120

EULOGY ON MR. PONSONBY.

[CHAP. V. when the proposition had come from an armed body seated in the metropolis, he had opposed it; but since that period, public grievances had increased, and remedies had not been applied to heal them; he therefore recommended Government to turn their attention to the subject of reform. He added, that he respected Lord Westmoreland as a private individual; but, as a public character, he thought that, for the benefit of the country, he ought to be recalled.

Mr. Grattan, aware of the importance of the subject, and of the additional weight it derived from such influential support, expressed himself as follows, paying a just tribute of praise to the Ponsonby family :

"Never, since I have sat in Parliament, did I hear words that gave me more satisfaction. I have been near seventeen years a member of Parliament, and never did I hear in this house oratory more convincing or transporting. I feel myself young, and my mind possessed with rapture little known to men of my time of life, except on such an occasion as this. I had myself intended to have brought forth the question of the reform of Parliament, but I did not wish to pre-occupy such a question, for what right had I to earn popularity at the expense of other men? These are the gentlemen who ought to lead in this great question the men who make the sacrifices, to them belong the laurel,—be it my humble office to follow on this subject, and to applaud.

"And while along the stream of time their name

Expanded flies, and gathers all its fame,

Say, shall this little bark

"This is not the first time in which the right honourable gentleman has made sacrifices to the country. In 1769, that gentleman, and all his connexions, were deprived of all their emoluments, for supporting the privileges of this house against an altered Money Bill. In 1789, they were also dismissed, for defending the privilege of the two Houses of Parliament against an unconstitutional and condemned Viceroy ;* and now they advance a third time to surrender great power, all their monopolies, and to embark in the vessel of

2

.*

* Marquess of Buckingham.

CHAP. V.]

REMARKS ON REFORM.

121

the Commonwealth, and fairly and proudly to rise or fall with the fortunes of their country. They judge rightly; their natural situation in this country is so considerable, that whatever family sacrifices they make to the public weal, they must always occupy a prime condition from their property, character, integrity, and talents.

"The question of Parliamentary Reform is now fairly brought forth; it consists, I think, of two parts,-external and internal. The external relates to the creation of the House of Commons; the internal to its corruption. A radical reformation in both is indispensable ;—first, it is indispensable that the House of Commons should be chosen by the people; second, that after it is chosen by the people, it should not be bought by the Ministers; in either of these cases, and still more in both, the people are not represented. The House of Commons is not chosen by them; the house is governed by the Minister. The people have not the blessings of the Constitution; they are not represented; they are deprived of that great and invaluable blessing supposed to be possessed by the electors of this kingdom, the blessing of being represented; and accordingly we find the House of Commons the organ of a will, other than that of the people. This is an abuse so evident and so fatal, that I need not impress it more deeply upon you; indeed you seem fully sensible of it; and now, when the persons interested in the above come forth to you to surrender that interest, who can defend such a mischief or refuse such a sacrifice? I mean, therefore, to move for a committee to inquire into the abuses that obtain in the formation of the representation; but as those abuses are not all, I mean to extend the inquiry to the abuses that obtain in the corruption of that representation, which are both contained in the words abuses of the Constitution. It will not be sufficient, depend upon it, that the House of Commons should be chosen by the people,-it is absolutely necessary that the House, after it is so chosen by the people, should not be bought by the Minister, otherwise the people would have only the trouble to elect men for the Minister afterwards to purchase; and therefore it is, I wish to impress on gentlemen, the necessity of attending to this part of the reform of Parliament, its internal reform, on which the purity of its conduct depends.

In vain may the people send men to Parliament, fairly and popularly elected, if the Minister has a power of giving

122

RESOLUTIONS AND AMENDMENTS. [CHAP. V.

those men places and pensions, without number and without responsibility, or, as has been disclosed by one of our Ministers, a power of charging the nation with half-amillion, or any other sum, however great, to purchase a majority in Parliament. Therefore do not imagine you have secured to the people an adequate, or any representation by giving them a fair and adequate right of choice, if you leave to the Ministers the uncontrolled and indefinite right of bribery. A Pension Bill, Responsibility Bill, are therefore a necessary part of the great system which you are providing to form for your country. The whole must be reformed by a radical measure.”

He concluded by moving in pursuance of the notice he had given :—

“That a committee be appointed to inquire what abuses had taken place in the Constitution of the country, and in the administration of the Government thereof, and to report such temperate remedies as may appear most likely to redress the same."

Mr. Corry moved as an amendment—

"That the House should, on that day three weeks, resolve itself into a committee, to inquire into the state of the representation of the people in Parliament.”

This step, taken by a member of the Government, augured rather well for the liberties of the people; and if it had been honestly followed up and acted on, would have tended to remove much of the evils complained of, and have silenced the violent party in the country, and satisfied the just wishes of all moderate men.

On the appointed day (the 11th of February), Mr. Grattan again entered into a statement on the subject, and concluded by proposing three resolutions:

"That the representation of the people is attended with great and heavy charges and payments, in consequence of elections, and returns of Members to serve in Parliament, and that said abuses ought to be abolished.

"That of the 300 Members elected to serve in Parliament, the counties and counties of cities and towns, together with the University, return 84 Members, and

CHAP. V.]

MEASURE LOST.

123

that the remaining 216 are returned by boroughs and

manors.

"That the state of the representation of the people in Parliament requires amendment."

These resolutions were opposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir John Parnell), who moved two resolutions by way of amendment:

"That under the present order of representation, the privileges of the people have been extended, and that the agriculture, the trade, and the commerce of the nation have been promoted.

"That if any plan be produced which shall promise additional benefits without hazarding the advantages that we at present enjoy, it shall be considered to be entitled to the most serious attention of the Committee."

This was on the part of Government an evasion of the subject, and showed that they had no intention, much less any desire, to reform the glaring and acknowledged abuses that existed in the representation.

Mr. Forbes objected to the amendment, as superseding the motion. Mr. Stewart (Lord Castlereagh) strongly supported the question of reform. The Secretary of State (Provost Hutchinson) entered into a long detail respecting the constitution of Parliament, and declared, that the representation required improvement. Mr. Curran supported Mr. Grattan, and said, "Government had proposed strong measures, and they should be accompanied by lenient and popular ones."

On a division there appeared for the amendment, 153-against it, 71.

This subject was renewed in another shape on the 19th by Mr. Forbes, who moved, "That the returning officers should furnish a list of the number of electors in their respective boroughs, and of their respective qualifications." This motion, if carried, would have shown at once the

124 BAD EFFECTS ON THE PUBLIC. [CHAP. V.

glaring defects in the representation; it was accordingly opposed by Government, who were much condemned by Mr. Stewart (Lord Castlereagh), for first granting a committee, and then refusing to enquire. He said that this proceeding had brought the public mind into a state of agitation, and that, if the people were allowed to ponder over the vices that existed in the representation, it was impossible to say what course they might adopt. The motion, however, was rejected by 137 to 48, and the committee did nothing.

At the end of the session, on the 9th July, Mr. William Ponsonby being unable to attend, Mr. George Ponsonby, his brother, presented a bill, which was read a first time, and ordered to be printed, for consideration in the next session. It was opposed by Mr. Wesley (Duke of Wellington). This ended the question of Parliamentary reform, much to the dissatisfaction of the people, whose hopes had been first encouraged, and then disappointed. The rejection of this measure was made use of by the violent party at a subsequent period, as the pretext for enlisting under the banners of the United Irishmen, many well-meaning and peaceably-disposed individuals.

It is natural to suppose that the state of foreign and domestic affairs during the four years preceding 1793, had kept the people of both countries in a state of considerable excitement; but the measures pursued by the English on the subject of reform, not only preceded those taken by the Irish, but far surpassed them. In the secret report of the disturbances, laid before the British Parliament in 1797, by Mr. Dundas (Lord Melville), the Irish are unjustly represented as the leaders in the popular proceedings of those times; but the dates of the several reports, particularly that of