Grey enrolled himself in a political society, called the Friends of the
People. He also became a member of the Whig Club, then in the zenith of
its celebrity. His active advocacy of the cause of a reform in parliament
was equal within and without the house of commons. To quote one of his
Lordship's most recent speeches, "In 1786 he had voted for reform. He had
supported Mr. Pitt in his motion for shortening the duration of
parliaments. He had given his best assistance to the measure of reform
introduced by Mr. Flood, before the French revolution; and, on one or two
different occasions, he had originated motions on the subject."[3] One of
these was in 1793, when he presented a petition for reform and a shorter
duration of parliament, from the Society of the Friends of the People: his
motion for a committee was lost by 280 to 41. Another occasion to which
his Lordship alludes, was in 1797, when he proposed, in his plan of
parliamentary reform, to give to the county of York four new members; to
divide each county into two districts, each returning a member.
Copyholders and leaseholders were to have equal rights of voting with
freeholders, as were all householders paying taxes in cities and boroughs;
and parliaments were to be triennial. This motion was, however, negatived
by 149 votes.

[3] Speech on the second reading of the Reform Bill, in the House
of Lords, Oct. 4, 1831.

In 1795, Mr. Grey opposed with great firmness, Mr. Pitt's motion for the
adjustment of the Prince of Wales's debts, and moved for the reduction of
the Prince's income. He professed himself ready to support the real
splendour of the royal family "as any slippery sycophant of a court;" but
said he thought there was more true dignity in manifesting a heart alive
to the distresses of millions, than in all those trappings which encumber
royalty without adorning it. He asked whether the legislature should give