The National Register. — London, England, 1809-06-04 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. JUNE 4. Pon. Gentle; tueu Just:owed the case of the Borough of Stir ling, w here some of the higher orders in the Borough had enter ed a cornipt contract with the candidate ; and the matter be- IN brought before the Court of Session, they set aside the elec tion, though it was proved that the greater part of the electors were no party tb, nor did they know of the corrupt transaction. This judgment of the Court of Session was appealed against. and was continued by the House of Lords, 1713. It was the duty of the House now to do as their ancestors did, and, v. hen they found the Common Law not sufficient, to proceed by prohibitory statute. The question now was, whether the House were to put ;town this practice, which had been openly avowed by a prohi bitory statute ; and if they considered it seriously, it appeared to him there would be no difficulty in doing it. The Hon. Ntember had deelard it ni-cessary to annex an oath to it. His (the SPEA Kurt's) only quarrel with the oath was to its form ; he had no ()Wee *ion to V hat he thought a proper oath. Ile agreed with Sir W. Blackstone, thiLt the oath of the elected was more likely to be efficacious than that of the elector. But as he did out think it au esseiviiel point, he would not press it further. He thought other provisions might be substituted, that would Drove equally efficacious. For instance, it might he nec:.‘ssary to declare both the buyer and the seller guilty of a misdemeanor. On the whole, It was necessary to guard against the prejudices of the people, which might be done more easily than was imagined ; for those who were now used to excuse the practice, because it was of long standing, and the use and abuse of it had been so long over looked, would start from it IN ith abhorrence, when they found it prohibited by a statute. T - he Cn A NcELLoa of the EXCHEQUER had some altera tions, to make in the wished, for instance, to ren der punishable the !person who gave money to him who could emit rout a vote, as well as to him who might have a vote. The receiver, he thought, ought to be punished in the forfeit of the sem which be bad received, and in 5001. above it. Ile -would not make the offence of bribery triable as a misdememinr in the Co.urs of Law, because in his opinion that would he leaving open to their discussion the expulsion of a Meinbe - from that house. If this %sere the case, a man might often be tried under great disadvantages; he might be condemned on account of a Variety of circumstauces, such as the death of a witness, &c.-- On this account aloue, he thought the time of prosecution ought to be limited. With respect to the clause which went to render punkhable t he gi v big offices for Seats in Parliament, he th ought it would be tntjust and itopossilde to miry that into execution, because it would be impos-ible to say whether office was given with a view to influence a vote. 03ices must he tilled, or the public busine-s would not proceed. Ile would ask them, lvith such a clause as that impending fiver them, bow it was p..,ssiitle for any Nlember in that liouse to accept a place, whom a jury might not inciude under the menaced penalty ? Who could lie certain that that )dice was not given wit'h a view to Parlia mentary intltien,ce I In suith a case it would not be safe for any person who had a vote to receive an of4e, for the . jury would ,ee that he had a vote or inUneace, and got a place, and that was nil the evilence they could have before them on the subject.", '`J.2ll eVideuce might carry conviction even against the most Wino.. rent. It alight he said, that be wag giving this opinion with the hope :hat he might retard as much as possible of the intpt en, e of mice ; but as he wits consvion; of acting itoncsly. he eauld fear ao such imputation. There was anotherclause 111 t l 'r to w he w'n lied to allude, and that was the one which t „i . ,j11;:, or MOM!) io order to he elected, as puni,lia -I,:e. Now tie thought this would e• tend even to the sale of pro p?rty, an:l to the prfihitiiii.,o Of the legal evpcnces of an elee- I ; and holding such i,teas, he wished to propose amendments e 4 eluding such friM3 the penaPies attached !ty the Bill to a ion of its clan,c.. As to the oath proposed 1 i he 17tken by the .;:ealbers u,h taking their seats, he co.t.i it as wholly objec.i.niable, because the offence w .1:16 it went to g4ard was totally ia;lerinite. Ire oaered as a.% i!lo-tration of this opinion, the varlet::, judgments given as t., .t hat COW be considered as a yiniation or the Treatiug Act. 11 e ciatcluded by tu9ving clauses in conformity with his speech. After a conversation of home length between the Chancellor of the Lxchequer, Mr. Curwea, Mr. Abbot, Mr. C. VVynne, Mr. Tierney, and Mr. Dirr) . , the bill was reported, with the amend ments. 'Ordered oi be taken into further consideration on aud to be printed in the mean time. rritlav, June Q. Arr. AIE! , I IST3 moved the t4ird re4dinf ;of ,the Gas LighiF etrpiatiy BO!. ' Mr. DAvls Glum - opposed the Bifl, and moved au amend ment that it he read t third time this day three months. Ifouse divided—For the Amendineut .31; Against it 39; lilajority elgaiu6t the Bill 14. rUELIC EXPENDITURE. Mr. 11. VARTIN said he had formerly %.)frered some opser vations to the House respecting tine Finances of the Coon •.C.o "kiwi sitwe considered the sehject, and 9 1) discovery hart occurred on the 'mhos which attracted Iris attention to prevent him from thinking; it wos absolutely necessary to apply the con sideration of the House to all mat:ers of eyp . enditure connected with the public service. The House had (Attained information which did not place the public resource, in a tlattering state. — lie alluded to the produce of the Consolidated Funds. Up to the 3d of April, Iso9, the funds produced a stun not larger than 30,190,000/. Vie year previous to the last loan, the produce of those funds amounted to 31,970,W. making a deficiency of above ,onoopt. If this account was correct, and lie did not dooht its accuracy, the llouse would see that the war taxes were likely to be permanent. The situation of our arm and navy made it impossible to have a peace cst:thlishnwnt, like a former peace establishment, as all the resources of the couotry would he necessary for the diseherge 4/1 war taxes. 'Fite country % placed in a situation which increased the war taxes every day,. and this cireimutance furnished a most rtant argument to prove the necessity of a trionte attetitiell to the public expendi ture. lie hail sewral resolutions to submit to the !louse; but . t:ett he then proposed n ab 1110Ve his first resolution, That tilt' present slate of pith; ic affairs, toeing a great charge on the country in consequence of w ar, required the utmost economy..' Mr. lluseAssox said the Honourable Gentleman had stated, that a falliag ow of the foods Ito l occurred during the last )ear, but the Honourable Gentleman must have known that they voted 53,500,0001. making a surplus of 500,000 f. mere than the Consolidated Fend. If this sum should appear to have been raised to meet the public charges, in addition to the statement of the lion. Gentlemn, it could not be said the permanent taxes had exceeded those of the preceding yell . . The su n s of the Consolidated Food Owl betel less thtring the last year than the preceding year, bee; use the duties on sugar were applied to disenarge Exchequer Bills instead of the Consoli dated Fund. The lion, Gentleman contended generally, that the public resources were not reduced. :u - • the) had been represented.. ir, 'Nett N 1:v was of opinion that th m , e staannent ade by the Hon. Metaber deserved the attent !In of the House, hut contend ed that the Malt Duties would not make up the deficiency al luded to. The falling off of the permanent taxes must be owing. • in some measure, he was convinced, to aurears yet due. The fair way would he, to form a correct jmiginent of the financial state • of the country, to calculate what w oold be our peace establish ment, suppose a peace were to ta:;e, place. The expettees of the peace establishment, at the 'wet moderate calculation, he • estimated at 48,74.1,00:)!. w hien, witii the interest upon 19 tail- lions of Exchequer Hills ontstan . dioe and ueprovided for, would make nearly 50 millions of :Imolai expenditure. To meet this expenditare, theme was only lis.:)00,(2,01/.. permanent taxes, so that 11 millions would still remain to he provided for out of the - wet- taxes. The war taxes amonnted to 19 millions, including • the lucerne tax, amouniing to I I It ttould be then,- • fore necessary, no a genet: esetWishoiteit, not oat) to continue the oilier tzar tax:•s, hunt continue Ole income tax, of which it • I% as so desiiatil..! to cct rid, t,, the anetuni, at least, of five per cent. as he other Nag taxes, in the es cut a peace, would not be so reductive as at pre-eie.. Tit k lie coie•ilered as a•perions view of our financial stat:•, and was of epioion ,visit the Hoe. and Lettroed hover, t hat it ca!ld foo d !, 141,r the itoo:4 rigid ecooomy. Mr. Ross: observed, that the e.ttention gi ten to this subject by the original Mover tic the ;:esoni ions no iv before themA air. Martin) was highly convileinl,ible, but, at the same Little, this close attention to econom o a , . 10 meal's new. A great deal had been already done, p irticHarlv in \tr. Pitt's Ad,ministra (ion, who, in 11'95, had aboli!theil tia has than 196 ()dices. An increase of the salaries of the eise ha x big become necessary a t the same time, 100. officers in that department were abolished, V nod thus not only the necessary increase effected, hut a .conside rabic SarLet produced to the Public. Other offices were sup thie year )799, and the n hole Salt Establishment abo ishe:l, which made aunt her considt•ra hl c saving to the Public.— Alto?, , ether, burring 11r. Piit's edministr,!ion, there were abo lished niti Offices, producing a :tvintr .if at least V 3,000/. in fa vour of the Public. Wheel Mr. Pitt came into office, it was the practice for the Minister to give the Ilan to his 'Articular • f: !suck, •geeterally to Members of Parliament, at not less C• 1711 ..• i 1