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 GRATTAN. 223 with some of the plainest principles, as it seems, of human nature in their favour. I will suppose the determination not to accept it to have been right, still it was meritorious in administration to offer it: and, to shew that I was not under any undue influence of office, I appeal to the memory of many men present, whether, when the disposition of the House was made to alter upon that subject, and when administration yielded, not unwillingly, to the violence of parliament; I appeal to the conscious and public know ledge of many, whether I did veer and turn about with the secretary; o r , whether I did not make a manly stand i n favour o f that principle; after having pledged myself t o the public, I would rather break with a million o f ad ministrations than retract “I not only adhered t o i t , but b y a singular instance o f exertion, I forced i t a second time under the considera tion of this House. That this benefit was lost t o this country, i f i t b e a benefit, was not my fault. One thing I must g o back to; I had repeatedly pressed the bill for limiting the duration o f parliament. I n Lord Towns– hend's time, I brought i t i n finally, and crowned i t with success: thus I restored t o the universal community o f Ireland, a right o f which they had been robbed for near a century, namely, their first and fundamental franchise a s electors, without which this House i s but a shadow. And thus, after having restored that root o f a l l their other rights i n Lord Townshend's administration, after having restored economy, and reduced twelve commissioners t o seven, i n Lord Harcourt's, I went o n t o the other great measure which I have mentioned, the militia law; and when a right honourable gentleman (Mr. Ogle) moved that ques tion, I engaged a l l the interest I could with government i n behalf o f it; I rose up t o second his motion, and de clared I would support him and his militia bill t o the last; accordingly, I gave him the assistance o f my poor labours, and i t was carried: thus, therefore, Sir, I say, that i n that administration, i n which I accepted office, instead o f relinquishing my principles, I preserved them. Instead