Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/139

 i Sao.] Close of the War to the Death of George III. 125 the people could ensure attention, much less obtain redress. That the fear was exaggerated and much of the repressive action unnecessary, was admitted even by the partisans of ministers themselves. Parliament met on the 2/th of January, 1818, and immediately both Houses were invited again to elect secret committees to consider the proceedings which had taken place in the country. These inquiries were intended to justify the application by the Government for an Act of Indemnity to cover the acts of themselves and their agents during the past year. The report of the Committee of the Lords, presented on the 23rd of February, contained one passage which was alone sufficient to vindicate the patience and law-abiding character of the people and the unnecessary nature of the methods which had been pursued. "The committee," it said, "have the satisfaction of delivering it as their decided opinion, that not only in the country in general, but in those districts where the designs of the dis- affected were most actively and unremittingly pursued, the great body of the people have remained untainted, even during the periods of the greatest internal difficulty and distress." There was no reason, therefore, even on the showing of ministers, why the law suspending the operation of the Habeas Corpus Act should not be repealed, and this was done. In the House of Commons repeated petitions were presented from persons who had suffered imprisonment during the suspension, and on the i/th of February Lord Folkestone moved that a Committee be appointed to inquire into the truth of the allegations, but was defeated by 167 votes to 58. There were also resolutions submitted for inquiry into the conduct of spies and informers, but these were also rejected by large majorities. On the 9th of March the Attorney-General introduced an Indemnity Bill, intended to meet all such attacks. In his speech he made it clear that, by their repressive policy, ministers aimed not only at the suppression of violence, but at the prevention or limitation of the quietest agitation for