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<DATE>2008-05-03</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B080410.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<DIV1 TYPE="Parliamentary case">
<PB REF="1"><!-- PDF PAGE 3 -->
<HEAD>THE CASE OF THE City of London.</HEAD>
<P><LIST>
<ITEM>1. THE City of <HI>London</HI> is a Body Politick by Pre&s;cription, and many Char|ters, Confirmed by <HI>Magna Charta,</HI> and many Acts of Parliament, where|by it hath many Powers and Privileges, which belong to the Freemen only of the Body, Exclu&s;ive to all others.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The chief and highe&s;t Privilege of the &s;aid City, or Body Corporate, and of all the Freemen thereof, is a Power to make Bye-Laws for their own better Government and Advantage; and whil&s;t the Freemen exceeded not the numbers that could meet and con&s;ult together, they were A&s;&s;embled, and made &s;uch Laws for them&s;elves as they thought fit.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. When the Freemen were too numerous to Con&s;ult in one A&s;&s;embly, after various ways practi&s;ed to have them&s;elves repre&s;ented in Councils about their good Govern|ment: It was at la&s;t agreed, (&s;ome Hundreds of Years &s;ince) That a competent num|ber of the Freemen &s;hould be Yearly Cho&s;en at the Wardmotes, to repre&s;ent in Coun|cil the whole Body of the Commonalty of the City, and to act and con&s;ent for them in making their Bye-Laws, and ordering all the greate&s;t concerns of the City; and tho&s;e Freemen &s;o Cho&s;en by all the re&s;pective Wards, have had, and &s;till have the name of the <HI>Common-Council of the City,</HI> who, together with the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, make up the Court of the greate&s;t Authority, under the name of the <HI>Mayor, Citizens, and Commonalty of the City of</HI> LONDON.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. There are many Inhabitants within the &s;everal Wards, who are not Freemen of the City, or Members of the &s;aid Body, who are neverthele&s;s Bound (as all Re&s;idents are) to come to the re&s;pective Wardmotes, wherein the &s;aid Members for the <HI>Com|mon-Council</HI> are yearly Cho&s;en; and all tho&s;e Inhabitants, though not Free of the City, if they pay Scot and bear Lot, have always had Voices in the Choice of the <HI>Con&s;tables, Que&s;t-men</HI> and <HI>Scavengers</HI> for their Ward, and may be Cho&s;en to tho&s;e Offices which concerns equally all the Inhabitants in the re&s;pective Wards, as they are Inhabitants of tho&s;e Precincts, though no Members of the Body Politick of the City.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>But the &s;aid Inhabitants that are not of the Body of the City, do now claim to have Voices in the Election of the Freemen, that are to repre&s;ent the whole Body Corporate of the City in <HI>Common-Council,</HI> becau&s;e they are Cho&s;en at the Ward-mote, to which &s;uch Inhabitants are &s;ummoned, though they do not pretend that they are capable to be Cho&s;en; and upon the like ground the &s;aid Inhabitants al&s;o claim to have Voices in the Election of the <HI>Aldermen</HI> of the &s;aid City, or Body Corporate.</P>
<P><LABEL><HI>Query</HI> 1.</LABEL> Whether by the Charters Incorporating the City, the Inhabitants within the Wards, not being Members or Free-men of the City, have any Right to give their Voices in the Election of the <HI>Aldermen</HI> or <HI>Common-Council-men</HI> of the &s;ame?</P>
<P><LABEL><HI>Query</HI> 2.</LABEL> Whether the Permi&s;&s;ion of &s;uch Inhabitants as are not Free of the City, and by Negligence, Connivance, or otherwi&s;e, to have given their Voices in &s;ome &s;uch Election at the Ward-motes, do give them any Right or ju&s;t Claim to the Privilege of Freemen in the Choice of the <HI>Aldermen</HI> and <HI>Common-Council-men</HI> of the Body Corporate of the City?</P>
</DIV1>
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