The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-30 00:00:00

BRIBERY AT ELECTIONS.

Mr. H. VIVIAN then rose to move that any person
found by a royal commission to have been guilty of offer-
ing or giving a bribe to any elector, in order to induce him
to vote or to abstain from voting, or on account of his
having voted or abstained from voting for any candidate at
en electiuu of a knight of the shire or burgess to serve in
rusliarnent, shall thenceforth and for ever be disqualified
from exercising the electoral franchise or from sitting in
p:rlhunent. That any voter who shall be found by any
royal -commission to have received a bribe for voting or ab-
staining from voting for any candidate at any election of
a knight of the shire or burgess to serve in parliament,
shall thenceforth and for ever be disqualified from exer-
cising the electoral franchise or from sitting in parliament
Mr. BUXTON rose to move as an addition to the reso-
lution, " That in any ease where any voter is reported by
any election committee as having received a bribe for
voting, or abstaining from voting for any candi-
date at any election of a knight of the shire
or burpro. to serve in parliament, the Attorney-
General shall be required to examine the evidence in
such case, and to prosecute the person who has offered or
given the bribe, should the evidence, in his opinion, be suf-
ficient to render a conviction probable." The hon. gentle-
man said that he proposed this resolution in the belief
that if it were carried and acted upon nothing would do
so much to diminish bribery.
Mr. POWELL said lie believed that the true remedy
was deprivation of the franchise, and he trusted that the
question would be dealt with by the government with
courage, firmness, and promptitude. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. B. OSBORNIi said there was great insincerity
amongst public men and in parliament on this subject, and
the policy of the day was to keep the House of Commons
as a sort of parliamentary preserve for rich men. (Hear,
hear, and laughter.) Look at the career of a capitalist.
lie wauted a seat, and what did he do? He
went to the honourable member for Lewes, or
to the hon. member for the county of Dublin, the two res-
pected and much venerated whips, and said, " I want a
seat." " What money have you to spare ?" was the res-
ponse. (Laughter.) Those were facts. (Renewed laughter.)
The capitalist said he was prepared for a good outlay.
The borough was nameil, and the capitalist, who wished to
get his family into what was called good society, went
down to it, and probably debauched the whole borough.
("Hear, bear," and laughter.) Ho believed that if
bribery were not made infamous by Act of Parliament
they would never succeed in checking it. Let them ask
themselves were they not guilty of palpable insincerity
when they came to talk about bribery and then wish to
put it down. Look at the sums of money members
of parliament subscribed for " local purposes." He knew
one member who paid 2,600/. a-year for what be
called charities and dinners—(laughter)—and another
who regularly paid 800/. a year, and who said that
unless he did so he would not have a chance of being
returned. He (Mr. Osborne) trusted the house would no
longer refuse to go to the root of the evil—but that as a
step in the right direction, they would have the
merit of an election petition tried, not by a com-
mittee of members of the house, but by another tribunal.
Until they did that he was persuaded they would do
nothing which would prevent bribery at elections. He also
thought that they ought to make penal all canvassing
before and after the issuing of the writ. When they had
made it infamous in the rich man to give a bribe, they
might depend upon it the poor man would not take one.
But tint,' they did that they might be sure that a poor
man would not fail to renovate his pocket at the expense
of the rich. He had no great faith in the amendment of
his hon. friend the member for East Surrey, though he
had in his exertions to put down bribery. If he (Mr.
B. Osborne) met with any encouragement from
the house, he would undertake to have a bill
drawn which should make canvassing penal ; and the
power of adjudicating upon petitions should be by the bill
taken away once and for all from committees of that house.
Mr. PAULL expressed his disbelief in penal remedies,
as he looked rather to 'raising the standard of electoral
morality among the people.
The ATPORNEY-GENERAL, after demurring to Mr.
Osborue's sweeping censures on the House of Commons
and the British government, intimated that he saw no
serious objection to the principle of Mr. Vivian's
resolutions, but the difficulty was to arrive at the
proofs. The election commissions, as he pointed
out, were not constituted with those safeguards
for the accused which were necessary before they
could be endowed with penal functions. The thing
must be done by a bill, and if Mr. Vivian would present
one to the house he should be happy to give it his serious
eonsideraticn. With regard to Mr. Buxton's resolution,
he explained that the Attorney-General could not de-
cide upon a prosecution unless a special motion were made
or his attention were specially directed to the evidence.
Mr. SCOURFIELD supported the resolutions of Mr.
Vivian.

Mr. LUSK recommended the ballot as the only effectual
cure for electoral corruption.
Mr. SMOLLETT thought the proposal before the house
would prove absolutely futile. He did not think the
house was so pure,or its members on the whole so single-
minded, that it was entitled to pass resolutions of the kind
now before it. Not very long ago the honourable member
for Montrose (Mr. Baxter) told his constituents that there
were a great many liberals that detested the idea of re-
dueing the franchise ; but he added that if Lord Russell
would only call them together, and declare that if they would
not answer to the helm he would hand over office with all
its emoluments and patronage to his political opponent',
the liberal members would close up their ranks, go
in, and win triumphantly. (A laugh.) Now what did
that mean, if it did not mean that there were liberal
gentlemen, who for the sake of a share of the government
patronage were willing to vote against their convictions.
(Cheers.) Again he saw it stated some time ago in a paper
to which it was supposed that some members of that house
were contributors—the Owl—(laughter)—that • noble lord
who sat in the last parliament for a group of Scotch
boroughs was about to be deprived of a situation he held,
not because be was disloyal to :he ministry, for he believed
he was their obsequious servant, but because he had failed
to secure his re-election, the government not
being in a position to allow its offices to be held by
any but members of that house. Again, he asked, what
did that mean, if not that it was thought • situation of
1,000/. a Tear would induce some waverer to be staunch to
the ministry' (Cheers.) For myself, added the hon.
member, I h►ve never been offered any prise of that kind.
Perhaps, it is thought by the " whi.ts " that as every
lilootchman is a great purist, I am not accessible to such
things. But if a permanent office of 1,0001. • year were
offered me for my vote during a whole session, I think I
would consider the matter twice. (Loud laughter.) At