In 1732 he made a spirited and patriotic effort in Parliament to restore a constitutional militia; and to abolish arbitrary impressment for the sea-service; and, on this subject, he published a pamphlet entitled “The Sailor’s Advocate,” for which Mr. Sharpe obliged him with a sarcastic preface.

In the debate on the bill for encouraging the trade of the British sugar colonies, Oglethorpe took an active part, and manifested those liberal and patriotic views, and that regard for the colonial settlements in North America, which, afterwards, became with him a decided principle.

“In all cases,” said he, “that come before this House, where there seems a clashing of interests, we ought to have no exclusive regard to the particular interest of any one country or set of people, but to the good of the whole.  Our colonies are a part of our dominions.  The people in them are our own people; and we ought to show an equal respect to all.  If it should appear that our Plantations upon the continent of America are against that which is desired by the sugar colonies, we are to presume that the granting thereof will be a prejudice to the trade or particular interests of our continental settlements.  And, surely, the danger of hurting so considerable a part of our dominions,—­a part which reaches from the 34th to the 46th degree of north latitude,—­will, at least, incline us to be extremely cautious in what we are going about.  If, therefore, it shall appear that the relieving our sugar colonies will do more harm to the other parts of our dominions, than it can do good to them, we must refuse it, and think of some other method of putting them upon an equal footing with their rivals in any part of trade.

“Our sugar colonies are of great consequence to us; but our other colonies in that part of the world ought also to be considered.  From them we have, likewise, yearly, large quantities of goods.  We ought not to raise one colony upon the destruction of another.  Much less ought we to grant a favor to any particular set of people which may prove to be against the public good of the nation in general.”

To these, and other matters of general moment, Oglethorpe devoted his time, his talents, and his influence while in Parliament.  He earnestly supported the cause of silk manufacture, which had then begun to spread in England by means of the improvement introduced by Sir Thomas Lombe, in the invention of his large engines, which are described as being of “a most curious and intricate structure,"[1] but which in our own day, when mechanical ingenuity has reached a high degree of excellence, and machinery seems itself almost an intelligent principle, would, probably, be regarded as merely “curious and intricate,” without possessing any practical value.[2]