496 THE LORDS AND THE COMMONS. 



ditary legislators themselves, but must be the source of deep regret to 

 the mind of every one who really loves the constitution of his country. 

 We are among the number. Sincerely as vi^e have at all times been 

 attached to liberal principles, and strenuously as we have on all occa- 

 sions exerted ourselves to promote their extension, we do unfeignedly 

 and most deeply deplore the position in which the Peers have placed 

 themselves in relation to the Commons and the country. "We recollect 

 — and who does not who knows any thing of the history of England ? 

 — we recollect the many important services which they have on various 

 occasions of imminent peril to the best institutions of the country 

 rendered to the nation. We have a grateful sense of the innumerable 

 instances in which they have put an effectual check on the rash and 

 dangerous legislation of the Lower House, and how, in other cases, 

 they have greatly improved measures, substantially good, which have 

 been sent up to them in a crude and imperfect state. We recollect all 

 this, and sincerely regret to find they have, in the face of the most 

 ample warning, committed so grievous an error on the present 

 occasion. 



We wish it may not be a fatal error. We have our fears that the 

 nation are not at this moment in a disposition to tolerate any further 

 experiments on their powers of patient endurance. People now begin 

 to ask themselves — Of what use is it that we, in many cases at great 

 personal and pecuniary sacrifice, return to the Commons' House of 

 Parliament men who wiU faithfully reflect our opinions — represent our 

 wishes — and strenuously advocate our interests, — if all the measures 

 passed by those representatives, which we considered most essential to 

 the ends of good and cheap government, are to be defeated by an here- 

 ditary and irresponsible body of legislators, in another place ? 



Such, we say, is the question which the people of this country now 

 ask themselves, and ask their neighbours from one extremity of the land 

 to the other. It is a momentous one, beyond all question, for the Peers. 

 The marvel is, by what process of thought that gross infatuation 

 could have been induced in their minds, which prevented their per- 

 ceiving beforehand that such a question on the part of the people 

 would be the inevitable consequence of the reckless course of conduct 

 wliich, in this case, they have pursued. 



The grand source, we believe, of the imprudent line of policy which 

 the Lords have, in this instance, adopted, will be found to be in the 



