The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-03-26 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

In the House of Lents, March 21 Lord Beeledale called
the attelithin of the House to an err••r M the Parochial
Schools (Scotland) Bill, returned to this House from the Coin-
icons on the 9th of August last, as affording proof of the
jut objection entertained by this House to proceed with the
consideration of the Comm..' amendment at so late a
Period of the session. It was entirely due to the haste with
Which this bill was treated that the error had arisen. This
Case proved the importance of time being allowed to this
House fob the proper consideration of bills. as regarded the
piveaut session, he did not know what might happen, for
ttorernments were eomettmes anxious to pass too many bills.
The Duke of Argyll did not dispute the peculiar drain,-
tames under which the bill came hack, bat the case was not
a very strong one, inasninch as the hill was returned pre-
cisely in the tame state u it left this House.
The Duke of Marlhorongh moved for correspondence re-
lathe to altstations in the organisation and business of the
Admiralty, and to reductions In the establishments : copies
of Orders 10 utimiell respecting naval promotion am! retire-
Merit • the remwt of the civil ColllllllBSiOn appointed to In-
!Mire into the condition end organisation of the naval hos-
pitals and a report by the Earl id Gamperdown en the
arrangements it her Majesty's victualling yard, Ac.
After a few rernarks from Lord Pamperdowe, and the
Esti of II ardwicke, the motion was agreed to.
•rd Cluricarde, in cloying for returns of crime and
ontraeo In inland, complained that no papers on the sub.
ject had yet horn furnished by the Government, although it
ii:l/1 most desirre•le that the fullest information should he in ,
their lorelabit,s' possession before the Peace Preservation
(Ireland till crone up from the other Howe. At no time
Within his monody ha•l the state of Ireland been such as to
justify such grave apprehensions
Lord ')uffern] said that the Uovernment were hurrying on
the preparation of re! urns to be laid before their lordships :
but it was undesirable to publish communications lietiseen
the NM Government and the magistracy. lie line/Atoned
the assertion that in the North of Ireland there had sprung
up a disloyal and disc 'Molted spirit.
Lord Hard loge, In moving for papers, expressed a hope
that the rumour was untrue that the First 1• mindubiner of
M or! had abandoned all I lea of building a Now National
Gallery, and hail determini•d to patch up the present bulbl-
Mg Snell a c•mclusion he strongly deprecated.
Lord ileileedale again drew attention to the unsightly
vacant space neat the New Indiamilice. while no many
o orernrneut ethics were scattered over different parte of the
West-end

Lord tiranville said that the matter was under considera-
tion, and their lordsnips afterwards adpurned.
In the House of Comm ma, several private bills were read •
Second time.

Sir J. denkinson gave notice of his intention to ask the
Home Secretary if he would state lijoin what gronial• he has
within the last week reprieved three prisoners who were
comienlned to death.
. . _ .

Mr. Gladstone in reply to Mr. Fell) was understood to say
that the Government would consider fully the whole itues-
bon of local taxation, its Incidence and distribution.
Mr. Moore asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether
he was to understand the statement which he received In
reply to his Iluestion on Thursday, the 17th lust , In the
sense of the following word,; "That as soon,, tie disorders
now prevailing In Ireland are repressed he trusts that he will
be able to give a very- different answer to Mr. Moore, &Mt to
announce the liberation of the political prisoners.
Mr. Gladstone said that the Interpretation given by the
hon. gentleman was substantially correct: butt course the
Government would reserve to themselves the right of de-
it mining who were simply political, and who were criminal,
prisoners• .

Replying to an hon. member, Mr. Gladstone ssid that he
thought it was the wish of the Ikuse that, in accordance with
the former practice, the looger holiday shoat be taken at
Easter. and the shorter at Whitstutide. The House would
probe.), reassemble on Easter Monday art mght ; and the
date of the adjournment for the recess would be in the early
part of the week before Easter, probably on the Tuesday.
Replying to Sir John Pacirington, the Ptime Minister said
it was not probable that the Education Bill would to into
Committee kr six weeks.

no the sec not reading of the rea,e Preservation (Ireland)
HIP being moved,
Mr. G. It. Moore moved its rejection, characterising It as
unnecessary because the ordinary powers of the law had not
been tried, and inadequate because it would not effect its
purpcue It would give the Executive the means of
scratching" all classes, but would confer little or no
power In the Irish secretary's wordC "for the preservation
of life, and above all of property." It was further eee d
for the present Irish Executive to attempt to put down
ordinary murders and brigandage by means which ought to
be reserved for political disturhance. The bill was little
short of the establishment of " Personal Government," ad-
ministered by persons whom it was impossible for him to
have Contitiencl in ; and if it were carried the Irish omit'.
tuencies ought to recall their members.
After remarks from Mr. Callan, Mr. Newdegate, and Mr.
Saunderson,

Colonel Wilson Patten avowed that he did not dare to vote
against the bill in the present state of certain districts in Ire-
land, which he held the Irish Secretary had understated. He
likened it rather to the "Reign of Terror," and he explained
It to a great extent by the desperate off rts of the F,tilans to
keep their conspiracy alive by stimulating agrarian outrages.
lie' agreed aMb Mr. Moore that the present powers of the
law had not been sufficiently tried, anti, looking to the returns
of crime, he insisted that if additional powers were required
the Government ought to have asked for them long since.
The Solicitor. General for Ireland replied with re'erence to
the instances of weak and partial administration mentioned
by Colonel Patten, and explained again the principal pro-
visions of the hill. Appealing to the House to pass it at
once, he urged that Ireland hail now arrived at a crisis which
called for the union of all patriotic men. If this bill were
tried and failed the Government would come with all the
more confidence to ask for further powers.
After the criticism of several hon. members,
Pr. Ball said he cordially supported the bill, which, though
stringent, he expected would be efficacious for the repression
of crime. Ile approved the decision of the Government not to
ask for the suspension of the Habeas Corpus—which, though
an appropriate mode of dealing with a political crisis, was
not fitted for agrarian times—and he agreed also with them
that if the jury system were to be altered, it must be in a
general and permanent way, and not by a temporary measure.
The only objection he urged to the bill was that Instead of
being mixed up with and made complementary to the Land
13111, it should have been brought in previously slot in-
dependently.
Eventually, the debate was again adjourned, and after
Ome other business was disposed of, the House adjourned.

In the !louse of Lords, March 22, Lord Lansdowne in 'red
the second reading of the Coinage bill, and explained its pro-
visions.

Lord Innaird said that the hill wai founficd on the re-
port of two gentlemen who had no practical knowleoce of
the working of the .Mint. It contained Borne importimt
Innovations, and he recommended that the DAL be referred
to a Select Committee. .

Atter Some conrcreation the Home went into Committee,
When the e!allees were awyed to, with aii.eudmente.

The Consolidated Food teti Sit4,lll, Lill was read a second
time, and their lordships adjourned.
In the House of Commons, the list of questions, which of
late has ranged from fifteen to a score nud upwards, sank to
five. The most important was a request addressed by Sir G.
Jruktmon to the Home Secretary, to give his reasons fur
reprieving three convicts recoitly sentenced to death for
murder. Mr. Brace, in reply, warmly complained of the
Impropriety and unfairness oh seeking for these explanations
by means of a simple interromitory rather than hy a motion,
and, enc.. I.raged by the chects and the "Noes" from
the Miuiderixl benches, he declined to aeswer the
question. Sir George Jenkinson subsequently asked leave to
bring in a bill to amend the present system of revising anti
commuting capital sentences, anti took the opportunity
of justifying his query. Mr. hence did net oppose the intro-
duction of the bill, but added that no one could be more de-
lighted than the Home Secretary if Sir George succeeded
in legislating where so mai), had failed before him
Sir G. Jenkiesen asked the Prime Minister whether his
attention had Men called to a telegram in Tier,
stating that Mr. Bright hail promised to restore Gibraltar to
Spain. The hon, baronet at the same time expressed his dis-
belief in tt e statement
Mr. Glaiatone replied that it was an entire fabrication.
Mr. Bliley postponed until after Easter his motion for a
Committee on the Commercial Treaty with France. The
other business having been postponed the adjourned debate
on tne Peace Preservation (Ireland Bill was opened hp,
. . . . .

Mr. Donning,.... contended that the Government had
made out no case for repressive legislation, since the
criminal statistics—which he quoted copiously—showed that
crimes, particnierly those which betoken • low moral tone in
the population, are far more numerous in England than Ire-
land. The agrarian elfences, which were the motive assigned
for this bill, he attributed to the oppressive abuse of power
by the Irish landlords. Especially Mr. Downing con-
demned as violations of the Constitution by the bill the
Press Clauses and the inquisitorial powers for obtaining
evidence.

Alter a lengthened debate, during which the provisions of
the bill were freely criticised,
Mr. Cladstone, in replying to the criticisms on the bill,
admitted the stringency of the Press Clauses, but he argued
that the present law was utterly inefficient in practice, and
that it would be tireless torah for any change which would not
only enable the Government to punish the seditious writers
but to stop the seditious writings. Replying to Mr.
Downing's statistics, he distinguished between crimes
Involving moral guilt and those leading to social
danger, and pointed out that labourers and even women
were victims to these outrages in larger numbers than
the owners of property. As to the charge of unreason-
able delay in the introduction of the bill, he urged that no
nicer question could come before a cabinet than the exact
moment at which such a measure should be brought forward.
Repudiating any fixed determination not to bring in the
Coercion Bill before the Land Bill, he explained that the fact
of the Land Bill being ready at the commencement of the
Session had not been without weight in the balance of con-
siderations, lie pointed out, too, that there was linen .partial
improvement visible In the condition of Ireland and every
Government which had been forced to ask for these powers
had been in the habit of pondering long before acting. It
wait a mistake, as he showed from the statistics, to suppose
that agrarian crimes had sprung up suddenly. The graver
kinds, at least, had been gradually increasing all through the
time of the late Government. Commenting on Jr.l Ball's
speech, he admitted that though the Irish Executive was
strong in power it was weak in moral influence over the
population and the whole object of legislation should be to
Increase that moral influence by drawing off from the
'criminal classes those who did not commit offences, but
mpathlzed with them.
. . .

--6-,;--:-'ai;wto-wiiiTieCOnd reading wat carried by • majority
of 412-415 to 13.

Several other bills were forwarded a stage, and the !louse
adjourned.

In the House of Commons, March 03, Mr, C. it. Morgan,
In moving the second reading of the Burials Bill, remarked
that by the law of England the parish churchyard, although
the property of all the parishioners, was absolutely closed
against the ininistratioosof Nonconformist c'eritymen and any
other service than that of the Church of Englaid. The
law also compelled the clergyman to read the same burial
service over every baptised parishioner, with the exception
of persons who died by their own hand, and excommuni-
cated persons, without regard to the tenour of their
lives or the form of their religion. In towns or parishes
wherever there were public cemeteries the pressure of the
law was to a great extent removed, but the number of
perishes where the churchyard was the pole burying-ground
was as 10,000 to 800. The scenes which so frequently took
place at the burial of Dissenters tended only to widen the
gulf between the Church and Dissent, and to shake the
foundations of the Church. Having cited instances, of the
pressure of the existing law upon the Dissenting bodies, the
hon. gentleman mail that there were ninny instances in which
the law was violated by the clergyman. The law provided
that persons baptised by dissenters should be buried
with the usual service, but in many cases the clergy refused
to allow any service over the bodies of such persons. The
canon hew was so obscure, and the expense of litigation so
great, that the clergyman could define it virtually as he
pleased. Ills bill made provision for the prevention of those
unseemly scenes that had occurred li, parish churchyards,
and whilst It gave power to Inseenting ministers to perform
their own services over the bodies of members of their own
congregations, it scrupulously respected the vested rights of
incumbents, and provided certain forms sod notices which
would have to be complied with. The bill was framed upon
a broad and general principle, and be stretiuoualy objected
to its beingreferred to a select committee. It was measure
which was demanded not only in the interests of Dissenters
but in those of earnest and hardworking clergymen of the
Church of Eogland.
Mr. R. A. Cross moved that the bill be react a second time
thst day six months, which was seconded by Mr. Tipping ;
and after remarks from Mr. Candlish, Mr. Beresferd Hope,
Mr M'Arthur, and Mr. J. Collins,
Mr. Bruce expressed his intention of voting for the second
reading of the bilk The objections raised against the bill ,
were two, vin, that it gave to persons other than the relatives 1
the power to decline the use of the Church of England ser
and to I nssenters the power f yeti, 0,1 I .I:,` their owns services
over the bodies of the 11 . Lltal objection he
looked upon as utterly Inconsistent with the spirit of the
times. Ile looked upon the measure as a healing 'ne; and
he could not see WI, iii Oth, matters no in eilucAtion
they might not look forward to more harmony and
good feeling between the various rel4tious bodies. 11 Nen-
con formist services could be conducted in cemeteries and In
lash churchyards with decency and order, why should not it
he so In Littlish churchyards i There was nothing In the
bill which would deprive persons of the right of calling
upon clergymen to perform the service of the (thrill of
England. lie urged that the bill should be referred after its
second reading to a select committee, in order that Its rein-
tious all partial might be fully conaldereoL

Mr. Gathorne Hardy added a few words in reference
to the cases of individuals which had been cited by
the mover of the second reading, and said that he re.
garded the bill hostile not only to the interests of the
Church but to those of thew-Mere If Dissenters should
claim • right to the churchyards, after having left the
Church, should they come back, and, claiming some of
the rites, refuse to take the rest? Why should they not
also claim to use the churches tor their baptismal and
marriage services. The English parish churchyards had
been largely augmented by private benevolence, and new
additions would be needed to find room for the dead of all
sects. Ile was willing to assist them to obtain sites for new
laTaveyards, rather than that they should interfere with the
consciences of others by forcing their religions services into
Pisces devoted to other services. They had gone out from the
Church and had built chspels of their own because they dis-
liked her religious services; and he urged that they should
also provide themselves with gravalards with the assistance
of the Church of England, wilt re they could perform tholr
own services without truspmaing upon the convictions of
others.

-tir.—lfibliert urged that the bill should be referred to a
select committee, In which Mr Valters coecurrod.
Mr. Cawley pointed out, that to allow Nonconformist
services in churchyards would create. di.tinction between
churchyards and cemeteries, and he should therefore vote
against the bill.

Sit G. Grey recommended that the bill should be referred
to a select committee after the second reading.
Mr. Newdegate opposed the measure, ILI it WWI all Ikon,
tion that the Church of Eat:land had no denominational
rights.

!ill.. O. O. Morgan having replied,
Sr S. NortEcute inquired whether it was intended ro refer
the hilt to a seli ct 00117ntittee.
Mr. Morgan mitt that he should divide against referring the
bill to a select committee
The House divided,—For the second reading, 93; against,
12-2; majority,
The bill we, then read a second time.
On the motion that the tell he committed,
Mr. Cross explained that had the hon. gentleman con-
sented to refer the MU to a eelect committee, he should not
have preseed his amendment to a division
I im Uonie Secretary morel that the bill be referred to a
select committee, and in doing so said that he was satisfied
such science would facilitate the passage of the memoir°.
Mr. Mall opposed the amendment, which was supported
by Mr. S U. Walpole and Mr. Pease.
The House divided,—For the mistral motion, 135; for the
amendment, 226; majority, Si.
Some tither business waa then dispelled of, and the House
adjourned.