The Express.
London, England, 1853-08-13 00:00:00

CATION BILL.

On the orde;;lii;Jia;7o;7lWiAirdrZtrng,
Mr. S. WORTLEY said that he had no opposition to
offer to this bill. On the whole he highly approved of it.
Mr. HEATING urged objections to some of the clauses.
Be
.particularly objected to the dame empowering the

r Home Secretary to great discretionary tickets of leave. He
did not object to attempts at the reformation of criminals ;
but reformation was not the only object of a sentence.
(Hear, bear.)
Lord PALMERSTON said the matter had received
the most deliberate consideration, and the clauses were
deliberately urged. The system the hon. gentleman ob-
jected to wu only novel as regards this country ; it was a
system which had been tried with the best results in Aus-
tralis.

Mr. WALPOLE thought that the responsibility, in such
a matter as this, rested with the minister; and he would,
therefore, content himself with having suggested, without
now preuing, the alterations in queetion.
Mr. SPOONER trusted that the noble lord would bear
in miad the suggestion which his right hon. friend (Mr.
Walpole) had made upon the subject, viz., to have the con-
victs in some place specially set apart, where, under the
very eye of the government, efficient measures for their
reformation could be taken.

Mr. J. 0. PHILLIMORE entirely concurred in the
observations of the boo. member (Mr. Spooner).
Mr. BARROW proposed in the 12th clause to leave out
the wind " four," and insert the word " two." By this
alteration, from two to ten years of penal servitude might be
inflicted, instead of the limits being four and ten years.
Mr. T. CHAMBERS, adverting to the subject which had
been discussed in the earlier part of this debate, thought
that the objections against the ticket of leave clause of the
bill were reducible to two heads ; hut, that they
introduced • new system, and secondly, that the
system so introduced was a vicious one.
Mr. NEWDEGATE did not view the abolition of trans-
portation with pleasure. Some very intelligent Americans
with whom he had conversed on this subject had expressed
their regret that, from its situation as a continent, Arne-
tint could not rid itself of its criminal population as Eng-
land had done. This measure would deprive England en-
tirely of its natural advantages in this respect, and thus
we were voluntarily depriving ourselves of that which
another nation would most gladly possess.

Mr. EWART thought the reformation of criminals we,
to be effected rather by dispersing than congregating them.
If this bill were carried it would entail the necessity of a
surveillance being exercised similar to that of the Paris
police. lie should hope that when these criminals had been
reformed as far as they could be in this country, the
colonies would no longer have that extreme repugnance to
receive them that they had now.

Mr. HUME observed that we had arrived at that state
that the colonies would no longer receive the convicts, and
government must do the best they could with them.
He thought the house ought not to throw difficulties in
their way.

Sir J:PAKINOTON expressed his regret that the sug-
gestions he made the other night with reference to extend-
ing the period of tiansportation had not been adopted.
The bill was they read a third time and paned.

CORRUPT PRACTICES AT ELECTIONS BILL.
Mr. WALPOLE, in moving the second reading of this
bill, said he did so with the purpose rather of engaging the
attention of the house than with any expectation of passing
the bill at this period of the session. The object of the bill
was best explained by the title of it. It was to consolidate
and amend the law for the prevention of corrupt practices
at elections; to consolidate the law and therefore to sim-
plify it; to amend the law and therefore to improve it, by
preventing, as far as might be, all those corrupt and dis-
honourable practices which at all interfered with the free
exercise of the franchise. He defined bribery under
three heads, first, any person who agreed to give
any sum of money, office, place, or employment, or
any person who lent or agreed to lend any sum of money to
any person to induce him to vote or refrain from voting ; the
second head was payment of money,whether as head money
or in compliance with any practice or usage; and the third
head related to persons receiving the bribe under the same
circumstances as in the two former heads related to persons
who gave or offered the bribe. Corrupt treating he defined
under two heads—tbe first was, any person providing meat,
drink, or provisions for the purpose of corruptly influencing
the person to whom it was given to vote ; the second head
was receiving this meat, drink, or provision. With regard
to intimidation and undue influence, the bill provided that
any person who shall by any kind of intimidation, threat,
abduction, violence, fraud, concealment, 'or other device,
impede, prevent, or otherwise interfere with the free
exercise of the franchise of any voter who shall
thereby be induced to give his vote, or refrain
from giving his vote, shall be deemed guilty of having
exercised intimidation and undue influence within the
meaning of the act. And he proposed to inflict the penalty
of 601. upon the conviction of any of these offences, to be
recovered by any person who sued for the penalty. He pro-
posed to repeat the penalties of 5001. and 1,0001., as expe-
rience showed no one sued for them, and he substituted a
penalty of 601., and he hoped that when a committee re-
ported that the offences had been committed, the
house would act on its sessional orders, and direct a proses
cution. One way of deterring from these offences was by
depriving the parties of the advantage they hoped to gain
from them. He proposed, with regard to the electors, that
they should be deprived of the franchise; and with regard
to the candidate, that he should be incapacitated from
sitting in parliament; that on a conviction in • court of
law the candidate should be disqualified from sitting in
parliament for seven years; that the conviction should be
transmitted by the judge to the Speaker, who should cause
the name of the person so convicted to be entered in a book,
to be called the disqualification book, to be kept by the
officers of the house ; and that if an objection on this
ground were taken against a voter the revising barrister
should write spinet his name the cameo of disqualification.
It would thus become known in the place where the offence
was committed, and public opinion would be brought to
bear on the parties so offending. Such was a brief outline
of the bill which he proposed should now be read a second
time, and which he thought would have the effect of pre-
venting the offences epaulet which it was directed. He
should re-introduce the measure next session, believing that
it would prove of great public advantage.
Mr. HUME said the bill was one, that would require
very careful consideration. He hoped that it would be re-
ferred to a select committee.

Mr. WALPOLE suggested that there might be eases
where the agents were not voters. In that case it might be
necessary to resort to imprisonment.

Mr. HUME concurred in the propriety of this. Candi-
dates guilty of bribery be would disqualify from sitting for
two parliaments. He believed this would be a radical cure.
The offence wu one against parliament and the nation, and
the prosecutions ought therefore to be conducted at the
public expense. The county courts would be the most
cheap and speedy tribunals. He believed that this bill
would lay the foundation of an inquiry which must lead to
an important change.

Col. SIBTHOIiP said he had witnessed many bills
brought in pretending to secure the purity of elections, but
none founded on sound principles. It had been insinuated
that he only sat in that house by purchasing his seat.
(Laughter.) He denied this, and asserted that neither he
nor any of his family bad ever received any favour from a
government. It could not therefore be said that he was
not en independent member. (Laughter.) Looking at
the provisions of this bill, and the declarations it
contained, he world ask how it would affect the
treasury bench. For his own part he had
been guilty of bribery ; but now it seemed an order
for • new coat or a new pair of boots,:given to &voter, might
subject him to punishment. (Laughter.) The effect of
the bill would be to produce an enure alienation between
man and man. It might do very well for a candidate
coming down from the clouds, who never saw the city of
Lincoln. (Great laughter.) He might be placed in a very
different situation from such a man as that, owing to the
claims that were made upon him—for he considered them
claims. He hoped his right hon. friend would consider
thus matters. He was surprised that he should propose
the second reading of such a bill, thereby pledging the'
house toits principles at the very close of the session. This
was not fair towards members generally, or their oonsth
taints. He should most unquestionably oppose the second 1
reading. He supposed that the offer of a glass of wine to a
friend, or a cup of coffee, would now be considered treating,
by this pun House of Commons ; or perhaps bribery.
Mr. BRADY—So it is.
Col. BIBTHORP—Then all I have to say is, I shall do
it. (Great laughter.) The gallant colonel proceeded to
contend that the bill was of an inquisitorial @hustler • but
he would apply to it the classical maxim, Es nails nail/a,
—(laughter)—or rather he would say, it was like suing •
beggar and catching a louse. (Great laughter.) Some hon.
members who were great sticklers for the purity of that
house, did not consider it at all impure to get • good place
for a relation. He was astonished that his right hon. friend
should have proposed such • bill; in many pare it was
unintelligible, in others unadviasble. He was certain it
would be condemned by the constituencies generally.
The bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be
committed on that day fortnight.