ebe ailettnpOiia.
.A public meeting was Lehi on Vatalliesday, in the Town- boll of Southwark, to petition Pal litruient to grant the Bollot, extension of the Suffrage, arid Triennial Parliaments, and to place the. home of Mr. Harvey on the Pension list Committee. A fter some fruitless opposi- tion from ND. Arrowsmitla—who moved mm series of counter resolu- tions, but was not secunded,—a petition in conformity ss ith the object of the meeting was adopted. Mr. Harvey then stood &mom), and was loudly cheered, lie said that the subjects embraced in the iota tion would soon be brought before time House of Commons-
" On the 16t1, of February, the honesty of the Clovernment and the Lihe. salism of the llouse of C:■11111111111is W ill be tested. I have given notice of a mos tion fur the 8th 4:1 the ensuing mouth, fur leave tu Ming in a bill to amend the Reform Bill ; but I am in doubt it I will proceed with it, be 411:-.: I am afraid that the 31inistiy might make it a stalk ingshorse to e.cape the snare whieir is laid fur them 1111 the I fith. It is a matter more of doubt in my mind, whether I shall not give way to Mr. birotit's motion, Mr the pm po,e of giving the Ministers au eppertunity of showiug they are a great deal more Molest than it has bk en loy praetice to corisider them, but as regards the II dim, apart from extended stiffi.ise al.:1 abbreviated duration s f Parliament, I clack milt very considerable doubt."
Allusion had been made by some of the speakers to Universal Suf- frage; but no definition had been given of the meaning of dint term-
" I know it has been stated by some gentlemen tliat every man who is twenty- one years of age, in possession uf his reason, and unaffected by crime, should be at liberty to give his suffrage. To that, personally, I have not the slightest objection. But that is not Universal Safe age—it is a defined suffrage; and if you elected a Triennial Parliament just Wawa he attained twenty.one, lie would be twenty-four hetine he would h tee a right to vote. I ask on what wound it is that a person a ithin a month of being of age should not vote ; and still more I ask for what reason is it that mm fionale should be considered competent to execute the mighty legations, auil be the third estate of the realm. at the tender age of eighteen? being at that tune of life when most fathers claim the right, arid not unfrequently eaereise it, ef applying something like corporeal punishment to the femele fancies that occasionally presitt themselves. I cannot on am % principle or reason—admitting at the th It [natters or state are ter it 0111 being on all occasions til titers 411 rev...n-1 canted understand on what principle it is that a burnt-ark ilia man, lull of thought and full .1 energy, capable of any aittiati )))) , industrious, and vsliling to lie SO-011 Wii4t 100111,0 is it that Int, within one ilikkotli 441 his hi, th.,1,,■, mm id twenty-one ye ern of age, is not to have the right of voting for a Nickel...a- if Parliament, while • young lady. of the tender age I have u ehtrred to is to he consideied as equal to all the Lords and all the People in our happily mixed .tritl itttintelligilde government. Then, again, when you call for Universal St:triage, n hat can he the meaning if the word, if it exclude aiiy? yet o circa, although, 10 he sum it. w married ind outlet the contiol the Ink. vetes may be consulered hut one— to say nothiug of daughters, %11111 must b.. iniluerical by their demestie residence in the same I amt to speak of all that intetesting portion of the female world who have declined to baba their freedom by uniting themselves with any one,—of those who. far trout fig of tender years, are cat rying on bmincss iii 'Mops, paying itll k oafs of tan..., occupying farms, and capable by law, 1 believe, of actina as churchwaidetts—capab'e also of being out in the stocks if convicted a being seolds,--to 141) that all these are to be excluded is contrary to common souse. But you must be aware that every govermuent based on a perfect system of freedom must be a government of regulations arranged so as to embrace all classes. My notion of the soil...age is this—that every inan being of age, and pot incapaeitatsd conv:etiiiii tor crime, should be eutitled to vote in that locality :a here lie has beset register% ml ler a maw iu,ums muir, iiiti1011t l'Craellee to ti.e pay merit of local or general taxation. by this means very one t% milli have a hoc ihtbitation amid a name.' No man can reside in any locality without being known to his Hog Montt a and associating wi:it them ; and his manner of
like would thus be ()pelt tu all. Whether, therefore, such a loan keeps a great
Or a small houst Iteklier he occupies the garret, the eel kr, or the middle itout—wherever lie has tivtil, arid is registered, be shall be entitled to record vote for the man he coudilets most tit to repiesent hini." (Chars.)
But even this extension of the suffrage would not, as he had ascer- tained, satisfy inarly of the working classes. Now there were but two ways in which the claims of the working classes to political power could be established—it roast either be by public opinion acting on Parlianieta, or by external violence. Before the latter was resorted to, all peaceirble and ethiatitutional meaus should be exhausted. At present, the constituencies %%ere in a state of apathy- " 1 know at the last general eketion a feeling of disgust at the conduct of
Ministers, anti ailvelm. to their continuance in &lice, influenced the conduct; many of th 'me constituencies evil°, by very great sacrifices, contributed to furtherance. of Reform and the maintenance of the present Ministers in ; If I wk re a lied, at this moment, to assign a reason for that sluggishnesa whit); pervaded the constituencies of this country on the subject of Reform, I abase attribute it partly to the equivocal conduct of the present Ministers, to thei, suspicious alliance with their political foes, and riot a little to the unfortunate and deeply to be regretted conduct of some of the Popular leaders. I believe
many of these gentlemen made a fatal mistake when they linked themselves blindly to what they co isidtred to be the fate of the present Goverament. They did it honestly, but no doubt they continue that course at the present
moment with hesitation. (Cheers.) They are waiting the result of Mr, Grote's motion to determine their future conduct. I will not pretend to be a pro.
phet, and s ly what course the Ministers will pursue on the lath of next momh•
but if we find them as willing to concede to England as they have been mama to coerce C inada, then I will support them in every thing that I tan. tat not that de claration be misinterpteted—it must be a broad, unequivocal da monstratioa of the support of the Government—as a Government—to that measure. I know it is intimated that some of the subordinates of the Govcrn. anent will be allowed to exercise their discretion and escape the censure of** superiors, if they vote for Mr. Grote's motion. I have even heard it whispered that Sir J ihn flohhouse and Mr. P. Thomson, who, ten years ago, were the strenuous advocates of ballot in pamphltts and speeches, and ruatntained that without it there could be no honest government—it is whisperedindaven there gentlemen will be allowed to be honest. But that will be no talastaation; wa want a Government measure; for to allow the sullject to be brought forward year after year, as the Catholic question was, merely for the sake of having, grand day. ;Ind a great demonstration of party strength, then, exhausted by elle mighty effort, rearieg into the country to recruit their strength for the ea suing session—in this way the public will no longer be deluded. If the Gwent. tnent deem the Ballot to be important, it ought to be made a Government ma. sure. Their existence as a Government ought to lie staked upon it. They have nothing to apprehend as to the result. If they were turned out. tosmortow, through being out-voted on the question of the Ballot, the same mighty power that in Nal placed them in office, and which reinstated them when for a time they scene made the victims of the artifices and contrivanots of their opponents, would speak still louder; and the strong sinew of the Peaple would no longer be kept down by the story that the monarch was adverse to them—that the Court was crowded with hostility against them ; that delusion has been destroyed by death, and we now know that we have an executive magistrate whose principles are as pure as her age, v:ho only requires to be well counselled to carry out the just desires of her peo-
ple On the ltith of February let time People show that they take an interest in the subject : let them show themselves in their majesty and strength, and cheer the friends of Reform as they are going down to the [louse : let them ap. pear in migatv millions—ntrong, because peaceable; triumphant, because re. soled." ( ('arers. ) 111 r . Hai vey then exposed the conduct of Millisters in excluding Iiiin from the Pension-list Committee ; ford briefly defended the pro. ceedingi of the Assembly of Louver Canada in opposition to the Go. vernment in the colony amid at home. Thanks were voted to the High Bailiff, and the meeting broke up.
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