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the bill to be rejected, the conse quences, would quickly prove how neceffary it was for the preservation: not only of the king but of every well-affected subject, as well as of, the good order and peace of the: community.

The attempt of ministry to enact fuch a law as that, purported by: the bill, was represented by Mrs Curwen as the most flagicious inno vation. Its direct and visible aim was to strip the subject of his most valuable privilege, that of speak ing his mind on every, matter, relating to the public, Herein confift. edin fact, the very lessence, not only of English, but of all real liberty. The movers of the bilh had reason to with themselves anthorized to: impofe, filence on the people, who had fo much reason to be difpleased at their conduct. The voice of that people had occafionally prevented them from pros fecuting their imprudent fchemes, and constrained them to listen to dilagreeable admonitions. So refolutely was he determined to preferthis voice to that of ministers, that he did not fcruple to avow himself ready to fupport it at the rilk of his property, and his life It appeared to him immaterial, whether the conflitation feil by infurrection or bys despotism. The bill propofed would effect it as cer tainly as any of the tumultuous proceedings of an enraged people. But this fatal bill was obviouily die tated by miniftesial tosentment at the oppofition, ito had met with, both in and out of parliament. He did not, however, imagine, that, when the inimical intentions, it dife played agaiuti public, liberty were dule perceived, the people of Eng. land//would remainfo.heartless and

supine, as not to resist it with the vigour and spirit of their anceftors,

The principle of the bill was decidedly approved by Mr. Wilberforce, as tending to check the licentious disposition, among the common people, introduced by the doctrines imported from France. The ideas of that people, on religious as well as political matters, had lately made an alarming progrefs in this country, and it was the duty of the legislature to difcourage them by all prudent and legal methods. He did not confider the bill as an invasion of public liberty, which, he was perfuaded, would rather be strengthened, when popular difcuffions upon national affairs, and meetings called for that purpose, were duly regulated. He concluded, however, by acknowledging, that he fincerely wilhed there had been no occafion for, fuch a bill, to which his affent was, extorted by the neceffity of choofing, among a variety of diffi culties, that which appeared the least productive of evil. The meetings of individuals, to debate upon national affairs, had certainly been attended with fach improper freedoms, that they well deferved to be reftrained. The only allembly, to which the people-could refort with well-grounded confidence of meeting with friends to liften to their grievances and to redress them, was the house of commons; it was the field of public liberty, it was truly, a popular meeting, wherein the nation would alway find able and refolute defenders of its conftitutional rights; it was a tribunal, before which its caufe would be pleaded with efficacy, and where its complaints, when justly founded, would would never be refused an attentive hearing.

Mr. Sheridan severely animadverted on the motives affigned by Mr. Wilberforce for fupporting the bill. Instead of strengthening public liberty, it went directly to destroy it, by filencing every voice that might have heard in its defence. Ministers had boldly afferted, that one of the fortunate confequences, of the war, was the eradication of French principles; but the falfed hood of this affsertion was evident, from their gradual increase through out the multitude, The difcuffions: of the people would now, he ob terved, be wholly at the disposal of minifterial dependants, and agents, either to permit, or to forbid, as they thought proper, or, more proba bly, as they were directed. Thus, in fact, that liberty of speech, upon which Englishmen were wont to value themselves, they would here after hold barely upon fufferance, Were the bill to pafs, he should confider the boufe of commons as no longer able to express the real sentiments of their constituents, who, when restrained, by terror, from the manifestation of their thoughts, would not have it in their power to lay them before their representatives, between whom, and them felves, that free communication of ideas, on the national business, muft cease, which constituted the principal basis of English liberty..

The bill was opposed also by Mr. Martin, who explicitly charged the minifter with having feized the opportunity of the late riots, to raife an alarm throughout the nation, that might be converted to the fupport of the ruinous meafures in which he was still refolved to perfift. War, alone, was now become the objec

of ministers. They studied to pro pagate the like infatuation in every/ part of the country, which now exhibited endless scenes of military parade. The bill tended, as other minifterial meafures, to introduce an arbitrary system of government. This was evidently the project which he must have formed, by accompa nying it with fo many refrictions on the perfonal freedom of indivi duals. There was a time, when the people of this land would not have borne, such an audacious attempt on their liberties, nor any minifter have. dared to try the experiment..

Mr. Windham sharply, contended, in favour of the bill. He obferved. that loud affeverations, of the lofs of liberty, were heard from the oppo sition in the house, and the popular meeting: a marked unanimity, lof fentiments fubfifted between them. But it was time to fuppress these fentiments, wherever they took ocea fion to manifest themselves, by pus nishing, with merited feverity, their propagators and abettors. It was abfurd to affect an ignorance of the defigns in agitations at the meetings of the commonalty, and of the focieties, that pretended to have no other object in view, than peace and reform. Theit object was to con cert the methods that were mott likely to embarrass and fubvert the present government, and to fubfti tute another more confiftent with their own notions, which were in fact, those adopted in France. This was the country of their predilec tion, and to the arms and connoils of which they notoriously withed every possibe fuccels against the mal chinations of fo dangerous a party, exifting in the bolou, as it itowere of the nation, and firiving, with inde fatigable efforts, to infufe into it the poifon

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poifon of their detestable opinions. Was it not the duty, as well as the intereft, of the legislature, to arm idelf with every precaution? Every man that valued his country, and its conflitution, would, on this occa fion, come forward, and join, with heart and hand, in its prefervation from the calamities that must beat fall it, were the French, and their English adherents, to fucceed in their defigns against this country. It was against those united enemies the prefent bill entirely militated: it was inimical to no Englishman that loved his country. In the netual circumftances of affairs, it was the only remedy applicable to the mif chiefs meditated by our foes abroad and at home, who, if not impeded in their plans, by the measures fo judiciously propofed, would cont tinue to carry them on, till it might become highly difficult to frustrate them. These plans were, undeniably to overturn every political inftitution differing from that established in France, which they boaftingly af ferted was the only just and lawful one in Europe. He would atk every man of fpirit and patriotifm in that houfe, and in the whole nation, whether fuch prefumption were fupportable? Could it be deemed unjaft to take up arms against so affuming and arrogant a people, or to frame acts for the counter-acting of those among ourselves, who were either fo weak, or fo wicked, as to abet them? The bill he allowed to be of a nature hitherto unknown, and new to the ideas of the peo ple of this country; but extraor dinary cafes required extraordinary treatment. Enormities, uncommonly atrocious, must be encountered by laws adequately fevere. Such was the rage that actuated the enemies

to government, that they had circulated opinions and fentiments tending, unequivocally, to affect the king's life. Could the legiflature, confiftently with its profefled attach ment to the lovereigh, and, with its own reputation and dignity, pafs by, unpanished, fo execrable a violation of all principles on which the conftitution of the land, and the peace of the public, was founded? Did ever any government fuffer indivi duals, of this character, openly to meet and confult together in the face of day? They had too long been tolerated, and it were a dif grace to parliament, and would argue pufillanimity, to allow them to meet any more. No fuch meetings were permitted by the new conftitution lately adopted in France, however the rulers, in that country, thight be ready to avail themselves of our imprudence,in having fo long, and so unpardonably, connived at them.

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In reply to these allegations, it was obferved, by Mr. Gray, that ministry, after exulting in the ex tinction of democratic principles, operated by their vigilance, came forward with a bill, which they founded on the neceffity of ob viating the alarming progrefs they had made, and were daily making, throughout the nation: to which of thefe affertions were we to give credit? If those principles were not extinguished, ministry had been deceived, or had endeavoured to deceive the public. If they were, in reality, extinguished, the bill they proposed to pass against them origi nated from other motives; and thofe could be no other, than to filence the complaints of the people, enraged at their misconduct, and, chiefly, at their perfifting in it, notwithstanding

withstanding the admonition of conftant experience, daily proving, in the face of Europe, that they had undertaken what was impracticable, or, at least, what they had not abilities to execute. The connection between the meetings, and the infult offered to the king, inftead of being fupported by the leaft evi-, dence, was totally difproved by every circumftance. But minifters wanted a pretence for depriving the people of that privilege which they moft dreaded, that of expofing their incapacity, their imprudence, or their evil defigns. Which of thofe imputations lay heavieft on miniftry it was hard to decide; but the public, at large, loudly charged them with every one of them. The ftanding laws were of fufficient energy to reach and to punish confpiracy and ledition. To what end were additional ones to be enacted, unlefs to arm miniftry with powers unknown to the conftitution; and which, from their incompatibility with its nature, muft unavoidably affect its deftruction. It was, therefore, incumbent upon every friend to the conftitution to oppofe the bill with the firmeft perfeverance, as the paffing of it would prove the fureft ftep towards that uncontroulable fituation, wherein minifters had fo long, and fo vifibly, made every effort to place themselves. After a few other remarks, on each fide of the queftion, the motion for bringing in the bill was carried by two hundred and fourteen against forty

two.

The propriety of a call of the houfe, previously to the decifion of fo weighty a matter,, being infifted on by Mr. Fox, he was told, by Mr. Dundas, that he had fo little objection to his demand, that, unlefs

it could be made apparent, that al plurality of the people fided with miniftry on this occafion, the bill ought certainly not to pafs, but he was fully fatisfied of its being gene‐. rally approved. He had, he faid, " been befieged in his office, for months paft, with applications for fuch a bill." It was in concurrence with the defire of a great number. of perfons of weight with minifters,. that they had been perfuaded to bring it into parliament.

The fpeech of Mr. Dundas gave occafion to Mr. Sheridan of making fome pointed obfervations. Minif ters, he faid, had, in the firft inftance, grounded the neceflity of the bill upon the outrageous behaviour of the populace; but the forceof truth had now compelled them to acknowledge, however inadvertently, that this bill had long before been refolved upon: thus the profeffions of minifters were unworthy of credit, and their arguments stood upon no juftifiable grounds; they made the firft in defiance of truth, and they used the fecond with undeniable confcioufnels of their im propriety. Mr. Sheridan concluded by intimating that minifterial refentment, at their disappointment in the trial of Hardy, and the other members of the correfponding fociety, had, ever fince, been brooding over the means of obtaining res venge.

Mr. Maurice Robinson, and Mr. Grey, feconded the motion of Mr. Fox for a call of the house, before a final decifion took place in a bufinefs of fuch universal concern to the nation: the motion was agreed to accordingly, and the call ap pointed for that day fortnight.

In a committee of the whole house of peers, on the eleventh of November,

vember, the bill for the safety of an ufurpation of national rights, and the king's perfon, and government, aristocracy an oppressive institution:

was formally read, and produced long and spirited debates on its various clauses. The duke of Leeds moved, that, instead of the word, government, in the fecond claufe, the words, confifting of king, lords, and commons, should be substituted, as defining, more specifically, the constitution, than the word, govern

ment.

The lord chancellor, and lord Grenville, were of a different opinion; but lord Thurlow afferted the difficulty of defining, with exactness, the terms, government and conftifutión; the penalties enacted by the fecond claufe appeared to him unduly fevere. Was it equitable to criminate a man for faying it was an abuse, that twenty acres of land, near Old Sarum, thould fend two members to parliament? The laws in existence were, in his judge. ment, amply fufficient to punish every crime, and misdemeanour, therein alluded to, without needing its affistance. He reprobated the system of adding new laws and penalties to those already enacted, and condemned the whole of this claufe, together with the following one, by which minifters were empowered to profecute difcretionally.

Much furprize was expreffed by the ford chancellor, at the opinion delivered by ford Thurlow. The enormity of the offences, at which this claufe was pointed, must, he faid, be acknowledged by all who read the publications of the day: ther were, re, in every fenfe, directed against the exiftence of the government, and the conftitetion: they explicitly told the people, that they were in no wife bound to febmit to their rulers: that monarchy was

they boldly gave the public to understand, that both these branches of the constitution ought to be loppell away, and democracy alone to remain; threatening, at the fame time, to lose no opportunity of carrying those purposes into execution, Wore fuch flagitious designs, faid the lord chancellor, permitted to to be avowed, in the undisguised, infults, ing, manner they had to long been, to the aftonishment and indignation: of the fenfible part of the public,. what must become of the authority of the flate, and of the fafety of all. its component member? Was it not evident, that all the evils which had afflicted this nation, in the last cen tury, and all those experienced by France, at the present hour, would be renewed in this country, did not the legiflature proceed with expedition and spirit to put, a, stop, to the diffemination of those principles. that tended, so manifestly, to produce such calamities?

The lord chancellor was supported by lord Mansfield, and opposed by lord Lauderdale, who noticed, that instead of encountering the arguments of lord Thurlow, he had described the pernicions tendency of the writings circulated by the democratic faction, which had not been denied, and which were no less deprecated by the parliamentary oppofition to miniftry, than by ministers themselves. But the fact was, that we lived in times, when the partiality to one branch of the conftitution, was such, that revilers of the others might go unnoticed and unpunished, while that alone would be fenced and protected by.. clauses and penalties against those that spoke, or wrote, of it difrefpectfully.

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