The Express.
London, England, 1858-02-20 00:00:00

CONSPIRACY TO MURDER BILL.

Lord PALMERSTON—In moving the second reading of
this bill, I wish to maks a very few obeervations in addition
to those which I 'dinned to the hones on moving for leave
to introduce the bill. In the first plain, I would say that
great pains have bean taken to spread the notion that this
is an alien bill. (Hear, hear.) That fraprasion is totally
unfounded, sad is totally different from the nature of the
measure. It is not an alien bill. The bill gives to the go-
vernment no arbitrary power whatever, and contains no
enactments applicable to aliens which are not applicable; to
all her Majesty's subjects. (Hear, hear.) I can-
not deny that which I stated on • former oc-
casion, that her Majesty's government wars led to
look into the condition of the law relating to con-
spiracy by the calamitous event which recently took place
in France. Upon looking into the state of our law we found
that in England the crime of conspiracy for the oommindon
of murder wee, as I stated In • former debate, a crime prac-
tically almost unknown to this country, and therefore no
special law had been framed to meet that offence. Ths crime
of isoospiracy to murder wee only punished to the same
wormer as the offence of conspiring to do any other act which
was • wring. As I stated on a former occasion, conspiracy
to commit • trivial offence, such, for instance, as hissing
• bad actor, was placed in the same category as the
gram Amos to which I have alluded. We thought
on looking into the law that that was not a proper state
of things. (Hear.) A crime hod been committed. There could be
no doubt that a • to murder bad been hatched in
this country. We t the English law flied too alight
a punishment to so grave a source of crime. On the other
hand, when we looked to the state of the law in Ireland,
we found • law which had originated in unhappy times,
when animosities ma high, when violescas were committed,
and when todketioately the crime was one of no very unfre-
quoit esennewess, to which attached the heaviest possible
tof death. We thought, look-
Crlhogs"wspiemest=state of Ireland, that it IMO not
desirable Bosh • law should continue, and we considered it
desirabb to mitigate the penalty in Ireland, whi/st, on the
other bead, we raised the penalty in England. For istpurr
phew mend the bill now under the consideration of the
Mem -Tie bill, I my, is of general application. It
1 doom netpied eneheively against aliens. It only places1 slim on Oh beim on which they ought to stand—namely,
on is am haft es all her Majesty s subjects within the
Nish (flese Ma man goes into a foreign wintry he is
bead to salmi to Ms laws of that country. He cannot en-
peel to enjoy phew which are not accorded to the natives,
cost" met nabmi be is laws which, in the linden al the
Iseshismsr impend an the native inhabitants of the
=4 Mime iiacids( in this hill which gives to the
geweennunt any arbitrary pine whatever, either
to irill to her Majtety's subject' or to aliens residua
wfthh the helm It gives no power of =phi& There
is noels, In the bi which interferes in the tightest degree
with thrtlaw of hospitality by whisk we have Invalidity
bees gelid with respect to foreigners main sit whim is
this ermatry. Any foreigner, whatever his nation may ha
1 —whatever may be his political creed—whatever may be
his political offenoee against the government of his
country—may under this bill as without this bill
find • safe and secure asylum within this realm
so long as he =forms to the law, and submits to the
law of the land which he has &omen for his residence.
(Hear, hear.) Neither dose this law give to the government
any arbitrary power whatever. The polity which it im-
poses met bs • penalty awarded by • court of justice—
wanton by a court of judos upon proof of the came com-
mitted, sad Mindoro, with respect to the judgment of the
offence, or the award of punishment, the mstrathe govern-
ment will bare nothing whatever to do. I causive, there-
fore, that it is • grievous misrepresentation to give this mm-
sun the nick-creme of an alien bill. (Hear, beer.) It Is, as
I have beim mid, no alien bill. It is an impartment of the
law at the kind, with regard to an offence which up h •
maim lime might have been known to the law of Ire-
had, bat which I am sorry to may has been
senuaitted In this kingdom, and committed, I am sorry to
my, not simply by forvigners resident in this country,
bosses* there is too much reason to fear that the investigs-
Ikea which have been carried on atrewhire here tended to
slow that British subjects have not been altogether exempt
from miniality in this matter. (Hear, hear.) That fa one
=on which I thought It desirable to make • few amora-
-Idl now advert to another point. Objeotion has
beta taken to the course pursued; by her Majesty's govern-
met, Nat the ground that we ought to have written end
sent ewe very greet, Isisoloquent, and indignant answer
to the despedii of Osai Milewski to Count de Perim,
which was headed to her Majesty's government and laid on
the tile of the house. (Cheers.) Now, sir, what
pissed la regard to the despatch was this . it was
y by the French atabassadardors2 melds
pp
the Foreign-elle% de is the
Praha andronselor that which he, met I, eiekie mem-
ber. of her Majesty's government have over sad err again
explained to all the foreign represenhim who have ap-
proached the subject at all, • ohms in sae law with
regard to the amyl= granted is ses they mert not en-
havemet,became it was valerly hime Tisitser, Moo They
often been OM, and it wee as OM wooden
verbally, that vs never have ear ham
foreigners for aiming against kedpi &am=
co i
had been times" to gad Ms esmay
arising from ties Mina Si ilnikplors a
la this somay—dist it wadi be a new law—an maot-
mist Misily mil milt* asw--fted h midi Thee
as in wad smismosemast in lading ankh hedge
gomemaele, Imam
the if mar bad eahma la which Amiga
gov=lenziral aspahisa if foragners on empl-
the der Is =ham anowerel"that, having LI
ash roma ter enspaion, they maid not put the
law Into oometiom sad thee naturally maid have raised war
disagreeable Illeeneiene between Mislead end tere,.
vernments. (Hoar.) That was eimisimil te the
ambassador by my noble Mead. ham plum maz
we ought to have with& an raw le that AIM (Chasm
It would have been mass le sigma GM in e*
had over and ow wia hem se hay engibed. g, a,
oh.") The (*remnant *id bare annemend be the
government whet limy iindel le de, best I de net think
that moil lam been • way pew mime. We told Ms
F=l dot the mem' Ma @beady been under
our sof flat we skull hie Os mom which
we deems! meet senehesnt with our ewe bantam tad our
titre MINIM If ear pseq_bni !puma of liniiii Whist
um for sit isdlbig it le Memnon gamiemaani, beano they
might Jamey mg tie woe wades M mfdasry amen, to
dm& in WNW naensuissed a ememmitation whisk lad
bees hawk bid Ulm us. (" Her kw " end
11 Bat I kid that vie we penteilregsbea„‘ on
that I say time is no paned `r is Ise
a dispatch, which maid bare haa maim-
whoa peat agitation perraid~ lit Primere—ereid only
hare aggravated the king whisk we Assisi to see imolai
kadf—ar would have hi UN appreeke of emagiejoir ban,
• tmeignnonsneent whet We Milinden Is salink ii'Dosi.
rimeL Nis net sight to admit em messes le fees
ramose* in order to see abase they wan be
via vim we en msg. In matte of internal regulation
we me ant bound to give any amount to bags govern-
ments. I therefore, that the opinion which the house