From the Courier, April 7.
Among the things which occurred worthy of notice, last night, in the House of Lords, the short speech of Lord Ward must not be overlooked. He asked the Ministers whether they had advised his Hon. Friend the Member for Dudley to present an address from that town in favour of his Majesty’s Ministers. No doubt they willingly accepted that or any other little help to eke out their popularity and make a show to the King; and no doubt, as Lord WARD stated, his Majesty was cajoled to believe that his Ministers were very popular in the country. Sir ROBERT PEEL seems to have the same opinion, for he appealed the other night from the majority in the House to the majority out of doors; but he and his friends have so little confidence in his popularity, that they carefully exclude, as yesterday at Westerminster, all but their invited supporters from the little clubs which they call public meetings. Lord WARD stated a plain fact in a bold and manly manner.
AN
ADDRESS OF THE NON-ELECTORS
OF THE
Borough and Neighbourhood of Dudley
TO THE RIGHT HON. AND REV. LORD WARD.
MY LORD,
The Non-Electors of the Borough and Neighbourhood of Dudley have felt much gratified at your Lordship’s spirited conduct in the House of Lords on the 6th instant, and at your generous and unsolicited vindication of the Borough of Dudley from the suspicion of entertaining sentiments like those imputed to them in the hole and corner Address emanating from the Tory faction of Dudley, so calculated to mislead the Sovereign and induce him to retain a Ministry whose design was to lead the Country into Slavery and Ruin. This, my Lord, is the way in which Kings have been so often deceived, always to the Country’s prejudice, and sometimes, as History proves, to the destruction of the Throne.
Thank you, my Lord, for standing up for the plain Truth, so necessary at this time both to King and Country and that you have not suffered a faction whose personal objects are of a most base and selfish character, and whose political objects are the destruction of all popular influence and the establishment of an aristocratic tyranny.
We, my Lord, are anxious to maintain the constitutional rights of King, Lords, and Commons, these can be supported only by doing Justice to the long outraged Millions, who by delusions like those attempted in the Address so justly condemned by your Lordship, have long been the victims of unprincipled Courtiers and corrupt Statesmen, supported heretofore by an abandoned Majority of the House of Commons.
Considering your Lordship at once as a Peer and a Clergyman, and what is still more honourable, a friend of Truth and an enemy of Deception and Cajolery—we feel ourselves bound thus to express our sentiments of respect and admiration, and our hope that your Lordship’s sagacity and patriotism will detect any attempts which may hereafter be made to deceive the King and misrepresent the People.
We have the honour to be