I should hope, that all those who
feel in their hearts the love of their country, and are conscious of
abilities to promote its happiness, would assemble on this great
occasion, and that the collective wisdom of this house would be
exerted, when the lives and fortunes, and, what is yet more worthy of
regard, the virtue of the people is involved in the question.
As there can be no avocations which can possibly withhold a wise man
from counsels of such moment to his country, to himself, and to his
posterity; as there is no interest equivalent to the general
happiness; I cannot suppose that either business or pleasure detain
those who have not attended at the examination of this bill; and
therefore imagine, that they are absent only because they have not
been sufficiently informed of the importance of the question that was
this day to be discussed.
It is therefore, my lords, necessary, in my opinion, that on the day
of the third reading they be again summoned to attend, that the law
which is allowed to be only an experiment, of which the event is
absolutely uncertain, may be examined with the utmost care; that all
its consequences may be known, so far as human wisdom is able to
discover, and that we may at least be exempt from the imputation of
being negligent of the welfare of our country, and of being desirous
of avoiding information or inquiry, lest they should retard our
measures or contradict our assertions.
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