The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IVGreville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IV
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- George IV, 1820-1830; Great Britain -- History -- William IV, 1830-1837
It is universally believed that this Bill will pass, except by
some of the ultras against it, or by the fools. But what next?
That nobody can tell, though to see the exultation of the
Government one would imagine they saw their way clearly to a
result of wonderful good. I have little doubt that it will be
read a second time, and be a good deal battled in Committee.
Although they are determined to carry it through the Committee
with a high hand, and not to suffer any alterations, probably
some sort of compromise in matters of inferior moment will be
made. But when it comes into operation how disappointed everybody
will be, and first of all the people! Their imaginations are
raised to the highest pitch, but they will open their eyes very
wide when they find no sort of advantage accruing to them, when
they are deprived of much of the expense and more of the
excitement of elections, and see a House of Commons constructed
after their own hearts, which will probably be an assembly in all
respects inferior to the present. Then they will not be
satisfied, and as it will be impossible to go back, there will be
plenty of agitators who will preach that we have not gone far
enough; and if a Reformed Parliament does not do all that popular
clamour shall demand, it will be treated with very little
ceremony. If, however, it be true that the tendency of this Bill
will be to throw power into the hands of the landed interest, we
shall have a great Tory party, which will be selfish, bigoted,
and ignorant, and a Radical party, while the Whig party, who will
have carried the measure, will sink into insignificance. Such
present themselves to my mind as possible alternatives, as far as
it is practicable to take anything like a view of probabilities
in the chaos and confusion that mighty alterations like these
produce.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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