■ 1' J- ■■,.- THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY 332 £675 ••30 i- "" • - j j %k of destroying the balance of the Constitution. The persons who compose this class are chiefly labourers ; and if they had been really represented in Parliament last session, their just griev- ances would have been listened to, and, in a great measure, redressed, before they were urged on, partly by their distresses, and partly by the artful insinuations of unprincipled mischief- makers, to the commission of crimes, which never would have taken place if they had been under the influence of better advisers. Instead of making inflammatory * harangues and virulent addresses, to the people, in abuse of the minis- try, for not doing what, as ministers, it was not in their power to per- form, the real advocates of the labouring classes, would have suggested to the gentlemen of landed property the necessity, the absolute neces- sity of lowering their rents and making their tenants rise the price of wages, as the only means of preventing a conflagration, which was on the point of bursting forth ; and which has since spread itself all over the kingdom. As the representatives of the labourers, they would have been aware of the danger, and, by pointing it out, not to the ministers, but to the land-owners, it might have been avoided. * If the postage of letters were reduced one half, it would be a very great convenience to the poorer classes ol'the community, who have their affections as well as their betters; and the postage on the additional letters, that would be written in consequence oi'this measure, would go far towards making up the deficiency of revenue that would other wise be sustained. * It is difficult to determine whether the lectures and writings of Mr. Cobbett, or the inflammatory speeches of Mr. Sadler and some others, out of Parliament, were most instrumental in producing the late disturbances. 11 The labourers ought to be really represented, as well as the other classes of the community; but universal suffrage is the only means, which has yet been suggested of extending the elective franchise to them; and, as they are more numerous than all the other classes put together, universal suffrage would put the whole power in their hands, and place the constitution at the mercy of the very persons who have already done so much mischief; and who certainly are very ill qualified to take upon themselves the office of legislators. I am awnrethat uni- versal suffrage has been successfully tried in the United States of North America; and it may be argued that as it works well in that country, we have grounds to believe that it would [answer equally well in Eng- land. To this I reply that the state and condition of the two countries are very dissimilar. The United States are, at present, very thinly inhabited ; the prices of labour, in consequence of the great demand for it, are very high ; and, generally speaking, the condition of the labour- ers is nearly equal to that of their employers. At present, the American labourers could not even hope to gain any thing by a change ; but if ever these states should become as densely populated as England is, the price of Wages will fall equally low; one half of the labourers will be thrown out of employ ; and then nothing but a military disposition will save that country from universal anarchy. In my opinion, if universal suffrage should once be conceded to the people, or rather to the demagogues who wish to influence them, al 1 the other barriers of the constitution would very soon be broken down; and, as has been the case before, both in France and England * we should have to wade through convulsions and bloodshed to a military despotism. Instead of universal suffrage therefore, I would have one of the two County [Members, or an additonal County Member if that should be preferred in every ^hire, represented exclusively by this des- cription of people, in the following manner: Let the labourers of every parish in each county , and they can easily be distinguished by their own parish officers ; let the labourers of each parish* choose one elector out of their own number, to nominate the member that is to rcpre- resent them, and let it be established by law, that these members must possess boua-fide property, in the county which they repre- sent, to the amount of £(i00 per annum. Instead of the insignificant title of Knights of the shire, those members might be styled advocates of the people; and, as it would be their business to acquire a thorough knowledge of the real condition of the poor in their respective counties, ♦ If it should be argued that universal sum-age was not adopted at the time of the Parliamentary war, I reply that, at thai time, the effort* of the Parliament, without the voluntary aid of the people, would have b e.i too feeble to produce any effei t gerious consequence) and this amount* to the same tiling as onivenal Buflra 12 and their interest to endeavour to acquire an influence over them by- acts of kindness and benevolence, they would necessarily become a sort of mediators between the rich and the poor, the labourers and their em- ployers. These admonitions and good advice would prevent oppression on the one hand and turbulence on the other ; and, without the possibility of endangering the constitution, they would, in this way, be really bene- ficial; for, so long as they maintained only thejust rights of the people, their united remonstrances, backed by the voice of the people out of doors, would be sure to procure immediate redress ; while their numbers would be too few to carry any measure that was really injurious to the state. mis. 3 0112 062406910