that House was told, both within these walls and without these walls, that the reason why it felt no sympathy in their sufferings, no anxiety for their relief, was because the majority of its Members had an interest directly opposite to the interests of the people; that this majority was not chosen, as of right it ought to have been, by the majority of the land-owners and householders of England; but was nominated and appointed by a few individuals, who, partly by the effects of time and accident, but still more by a barefaced perversion of the spirit and meaning of our laws and Constitution, had acquired the power of selling, or otherwise disposing of, the seats in this House, in such manner as best suited their own interests.

your Majesty vet hat while great ors have been dre mansions, and h them occupied b ck-jobbers, wh emselves, their es, for ever fre the middle ch e been reduce the labouring has been red d want. That: lied from star obliged to sur Services, and t Families the mine-that the of ruling, House of B devoted to t piness and! Our Majest

a nation ofs those who poor-rate other hand -mongers, unproda

an endowment of more than half a million a year of the public money among themselves; and that another fruit was the patronage of the Church, of the Army and Navy, and of the collection of about sixty millions a year of taxes among the families, friends, and dependents of the masters of seats in the House of Commons. If these things had been seriously considered, it is not to be believed that the blood of Englishmen would submit to be for ever tainted with such political disgrace, but that there would have been a race among the said masters, and the buyers and sellers of seats in Parliament, who should be foremost in laying down upon the altar of this country this unhallowed and most damned property, or power of trafficking in the re"That the late House of Commons was presentation of the Commons of England. also repeatedly called upon, entreated and Your Majesty may consider it as the firm implored, to set about reforming such a conviction of the people-that if the last monstrous abuse, but that it uniformly House of Commons had done its duty, it refused to listen to such call; and, though ought, upon every principle of justice, to hesitating, fluctuating, and changing, upon have reduced the taxes at least in the other questions of vital consequence to the same proportion that it raised the value of country, upon this question of reform it the currency, and thus half the present determined to follow the advice of one of amount of taxes might and ought to have its own Members, and one of its own been taken off, including the whole of the 'temporary elective dictators, dependent cruel and harassing Excise laws, and all upon its own corrupt and prostituted those cheating indirect taxes, by which votes,' which has been truly called the every labouring man who earns and expends most odious of all forms of tyranny,' to 30. a year, has 187. taken from him. All 'oppose reform in every shape to the end the just expenses of the Government, and of its political existence;'-and that, to the interest of the Debt, might have been the eternal disgrace of the last House of reduced, with perfect equity, in the same Commons, it kept this profligate deter-proportion as the taxes, and all the unjust mination obstinately to the last. But your Majesty may be assured, that if your Majesty had not been advised to dissolve the last Parliament in the sudden and unexpected manner in which it was dissolved, the late glorious events which have taken place in France, would have had a mighty effect in shaking this profligate determination of the said House, and of inducing it to consider the difference between the guilt of bringing on death upon a nation by slow poison, or by a sudden blow; and that, by the law of England, there is such a thing as treason against the people as well as treason against the King. Your Majesty may also be further assured, that when great numbers of the nobility, being members of the Privy Council, were charged, in despite of the constant prayers of the Church, with being traffickers of the seats in this House, and that one of the fruits of such traffic, was, not an endowment of grace, wisdom, and understanding,' but

and sele the effect

ading
in attent

and are i overnmen

pidly the

s of the

te Ho

and com

e of the

ught

offering

highest

othing

total

duct

the

tals

lt,

[ocr errors]

expenses of Government, in useless and sinecure places, the diplomatic, colonial, and all other departments, kept up solely for the purposes of corruption, might and would have been done away with, if the last House of Commons had been the real, and not the sham, Representatives of the people. That the late attempt to destroy the freedom of the Press, and freedom of election in France, and thereby the more effectually to rob the people of that country of their rights and property, never would have been made, if the last House of Commons had had the sense and honesty to have restored freedom of election in England; that the king of France might still have been upon his throne, and all danger have been prevented from the mischiefs of anarchy and confusion, which have only been avoided by the unexampled wisdom of the brave and learned youth of France, and the splendid forbearance of the brave and honest working men of Paris, who did

spoken their minds to his Majesty in the Commons; and your Majesty will thereby honest language of loyalty, and as in com- be convinced, that while great numbers of mon with them, he had something to lose by landed proprietors have been driven from misrule and convulsion, he could not suffer their paternal mansions, and have been the present opportunity to pass by, without compelled to see them occupied by loandeclaring fully and fairly those sentiments moogers and stock-jobbers, while others which were uppermost in his mind, and have removed themselves, their families, which he knew to be the prevailing senti-and their fortunes, for ever from your ments in the minds of the great mass of shores; and while the middle classes of his countrymen. The noble Marquis cen- your subjects have been reduced with cluded by moving the following Amend-frightful rapidity to the labouring class,

ment :

the labouring class has been reduced to absolute beggary and want. That numbers have actually died from starvation, and others have been obliged to submit to the most degrading services, and to see themselves and their families the victims of fever, induced by famine-that thus, in a short time, instead of ruling, like the two first Princes of the House of Bruntwick, over a nation devoted to your government by the happiness and bless"The discharge of this important duty.ings it should enjoy, your Majesty may and the present serious aspect of public and yourself ruling over a nation of paraffairs, render it impossible, as well as pers and of placemen of those who live improper, to address your Majesty other-upon the taxes and the poor-rates on wise than at considerable length.

"In this its first Address to the Throne of a new King, instead of making itself the mere echo of the Ministers of the Crown, this House feels that it ought to show itself to be the very mirror of the people; and that, to do so, it must not fail to lay before your Majesty all their thoughts and feelings, all their wants and wishes, as well as all their loyalty to your office, and attachment to your person.

"Your Majesty is to be informed that this House, in common with the great majority of your people, holds the memory of the House of Commons of the last Parliament in utter hatred and contempt, for the following reasons :--

wal

the one hand, and on the other hand of loan-mongers and borough-mongers, lowing in the stagnant and unproductive accumulations of their joint and several monopolies. Such, Sire, are the effects of the accursed and unnatural funding system, in its last agonies, and the rain attempts to save this monster in England are at this moment overturning the governments of other countries far more rapidly than the folly, or even the wickedness of their rulers. That the acts of the late House of Commons, both of omission and commission, under which the people of this once happy country have been brought to such a state of wretchedness and suffering, inculpate all concerned in the highest degree of criminality; from which nothing can excuse them but a sincere and contrite confession of their sins, and a total and immediate alteration of their conduct, without which it will be the duty of this House to expose, by name, to your Majesty, all those who are feeding upon the vitals of the country, as the only chance left, since argument has failed. of saving itself, and perhaps even the Throne of your Majesty, from the storms of convulsion.

"First, because the last House of Commons uniformly turned a deaf ear to the just complaints and petitions of your people; and, secondly, because instead of acting upon the old constitutional principle of withholding the supplies until the grievances of the people were redressed, which it was earnestly and seriously urged to do, it seemed to consider itself of no other use, and chosen for no other purpose, but to vote, night after night, immense sums of money, to be drawn from the pockets of the people; exhibiting, at the same time, the utmost indifference, and often the most sovereign contempt, of ali consideration in what manner such ener mous sums could be obtained, without the risk of involving the great productive interests of the country in the most extensive embarrassment and ruin.

"That in proof of this, your Majesty has: orly to look at the unprecedented numbers! of bankruptcies and insolvencies of farm ers, traders, and others of your honest and industrious subjects, through all the years of the existence of the last House of,

That in order to have obviated such complicated evils as are herein before set forth, it was the duty of the late House of Commons to have done more, and to have talked much less.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

"That that House was told, both within | an endowment of more than half a million
these walls and without these walls, that a year of the public money among them-
the reason why it felt no sympathy in their selves; and that another fruit was the
sufferings, no anxiety for their relief, was patronage of the Church, of the Army and
because the majority of its Members had an Navy, and of the collection of about sixty
interest directly opposite to the interests of millions a year of taxes among the families,
the people; that this majority was not cho- friends, and dependents of the masters of
sen, as of right it ought to have been, by seats in the House of Commons. If these
the majority of the land-owners and house- things had been seriously considered, it is
holders of England; but was nominated not to be believed that the blood of English-
and appointed by a few individuals, who, men would submit to be for ever tainted
partly by the effects of time and accident, with such political disgrace, but that there
but still more by a barefaced perversion of would have been a race among the said
the spirit and meaning of our laws and masters, and the buyers and sellers of seats
Constitution, had acquired the power of in Parliament, who should be foremost in
selling, or otherwise disposing of, the seats laying down upon the altar of this country
in this House, in such manner as best this unhallowed and most damned pro-
suited their own interests.
perty, or power of trafficking in the re-
presentation of the Commons of England.
Your Majesty may consider it as the firm
conviction of the people-that if the last
House of Commons had done its duty, it
ought, upon every principle of justice, to
have reduced the taxes at least in the
same proportion that it raised the value of
the currency, and thus half the present
amount of taxes might and ought to have
been taken off, including the whole of the
cruel and harassing Excise laws, and all
those cheating indirect taxes, by which
every labouring man who earns and expends
30. a year, has 187. taken from him. All
the just expenses of the Government, and
the interest of the Debt, might have been
reduced, with perfect equity, in the same
proportion as the taxes, and all the unjust
expenses of Government, in useless and
sinecure places, the diplomatic, colonial,
and all other departments, kept up solely
for the purposes of corruption, might and
would have been done away with, if the
last House of Commons had been the real,
and not the sham, Representatives of the
people. That the late attempt to destroy
the freedom of the Press, and freedom of
election in France, and thereby the more
effectually to rob the people of that country
of their rights and property, never would
have been made, if the last House of Com-
mons had had the sense and honesty to
have restored freedom of election in Eng-
land; that the king of France might still
have been upon his throne, and all dan-
ger have been prevented from the mischiefs
of anarchy and confusion, which have only
been avoided by the unexampled wisdom
of the brave and learned youth of France,
and the splendid forbearance of the brave
and honest working men of Paris, who did

"That the late House of Commons was
also repeatedly called upon, entreated and
implored, to set about reforming such a
monstrous abuse, but that it uniformly
refused to listen to such call; and, though
hesitating, fluctuating, and changing, upon
other questions of vital consequence to the
country, upon this question of reform it
determined to follow the advice of one of
its own Members, and one of its own
'temporary elective dictators, dependent
upon its own corrupt and prostituted
votes,' which has been truly called the
most odious of all forms of tyranny,' to
'oppose reform in every shape to the end
of its political existence;'-and that, to
the eternal disgrace of the last House of
Commons, it kept this profligate deter-
mination obstinately to the last. But your
Majesty may be assured, that if your Ma-
jesty had not been advised to dissolve the
last Parliament in the sudden and un-
expected manner in which it was dissolved,
the late glorious events which have taken
place in France, would have had a mighty
effect in shaking this profligate determina-
tion of the said House, and of inducing it
to consider the difference between the
guilt of bringing on death upon a nation
by slow poison, or by a sudden blow; and
that, by the law of England, there is such
a thing as treason against the people as
well as treason against the King. Your
Majesty may also be further assured, that
when great numbers of the nobility, being
members of the Privy Council, were charged,
in despite of the constant prayers of the
Church, with being traffickers of the seats
in this House, and that one of the fruits
of such traffic, was, not an endowment of
grace, wisdom, and understanding,' but

not hesitate to risk their lives when they every sense of justice, and to their on saw that a system of tyranny and taxes interest, as to dare to set up their usurpa was about to be fixed for ever on them, tion against the ancient, just, and undoubted and on their children. And in reference prerogatives of the Crown, your Majesty to this affair, so important in its con- may rely upon the zealous and determined sequences, too much praise and thanks support of this House, and of your people, cannot be given to your Majesty for the even to the last drop of their blood. honour you have conferred on England, whose sons were heretofore famed as 'ever first and foremost in the achievement of liberty,' in taking the lead, and setting the example of acknowledging the new king of the French; who, like your Majesty, sits upon his Throne by the best and highest of all titles, that which is said to be the voice of God himself; namely, the voice of the people. For this great honour and service, it is the unanimous opinion of this House, of the whole nation, not to say of all Europe, that this act may justly be ascribed to the personal character of your Majesty, and to your own sense of justice, and of the true interests of your subjects; and your Majesty, therefore, deserves to enjoy the hope, that your name may be remembered by millions still unborn, for the lasting blessings of peace and friendship between France and England, which this act of your Majesty has every prospect of consolidating. And the Members of this, the first House of Commons in the new Parliament, promise your Majesty, as it is fit they should, that if others learn nothing by example they will; as they do not doubt that a King who has already given such proofs of his desire of being beloved by his people, and of promoting the welfare and happiness of the industrious classes, that a King, who more than thirty years ago, from his own mouth in Farnament, denounced monopolies, as the ennicerol the State, and called upon the Legesacure ~ to root them out," will never endure a se his peepie ruined, and has Cown put in hazaba ov that worst of all

wales--the monopoir of the seats of the House 3, Commons... So they "mière

[ocr errors]

the

"And your Majesty may be assured, that nothing short of the complete annihila tion of this odious and unrighteous monopoly of seats in the House of Commons will ever satisfy the just and unanswerable demands of your people to be restored to their ancient Laws and Constitution, of which they know they have been most wrongfully deprived by the corruption and prostitution of this House, within little more than the last hundred years, which is but as yesterday in the history of laws of such high antiquity, and such transcendent fame throughout the known world. That, next to the disesteem in which the memory of the last House of Commons is held by the people, for refusing to enter upon great question of Parliamentary Reform, would be the grievous disappointment and just indignation of the people if nothing more than the representation of a few large towns were to be offered them, while the great master-grievance, of a proprietary interest and domination over seats in this House should be allowed to continue. And your Majesty may also rest assured, that the great majority of your people have no desire to alter the frame of the Government of King, Lords, and Commous, which has endured so long, and been productive of such advantages to the community; neither do they think it necessary or expedient to claim or demand any new plan or scheme of representation unknown and untried in the history and practice of their ancestors; but they will never cease to demand that, wherever, socanding to that history and that practics, the right of presentation has been bounded, de shail also be bounded the barthes

Mr. O'Connell seconded the

པག ། ར ན མ ཞི 1 ན

sporove of he

« PreviousContinue »