return claim and receive their wages in other quarters. This payment, when effected by constituents, operated as a bond of union, and attached their representatives to them as their employers. The principle of payment still, I believe, prevails: but the employers are changed, and, I fear, the people of England do not consider the change as having operated beneficially for their interests.

But, setting aside the delicate question of payment, both as regards the Member and his constituents, surely it cannot be, as Locke has well observed, upon a fair principle of representation, that the Members for boroughs possessing no population, or at most only a few burgage-houses, should have an equal right with the Representatives of the largest counties in England, to vote away the money of the inhabitants of those counties, with whom they have not the remotest connexion; a right forming the most important privilege of the Constitution, and which was vested in it solely for the benefit and protection of the People. I am aware that it is difficult to obtain an exact equality of representation, both as to numbers and property; but I consider it an object which ought to he attended to as much as possible. Property of sonie degree, no matter how low the value, must be the best basis on which to found the elective franchise. It is that, from which those resources are drawn, which support the State, and whose application its pos sessor has a right to regulate and control through his representative. It affords the best pledge for his conduct, and renders him independent of that commanding and overbearing influence or temptation, which, if exerted against a poor and dependent man, would prevent the possibility of his bestowing a free and unbiassed suffrage.

I contend also, that owing to various circumstances, the lapse of time, the increase of population in some places, the decrease in others, and the enormous extension of the influence of the Crown, our system of Representation has fallen into a degree of decay and imperfection, which imperiously calls for reformation and amendment. The nature and extent of that alteration, I own it to be difficult to determine. I am not presumptuous enough to imagine, that the course I recommend is the only one befitting us to adopt; but I think it fair in introducing this question, for which I contend on the ground both of justice and expediency, to state at once and openly, how far I think a change beneficial, and likely to be effectual in removing those evils of which we complain.

The principle of a change in our representative system is not new, and has been acted on at different times, as may be seen by a reference to various acts of Parliament. The 27th of Hen. VIII. c. 26. regulates the representation of Wales. The 35th of Hen. VIII. c. 11. settles the wages of Knights and Burgesses in Wales, and

declares who shall be the choosers of Burgesses. The 34th of Hen. VIII. c. 13. recites, that "the County Palatine of Chester had hitherto been excluded from sending Members to Parliament, by reason whereof the inhabitants had sustained many losses and damages as well in their lands and goods and bodies, as in the civil and politic maintenance and governance of the commonwealth of the county; and as a remedy to restore quietness, rest, and peace-It is enacted, that the County shall send two Knights of the shire, and the City of Chester two Burgesses, to Parliament." The next and last statute to which I shall refer, is one in which, I confess, I am peculiarly interested, as without its adoption, I should not have had the honor of now addressing this Honse. In the 25th of Charles II. c. 9. I find it asserted, "that the inhabitants of the County of Durham are liable to all payments, rates, and subsidies, granted by Parliament, equally with the inhabitants of other counties, and are therefore equally concerned with them to have their Knights and Burgesses to represent the condition of their County, and they are accordingly authorised to send two Knights for the County and two Burgesses for the City." After citing this last Act, I, above all others, may be permitted, in the language adopted in reference to the County 1 represent, to say on behalf of the uurepresented classes of England, that they are liable to taxation equally" with other subjects, and therefore ought to be represented in Parliament. Those unrepresented classes, thus contributing to taxation, are Copy holders, Leaseholders, and Householders. On these principles, therefore, and in the words of the Chester Act, " as a remedy to restore quietness, rest, and peace," I should propose that they should be admitted to the enjoyment of that privilege.

In order to effect this, I have prepared a Bill, with the assistance of a learned friend of mine, whose valuable and efficient co-operation I beg leave now gratefully to acknowlege; and if the House will allow me, I shall, as shortly as possible, detail its provisions and objects. It is divided into three parts, The 1st part relating to Householders, and the division of the County into Districts, each returning one Representative. The 2d, adding Copyholders and Leaseholders to the County Representation. And the 3d, repealing the Septennial Act, and limiting the duration of Parliament to three years.

As to the first part-The necessity of dividing the County into districts must be apparent, in order to give effect to the proposition for enabling all Householders to vote, as without such an arrangement no Householder could vote, unless he resided in a town to which the right of Representation was annexed. The effect of a division into districts, would be to give a Representative to every 25,000 inhabitants,-of whom, reckoning one in ten to be a House

holder, paying rates and taxes, 2,500 would be electors. This calculation is made on the assumption that the population of England and Wales amounts to ten millions and a half, to be represented by 417 Members; the number remaining, after deducting the County Members, and those for the two Universities, whose representation I do not propose to alter. In 1817 it was calculated that the population of London amounted to 1,140,000, the number of houses to 161,882. It would thus appear that one in seven and a half was a householder; and if this scale were to be applied generally, it would give 3,750 constituents to each Member: but considering that great allowance must be made for the number of householders who are not rated, and do not pay taxes, as owners of small cottages, and persons receiving parochial relief, I think the fairest and truest estimate will be, that which reduces the calculation to one in ten.

The right of voting I propose should be given in these districts, to all inhabitant Householders, bona fide rated to church or poor, or assessed to, or paying direct taxes for six months previous to the first day of election, not having received parochial relief; every such person, except persons now disqualified otherwise than as Catholics, to be entitled to vote.

The next provision I was anxious to make, was for the fitness and impartiality of the returning officer for those districts, on the correct and fair discharge of whose duty so much necessarily depends. I propose, that he should be an acting Magistrate within the district, and be chosen annually by the overseers and churchwardens; no Magistrate to be eligible two years running, or to be bound to act within three years. His being elected by those who derive their appointment chiefly from the Electors of the district, will inspire greater confidence than if the office were held either permanently, or independently of the inhabitants. I propose also to authorise him to appoint a Deputy to attend to the minor details of the duty, which can frequently be better performed by a professional person, whose residence on the spot is always fixed and certain; but that the principal should be bound always to attend at the election. For the purpose of still farther providing for the impartiality of the returning officer, I have inserted a clause, rendering him liable to imprisonment, if he acts corruptly, as is provided in Ireland by the Stat. 57 Geo. III. c. 131. The Magistrate, however, may decline acting as returning officer, on payment of a fine of 2001. to the poor of the district. This provision I have thought necessary, as it is possible that a Magistrate might be elected, who had intentions of offering himself as a candidate for the representation of the district.

The election I should propose to take place in the chief town

in the district, to commence before twelve o'clock on the first day. If a poll is demanded, to be opened on the same day, or the next at farthest; and to be kept open on all days, except the day of demanding it, for eight hours at least; not to last longer than six days, including the first day of election; to be closed at three o'clock on the last day, and the return to be made immediately, unless a scrutiny be demanded. The returning officer will be obliged to provide a sufficient number of polling booths, separate, and with good access; the votes to be taken in them alphabetically; the letters, for which each booth is designed, to be affixed on the outside. In districts consisting of more than one parish, where the voters reside more than five miles from the chief place of election, votes may be tendered to the overseers of the parish where those voters reside. The poll there taken to last three days; to be kept open five hours each day: only three days are given, exclusive of the first day, in order that the parish-poll may be received the evening before the sixth and final day of the district poll, and thus enable the gross poll to be declared immediately on its close. The object of this arrangement is to prevent the great expense of the conveyance of voters, by enabling all those who cannot, or will not, proceed at their own expense to the chief town, to tender their votes at a moderate distance from their places of abode: whilst at the same time it leaves unaltered and untouched that spirit, energy, and interest, which always characterise the proceedings of an election held in a populous town, where the candidate appears personally before large bodies of his countrymen, to answer openly for his past conduct, and give such pledges for his future actions as may publicly be required of him.

I wish also to provide for ample public notices of the election being generally circulated throughout the district: at present, such notices are generally given either by proclamation, or by that much calumniated individual, the bellman, whose announcement of the Suffolk Reform Petition has been so much objected to in the early part of this evening, by the Honorable Member for that county.' I propose that the Sheriff should issue his precept within three days of the receipt of the writ, to the returning officer of each district within his jurisdiction; the returning officer to give public notice, within 36 hours, of the time and place of election, and to proceed to the election on the Monday next, after two days from the time of giving that notice. Now, by the Stat. 7 & 8 Will. 3. the Sheriff is to deliver the precept within three days, and the election must be held within eight days; four days' notice at least being given. This new arrangement would make little difference in the time of holding the election, after the returning officer received the

' Mr. Gooch.

precept, but would secure the election not breaking into two weeks. Every returning officer, on the receipt of the precept, to affix notices on the doors of the churches, and on the market places, of the time and place of election. The overseers to be obliged to make and send alphabetical lists of all persons rated, to the returning officer, within a fortnight after the publication of the rate, as also the collectors of the taxes, after the receipt of their warrants of collection. By this means, the returning officer will be always sure to have the proper rate ready in case of vacancies; as, if it was to be delivered only yearly, it might never be a correct guide. The confusion which arises in taking a poll, would be thereby much diminished, and the opportunities for taking objections lessened.

I propose that all persons now entitled to vote for any borough, or town, or place, now represented in Parliament, should be empowered to vote for life, (or as long as the right, in respect of which they claim, remains,) at all elections in that district within which the place is situated.

All the expenses of these District Elections, that are authorised by the Bill-namely, those relating to polling-places, clerks, messengers, and other necessary charges will be paid out of the poorrates of the several parishes in each district, by warrant from the returning officer and one other Magistrate. This power of issuing a warrant is sanctioned by other instances, somewhat similar. The stat. 27 Eliz. c. 13. s. 5. making the hundred liable for a moiety of the damages received, enacts, that two Justices shall rate the different parishes to an equal contribution. The stat. 1 Geo. 1. c. 5. 6. adopts the same course for recovery of the sums, referring to the 27th Eliz. These statutes are amended by the 8th Geo. II. c. 26. and the 22d Geo. 2. c. 46: all of which authorise the assessment to be made by two Justices; and, lastly, the 57th Geo. III. c. 19. adopts the same course, taking as a precedent the 1st Geo. I. c. 5.

S.

And now, as to County Elections I do not propose to alter the mode in which they now exist, further than by adding, as Electors, Copyholders and Leaseholders, and making the same regulations as to the prevention of expense in the conveyance of voters from distant parts, as I have detailed before in that part of the Bill which relates to Districts. I conceive copyhold property, whatever it might have been in feudal times, to be now as good as freehold, because the possessor of it cannot be deprived of it, as formerly, at the will of the lord. I propose also, to grant the elective franchise to Leaseholders for terms of years renewable at the will of the lessee, and for terms of which 21 years are unexpired. (I should here observe, that even now a lease for life is a freehold, and gives a right to vote.) This will enable proprietors under college or