The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-06-06 00:00:00

CIVIL SERVICE ESTIMATES.

The House went into Committee of Supply, when the
remainder of the Civil Service Estimates were agreed to,
with the exception of the Education, Art, and Science De-
partments, British Museum, and Queen's College Votes.

BEVENEE OFFICERS DISABILITIES BILL.
The Revenue Officers Diliabilities HiII was passed through
Committee, nut the first Chose was omitted, and the Pre-
amble amended on the motion of the Chancellor iit the Ex-
chequer, with the assent of Mr. Monk, its author. The
measure, thus amended, is now limited to a repeal of the
Statutes which impose penalties Oil Revenue Officers taking
part in Elections, and it is left to the Ext entire and the
beads of the Departments to make re,mlations, if it he
necessary.
THE JURIES BILL, ke,

Further progress was also made in Committee with the
Juries Bill, and several othor bills were forwarded a stage,
and the muse adjourned at one o'clock.

In the HOUSE OF Lonns, June 2, Lord Selkirk, on the
motion for the second reading of the Church Patronage
(Scotland' Hill, moved to postpone the second reading for
six months. He said that the measure would seriously interfere
with the rights of property. He referred to various old
statutes, and infested from the terms of those Acts that
Patronage was not regarded as a great grievance, and he de-
clared that it was owing to agitation only that the objection to
Patronage hail assumed its present If the
present bill became law the inevitable consequence would
be that it would produce an electioneering contest in every
vacant parish, lead to the display of bad passions, and he in-
jurious to true religion. 1
The Duke of Argyll observed that the atmosphere of the
late Parliantent was not favourable to Church Establish-
ments, but he thought the time a-as now come when every
man should declare his mind tet that point. There was 11...
thing liberal in the policy of Disestablishment awl he
believed that Established Churches were, on the whole,
more liberal than un-established churches. It was avowed
on all hands that this measure of the Government would
strengthen the Established church in Scotland, anti he
was in favour of it on that ground almm. He was also
of opinion that the Government was right in including
In the measure the principle of compensation I but he
believed that a yeat 's value of an iecumbency would be much
more than the patron would be able to obtain in the market,
and he desired to point out that no precedent as regard.
English Patronage could be founded on the present bill because
the cage of Patronage in Scotland was totally different tvom
the case of Patronage in England. According to the bill,
the selection of the winister if a congregation woul•I
he vested in the communicants and though he should hove
preferred to use the expression "congregation," which
was employed In the old Acts if Parlianient, he concurred in
Oat 'proposal, for he believed that to allow the privilege of
election to be exercised by persons not belonging to the
Church svottld he to Introduce an element of confusion, and
should any aniewiment be carried trait:goring the right of
election to the general body of ratepayers without any dis-
tinction of religious belief, he for One WOUlii not accept the
bill, for he would l•e no party to giving up the trust of
Patronage into hands less worthy than those which now
bold it
After remarks from Lord Airlie, Lord Lander.lale, Lord
Camperdow-n, Lord Dalhousie; Lord Seafield, and Lord Napier
Dant Ettrick,
The Duke of Richmond expressed his :iatlsfaction at finding
Hint very little practical difference of opinion was entertained
with regard to the bill, to favour of which the General
Assembly of the Scotch Church had declared itself. After
replying to tL 3 objections urged by Lord Selkilk, he expressed
concurrence in the statement of the Duke of Argyll that the
Introduction of all the ratepayers into the elective I oily was
to be deprecated, and declared that if any amendment
should be carried in committee making the election of
the minister dependent on the ratepayers, be would
not care to proceed further with the hill. He trusted, how-
ever, that the bill would peas into law hiring the present
Session, very much in the shape in which it was introduced.
Ile undertook to consider the suggestion thrown out by the
Duke of Argyll, to substitute the "congregation" for the
" communicants" as the elective liody. Having notieed
various objections which rod been urged against the bill, the
Duke of Richmond eeneintle.l hy lieclaring Ins belief that the
House by passing the measure w.atid he conferring a benefit
on all classes of the scotch people.
Lord Roselyn, who had just come from attending. aa High
Commissioner the General Assembly of the S. obit Church,
bore testimony to the feeling of that body in favour of the
bill.
- • •- • •-•

....... ,
The amendment was then negatived, Lind the bill was read I
a second time !
The other business being disposed of. their lordships ad-
iourned.

indeed. (A laugh.) Resides, during that period we have
hail only three weeks holyday, and therefore we must
all, especially the new members, lie very elad to have
is day at liberty, and I do not think the country will (Ind
any great built with our adjouriumnt to-morrow. Indeed,
I think if the light hon, gentleman had extended his
motion, and instead of log that this House adjourn
over Derby-day bad moved an adjournment to the tat of
February, 1575, the motion would be received with con-
siderable approbation throughout the country. (Laughter.)
Now, Mr. Speaker, I do not wish to appear as an enemy to
you. I should be happy that you should have your holy-
day if you wish to have it, and that those gentlemen at the
table who attend to the official business of the House, and
who are so very useful and kind to us in many ways.
should have • holiday too lint the 41flestion raised by the
motion is this. Is the day selected the most suitable for
the purpose ? I venture respectfully to say I do not con-
sider it is Not hing ago a large majority of this House
devilled that museums and picture galleries and libraries
should he shot On Sundays. I have- rio doubt that that
majmity were inhueneed by a regard for the, interests of
religion aml morality. for true religion eanuot be severed
frau truo mot ality. w hat have we decided besides that
We have not passel many A. is of Parliament during this ,
Ss6sion. hilt we have pissed one very good one—the biil of
in) hon. friend the member for Glasgow, which is designed
to put a stop to betting ; and having just passed that hut
we to-morrow propose to patronize the greatest gambling
place in the world. (Hear, hear.) Bat that is not my
strongest assumption against the motion. I say that this
being a national assemblage we ought not to indulge in
this exceptional and extraordinary day's adjournment,
except the ueellatoll be a not' al one and I do nid think
SIC still fairly say that this Derby-day is, or at any rate,
ought to be, a luitioliai otenllili MouSe pereoll3 colldeloil
this sport of horse raring some persons look with dis-
approbation on the Iferloy-day's proceeding, I give no
opinion myself on the matter. I shall not even say whether
I intend to attend the nice (laughter) ; but I will take it for
granted that it is improving, and I know it is considered
delightful to spend a hot summer's day on a dusty heath,
surrounded by fortune.tellers, gipsies, acrobats, blacklegs,
betting men, and pickpockets. (Renewed laughter.) Ido
. not say it is, but some people do and when I hear them I
! am reminded noire than ev Cr of the classical expression lif
Sir tel Lewis, that life would be very tolerable but
for its pleasures. Sir, there is a large and respectable
minority throughout the country who object to these sort
of things, so large and so respectable that I am justified in
saying, the occasion in question is not a national one. I will
give you the opinion of artier meeting expressed by a great
writer—one who was not a Puritan or a gloomy fanatic, but
whose writings are genial and good-humoured and jovial. I
:aide to Charles Dickens, whose great wish was to promote
the rational enjoyment of his fellow men. What did he
say ? --I vow,' mid he, "that I can see nothing on the.
betting-stand or outside the betting-ring lin, cruelty,
covetousness, Insensibility, and low • Mg.- (Hear. bear )
Now, if that were the opinion of such Oman, I ask is by
should we, as a national assembly, give our sanction to
the proceeding now proposed. The right hon. gentleman
made a short speech, but with his usual astuteness
he brought forward the best argument that could be
Aduced in support of his motion—namely, that there was
nothing on the paper for to-morrow, NVell, I will point
out a course by which he can get 0111 101 the difficulty, lo}
the Government put down Supply for to-morrow, and I
! promise the right hon. gentleman to bring to the House a
radical contingent to help him with the business of the
! country. (Laughter} I ask him to do that, and to take Ids
holphly on some day which will not be objectionable to a
great portion of tier Majesty's subjects. (hour, hear).

_ .
- The- House divided,- and the tiumhers were—fur the
motion. 243 ; against it, 60 ; majority, 171.

The motion ;tits therefore carried.

" ALARAMA " CLAIMS.

Mr. Anderson drew attention to the losses sustained by
British subjects not compensated under the Washington
Treaty, Be divided these into three classes—the de-
struction if British property in the Southern States by
the operations of war, the claims of British subjects ex-
cluded from the Washington Treaty by the mistake made
in fixing the date of the close of the war at April 0,
150.5. and the claims en account of property belonging
to British subjects destroyed by the A laba ma. It was.
however, to the third class that Mr. Anderson chiefly directed
his remarks, insisting that as the British Government bad
been adjudicated and had admitted itself to be in the wrong
in regard to the lobo ma and bad compensated American
citizens, it was al.. bound to compensate British subjects
who had also suffered from the escape of the A !Omar e.lie
moved a resolution to this effect, which was seconded by
Colonel 3lure.

Mr. Bourke, the Under• Secretary for Foreign Affairs, In
opposing it, showed that the first two classes did not come
within the Treaty, but pointed out that steps were being
taken in the United States to provide for the hearing of
claims outside the Treaty. on the part of the Foreign
office, lie promised that no opportunity should be lost ••f
pressing these claims on the attention of the American
Government. With regard to the third class of claims,
lie denied that Great Britain had ever bees adjudicated to
be in the wrong in regard to the .1 inhume. We had been
adjudged liable to pay as certain sum because se
lertook to be judged by the Three New Eules.
Our liability, however, was not to our own subjects but b.
the United States' Government. International law was Ind
applicable to tile claims made on a Government by its os
subjects, and it Mr. Anderson's argument had any force the
Government might be held liable to compensate its subjee,s
for the D•bberies of pirates, or even burglars. The Amor
cans had never agreed to the Declaration of Faris, and were
therefore not Mond to reltpeet neutral property on board
enemies' ships. Moreover, the claimants might have
av••ided loss by insurance, or by shipping their property in
British bottoms.

The resolution was negatived without a dixision.

THE MIL ITIA.
Mr. Clardy brought in a hill to amend the law relating to
the Militia.

The other busitiess was disposed of, and the House ad-
journed at a quarter to two o'clock.