408 Tradesman and Merchant — Commercial Population 



Laboi'ing under the doctrine of the Balance of Trade it was long 

 debated whether it was desirable to have merchants in Parliament 

 and Council. It was observed that a merchant might have an interest 

 distinct from that of his country. If the Balance were unfavorable, 

 the merchant could nevertheless gain the difference between the cost 

 and the seUing price. The merchants gained while the nation was 

 losing: the loss was supposed to be drawn from the landholders and 

 laborers.' The practice of the merchant followed his interests and 

 yet as a whole he did it in direct opposition to the prevailing theory 

 of commerce. 



The private interests of the merchants were likewise suggested as 

 unfitting them for legislators and counsellors. Contrariety of in- 

 terests would result in mutual opposition and "rather puzzle than 

 give light to the argument in debate." Each particularized his own 

 interest and had too little concernment in what had respect to the 

 advantage and disadvantage of the whole public- The merchants 

 in Parliament did represent local interests, and sometimes personal 

 interests. For instance, Thomas Johnson, a merchant of Liverpool, 

 was "a devoted friend to his native town" and "made it his chief 

 business to promote the commercial and municipal importance of 

 Liverpool . . . both by his speech and vote in Parliament."^ 

 The Bristol merchants secured favorable legislation by way of sugar 

 bounties and opposed the Excise of 1732.'* William Patterson was 

 the Scotch merchant who contributed most to effecting the union of 

 England and Scotland.^ WilHam Beckford, a prominent merchant 

 and planter was Pitt's advisor in the West Indies' situation in 1759.^ 

 These are but illustrative of the sectionalism and private or local 

 interests of the merchant representation in Parliament. 



In the country towns the clothiers and other tradesmen were rising 

 into public office in their localities. In the second quarter of the 

 seventeenth century the worthies of the cloth trade began to be 

 elected Treasurers of their counties, displacing knights and esquires.' 

 In the towns the merchants had held the magistracy under the gild 

 system and continued to hold office under the competitive system. 



' See, for example, the discussion in "The British Merchant," II, 141-2. 

 - See Gee's opinion in his Trade and Navigation, 239. For a contrar\^ opinion 

 see Gent. Alag., 1739: 131, 158. 

 3 Bourne, Eng. Mer., 307, 311-14. 

 ^Latimer, Mer. Ad., 187, 189. 

 ^Bourne, Eng. Mer., 173-6. 

 6 Von Ruville, Pitt, II, 222-3. 

 ■ Roberts, Soc. Hist., I, 368. 



