The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-01-01 00:00:00

On Friday, February sth, the second Session of the
ninth Parliament of Queen Victoria was opened by
Royal Commission, the address to the Crown, in
answer to the Royal message, being moved in the
Upper House by the Earl of Donoughmore, and
seconded by Lord Rayleigh; and in the Lower by
the Hon. Edward Stanhope, M.P. for Mid-Lincoln-
shire, and Mr. Whitelaw, M.P. for Glasgow, respec-
tively. Measures for carrying out various social and
legal reforms were very speedily placed before the
Legislature. The session was not four days old before
the Lord Chancellor laid hbrore the Peers a bdl for
completing the Judicature Ac-, of 1873, which, how-
ever, he withdrew on the Bth March in favour of a
modified scheme. The two measures which excited
the strongest opposition were the Regimental Ex-
changes Bill and the Irish Peace Preservation Bill.
The former was resisted by the Liberal party on
the . ground that it substantially restored the
System of purchase in the army, which had been
abolished in 1871 by the Liberal Government.
A. series of divisions took place, but the Secre-
tary of State for War was victorious, and on the
18th- March the Bill was read a third time and
passed in the Commons. The Peace Preservation Bill
was stoutly fought by the Irish members, but here
also the Ministry, with an adequate force at its back,
was victorious, and on the 23rd March the second read-
ing was carried by 264 to 69. On the Bth April • the
Merchant Shipping Bill was read a second time, and
on the 15th the Chancellor of the Exchequer intro-
duced the Budget, providing for the abolition of a small
tax on admission to civil offices, and for the applica-
tion of 2185,000 to the reduction of the National Debt.
On the 23rd Dr. Benealy, who had been returned for
Stoke,upon-Trent two months previously, brought for-
ward a motion for re-opening the Tichborne case. This
Wan rejected by 433 to six, the only member voting in
the minority being Major O'Gorman. On the 30th
- the Home Secretary's Artizana' Dwellings' Bill was
read a third time and passed in the Commons, and on
the 11th May the Lords gave it a second reading. The
Friendly Societies' Bill of the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer did not give rise to much discussion; but his
plan for the reduction of the National Debt was ad-
versely criticised by Mr. Gladstone on the 7th June,
being, however, approved by the Commons by 189 to
122. Two days afterwards the Compulsory Education
Bill of Mr. George Dixon was rejected by 255 to 164.
On the 15th June the Government Bill for the creation
of a new Bishopric at St. Albans was read a second
time in the Lords, and on the same evening Dr.
Renealy's Triennial Parliaments' Bill, was rejected in
the Commons. Sir Wilfrid Lawson's Permissive Pro-
hibitory Liquor Bill was, on the following day, thrown
out in the Lower House by a majority of 373 to 86.
The measure for the repeal of the Contagious Diseases
Acts was rejected on the 23rd by 308 to 126. Exactly
a month later a remarkable scene was witnessed in
the House of Commons. Several important Govern-
ment measures yet remaining to be disposed of, Mr.
Disraeli announced that the Agricultural Holdings'
Bill would be proceeded with, and the Merchant
Shipping Bill dropie.d. Hereupon Mr. irr soil, in a
state of great excitement, earnestly appealed to the
Prime Minister not to abandon the Bill, and in his
excitement used expressions which, upon reflection,
he afterwards fully and freely withdrew. A temporary
measure for dealing to some extent with the evils com-
plained of by the representative of Derby was passed on
the understanding that the whole question is to be taken
Up by the Ministry next session. The Parliamentary
Par was well signalised by the passing of the Labour
Law Amendment Bills, in which both sides of the House
united to place these statutes upon a firm and satis-
factgry basis. The closest party division of the
Session took place on the 21st April, when Mr.
Osborne Morgan's Burials' Bill was rejected -by. a
majority of fourteen only, the numbers voting having
been 248 to 234.

The year has witnessed several changes in the per-
soline2 of the Administration. When Dr. Ball was
elevated to the dignity of Lord Chancellor of Ireland,
Mr. Ormsby, Q.C. became Attorney-General for that
division of the kingdom, and the Hon. David Plunket,
(0., Solicitor-General. In October last Mr. Ormsby
became a judge in the Landed Estates' Court, and he
wae. succeeded by Mr. May, Q.C. The .Attorney-
Gleneial for England, Sir Richard Baggallay, has been
made a Judge in the Chancery Court of Appeal, eir
John Hocker taking his place as first law officer of
the Crown, and Sir Hardinge Giffard becoming Soli-
eitor-General. In May the Earl of Pembroke resigned
the Under-Secretaryship of State for War, and was
'replaced by Earl Cadogan. The Right Hon. Stephen
Cave has retired from the post of Judge-Advocate-
General, and that position is now filled by Mr. Caven-
diah Bentinck, whose successor as Parliamentary
'secretary to the thard of Trade was found in the
lion. Edward Stanhope. More recently Mr. Clare
tHewell Read has resolved to withdraw from the Mi-
tdatry, in which he badfilled the office of Parliamentary
Secretary to the Local Government Board. In this
office he was succeeded by Mr. Thomas Salt, the Con-
tervative member for Stafford. Earl Percy has
resigned the Treasurership of the Royal Houshold,
and has found a successor in Lord Henry Thyne, ALP.,
or South Wilst.
The alterations in the Legislature, although numer-
. OUR, have not materially affected the balance of politi-
cal power. Elections have taken place in East Kent,
Dublin University, Stoke-upon-Trent, Chatham, Tip-
terary, St. Ives, Norwich,Bridport, Meath, Kirkcaldy,
Bedfordshire, Breconshire Kilkenny, West Suffolk,
.-Xjartlepool, Blackburn, Armagh city, South-West
• -Lancashire, Mid-Surrey, Horsham, East Aberdeen-
shire, and Whitthaven. In each of three of
these constituencies two elections have taken place
--Dublin University returning Mr. Gibson, Q C.,
itr place of Dr. Ball, and then re-electing the Hon.-
David Plunket on his appointment as Solicitor-
:o6l'3ra' ; West Suffolk being called upon to elect two
members in consequence of the deaths of Lord
c Augustus Hervey and Colonel Maitland Wilson; and
two contests having taken place in Tipperary. These
created much interest at the time. The vacancy in
V. the representation of the county was occasioned by the
retirement of Col. the Hon. Charles White' and for the
issoNest Mr. John Mitchel, the well-known Irish politician.
- was returned. Th e election was annulled by the House of
Commons, but Mr. Mitchel was again returned at the
head of the poll. Further embarrassment was how-
ever, saved by Mr. Mitchel's death, the seat was,
taken by. Mr. Stephen Moore, who had been second
0 be poll et the contest just referred to. On the same