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the bill to be rejected, the confe quences would quickly prove how neceffary it was for the preservation: not only of the king but of every well-affected fubject, 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 reprefented by Mr. Curwen as the moft flagicious inno vation. Its direct and vifible aim was to ftrip the fubject of his moft valuable privilege, that of fpeaking his mind on every matter relnting to the public. Herein confift. ed, in fact, the very effence, not only of English, but of all real liberty. The movers of the bill had reafon to with themselves authorized to impofe filence on the people, who had fo much reafon to be difpleafed at their couduct. The voice of that people had occafionally prevented them from profecuting their imprudent fchemes, and constrained them to liften to dilagrecable admonitions. So refolutely was he determined to prefer this voice to that of minifters, that he did not fcruple to avow himfelf ready to fupport it at the risk of his property and his life. It appeared to him immaterial, whether the conftitation fell by infurrection or by defpolilim. The bill propofed would eflect it as certainly as any of the tumultuous proceedings of an enraged people. But this fatal bill was obviously dictated by minifterial relentment at the oppofition, it had met, with, both in and out of parliament. He did not, however,, imagine, that, when the inimical intentions, it dis played aga public liberty were duly perceived, the people of Eng. land would remain fo heardlefs and

fupine, as not to refift it with the vigour and fpirit of their anceftors,

The principle of the bill was decidedly approved by Mr. Wilberforce, as tending to check the licentious difpofition, 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 invafion of public liberty, which, he was perfuaded, would rather be ftrengthened, when popular difcuffions upon national affairs, and meetings called for that purpofe, were duly regulated. He concluded, however, by acknowledging, that he fincerely wilhed there had been no occafion for, fuch a bill, to which his aflent was, extorted by the neceflity of choofing, among a variety of diffi culties, that which appeared the leaft 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 redrels them, was the houfe of commons; it was the field of public liberty, it was truly a popular meeting, wherein the nation would alway and able and refolute defenders of its conftitutional rights; it was a tribunal, before which its caute, would be pleaded with efficacy, and where its complaints, when justly founded,

would

would never be refufed an attentive hearing.

Mr. Sheridan feverely animadverted on the motives affigned by Mr. Wilberforce for fupporting the bill. Inftead of ftrengthening public liberty, it went directly to destroy it, by filencing every voice that might have heard in its defence, Minifters had boldly afferted, that one of the fortunate confequences of the war, was the eradication of French principles; but the falfes hood of this affertion was evident, from their gradual increase through out the multitude. The difcuffions of the people would now, he ob ferved, be wholly at the difpofal 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 fhould confider the boufe of commons as no longer able to exprefs the real fentiments of their constituents, who, when reftrained, by terror, from the manifeftation of their thoughts, would not have it in their power to lay them before their reprefentatives, between whom, and themfelves, that free: communication of ideas, on the national businels, must ceafe, which constituted the principal bafis of English liberty..

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

of minifters. They ftudied to pro pagate the like infatuation in every part of the country, which now exhibited endless fcenes of military parade. The bill tended, as other minifterial meafures, to introduce an arbitrary lyftem of government.: This was evidently the project which he must have formed, by accompanying it with fo many refrictions on the perfonal freedom of individuals. There was a time, when the people of this land would not havel borne. fuch an audacious attempt on their liberties, nor any minifter have dared to try the experiment.

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Mr. Windham fharply contended, in favour of the bill. He obferved, that loud affeverations, of the lofs of liberty, were heard from the oppofition in the house, and the popular meeting: a marked unanimity of fentiments fubfifted between them. But it was time to fupprefs these fentiments, wherever they took occafion to manifeft themselves, by pus nifhing, with merited feverity, their propagators and abettors. It was abfurd to affect an ignorance of the defigns in agitation at the meetings of the commonalty, and of the fo cieties, that pretended to have no other object in view, than peace and reform. Their object was to con⇒ cert the methods that were molt likely to embarrass and fubvert the prefent government, and to substi tute another more confiftent with their own notions, which were, in fact, thofe adopted in France. This was the country of their predilection, and to the arms and councils of which they notoriously wifhed every poflibe fuccels against the mas chinations of fo dangerous a party; exifting in the bolom, as it were of the nation, and thriving, with indefatigable efforts, to infufe into it the

poifon of their deteftable 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 be fall it, were the French, and their English adherents, to fucceed in their defigns against this country. It was against thofe united enemies the prefent bill entirely militated: it was inimical to no Englifliman that loved his country. In the hetual 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 con tinue to carry them on, till it might become highly difficult to fruftrate them. These plans were, undeni ably to overturn every political inftitution differing from that established in France, which they boaftingly af ferted was the only juft and lawful one in Europe. He would atk every man of fpirit and patriotifm in that houfe, and in the whole nation, whether fach 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 thofe 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 extraordinary 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 legislature, confiftently with its profefled attachment to the fovereign, and, with its own reputation and dignity, pafs by, unplanifhed, 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, might be ready to avail themselves of our imprudence, in having fo long, and fo unpardonably, connived at them, bu 739159

In reply to thefe allegations, it was obferved, by Mr. Gray, that miniftry, after exulting in the extinction of democratic principles, operated by their vigilance, now 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, miniftry had been deceived, or had endeavoured to deceive the public. If they were, in reality, extinguished, the bill they proposed to pals against them origi nated from other motives; and thofe could be no other, than to filence the complaints of the people, enraged at their mifconduct, and, chiefly, at their perfifting in it, notwithstanding

withftantling the admonition of conftant experience, daily proving, in the face of Europe, that they had undertaken what was impracticable, or, at leaft, 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 evidence, was totally difproved by every circumstance. 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 punifh confpiracy and ledition. To what end were additional ones to be enacted, unless 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 themfelves. 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 at 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 ministers, 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. Minilters, he faid, had, in the firft inftance, grounded the neceffity of the bill upon the outrageous behaviour of the populace; but the force of truth had now compelled them to acknowledge, however inadver-, tently, 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 ufed the fecond with undeniable confcioufnels of their impropriety. Mr. Sheridan concluded by intimating that minifterial refentment, at their difappointment in the trial of Hardy, and the other members of the corresponding fociety, had, ever fince, been brooding over the means of obtaining res venge.

Mr. Maurice Robinfon, 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 univerfal concern to the nation: the motion was agreed to accordingly, and the call appointed for that day fortnight.

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

the king's perfon, and government, was formally read, and produced long and fpirited debates on its various clauses. The duke of Leeds moved, that, inftead of the word, government, in the fecond claufe, the words, confifting of king, lords, and commons, fhould be fubftituted, as defining, more fpecifically, the conftitution, than the word, govern

ment.

vember, the bill for the fafety of an ufurpation of national rights, and ariftocracy an oppreffive inflitution: they boldly gave the public to underftand, that both thefe branches of the conftitution ought to be lop, pel away, and democracy alone to remain; threatening, at the fame time, to lofe no opportunity of carrying thofe purposes into execution, Were fuch flagitious defigns, faid the lord chancellor, permitted to be avowed, in the undifquifed, infulte, ing, manner they had to long hegu, to the aftonishment and indignation of the fenfible part of, the public, what muft 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 hade afflicted this nation, in the last cen tury, and all thofe experienced by a France, at the prefent hour, would be renewed in this country, did not the legislature proceed with expe dition and spirit to put a stop to the diffemination of those principles that tended, fo manifeftly, to pro duce fuch calamities?

The lord chancellor, and lord Grenville, were of a different opinion; but ford Thurlow afferted the difficulty of defining, with exactnefs, the terms, government and conftitution; 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, fhould fend two members to parliament? The laws in exiflence were, in his judge. ment, amply fufficient to punith every crime, and mifdemeanour, therein alluded to, without needing its affiftance. He reprobated the fyftem of adding new laws and penalties to thofe already enacted, and condemned the whole of this claufe, together with the following one, by which minifters were empowered to profecute diferetionally.

Much furprize was expreffed by the ford chancellor, at the opinion delivered by lord Thurlow. The enormity of the offences, at which this claufe was pointed, muft, he faid, be acknowledged by all who read the publications of the day they were, in every fenfe, directed against the exiflence of the government, and the conflitetion: they explicitly told the people, that they were in no wife Lound to fubmit to their rulers: that monarchy was

The lord chancellor was fupported by lord Mansfield, and oppofed by lord Lauderdale, who noticed, that inftead of encountering the arguments of lord Thurlow, he had defcribed the pernicious tendency of the writings circulated by the democratic faction, which had not been denied, and which were no lefs deprecated by the parliamentary oppofition to miniftry, than by minifters themfelves. But the fact was, that we lived in times, when the partiality to one branch of the conftitution, was fuch, that revilers of the others might go unnoticed and unpunished, while that alone would be fenced and protected by claules and penalties against thofe that fpoke, or wrote, of it difre

fpectfully.

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