The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-02-13 00:00:00

THE REPRESENTATION OF STROUD.

Mr C. Lewis, pursuant to notice, moved that no new writ
be issued for Stroud in the room of Mr. Brand, recently un-
seated on petition. This course, he contended, was neces-
sary, both as a punishment for the electoral corruption
of Stroud, and as an act of mercy, to give it an oppor-
tunity of recovering from the ill•feeling and jealousies
engendered by so many contests. In support of the
first contention, he related the turbulent electoral his-
tory of Stroud during the last eighteen months, the
successive contests, and the consequent petitions and in-
quiries, which showed that the borough had gone from bad
to worse until it was now thoroughly corrupt. As precedents
for the suspension of the writ, he quoted the,cases of Stafford
in 1835 and of Wakefield in 1858. A respite from election
turmoil was earnestly desired at Stroud, where, according to
a letter which Mr. Lewis read, society is strictly divided
into blue and yellow; old friends will hold no communica-
tion with each other, and £60,000 had been spent in a year in
contests and election petitions.

Mr. It. Yorke, who last year had opposed the suspension
of the writ, now seconded this motion. He thought Mr.
Lewis had been too hard on the electoral character of Stroud,
but he agreed that it would be an act of mercy to give the
community time to recover its good sense.
Sir William Harcourt opposed the motion as unprecedented,
contending that no writ had ever yet been suspended except
with a view to ulterior proceedings—either the issue of a
Commission or a proposal for disfranchisement. He examined
Dlr. Lewis's precedents, showing that they had no relevance,
and relied himself chiefly on the Ipswich case, reading
copious extracts from the contemporary debates. The re-
solution amounted virtually to indefinite disfranchisement,
but one House of Parliament had not the power to disfran-
chise a borough, and he pointed out that the Judges had
twice acquitted the constituency of anything like extensive
corruption.
The Solicitor-General agreed with Sir W. Harcourt that
merely to suspend a writ for the punishment of a borough
and without any ulterior intention was contrary to precedent
and contrary to law. A Commission could not issue without
a report that corrupt practices had extensively prevailed.
No such report had been made in the case of Stroud; on the
contrary, the Judge had reported in exculpation of the con-
stituency.
Lord It. Montagu supported the resolution, as did Sir W.
Lawson in a lively and highly amusing speech, but Mr. Whit-
bread opposed the resolution.
Mr. Disraeli pointed out that to pass the resolution would
be to supersede the Elections Petitions Act. The "musty
precedents" denounced by Sir W. Lawson with so much "gay
wisdom" always embalmed principles, and the House could
not depart from them without soon repenting of its rash-
ness. The motion attributed to the House of Commons an
infallibility which was unconstitutional, and he cautioned
Mr. Lewis that if he succeeded he would create himself the
guardian of Stroud, bound to keep the House au courant by
daily bulletins of its moral progress, and to inform it
hen the constituency was sufficiently recovered to be wa-
led to the franchise. If the House once departed from
e Election Petitions Acts not a contested election could
Lppen without the most unconstitutional propositions
drig made, which would lead to the serious degradation of
ie House.
Mr. Lewis replied, and after some observations from Mr.
Childers the motion was negatived by 225 to 44.
THE. SANITARY CONDITION OF THE METROPOLIS.

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Sir William Fraser moved a resolution declaring "that in
the opinion of this House the condition of the Metropolis as
regards lighting, paving, and cleansing calls for legislation."
In support of it, he dwelt on the infinite varieties of paving
to be met with in the Metropolis, and on the wretched sup-
ply of gas in the street-lamps, and drew an animated picture
of the anomalies of our Local Government. The vestries,
he admitted, did their best, but bad was the best, and
having examined the various schemes of reform suggested,
without pronouncing decidedly for any, he spoke strongly in
favour of bringing public opinion to bear on the proceedings
of all the governing bodies.
Sir J. Hogg defended the Vestries, and related numerous
Instances of the energy displayed by them in cleansingend
lighting the Metropolis—a work which he thought, on the
whole, was well done.

Mr. Denison animadverted on the disgraceful condition of
the London streets on Sundays.
_ .

-
Mr. Cross deferred his remarks on the general subject
until the future opportunity which is to occur on Lord
Elcho's bill, but expressed a decided opinion that by the
more extended use of scientific appliances for cleansing and
paving the metropolis, much saving of expense might be in-
sured. • -
The motion was then withdrawn.
I:HE "HALF-PAST TWELVE O'CLOCK RULE."

To this there followed a long conversation on the "Half-
past twelve o'clock Rule." It was moved as u.,ual by Mr.
Ileygate, and provides that except money bills, no order of
the day or notice of motion to which notice of opposition has
been given shall be taken after 12•30 a.m. Mr. Dilwyn pro-
posed to amend the rule as it was modified last year by ex-
cepting from it all bills which have passed through Committee.
This was supported lay Sir F. Goldsmid, Sir T. Chambers, and
the Marquis of Hartington but Mr. J. Goldsmid, Mr. B.
Hope, Mr. Whalley, and others advocated Mr. Heygate's
motion undiluted. Mr. Disraeli, though he had supported
Mr. Dillwyn's addendum last year, had now changed his
mind, having had occasion to know that it created dissatis-
faction on both sides, and that the prevailing feeling of the
House was against it. On a division Mr. Dillwyn's amend-
ment was negatived by 91 to 49, and the original motion was
agreed to.

_ . _ . .

Bills were brought in by Mr. Whitwell, to establish Tri-
bunals of Commerce ; by Sir T. Chambers, to legalize
Marriage with a Deceased Wife's Sister; by Mr. Charley, to
amend the Laws relating to Infanticide and Offences against
the Person ; and by Mr. Whalley, for the acquisition of Open
Spaces in the Metropolis for Recreation Grounds, and the
House adjourned at ten o'clock.