LETTER FROM COLONEL JONES TO THE ELECTORS OF THE BOROUGH

OF SOUTHWARK.

Upper Gloucester Street, 0th Sept. 1830.

GENTLEMEN—Mr. CALVERT'S friends having-declared their inten- tion to propose that gentleman at the ensuing election, and persuaded as they are that he will be the man of your choice, I cannot, consistently with what I deem honourable conduct, personally oppose myself to him ; but should any circumstance determine the friends of Dlr. CALVERT not to go to a poll, I shall be at liberty to solicit your suffrages.

I should under any circumstances be unwilling to divide the Reform- ers, and thus, as some apprehend, assist in returning a member inimical to reform—one who, instead of promoting your interests, would support those whose interests are opposed to yours. I am, however, fully persuaded that the electors of the Borough of Southwark, have independence enough to return any man to Parliament solely on the ground of his usefulness ; and that, when satisfied such a man presents himself for their choice, they will elect him in spite of all, the multifarious attempts which may be made to influence them to betray their own interests. Give me leave, gentlemen, to repeat to you, that I am "untrammelled by aristocratical connexions, free from the influence which induces men to support one class of society against another—the few in preference to the many. A plain man like yourselves, having no personal ambition to gratify, no private interests to promote, no separate object to attain, my desire is to serve you and my country. My principles and purposes are, liberty of conscience for all men— personal liberty for every one, without distinction of colour—the most extensive; and complete reform of our elective and representative systems —reduction of debt, and taxes—economy in everything relating to the national expenditure—abolition of every abuse—sympathy for all men, of every country deserving of liberty, and struggling for its possession— peace and concord with every nation, who, in unison with ourselves, will promote the happiness of the human race, and consequently, the ho- nour and prosperity of our country." You, gentlemen, cannot be adequately represented by any man who is not a steady consistent reformer, an enemy to all undue power, and to all unnecessary expense. You, gentlemen, are independent of the aristocracy ; and it is your interest that you should remain so. No member of that body can ade- .quately represent you. Gentlemen, the aristocracy as a body have interests distinct from and opposed to the interests of the people. The aristocracy have always co-operated to promote their own in- terests. They have constantly endeavoured to extend their power, to increase their influence, to add to their emoluments, and to obtain as much as they possibly could of the good things of this world, no matter how injurious or oppressive such endeavours may have proved to the community at large.

The very theory of our Government teaches us that this is the in- evitable tendency of the aristocratical branch of the Government ; and that as a check on this tendency, the people should elect representa- tives to form a House of Commons which, by its dependence on the people alone, should be honest enough and able enough to prevent the mischiefs which must otherwise inevitably happen.

That such a Hduse of Commons does not exist, is admitted by all ; whilst it is equally well known, that by means of rotten boroughs the property of the aristocracy, and by their influence in cities and counties, a great majority of the members of the House of Commons have been their nominees, and members of their own body, to the exclusion of the people from their share in the legislation. Such, too, has been the de- gradation, and in some instances the mean subserviency of the people, In places where uncontrolled they might exercise their elective franchise freely, that they, passing by the plain, honest citizen have elected mem- bers of the aristocracy to misrepresent them in the house of Commons, to neglect their interest, and to promote those of the aristocracy. Untrue to themselves they have absurdly expected that their interests would be promoted litr those whose interest it was to promote those of their own order. The consequence of this state of things may be seen in the increase of Power, influence, and patronage of the aristocracy—in the enormous debt, and the monstrous amount of taxes—in the useless, unnecessary places they fill, in the sinecures they possess, in the enor- mous salaries they receive, in the number of their relatives and depen- dents quartered on the people ; in their Church emoluments, which amount to a sum scarcely credible ; in every way, indeed, in which power, Influence, and emolument, can be obtained.

That this is so, might be shown by a thousand cases ; one, however, must here suffice. It is, to be sure, one for which neither excuse nor palliation has been attempted to be made nor offered.

In the last session of Parliament, Sir shims GRAHAM showed to the House of Commons, that 113 of the aristocracy, who were Privy Coun- cillors, shared amongst them the enormous sum of 650,0001.—SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS sTEuralm—everyyear. Now, this sum is so large that few men have any accurate conception of it ; and until it is compared with sums with which men are familiar, no correct notion of its vastness can be formed. - - - You all pay King's taxes; and the number of you who have the right Of voting for members of the House of Commons is* about three thou- Sand. You are not the poorest of the householders; and if I take the rental of year houses one ivith-zinother;at 801. a.:year, I shall probably i?e Pet very farlfrom the :truth, ..Theliing's time on houses which let for 801. a-year may be taken at 141.; and thus it may be inferred, that you, the electors of Southwark, pay King's taxes to the amount of 42,000/. This is a large sum ; but, large as it is, and including as it does the total amount of the King's taxes levied on you, it is only one- fteenth of the sum which the 113 Privy Councillors take from the axes. This may give you some idea of the great sum they do take, and of their rapacity also.

The whole number of inhabited houses in the six parishes within the Borough, according to the last returns made to Parliament, is as fol- lows :- Christ Church 1811.

St. George 5149 St. Olave 1221 St. Saviour . 2639 St. Thomas 130 St. John 1527 Total houses 12,477 Let us suppose that all these houses, great and small, one with an. other, pay 501. a year each as rent, and that the King's taxes on each are 9/, a year : the whole amount of King's taxes will be 112,2931.—about one-fifth as much money as supplies the 113 Privy Councillors. Thus you approximate towards a correct notion of the vast sum of 650,0001.; thus you are better able to estimate the rapacity of those persons who receive it.

The Parliamentary returns before alluded to, state the number of houses—

In London, within the walls, at 7,938 In Westminster, at 18,502 In Southwark, as before, at ....12,477 Total houses 38,907 To prevent all cavilling, let us take these houses great and small at a rental of 801 one with another, and the King's taxes at 14/. each : the whole amount of King's taxes will be 544,7301., not somuch by 105,000/. as the sum divided amongst the 113 Privy Councillors. Thus you ob. tam a tolerably correct notion of the vast sum of 650,0001.; thus you may form a tolerably accurate idea of the rapacity of the 113 members of the aristocratical body. All the King's taxes levied on 39,917 house- holders are swallowed by these 113 Privy Councillors. Please now to observe, that it is from these Privy Councillors the persons who constitute what is called the Government are taken - to these the management of our affairs is left. They advise the King to make war or peace, to raise loans, to increase the standing army, to tamper with the currency, to levy taxes, to shower wealth upon the higher orders of the priesthood, to do every thing in fact for evil or for good which the Government may think convenient. With these 113 Privy Councillors, the whole body of the aristocracy is allied by family connexions, and with the aristocracy amajority of the House of Commons always agree. The aristocracy, in the House of Peers, usually consists of two par- ties—the ins and the outs ; and when the outs become strong enough, they change places with the ins, and the majority in the House of Corn. mons vote for their measures, as they before voted for their opponents ; and when a change again happens in the Government, as it is called, the majority in the House of Commons also changes.

This would not be so were the members of the House of Commons freely and fairly elected by the people ; no such subserviency would ever be shown by representatives thus chosen. The cause was plainly ex- hibited in a petition in 1793, from a society called the "Friends of the People." In this petition, which was presented and supported by the present Earl GREY, it was offered to be proved at the bar of the House, that a majority of the members were returned by one hundred and fifty- four persons, nearly all of whom were peers or related to peers. Do you then believe that the aristocracy, or any of its members, will so act in favour of the people as to endanger the influence and emoluments of these families ? No, no ; not one of you, who reflects on these matters, can believe so. No, no ; every one of you sees at once that they will do all they can to keep fast hold of all they have, and to get as much more as they can, for themselves and their dependents. Enormous as is the sum of 650,0001. shared by these 113 Privy Coun. cillors' still it is only one of the many means the aristocracy possess by which the taxes are distributed for their advantage. Yet when one reflects on the sad state of many of those amongst the 39,000 householders, who are compelled to pay the 650,000 which the 113 gentlemen divide amongst them, of the ruin these taxes bring on some, the privations of others, and the difficulty a very large number are com- pelled to encounter to raise the money, it seems strange that any man in the middle ranks of society should refrain even for a moment from exerting himself to cause an end to be put to the abuses whence proceed the monstrous burden of taxation by which he and his fellows are sorely oppressed. One remedy there is, and only one—namely, a reform in the House of Commons. That reform will never be promoted by the aristocracy, and their dependents. It can only be promoted by those amongst the people who have the power in their hands of electing independent men whose interests are the same as their own. It can only be promoted by the proper exercise of the elective franchise, by men who knowing its value can neither be influenced, intimidated, nor cajoled. Of such men the electors of Southwark must mainly consist ; and I cannot doubt that when an opportunity occurs they will prove themselves worthy "of the invaluable right they possess, and freely return that candidate whom they may think best qualified to be useful to our country, in times which it does not require the gift of prophecy to predict as at hand, when every independent representative of the people will be called upon to exert his courage, and by his firmness and integrity, show himself equal to the circumstances in which he and the country may be placed, and worthy of the brave and independent men who have voluntarily confided to him the care of their- property, their lives; and their liberties.

I are, Gentlemen, your most obedient servant,

' LESLIE GROVE JONES.