§ Mr. Warburton, in presenting a Petition from Bridport, praying for a Reform by ballot, for the enlargement of the right of suffrage, and for the exclusion of all placemen from the House, said, that in the latter part of the prayer he could not at all concur. He thought it necessary that some of the members of the Administration should be in the House, to propose and defend the measures of Government.
560Mr. Humesaid, that he was sorry to differ from his hon. friend, with whom he had so often the happiness to agree. He thought, however, that the House would be much better constituted if no placeman had a seat in it, and if Ministers, when present, were only allowed to explain their measures, and not to vote upon them. Among the changes which he expected would shortly take place, one most advisable change, in his opinion, would be the fixing of some limit to the number of persons holding seats in that House, who were dependent on the Crown, or holding naval and military commissions under it. The number of such Members, he believed, was at present nearly equal to a third part of the House, and was a great, enormous, and crying evil. He believed that all naval and military officers considered themselves independent, but when they looked forward to promotion, he was afraid that a change sometimes came over their views of public questions, almost unknown to themselves. He was therefore of opinion that the House would never fairly represent the opinions of the people until all naval, military, and civil officers were prohibited from holding seats in that House. He said, that not an East-India Director,—no, nor a Bank Director either,— no, nor any one holding a monopoly under the Crown, the King's Printer included among the rest,—should be allowed to have a seat in the House. That was his view of things, and be believed that the people went along with him in it. He did not expect to see such a reform carried all at once; but the thing must come gradually down, and he should be happy to see the day when no Minister should have a place in that House, except for the sake of explaining his measures.
The Sheriffs of London presented at the bar two Petitions from the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council of the City of London, one relative to the rates for London Bridge, and the other calling for Parliamentary Reform. The first was referred to the Bridge Committee.
§ On moving that the latter be read,
Mr. Alderman Woodavailed himself of the opportunity to state the reasons why the Corporation of London had again come forward to petition for Parliamentary Reform. The members of the Common Council, being elected annually, might fairly be. considered as representatives of the feelings of the thousands by whom they were 561 elected. They knew that their constituents were as favourable to reform at the present moment as they had ever been in past times; but they likewise knew, that it would be impossible to collect them together, and to gain a declaration of their sentiments in the Common Hall, in the short time allowed them by the notice which the hon. and learned member for Yorkshire had given of his motion on this subject. If that great body had assembled, he had no doubt but that ninety-nine out of every hundred persons who constituted it would have signed a similar petition to the present. The leading members of the Corporation had, therefore, assembled the Common Council, and their reason for so doing was the declaration recently made by the Duke of Wellington,—that the country required no change in its representative system. It was impossible that they should sit silent after such a declaration, because they knew that their constituents were suffering severely in consequence of the want of reform; for till reform was granted, they did not expect that any of those reductions of expenditure would be made to which they felt themselves entitled. He hoped that by the decision of that night his constituents would be satisfied that reform was at hand. Indeed, it was impossible that it should be otherwise, after the division of last night, —a division at which he was sorry that severe indisposition prevented him from being present. The declaration in the King's Speech, followed up by the postponement of the King's visit to the City, led him to think that it was time for the Government to be changed. He wished to say that he had no words to express his astonishment at the impropriety of which the Lord Mayor and Sir Claudius Hunter had been guilty, in making communications to the Government without any authority from their brother Magistrates. He must blame Ministers for being frightened by two such persons, when he believed—indeed, he was sure—that they might have gone to the City,—he would have done all in his power to preserve them from danger,—and they might have been as safe in their seats at Guildhall as in that House or any where else.
§ On the question being put, that the Petition be read,