The Express.
London, England, 1868-03-27 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.LTituase.te, MARCH 26.
IN the Hones of Loins yesterday the Com-
pulsory Church-rates Abolition Bill was brought
up from the Commons, and read a first time. The
second reading was fixed for Thursday next.
The Non-traders Bankruptcy (Ireland) Bill and
the Fairs (Ireland) Bill passed through committee.
Earl STANHOPE moved for the appointment of a
select committee to inquire into the operation of
any law as to the assumption of ecclesiastical titles
in Great Britain and Ireland, and whether any,
and what alteration should be made therein. He
reminded the house that in 1850 the Pope thought
proper to alter the4yeeens by which be had up to
that time regetisted his spiritual authority in this
kingdom bYfrbosiferring territorial titles on the dig-
nitaries of the Roman catholic church in England.
This created much excitement throughout the
country, and the Ecclesiastical Titles Act, which
imposed heavy penalties on the illegal assumption
of ecclesiastical titles,was passed. But no atteflipt
had ever been made to enforce the penalties, And
nothing could be worse than the systematic viola-
tion of the law on the one hand, and the systematic
"coeniyeatcp at that violation on the other. He oh-
' jaded tbdtiatt onth at ground, and also became it had
a painful effect on the people of Ireland.
lA,rd REDENDALE said the act was a protest, not
so mach spinet the assumption of ecclesiastical
titles, as against the power of conferring them by
a foreign,prelate. Tue change in the government
of the Romin catholic church in England, by
giving territorial titles to her bishops, was made
for the purpose of aggression, and the government
bad acted rightly in meeting that aggression. It
was scarcely worth while to take steps to enforce
the penalties, but the act itself was most . valuable
as a protest.
Lord LYVEDEN looked upon the appointment of
a cominiftee as premature, as there was a bill be-
, fere the House of Commons for the repeal of the
"act,,,.
The Duke of Sommer did not think much ad-
vantage would be derived from the appointment of
a committee. He was still ,of the opinion-he ex-.
pressed when the act was Pasted,' thet.t4 eft 41
the Pope in conferring ecclesiastical" titles,yp*'
Roman catholic prelates in this country was an
outrage upon the Queen and the liberties of the
countrz._
The Mastitis of CLANRICARDE said the act was
a grievance to the Roman catholic prelates, and
must be repealed, but he doubted the expediency
of appointing a committee when the matter was
pending before the other house of parliament.
Earl Garr said the bill before the House of
Commons repealed the act ; but it was necessary to
go a step further, and to declare the effect which
the act had produced.
The LORD CHANCELLOR thought a case had been
made out for the appoinonent of a committee.
Those who regarded the act as a protest must now
admit that it was a protest made in a most incon-
venient form, and accompanied by consequences
which had proved eminently undesirable.
The Earl of MALMENBURY said the government,
as a government, had no objection to the appoint-
ment of a committee ; but on the contrary regarded
it as rather useful than otherwise. He regretted
the absence from the house that evening of Earl
Russell, who took so considerable a part in the
passing of the act.
The motion was then agreed to, and the house
adjourned at 25 minutes to 7 o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—Tuunaoxv, Maim( 26.
Ix the House of COMMONS, on the motion for
going into committee of supply,
Mr. More/err called attention to the state of the
bankruptcy law, and quoted statistics for the pur-
pose of showing that it bad been getting from bad
to worse with every retient 'alteration, and is now
in that state that it gives the greatest facility to
fraud on the part of a debtor, and leads to the con-
fiscation of the property of the creditor.
The house then went into committee of supply
ou the army estimates, and passed a number of
votes.
On the vote of 346,8017. for the volunteers a
somewhat lengthened discussion took place, in volunteer,
course of which Colonel Ilarttelot, General Lind-
say, Alderman Lusk, Mr. Acland, and Lord Elcho
impressed on the government the necessity of in-
ceasing the grant, on account of the difficulty at
present experienced in raising funds to defray the
requisite expenses, and the probability there is
that, if the expenses continue to fall, as at present,
on the officers, the force will disappear.
Sir J. PAKINUTON said the intention of the
volunteer movement was that the volunteers should
be a self-supporting corps. If they had proposed
an increase of the vote, they would have had a
number cf members objecting to it.
On the order of the day for going into committee
on the Election Petitions and Corrupt Practices at
Elections Bill.
Mr. A. MITCHELL moved a resolution affirming
that while the house earnestly desires to provide
the best tribunal for the trial of controverted elec-
tions, and to ensure the detection and punishment
of bribery and corruption, it is not prepared to
assent to any measure which aims at the destruc-
tion of its ancient privilege to hold in its own
hands the power of determining who are its
members. If this bill passed, the House of
Commons would be under the power of a judge
appointed by the crown. He suggested that
,1 instead of the propoeed tribunal the tribunal
should consist of one member from each side of
the house, with a legal assessor, and that they
should report to the house, and if the report was
not questioned within a certain time, it should be
acted upon.
Mr. WHITIIREtO said the plan of the hon.
member was itself open to objection, and would
bring back the great evil which Grenville's Act was
intended to remedy, the discussion in the house of
the merits of election petitions. The three great
objects to be ensured were an immediate trial, a
trial on the spot, and a trial before a person well
versed in the law, and these objects would be
• attained by the bill. At present the house, as a
house, had no power over the trial of election peti-
tions; it did not, as ahouse, appoint the committee,
nor could it question the decision of the committee.
Sir C. Howne opposed the *intendment, anti
suggested that instead of the tribunal proposed a
special commission should be appointed.
Mr. H. BERKELEY considered the bill was
merely an attempt to get rid of the necessity of re-
setting to secret voting.
Sir S. NORTHCOYL said the objections of the
mover of the resolution really came to this, that
it was only the House of Commons that was inte-
rested *the purity of elections.
Mr. W. Kamm thought the bill would be a very
tyrannical one if it did not define clearly what
bribery was.
Mr. J. S. MILL said if the question were
between the bill -and the amendment he should
have no hesitation in deciding for the bill ; nut
that he thought it came up to what it oughtto.be.
It contained only one expedient, but that was a
strong one. If they wished to put down bribery
• they must resort to many expedients. There was
some reason in the objection against turning the
jurisdiction of the house over to a judge appointed
by the crown ; but one way of getting over this
would be to make the act temporary. He sug-
gested that there should be an inquiry into every
election before a tribunal of barristers, with an
appeal to a committee of the house.
Mr. Serjeant GABILKE thought the best tribu-
nal would be the common jaw judges, and sug-
gested that two judges should be chosen by
• ballot for the trial of each petition.
• Mr.. Bouvaais adduced • variety of reasons
• !,1* the bill, and warned the house against
* the hands of one parson the power of
• • saying niulthee a bumper of the. ban's, who might
be the leader of the house or the leakr of the
opposition was-guilty-of bribery, and ,r•erffiended
1.7 tidier- peathdiarta of the amendment.
• • Mr.iiivares joined in the recommendation, hut
• 1021eited to ths bell, because he conceived that
Minify designed for the purpose of
encoureginglileilt and Oorruptioff:
Mr. WsLeoLa answered some of the objections to
the measure.