The Elocutionary Reader; Or, Rhetorical Class Book

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: possession of the whole. Often you will find an useful portion where you least expect it. Only be sure that you know the characters of the true gem, and are able to distinguish it from counterfeits; and then you need not despair of discovering some fragment at least, which, fitly adjusted, or wisely deposited, may not only enrich your own mind, but also render you of service to others. Chevalier. ON LIMITED MONARCHY. Gentlemen, you are probably aware that of late great hostility has been shown towards the House of Lords; that notice has been given by an hon. member that he would, at an early period of next session, move for leave to bring in a bill to reform the House of Lords. By reforming the House of Lords, I understand nothing more than that they should be deprived of having a voice, and by it is meant the establishment of a popular assembly free from all control. It is my opinion that such an assembly, investing itself with absolute power of legislation, would soon attack the prerogatives of the crown, and destroy the constitution. I do not hesitate to say that such an usurpation on the part of one branch of the legislature would end in the most intolerable tyranny. Gentlemen, I am for the maintenance of the British constitution. Gentlemen, I hope that you will not pass such a libel on the Reform Bill, as to declare it inconsistent with the maintenance of the British constitution. I for one cannot do so, and I will strive to the utmost ofmy power to prevent the tyranny that would arise from that assembly which should he elected solely hy the public voice. The history of all countries, at least the history of every country in Europe that have tried the experiment, that have adopted the establishment of such an assembly, proved that it was not compatible with the liber...