Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/42

28 In 1779 meetings were held in various counties to petition, in the first place, for a reduction of expenditure and taxation, and the abolition of sinecure places, exorbitant emoluments of necessary offices, and pensions unmerited by public services, all of which had been, and were still, increasing to an alarming extent. To this claim for the redress of immediate grievances was added a demand for Parliamentary reform, but this at the outset held a quite secondary place in the thoughts of the promoters and the prayers of their petitions. The greatest of these meetings was held at York, on the 30th of December, 1779; and the example was followed in a very short time by the counties of Middlesex, Chester, Hants, Hertford, Sussex, Huntingdon, Surrey, Cumberland, Bedford, Essex, Gloucester, Somerset, Wilts, Dorset, Devon, Norfolk, Berks, Bucks, Nottingham, Kent, Northumberland, Suffolk, Hereford, Cambridge, and Derby. In February, 1780, the city of Westminster held its meeting for the same purpose, and formed the committee already referred to. Amongst the members then elected were the Duke of Portland, Lord Temple, Fox, Burke, Sheridan, Wilkes, Sawbridge, five Cavendishes, Barré, Beckford, Churchill, and James and Thomas Grenville. Here we find representatives of nearly all shades of Liberal opinion, and the number and representative character were further increased by subsequent additions, amongst others being the Dukes of Richmond and Devonshire, the Earl of Shelburne and Sir Cecil Wray. On the 20th of February, 1783, that is, three years after the formation of the committee, on a change of secretary a complete list of members was entered on the minutes, and it is important to know that it then contained sixteen peers and fifty-one members of the House of Commons, for this fact gives great significance to the resolutions passed and the policy advocated. At the first meeting of the committee, Fox was chosen permanent chairman, and a resolution was passed inviting the various Committees of Correspondence throughout the country to co-operate. This invitation was responded to by the associations of Yorkshire, Huntingdonshire, Gloucestershire,