finally fee the danger of their fituation, and that even this Houfe will no longer suffer itself to be infulted by its own moderation. The learned gentleman has declaimed on a topic often touched on, that there is no charge against the prefent Adminiftration. But has not the Houfe condemned them on a ground which is decided, which they have not had the effrontery to deny? If this accufation, if this imputation is not true, why do not gentlemen come forward and difown it? In fuch fituations filence is furely the moft damning part of guilt, and better than a thoufand witneffes. The learned gentleman wishes to deter people from voting on the present occafion, who have voted for the adoption of the laft refolution of the Houfe. He afferts, that the prefent motion has a tendency to deftroy unanimity, and to prevent a junction of parties. But does he reflect, that by -refufing to liften to the calls, by refusing to obtemper the refolutions of the Houfe, Minifters more effectually fruftrate the intentions and the defires of Parliament? They defy the decifions of the Houfe; and it is they, and they alone, who open those breaches which at prefent prevent the union that is fo ardently defired. Whilft a motion, therefore, of the nature of that on the table is abfolutely expedient, I wish that the world may know who the perfons are who have rendered it neceffary. :!! The propofition before the Houfe is no abftract maxim, - feparate from its former refolutions. It is, on the contrary, connected with, and is a confequence of them. Thofe, therefore, who have voted for the one, are bound and engaged to vote for the other; and those who separate their affent to the one, after having given their concurrence to the other, fell and betray the dignity, the honour, and the reputation of the House. I It is a maxim in all well-regulated governments that a period fhould be put as foon as poffible to civil diftractions. But how are the distractions of the present times, and of this country, to be remedied? A middle way of accommodation has been defired. I know no middle way of accommodation but this, that Minifters defcend from their fituation, that they refign their offices, and ceafe any longer to defy the maxims of their ancestors, and to infult the dignity of the House. I wish, however, at a crifis of fo much confequence, when the reputation of the Houfe, and the intereft of the country is at stake, that no rafh measure may be adopted, that we may pause with deliberation over every step in our procedure, procedure, and that we may adopt, with proper folemnity, those measures which muft finally reftore the infulted honour of the House. A good deal has been faid refpecting the prerogative of Majefty to chufe its Minifters. The fame obfervation was, however, applicable to this exertion of privilege as to every other of a fimilar nature. The Crown had an exclufive right to make peace or war; but though it was invested with this privilege, would it be fafe to exercise it without confulting Parliament? He was fure it would not; and he was equally satisfied that the prerogative in the election of Minifters in oppofition to the House of Commons, was a measure as unfafe, as unwarranted, and as unjustifiable. Reasons have been alledged by the right honourable gentleman over the way for his retention of place. These pretences, however, I muft confider as nugatory and trifling; but his reasons for refigning are not only founded in propriety, but fanctioned by the vote of the Houfe of Commons. The honourable gentleman afks if this motion is to be followed by an addrefs? This question I will answer by afking another, viz. What will be the confequences of the prefent refolution on the honourable gentleman's conduct? The facrifice which the House requires of the honourable gentleman is not fo humiliating as what he demands of the House. He complains of the diftraction and anarchy which predominate in the country; but let me ask him, Who is the cause of these calamities? Can an Adminiftration act with vigour without the confidence of the Houfe? Is not his obftinacy, then, in retaining his place in defiance of Parliament, the cause of thofe evils of which he fo pathetically complains? Attacks have been made on my popularity. My invafion of chartered rights has been held up as a ftalking horfe to the public. I have been charged with ambition. But on what grounds have these accufations been established? Have I ever fet myself in defiance to this House? Have I ever fought power through the means of base corruption, or dark intrigue? No; my ambition has ever raised me above fuch modes of preferment. I have never facrificed my principle to my popularity, nor to my ambition. I have ever acted openly and fairly. I would rather be rejected, reprobated, and profcribed: I would rather be an outcast of men in power, and the follower of the most infignificant minority, than prostitute myself into the character of a mean tool of Secret Influence. I call, therefore, on country gentlemen to and aloof from a Miniftry who have eftablifhed J blifhed themselves in power by means fo unconftitutional Mr. Powys, Mr. Wilberforce, and the Solicitor General rofe together, but the two latter gentlemen fat down as foon as they faw Mr. Powys was upon his legs. Mr. Powys faid, Mr. Powys, at that late hour he would not attempt to follow the right honourable gentleman who spoke last, through the wide field of argument he had gone over. Had not the House been occupied with fo much debate already, he certainly would have taken the liberty to go more largely into an examination of feveral matters that had fallen from the right hon ourable gentleman than he fhould then do. The right honourable gentleman, he obferved, had, during the debate, ftood upon advantageous ground; and that it was peculiarly difficult for any man, if he were inclined to object to it, to meet the question fairly; because every ftep he trod, he was in danger of flying in the face of the orders and authority of the Houfe. The right honourable gentleman had a right to remind them of the refolutions already paffed, and to call upon them to fupport the present motion, by appeals to their paffions, their pride, and their honour. The part he had acted with regard to the feveral refolutions the Houfe had lately voted, was well known. He had done every thing in his power to prevent their paffing; and he hoped he fhould not be out of order in faying, that, in his opinion, the feve ral refolutions in queftion were haftily propofed; that they were grounded on doubtful and unauthenticated premises, and that they held out unfair conclufions. This indif putably was his opinion; but ftill the refolutions were upon the Journals; the right honourable gentleman was therefore warranted in referring to them, and he might say to every man who opposed the motion, Till thou canst rail the feal from off my bond, Thou but offend'ft thy lungs to speak fo loud. This being the cafe, Mr. Powys faid, it was more than or- by by fome it had been termed artful and hypocritical, by others unavoidable; and by others again, a mere act of indifpenfable duty to the public. He ftill retained his original opinion of it. The other measure of the right honourable gentleman, was, his having been weak enough to abandon the idea of a diffolution of Parliament, and thus neglected to provide a fecurity for his own fituation as a Minifter. This, Mr. Powys faid, was clearly a second measure; and that he thought not a little in favour of the right honourable gentleman, fince a confiderable part of the ftrength that the country now called upon him to unite with, was clearly not of a permanent nature, but, would, upon a diffolution, have been no longer in exiftence. After defcanting upon this, and pointing out the particular difficulty into which things were brought by the refolutions that Houfe had come to, Mr. Powys declared, he had nevertheless no difficulty in faying, notwithstanding the high opinion he entertained of the integrity and abilities of the right honourable gentleman oppofite to him, and the great refpect he bore him perfonally, that he thought the refolutions ought not to remain on the Journals of the Houfe, and the prefent Administration continue in office. Either the refolutions fhould be refcinded, or the Administration should refign. At the fame time he owned the delicacy of the fituation of the right honourable gentleman; he certainly had a right to preferve his honour, and he did not wish to fee him quit the fortrefs in which he was at prefent, and come with a fervile humility to deliver the keys of it to its befieger. The right honourable gentleman could not be expected to agree to march out with a halter about his neck. He defired not that he fhould undergo any difgrace. The right honourable gentleman had not deserved it. Mr. Powys enlarged upon this, and faid, the right honourable gentleman below him had, in one inftance, fubmitted the most material of the resolutions to a calm and difpaffionate revifion and difcuffion; and in his fpeech that day, he had declared, with fingular candour and fairness, that he had no objection to having them reconfidered again and again. The right honourable gentleman had even faid, he cared not how often. If, therefore, the right honourable gentleman oppofite to him would move the previous queftion, with a view to have the refolutions, already come to, reconfidered, on a motion for their being refcinded, he would vote with him. If not, thinking as he did, that thofe refolutions, and the prefent Adminiftration ought not to exift together, much as his opinion was adverfe to the refolutions, and and obvious as the pains had been, which he had taken to prevent their paffing, he fhould think the House could not negative the prefent motion. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in a moft able fpeech, The Chan. anfwered Mr. Fox, and endeavoured to convince Mr. Powys, cellor of the Exchequer. that confiftency required that he fhould vote against the queftion then under confideration. He faid, though he certainly fhould be glad to have the refolutions already upon the Journals reconfidered with a view to their being refcinded, he could not content himself with moving the previous queftion upon the préfent motion, but thought himself bound to give it his direct negative. The right honourable gentleman oppofite to him had talked of his having been infulted and provoked to warm language by the argument of his honourable and learned friend; how much more reafon had he to feel himself infulted and provoked, not only by what had paffed that day, but on feveral former days, in which refolutions, perfonal to him, had been moved. His learned friend's argument that day, as his argument always was, had appeared to him by no means calculated to provoke ill humour or indignation; but, on the contrary, was a plain, direct, and as he felt it, a convincing argument of the impropriety of the Houfe's coming to any fuch motion as that before them, with a view to enforce the effect of the motion the Houfe had that day voted nearly unanimoufly. He had himself, during the whole feries of extraordinary debates that had lately taken place, endeavoured to avoid being caught by the violence of their proceedings, and had preferved as calm and governed a temper as the nature of the cafe would admit of. Had he not done fo, the circumftances that had occurred would have juftified him. The House had been led on infidioufly, and step by step as it were, from one refolution to another, without a fair difcuffion of any one of them on its own proper merits. The firft refolutions, the Houfe would recollect, had been paffed at the unusual hour of fix in the morning, and with little or no debate. The fecond in a manner grew out of the firft, and that was immediately followed by a third. It was true the fubftance of thofe refolutions were made the subject of difcuffion at a fitter time of the day afterwards; a circumftance in which he felt confiderable fatisfaction, and had at the time expreffed himself gratified at it. But how had that question ever been debated? Not upon its own proper merits; fo far from it, the right honourable gentleman oppofite to him had defired the Houfe to confider it as a corollary to the preceding refo I 2 lutions, 4 |