-
Articles/Ads
Article HOUSE OF COMMONS. ← Page 4 of 6 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
House Of Commons.
newspapers were full of hostilities . To return to the usurpation of the functions of Parliament by the King's servants , he asked what figure this Parliament would , make in history , if it overlooked so fatal a precedent ? As to himself he should oppose the second reading of the resolutions , and if supported , would pledge himself to bring forward a motion , charging the Minister with " a high crime and misdemeanour , " The Minister ' s speech ,- yesterday , was a worse libel on the Constitution , than any thing in the writings of Paine ; and if he were a Juryman on his trial , he should certainly find him guilty , and say that the mains animus to
destroy the Constitution was evident . Little of it , indeed , was left ,-if the power of the purse was taken from the Commons . He should therefore vote against the second reading . Mr . Pitt rose with evident marks of agitation , and began by observing , that the Hon . Gentleman was in the habit of using inflammatory language , and of calling out that the Constitution was in danger . He contended that Ministers were justified in what they had done , by the vote of credit , wliich was" to enable his Majesty ' s Ministers to adopt such measures as the exigency of the circumstances
may require . " Sir Wm . Pultney said , that the measure in question appeared . to him criminal and unconstitutional , and the defence set up was extremely weak . Thevoteofcred . it was for extraordinaries , and included only the articles previously set down in the estimates . No minister had before ever dared to convert part of a vote of credit to a foreign subsidy . Though he saw much to blame in the increase of tlie Navy debt , and could point out many abuses , tills gross infringement of the Constitution ' was , in his opinion , the primary object of enquiry .
Mr . Grey said , that after the truly constitutional speech of the Hon . Baronet , he should detain the House but little . From the papers on the table , it appeared that only 77 , 000 ! . out of the whole 1 , 200 , 000 k had been sent to the Emperor between the sitting of the last and the present Parliament . No attack so direct as this had . ever been made on every thing dear to man ; and though it might be said that Ministers were not to be fettered by that House in a moment of negotiation , yet now that the French were acknowledged to be capable of the accustomed relations of peace and amityand to have snorted the fumes of the indigested
, away blood of their Sovereign , it might be especially useful to exhibit the proud spectacle of a free people treating with a free people , ourselves as jealous of our rights as they could be of theirs . Mr . Wilberforce , Mr . Yorke , the Master of the Rolls , and Lord Hawkesbury vindicated the Minister : Mr . Harrison , Mr . Curwen , and Mr . William Smith renrobated his conduct .
Mr . Fox begged the House not to confound the proper application of the money with the mode of obtainining it . It might be proper or not to send . money to the Emperor , but had the Minister so far abolished the Constitution as to have the right of doing so , without the consent of Parliament ? Against such doctrine he wouldcontend in that House as longas possible , by words ; and otherwise , ifnecessaiv , out of it ; for he was born free , and free he would die . So far he was an incorrigible Jacobin . Mr . Pitt declined any further discussion that niht .
g Mr . Bastard said he would vote for the supplies , without meaning to imply any approbation of the Minister ' s conduct . The House then divided—for the resolution , 164—against it 58—majority 106 . Friday , 9 . The London Docks , Chichester Roads , Scotch Distillery , Excise Additional Duty , and Customs Duty Bills were read a first time . Dudley Canal Bill read a third time and piysed . Mr . Maiming brought in the Bill for forming Wet Docks at Shadwell , for the
accommodation of the trade of London , which being read a first time , he said , that from the report of the Select Committee of last year , the House would be in possession of the necessity that existed for this much wished for improvement . But to enforce the sense of this necessity the stronger , he would mention : i circumstance which latch- came to his knowledge . It was very well known that the Merchants of the City of London were subject to very great losses from the depre-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
House Of Commons.
newspapers were full of hostilities . To return to the usurpation of the functions of Parliament by the King's servants , he asked what figure this Parliament would , make in history , if it overlooked so fatal a precedent ? As to himself he should oppose the second reading of the resolutions , and if supported , would pledge himself to bring forward a motion , charging the Minister with " a high crime and misdemeanour , " The Minister ' s speech ,- yesterday , was a worse libel on the Constitution , than any thing in the writings of Paine ; and if he were a Juryman on his trial , he should certainly find him guilty , and say that the mains animus to
destroy the Constitution was evident . Little of it , indeed , was left ,-if the power of the purse was taken from the Commons . He should therefore vote against the second reading . Mr . Pitt rose with evident marks of agitation , and began by observing , that the Hon . Gentleman was in the habit of using inflammatory language , and of calling out that the Constitution was in danger . He contended that Ministers were justified in what they had done , by the vote of credit , wliich was" to enable his Majesty ' s Ministers to adopt such measures as the exigency of the circumstances
may require . " Sir Wm . Pultney said , that the measure in question appeared . to him criminal and unconstitutional , and the defence set up was extremely weak . Thevoteofcred . it was for extraordinaries , and included only the articles previously set down in the estimates . No minister had before ever dared to convert part of a vote of credit to a foreign subsidy . Though he saw much to blame in the increase of tlie Navy debt , and could point out many abuses , tills gross infringement of the Constitution ' was , in his opinion , the primary object of enquiry .
Mr . Grey said , that after the truly constitutional speech of the Hon . Baronet , he should detain the House but little . From the papers on the table , it appeared that only 77 , 000 ! . out of the whole 1 , 200 , 000 k had been sent to the Emperor between the sitting of the last and the present Parliament . No attack so direct as this had . ever been made on every thing dear to man ; and though it might be said that Ministers were not to be fettered by that House in a moment of negotiation , yet now that the French were acknowledged to be capable of the accustomed relations of peace and amityand to have snorted the fumes of the indigested
, away blood of their Sovereign , it might be especially useful to exhibit the proud spectacle of a free people treating with a free people , ourselves as jealous of our rights as they could be of theirs . Mr . Wilberforce , Mr . Yorke , the Master of the Rolls , and Lord Hawkesbury vindicated the Minister : Mr . Harrison , Mr . Curwen , and Mr . William Smith renrobated his conduct .
Mr . Fox begged the House not to confound the proper application of the money with the mode of obtainining it . It might be proper or not to send . money to the Emperor , but had the Minister so far abolished the Constitution as to have the right of doing so , without the consent of Parliament ? Against such doctrine he wouldcontend in that House as longas possible , by words ; and otherwise , ifnecessaiv , out of it ; for he was born free , and free he would die . So far he was an incorrigible Jacobin . Mr . Pitt declined any further discussion that niht .
g Mr . Bastard said he would vote for the supplies , without meaning to imply any approbation of the Minister ' s conduct . The House then divided—for the resolution , 164—against it 58—majority 106 . Friday , 9 . The London Docks , Chichester Roads , Scotch Distillery , Excise Additional Duty , and Customs Duty Bills were read a first time . Dudley Canal Bill read a third time and piysed . Mr . Maiming brought in the Bill for forming Wet Docks at Shadwell , for the
accommodation of the trade of London , which being read a first time , he said , that from the report of the Select Committee of last year , the House would be in possession of the necessity that existed for this much wished for improvement . But to enforce the sense of this necessity the stronger , he would mention : i circumstance which latch- came to his knowledge . It was very well known that the Merchants of the City of London were subject to very great losses from the depre-