The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-08 00:00:00

DEBATE.

On the oaks of the day for ramming the adjourned debate
on the waken "that the ininitea of evidence taken before
this Ilialltbers Risottos Cesuaittse be laid before the house "
Ur. 0017111111 N swoo—He mid be had on a former De-
mist pointed oat the inoismateme of suspending writs
in all cams of bribery, mod though that question did not
wise directly an a modes he printing evidence, he would
state two reasons why he thought the house ought to be
cautious in interfering in the present case. If be understood
aright the purpose of the Grenville Act, and the several
sets that had passed since to amend that act, it was that the
house should not exercise its discretion in matters of contro-
verted elections, but should in all eases be guided by the de-
cision of the committee to whom the election petition was
referred. In the last act for amending the Grenville Act,
that which was now the law, it was enacted that the select
00111111litt•I appointed for the purpose should try the merits of
the election petition, sad determine whether the sitting
member, or any and what other person, had been duly re-
turned and elected, or whether the elution was void, and
whether a new writ oughtto issue or not, and that their de-
termination should be final to the parties, and that the house
should act upon it. Now, it was clear from the wording of
that clause that it was intended the committee should form
their judgment on the circumstances, and decide whether or
not there were sufficient grounds for the suspension of the
writ. (Hear, hear.) Previous to the Grenville
Act, writs were frequently suspended by the house,
and if they now decided that partial bribery was sufficient
to justify the asepension of a writ, the evil effects which
the Grenville Ad was intended to meet—that was, the
giving to the dominant party in the hours the power of
saying whothifeesrlain members should be excluded or not
—would be revived. This was • dangerous principle to
intention, and the deeper was far exceeding that which
etwahlorhe from any must bribery that might occur in any
bassegirl for it woocalculated to infringe on the consta-
Minn mid the freedom of election. (Hear, hear) If the
Deem should ague to print the evidence in the Blackburn
meth* hoes* would probably further and suspend the
writ. Therefore he thought this was the fitting opportu-
nity of putting it to the house whether they were prepared
to suspend • writ in a ease where there was no report from
the committee that such a system of extensive bribery had
prevailed at the last election to justify it.
Lord J. RUSSELL said he wanted to explain to the
house what appeared to him the course that the house ought
to take. lie thought it was incumbent on the house to con-
sider that course with the greatest deliberation and caution,
and the right hoe. gentleman who' had just sat down was
fully justified in the advice he had given the house, to be
careful how they proceeded. At the same time a great
error must be committed on one side or the other.
The question now was, what course was to be
pursued with regard to reports of election committees
which stated that an election was carried by means of
bribery, and the member unseated. With regard to some
of them there could be no doubt, for they not only unseated
the member, but also reported that corruption prevailed
extensively, and then the house could have no difficulty in
addressing the crown. (Hear, hear.) But there were
other cases in which the number of persons reported to
have boon bribed were very few, and it was a matter for
oossideration whether in such cues the house should hike
farther proceedings. It was important not to lose
sight of the fact, that a well-founded belief pre-
veiled, that bribery and corruption, to a very
great extent, existed at the last general election.
He put it to the house that they must consider whether they
were satisfied with inquiry by means of commissions in cases
where no other course could be taken, or whether they
would make the remedy at all commensurate with the evil.
I He would be loth to take any course which seemed to
transfer from election committees to the house the judo•
meat in these matters. (Hear, hear.) Any resolution
which implied that the house was not satisfied with the de-
cision of election cemmittees, and wished to act as • court
of appeal from them, would b., a great evil. (Hear, hear.)
But it was one thing to say that an election committee
had net performed their duty, but another to say
, that it had performed its duty, and yet that it would