I see that your example is held out to shame us. I know that we
are supposed a dull, sluggish race, rendered passive by finding our
situation tolerable, and prevented by a mediocrity of freedom from
ever attaining to its full perfection. Your leaders in France began by
affecting to admire, almost to adore, the British constitution; but as
they advanced, they came to look upon it with a sovereign contempt.
The friends of your National Assembly amongst us have full as mean
an opinion of what was formerly thought the glory of their country.
The Revolution Society has discovered that the English nation is not
free. They are convinced that the inequality in our representation
is a "defect in our constitution so gross and palpable as to make it
excellent chiefly in form and theory".* That a representation in the
legislature of a kingdom is not only the basis of all constitutional
liberty in it, but of "all legitimate government; that without it a
government is nothing but an usurpation";- that "when the
representation is partial, the kingdom possesses liberty only
partially; and if extremely partial, it gives only a semblance; and if
not only extremely partial, but corruptly chosen, it becomes a
nuisance". Dr. Price considers this inadequacy of representation as
our fundamental grievance; and though, as to the corruption of this
semblance of representation, he hopes it is not yet arrived to its
full perfection of depravity, he fears that "nothing will be done
towards gaining for us this essential blessing, until some great abuse
of power again provokes our resentment, or some great calamity again
alarms our fears, or perhaps till the acquisition of a pure and
equal representation by other countries, whilst we are mocked with the
shadow, kindles our shame.
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