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COBBETT'S WEEKLY POLITICAL PAMPHLET.

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LONDON, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1817.

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BOROUGHMONGERS,

On the several symptoms of their approaching fall; and on the prospect before them, in case of that fall.

North Hampstead, Long Island, July 16, 1817.

BOROUGHMONGERS,

It is not only natural, but it is right, for men to rejoice at the confusion of their oppressors; and, assuredly, few men have ever felt more sincere joy, than I now feel at perceiving the confusion, in which you actually are, and the much greater confusion, into which you will be plunged. The four corners of the earth will exult at your fall; but in all the four corners of the earth there will not be found a man to rejoice so heartily as I shall. The hungry and the naked, the widow and the fatherless, the captive and the slave, the dying innocent, and the reputation of the murdered, all cry aloud to Heaven for vengeance on you. Your existence is a curse to mankind; and the day of your destruction will be the day of universal deliverance.

That that day is at no great distance every symptom tells me. I perceive, from the London newspapers, just received, that the Absolute-Power-of-Imprisonment Act is intended to be renewed. It is done before now, I dare say;

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and, I told the people, before my departure, that it would be done. It is, probably, renewed until the next Meeting of Parliament; that is to say, until there are persons assembled ready to renew it again. will there be even the shadow of And so it will go on; for, never liberty in England any more, until the House of Commons shall be reformed. No one but a most profound hypocrite could pretend to believe, that this act ever would be repealed until the time of real Reform should come. This act, which, in fact, is the all-in-all of the present system, was absolutely necesssary, if Reform did not take place. It was, therefore, most ridiculous in any one to pretend to disapprove of this Act, and, at the same time, to disapprove of Reform; seeing that one of the two must absolutely take place; and I am astonished, or, I should be astonished, if I did not so well know the whole history and mistery of the thing, at hearing such men as Lords Grey and Holland and Mr. Brand and Mr. Bennett opposing the renewal of the Act, while they, at the same time, oppose a Reform that shall give the people who pay taxes a right to vote for those who are to impose those taxes. Do such feeble men as Mr. BRAND think that they can ever persuade the people to be satisfied with any thing short of their full rights? Do such men imagine, that the speakers at the several Reform Meetings are to be made content with the rejection of what Mr. Brand called their

Printed by W. Jackson. 11. Newcastle Street. Strand.

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"wild projects"! No; they of the State Prisoners at Reading, may be well assured, that even if in Berkshire :

SIR FRANCIS BURDETT were to "In consequence of the acting mabe intimidated into an associationgistrates for the county of Berks with these "moderate" gentle-having been refused admittance to men, the People would only be

come the more. resolved not to yield, a particle of their rights.

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the state prisoners in the gaol of

Reading (though they were in the "constant habit of visiting that gaol) they addressed Queries to the Secretary of State for the home depart. "ment on the subject, and received 66 answers. The following is a copy "of the Queries and Answers.

"(COPY.)--The Visiting Magis"trates of Reading Gaol wish for Answers to the undermentioned Questions from the Right Honourable Secretary of State :

The Act will continue in force as long as money can be raised to give the appearance of paying the interest of the Debt. One would wonder what the views of the Parliament could be in this measure. They imagine, that the Act will keep the people quiet, "'till things come about," I sup. pose. But, if any thing could add Q. May Magistrates generally of to the impediments to things com- "the county of Berks visit the State ing about, it would be this Act it- Prisoners in common with other self. Things cannot come about" prisoners, which they are privileg any more than the Thames can "ed to do, and ask questions, and encome about, and run back to Ox-" ter into conversation with them ?→ fordshire. The very root of na-4 "A. No, except upon special reasons tional prosperity is arrested in its" being assigned, which must be subIt is dried up by tax"mitted to and be judged of by the progress. ation; and the plant will daily Secretary of State. and hourly become feebler and feebler. The People have nothing to do but to wait with patience. They will suffer. They must suffer. But, they will not die by" millions to please Mr. MALTHUS and his savage disciples of the high-blooded orders. They must have something to eat. Let the People only wait with a little patience, and they will see "things" come about" in reality..

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"Q. If State Prisoners may have a copy of Official Directions Gaolers?-A. No.

"Q. If they may have a free use of restrictions, as ordered by the offpen, ink, and paper, under certain cial Directions?-A. Vide Official Directions, which must be strictly observed.

"Q. If they may read the Public London or Provincial Newspapers, under certain restrictions?-A. No.

Q. If they may have books to "read from Circulating Libraries ?by the Visiting Magistrate. "A. Such books as are approved of

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Q. If they may have wine, or tities, at their own expence, or that strong beer, or ale, in limited quan"tity is desired? "of government?A. What quan

mily might wait with patience, that I came hither; for, patient I could not have been in silence, and they would not have been patient while I was in a dungeon. The sort of treatment, which was in reserve for me, may be easily judged of from the following account, which I find in the London papers, relative to the treatment"

"Q. If through the day they be confined in solitary cells, and at night in better apartments, if such can be procured by Magistrates for

"them?-A. To be confined in such "manner as has been usual, and in such apartments as have been here

"tofore allotted to State Prisoners.

"In consequence of new directions "sent down, the three prisoners were "confined in separate rooms, after "having been left all together in one "apartment for a fortnight!"

pit. What the treatment of the unfortunate men, now shut up, is, the world will easily judge, from. the above document. The magis-trates even are not to see them and converse with them, without special permission of the Secre tary of State, upon special reasons being assigned! How hapру I must have been to be an ob

Oh, no! my good Borough nongers, I knew what was coming too well to let my body remain within the run of Sidmouth's and Castle reagh's warrants. That pen, which had thrown you into consternation was not to be stopped without an effort on my part to

Ah! Boroughmongers! It isject of the kind interference of the much pleasanter to sit here under Magistrates! How comfortable the shade of trees, loaded with my family must have felt at seeing fruit, and only wanting hands to a man like me an object of compas gather and mouths to eat it, than sion with these worshipful gentry, to be begging of Lords Sidmouth amongst whom are the Giffords, and Castlereagh permission to the Bowleses, the Watsons, the breathe the sweet air! Much Baineses, the Willises, the Genebetter amusement is. it to be dry-ral Porters, the Sinecure Minchins, ing fruits in the Sun to please my the Col. Fletchers, the Parson little boys and girls when they | Powises, the Sellons, and the like! come, than to be peeping through the iron grates and bars of the jails and listening to hear whether their prayers have obtained them access to my damp and dreary caMuch better to be here, laughing at you, and teaching the world at once to hate and despise you, than to be hearing the dis-keep it in motion. I was resolved tant cries of those children, who to do all that I could to enable me will live to see vengeance on you to combat you at home; but, at ör on yours. Here I can read all any rate, while there was an inch the London news-papers, without of free country left in the world, I Lord Sidmouth's leave; nor are was resolved still to combat you. his magistrates to select my books And, to this dilemma I again tell for me. No wonder that your you that you are reduced; the COURIER was enraged at my de-laws of England must still contiparture! I am at once in full view of you and beyond the reach of your dark and deep malignity. I am looking down upon you as upon a nest of insects, destined to have all your works defeated and to be crushed, at last, amidst your fancied security. I see you hard at work, digging the pit, into which you yourselves are to be tumbled; and I anticipate the pleasure of being one of those who are to tumble you into that

nue a dead letter; the people
must all be exposed incessantly to
arbitrary imprisonment; in short,
the thing, which now is, and which
I need not name, must continue, or,
my writings must have their free.
course, and I, must have, as the
just reward of my own talents, a
greater fortune than the most
of you have from those estates,
which you inherit from your an
cestors.
to you;

Provoking as this is mortifying as it is to

your insolent pride, you cannot help yourselves; nor can you show your resentment in any way, which will not make a fresh exposure of your folly and baseness.

course pursued to put an end to the distresses, which now press upon the nation, and in which the great mass of the People will become every day more and more cool as spectators. These dis

of the gentlemen who remain not ruined; they will sweat down the big and merciless yeomen; they will empty out completely every half-beggared, insolent fellow, who has been living upon war, The mass of the people must live. They all hate you to a man; and, in that hatred they will 'ere long be joined by many, who now cling

to

your cause. All men say, that there is something wrong somewhere; and, every man will soon

find out where it is.

In the Debate of the 28th of

In what I have said above, I by no means wish to be under-tresses will take away the fortunes stood, as meaning, that there are none amongst the magistrates, whose compassion one might not wish to have. The Magistrates in Monmouthshire, those at Read. ing, and a Col. Williams in Lancashire, have shown, that they still retain some sense of shame for the situation of their country. They, doubtless, begin to perceive, that the present state of things is not to be temporary, if it be meant to remain, until the People shall be content without a reform. They may begin to reflect, that, in fact, all this abro-April, on a Petition from DUNgation of the law is for your sakes, FERMLINE, there were some cuand not for the sake of the rious observations relative to the of the country and the safety of the Throne. Men may be hardened up by their prejudices and their political anger; but, a time comes for reflection; and, if the Gentlemen of England reflect, they will soon perceive, that they are the first to be sacrificed, seeing that You and the Fundholders will cling to each other to the last possible moment; because, as I believe at least, and as I most anxiously hope, your existence" wholly depends on each other.

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interest of the Debt; and the whole passage is so important, that I shall transcribe it here for the purpose of putting it upon record.

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"Lord COCHRANE said, during many years he had resided in the neighbourhood of Dunfermline, and "then those persons who were now by the manufactures which were "petitioning, maintained themselves established in that part of the country; but now, in common with so many other manufactures in this country, they had fallen into decay, in consequence of the burden of Taxation, till at last the wages "of the workmen were altogether inadequate to their support. Unless

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The project for relieving the dis-"

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tresses of the nation out of those very taxes, the raising of which is 66 a diminution of taxation should the cause of those distresses, is a "take place it was impossible that strong symptom of the desperate-the people could be relieved, and ness of your situation. The young so long as places and pensions patriotic Boroughmongers of Ta-should be the reward of subservistock and Bedford may prate as "viency, so long would the burdens long as they please about a mo- "continue and those persons remain "derate Reform"; but, they will" unrelieved. It was necessary, find, that there must be no middle" therefore, that Parliamentary Re

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" quer was about to propose. That measure, however, would not re"lieve that class of men by whom the present Petition was presented, "and with respect to industry, good "morals, and religion, the conduct of no class of men was more praise"worthy than that of the present " Petitioners.

"form should take place that that "late, for there was a point beyond "House should be purged-that its" which suffering could not be borne. "Members should act for the benefit "He had, since coming home, seen "of the country at large, and not 66 many people in a state of starva"with a view merely to the circum-" tion-he had seen many in such a "stances of their own families, or "state before and while in the "the rewards which might be given "country he had seen people lying "to them. All assistance by way of starving about the hedges and "issue of Exchequer Bills, whether to "ditches. That the higher ranks "the extent of two millions or fifty mil-" were unable longer to bear the bur"lions, would be found unavailing ; "den, was proved by the measure "all came out of the pockets of the" which the Chancellor of the Exchepeople. Agriculture must be reliev"ed, and commerce revived by removing the burdens which threaten❝ed all ranks of the country with des"truction. He had been down lately "into the county of Kent, where he "could not help being struck with" "seeing the mansions of the country "Gentlemen almost all deserted, and "to be let or sold, the families having "Mr. GRENFELL rose, to call the left the country. The only relief" attention of the House to the circum"which the Chancellor of the Exche- "stance that the Noble Lord had offered quer could grant, was a diminution "a third time to them, a proposition "of taxation-all other remedies "which was neither more nor less "were futile. The Chancellor of the" than that the House should be "Exchequer would find himself before" guilty of a breach of public faith. "two years were expired, and before [Hear, hear, hear!] It was not long, perhaps, compelled to reduce" likely that the proposition should "the interest of the National Debt. "make much impression on them, or "And what would be the injury?" on the good sense of the people of "Had they not seen the value of land "reduced one-half, and all other "property reduced in value !-They "found it at present necessary to "issue Exchequer Bills to support an " enormous Military Establishment"and for what?-to keep down the "people, who were suffering under an "insupportable taxation. The only" "relief which they were to obtain was "the Cottage Tax. They did not. "think of relieving them from the "other heavy and grinding taxes"from the Salt Tax for instance, "which took 20s. a year from every "the interest of the National Debt. poor man in the Kingdom. By

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"this country. It was now the third "time, however, that the Noble "Lord had submitted to them a proposition, to do that which would be as ruinous to the public interest, as "it was at variance with every principle of good faith.

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Lord COCHRANE observed, that when he brought forward the motion, "which it was his intention to submit "to the House on this subject, it "would be, then seen whether there was any thing derogatory to na"tional honour in the reduction of

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"Lord MILTON would not have "the Malt and Salt Taxes alone," risen if these sentiments were confined "the people paid more than all" to the Noble Lord; but the Noble "the higher classes twice told. "Lord was not the only person who "It was perhaps unnecessary to pe"entertained them, and it was to "tition, but still if they did not "do so now, it would soon be too

guard against their spreading, that "it became the House to express their

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