The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-25 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 24.
CORRUPT PRACTICES AT ELECTIONS BILL.
(Continued from our Third Edition.)

Colonel SIBTHORP then moved the following
clause :—" hat it shall be lawful to pay to every out-
voter residing within the prescribed distance of each city
or borough, or having any other right according to Act
of Parliament of Toting for such city or borough, such
allowance in money, not exceeding 55., as may appear,
under existing circumstances, reasonable for travelling
or other incidental and necessary expenses as may have
been incurred, or to which he or they may have been
liable in carrying into effect the exercise of his or their
elective franchise on the day of polling at such election?'
The amendment was negatived without a division.
Mr. ANSTEY moved the insertion, at page 1, clause
1, line 9, after the word " that," of the words following,
" any judicial proceedings have been had in some court
of record of, competent jurisdiction by which it hath
been ascertained or made to appear, or that."
Sir A. COCKBURN opposed the amendment.
After a few words from Lord J. RUSSELL, the
motion was negatived without a division.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said, he could not NO why this
Act should not extend to counties. He should move
certain words which would have the effect of remedying
that defect. He considered that quite as much corrup-
tion was to be found in counties as in boroughs. Take,
for instance, the 501. tenants at will county voters. It
was well known they were thoroughly dependent on
their landlords, and as bribery was considered to be the
giving of some "valuable consideration "to influence a
vote, what could be more complete bribery than to pro-
mise a tenant at will the " valuable consideration 'of
continuing him in the possession of his farm if he gave
his vote according to the dictation of his landlord? Then,
with respect to treating, it was notorious that as much
treating took place at election time in counties as in
boroughs. He begged, therefore, to move the insertion
of worth which would have the effect of bringing coun-
ties within the operation of the Act.
Colonel SLBTHORP hardly know how the Hon.
Member could reconcile his present proposition with
the vote he had recently given on his (Colonel Sib-
thorp's) motion. As far as his own actions were con-
cerned, he declared he had never controlled a tenant's
vote; and, believing tenants were an honest class of men,
he would not sanction any motion which tended to cast
a reflection on them.
Captain HARRIS was ready to support any well-con-
sidered measure for putting down bribery. He could
not discover any valid reason, if inquiry were to take
place, why counties should not be included. He believed
there was as much bribery in counties as in boroughs,
not from landlords intimidating their tenants, but from
such associations as the freehold land societies, the ob-
ject of which was to bring the holder, as far as his vote
was concerned, into subjection to the committee of man-
agement. This and other matters ought to be looked
into. He believed that one side of the House was quite
as much to be charged with bribery as the other.
Mr. P. HOWARD would put down bribery by every
means.
Mr. S. CRAWFORD said, if protection to 201, and
501, tenants was necessary in England, it was doubly
necessary in Ireland.
He should support the amend-
ment.
Mr. ANSTEY considered that the freehold land so-
cieties had done much good in the way of extending the
franchise, and it would be for the promoters of those
societies to say whether it was true, as asserted, that
the members held their holdings under_ the base tenure
of placing their vote at the service of the society. lie
the
w was Hon. and
f air to Gallantg o tto
Member's remark.
hoped there was soneHeeerr in
thought
it
a division without first hearing the opinion of her Ma-
jesty's Ministers on the important question involved in
the amendment.
the Hon. and Learned Mem-
Captain HARRIS said,
Captain
had charged him with statingthat that which was incor-
rect. What be said was, money was advanced to
persons holding laud from freehold land societies, that
while the money was in course of payment tho vote of
the party was to be at the service of the society. That
what he had been informed,
wazs,ir. numE was connected with a freehold land so-
ciety, and it was a calumny to say the society in ques-
tion interfered with the votes of individuals in any way.
The whole object of the suciety was to extend the fran-
chise.—(Hear.) The Hon. and Gallant Member, be
hoped,
would at some future day name the society which
did as ho stated, because until that was done the calumny
applied to all land societies. He should be glad to hear
what Government had to say against extending the Bill
to counties.
Mr. BRIGHT would speak particularly with respect
to the freehold land society in Birmingham and other
societies in Manchester, and would assert that nothing of
the sort as stated by the Hon. and Gallant Member oc-
curred in those societies. He believed the lion, and Gal-
lant Member knew nothing of the subject except what
he collected from the newspapers devoted to his own party,
There was a land society, to be sure, promoted by a Con-.
servative party with which the Hon. Member for North
Warwickshire was connected, from whose doings the
Hon. and Gallant Member might have possibly obtained
his impressions.—(Hear.) He denied that bribery existed
in large borough constituencies, such as Manchester,
Liverpool, Sec., or that any petitions had been presented
in consequence of alleged corrupt practices. So, if the
plea for exempting counties on account of the large con-
stituencies was good, why then the Bill was improper
and unfair as far as large borough constituencies were
concerned. If one rule was to be applied to boroughs
and another to counties, it was tantamount to saying
that one rule of virtue was required for counties, and
another for boroughs.
Lord J. RUSSELL would explain why in this Bill
counties were not inserted in the first instance. There
were numerous cases of bribery brought against bo-
roughs, but none with respect to counties; so therefore
it was thought fit to apply the Bill to cases which had
been inquired into, but not to extend it beyond them.
There was this further reason why no distinction was
made in the Bill between large and small con-
stituenoies—because it would be difficult in the Bill
to draw a line, and to decide what towns should
and what should not be :included. The rea-
son why counties were not included was simply
that which he had stated. He saw no objec-
tion—if complaints of bribery in counties arose—in
bringing them into this Bill; but ho certainly objected
to insert such words at that moment, as the Hon.
Member had not given notice of them, nor had he pro-
posed their insertion in Committee. There were three
notices of amendments, but not a word about this one.
He considered the amendment was so important that it
ought not to be adopted without notice. Let thell°l3.
Gentleman give duo notice, and then the question
might be fairly discussed whether counties ought to
be included.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER would
remark, in reference to the amendment
fornt of the lion.
Member for Finsbury, that, in any B
into the conduct of constituencies, to limit thaant inquiry
to a particular class of constituencies would be odious.
His sincere belief, however,tw
inquiry as that there was no ne-
cessity for extending
_9 counties, as the county
constituencies were pure.
did not believe briber (ilear, and laughter.) He
practised in counties—and
he was satisfied if his opinion were not founded on good
faith, they would have had complaints brought before
them, He
wouldfurther may, he believed corruption in
boroughs hsd been much exaggerated— (Hear)—and that
bribery was mainly confined to a limited class of bo-
roughs. lie did not quarrel with the suggestion of the
Hon. Member. He thought the House ought, however,
not at present z.o adopt it, but to consider how, if adopted,
it would apply. Suppose the House investigated a case
of bribery at a country election, and suppose bribery
and corruption were pro Ted, had they any PAchiacrY by