STATE PAPERS. 
ments or opinions, and that I have 
not changed any of my principles ; 
for my principles never can be 
changed. 
And those fellow-citizens will 
also find, that I hereby pledge my- 
self to my country, that [ shall 
continue, what I ever have been, 
a zealous and unshaken friend to 
peace, to justice, and to liberty, 
political, civil, and religious ; and 
that I am determined to die (as I 
have lived) a firm and steady sup- 
porter of the unalienable rights and 
of the happiness of all mankind. 
STANHOPE. 
Protest against the A& far further 
suspending the Habeas Corpus Aa, 
Feb. 3, 1795. 
1st, BECAUSE, whatever pre- 
tence there may have existed in 
the last session of parliament for 
suspending the habeas corpus act, 
that pretence is now removed; 
the partial ex parte examination of 
the committees of parliament hay- 
ing been refuted by the verdi€ts of 
juries, who, with laboar unexam- 
pled in legal annals in this coun- 
try, after duly weighing the evi- 
dence on both sides, acquitted the 
“persons indicted for a ene 
conspiracy. 
- adly, Because intentions hostile 
to the constitution being enter- 
tained by persons, few in ‘number, 
and devoid of weight and conse. 
quence in the country, do not jus- 
tify the depriving all the people of 
Great Britain of that security which 
our laws so anxiously provide for 
personal liberty. 
3dly, Because we find, that as 
soon as these plots and conspira- 
cies (which have heretofore caused 
143 
the suspension of the people’s right 
to their habeas corpus) had been 
dealt with according to law, and 
that the conspirators had been con- 
victed and punished, the danger 
being over, the suspension had 
dropped. In the same manner, 
when the proved innocence of the 
accused have negatived the sup- 
posed conspiracy, and when it is 
not even pretended that any new 
or other plot exists, to continue to 
suspend this great and essential 
safeguard of our kingdom, is equal- 
ly contrary to the example set us 
by our ancestors, and inconsistent 
with that protection which, as le. 
gislators, we are bound to afford to 
the personal security of all our fel- 
low-subjects. 
4thly, Because we consider that 
the national spirit of English free- 
dom, to which was owing the high 
place that we once held amid” sure 
rounding nations, is either check= 
ed or deadened by causeless atts of 
despotism; or that the disgust -ne~ 
cessarily generated by such a con- 
duct is likely (if any thing can pro. 
duce such an effect upoy this’ free 
and enlightened nation), to raise a 
spirit of disaffection even to the 
-constitution itself. 
sthly, Because when we trace 
the history of the habeas corpus 
aét, we find, among other securi- 
ties from oppression, it was chiefly 
meant to ensure to the subject a 
speedy trial, when accused of trea- 
son or treasonable practices, and to 
avert the tyranny of tedious impri. 
sonment for those crimes. Wecon. 
ceive, theretore, that if the legis. 
lature is, upon all occasions of 
suspicion of traiterous acts, to sus- 
pend the operation of that most 
important and invaluable statute, 
security to the subject must be re- 
moved 
