William 1759-1806 Pitt

The Coalition Ministry.

On May 7 Pitt brought forward resolutions for checking bribery at elections, disfranchising cor rupt constituencies, and increasing the number of county and London members of parliament. The resolutions were refused by 293 to 149. On June 2 he brought forward another bill which passed the Commons but failed in the Lords, for reforming abuses in public offices : he instanced North's mysterious consumption of stationery, which totalled £1,300 and contained an item of 1340 for whipcord.

During September and October Pitt visited France—his only venture outside his own country. In November parliament re assembled and Fox immediately introduced his India bill. Passed in the Commons the measure was defeated in the Lords (Dec. 17) because George III. plainly informed the peers at large through Lord Temple that he should regard anyone who voted for the bill as his enemy. The Government very properly refused to resign. Whereupon the king, on Dec. 19, depending upon a barely literal interpretation of his constitutional rights, but re flecting by accident the wishes of his people, dismissed his min isters and appointed Pitt as first lord of the treasury and chan cellor of the exchequer. The coalition had been jockeyed out of office, and it is not surprising that the House received the news of Pitt's appointment with mirth. It is mistakenly generous,

however, to suppose that Pitt assumed office from pure altruism and without a certain confidence in the future. The strident Opposition no longer represented its constituency and Pitt knew it, and while they were wasting their breath deriding the "boyish prank," Pitt was converting the electorate—voters who were to be more valuable to him than the voters in the House of Com mons. Almost as important, the influence of the City and of the East India Company was on his side. Until the end of March he struggled on, continually defeated in the House, but steadily refusing to resign. Outside his popularity was growing, while the action of the Opposition in threatening to oppose even the votes of supply cast on them the obvious accusation of factiousness. The hostile majority diminished daily until on March 8 Fox's "representation" was carried by only one vote. On March 24 parliament was dissolved. The essential business had been forced through. At the ensuing election some i6o of "Fox's Martyrs" were rejected. This was the answer to the charge of unconstitu tional action : throughout the struggle Pitt had in fact repre sented the nation. Pitt was himself elected for Cambridge uni versity, which he represented for the rest of his life.