The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-23 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT
HOUSE OF LORDS, April 22.
ST. ALBANS DISFRANCHISEMEN I' BILL.
The Eerl of DERBY rose to move the second reading
of this Bill. The Noble Earl slid he was aware that
their Lordships would be very unwilling to agree to any
measure of disfranchisement which had not been pre-
ceded by an investigation, or which could only lead to
the punishment of many for the sins of a few. But if
he could show that in the present case the bribery had
not been confined to a few, but had extended over the
whole electoral body; that it had not been limited to a
single election, but had prevailed at several successive
elections—if he could show that the bribery had been
exorbiteot in its amount, and if the whole of these facts
had been substantiated betore a competent tribunal,
which had entered into an inquiry on the subject under
the sanction of an Act of Parliament—he felt persuaded
that they would not then be disposed to save the offend-
ing boettugh from the p-nary justly due to its offences.
In the course of the year 1850 a vacancy had oaken
place in the representation of St. Albsn's, in conse-
quence of the death of one of the members. A contest
bad ensued, as had almost always been the case; and
the result of that contest had been the return of a Mem-
ber who had been petitioned against, in the session of
1851, on the ground of gross and notorious bribery. The
petition had been tried betore a Committee of the House
of Commons, and the evidence which had been brought
before that Committee had been sufficient to satisfy
them that exteneive bribery bed been practised at the
election; but in consequence of the evasion and escape
of some of the principal witnesses, it had been found
impossible to bring home that bribery to the sitting
Member or his eg; nts. The Committee had, therefore,
made the somewhat inconsistent report that gross bribery
bad been committed at the election, but that it could not
sffect the seat of the sitting Member. He (the Earl of
Derby) would say a few words in passing, on the effect
produced by the alterations made in the tribunals to
Ahem the trial of elections had been referred. Un-
douhtedly great abuses had been put an end to by the
introduction of the Grenville Act; but, in spite of that
Act and the various modifications and improvements
which had subsequently been made in it, those election
tribunals had been pervaded by this defect, that the inves-
tigation of that which was a public grievance could only
be prosecuted by individuals, and that the investigation
could not take place if private individuals wore unwilling
to incur the great expanse by which it was accompa-
nied. He was afraid that under that arrangement gross
bribery had prevailed at the elections in various be•
rouges, session after session; although he would not go
so far as a person of the neme of Coppock, whose expe-
rience in the annals of corruption was unparalleled on
the part of any other individual in this country, who
for the last fifteen or sixteen years had been a leading
agent in contested elections, and who, atter having
stated that ho knew something of most of the boroughs
in England, added that, if he were to go through them
from the first to the last, he should be able to make
quite as extraordinary revelations with respect to them
generally as Mr. Edwards had made with respect to the
borough of St. Alban's. Ho (the Earl of Derby) re-
peated that he was not prepared to go quite that length,
although he admitted the great experience and knowledge
of Mr. Coppock in that matter; and he hoped it would
be remembered at the next election that the appearance
sf Mr. Coppock in a borough afforded a prima facie
evidence that bribery was to be practised there
The House of Commons had thought it necessary to take
op the questien affecting the borough of St. Alban's,
not for the purpo..e of unseating the sitting Member, but
in order to ascertain how far bribery had prevailed in
the borough. They had passed an Act, which had sub-
sequently received the assent of their L Idships, by
which a Commission had been appointed with very ex-
tensive powers to inquire into the proceedings in the
borough, not only et the last election, but at any pre-
ceding e lection to which they might think it desirable
to extend their investigations. The disclosures made to
that Commission were as open and as frank as any one
could desire. It appeared that previously to the passing
of the Reform Act the constituency of St. Alban's Tied
consisted of between 600 and 700 voters; but when the
non-resident freemen had be-n struck off by that Act,
and the 10/ househoiders had been introduced, the
number of the ell ctors had been considerably ditnini,bed.
She; total number of them in 1850 had amounted to
483. It appeared that the p ;liticel influence in the
borough had originally been divided between the two
great families of Spencer and Alnemarle. Previously to
the Reform Act it bad been the practice to give a speci-
fied amount of head money to each elector. But it
bed subsequently turned out that the 101
householders had been much more venal than the old
voters, and th.t h,gher sums had been paid to
them. The Commissioners had come to the conclusion
that previou-ly to the %dorm Act one third part of the
total sum expended at an election in the borough was
spent in bribery, while two-thirds of the total expense
of an election there since the passing of the R-form Act
had been devoted to the corruption of the elsccors. The
cost of the various candidates at seven elections during
a period of 19 years haul amounted to 37,0001., of which
two-thirds, or 24,6001., had been spent in bribery; and
that gave an average of more than 3,0001. spent in bri-
bery at each election. In 1841 the bribery o stn had been
administered to every voter who had gone to the poll,
and the oath had been taken by each of them; and yet
there bad been spent at that election upwards of 6,0001.,
of which 4,0001. heel been employed in brib,ry. The
total nuieber of 101 voters wol 354, and o; these 212 ha-
bitually sold their votes; and of 66 scot and tot voters 64
habitually sold their votes. There were two parties in the
borough—the Conservative party, which was represented
by a gentleman of the name of Blagg, and the Liberal
party, which was represented by a gentleman of the name
of Edwards. There was also a third or a neutral
party, which had been established under the auspices of
Mr. Webster. That latter party embraced 200 voters—
a number amply sufficient to turn the scale a: an election.
The members of that party had been in the habit of
hanging up a key in the town as an indication that they
were about to take part in a contest. The Commissioners
reported that there was no doubt' of the gross general
venality of the borough, and that, as Mr. Coppock said,
the great majority 01 the electors had always been
bought and sold. In the year 1847, atter a variety of
intrigues between Mr. Coppock, Mr. Blagg, and Mr.
Edwards, Mr. Raphael had been returned as the Liberal
candidate, and with him Mr. Repton, a Conservative;
and it was a remarkable fact that the voters for Mr.
Repton had been bribed with the money advanced by
Mr. Raphael, in order to carry out a previous arrange.
ment ; for it appeared that there was honour even among
election agents.—(A laugh.) Mr Raphael bed not
lived long enough to enjoy h
had is success. He ha
bee d died to
the year 1850. Mr. Cuppeck instantly nin the
field. At an interview with Mr. Edwards he bad
promised a situation to the son of the latter,
and there was ample evidence to show that Mr. Cop.
pock had possessed the power cf obtaining public situa-
tions. At that time there had appeared on the stage
a gentleman of the name of Simpson, who had been a
clerk to Mr. Blagg and then to Mr. Edwards, and who
on finding that tho bribing of electors had not been an
unprofitable trade, had set up for himself. He and Mr.
Edwards had hit on a candidate in the person of a
practising chemist and druggist, who hied been desirous
of obtaining a seat in Parliament, not for the purpose of
exercising any political influence, but for the purpose of
carrying some measures connected with the medical
profession. Both these gentlemen came to Mr. Bell,
whom they found ready to treat. It was true that Mr.
Bell throughout the contest declared that he would have
nothing to do with the Election, and that all matters of
expense should be dealt with by his friend. It up-
peered, however, that this friend, who had negotiated
psymenta to the extent of 3 0001., was the confiden-
slat pertner of Mr. B-. 11, carrying on
,rrebusinessspondewnicteh.
him, and with whom he wea in daily correspondence.
It appeared that Simpson found it necessary to get an-
other candidate, and Alderman Carden was applied to.
It was but justice to Alderman Carden to state that he
seemed desirous of representing St. Alban's on the
purity system. He was told that if he went to St. Al-
ban's he would be the means of restoring the borough
to a state of purity, as there were meaty voters there
sick of the bribery system, and anxious to support him.
It appeared, from the evidence of the witness Blanks,
that be went to London to seek for a candidate to pre-
vent the course being walked over, and that Alderman
Carden went down. It appeared that he was received by
the town councillors, some of whom walked arm in
arm with him, and that out of the sixteen councillors,
twelve voted for him, two against him, and two
remained neutral. The solicitor of Alderman
Carden found out what was going on in the
borough, and informed him that he had no
chance unless he bribed. Alderman Carden refused to
do this. Though he had spent 660/., there was no
reason to suppose thet he was cognisant of any bribery,
and the result was, that Mr. 801 l polled 276 votes, and
Alderman Garden, the cacdids:e in the purity system,
polled only 147 votes. Mr. Bell, after having spent a
large sum, wise returned, and he must do that gentleman
the justice to say that he appeared to be a forgiving and
much enduring man, for when the Bill for the disfran-
chisement of St. Alban's met with the unanimous support
of the other House in all its stages, Mr. B. was the
only voice raised tts protest against the hardship done to
St. Alban':, and to utter a melancholy plaint on the too
probable fate of the corrupt borough which he repre-
sented. In conclusion, he begged to read the summary
which the Commissioners had given at the end of their
report, as to the bribery which had been practised:—
" We find that a sum of 3,5001 was advanced by Mr.
Raphael to Mr. Henry Edwards for the purposes of the
election in 1847; that the greater part of that sum was
expended by him with the knowledge of Mr. Raphael
in bribing voters; and that Mr. Raphael owed his elec-
tion in 1847 to such bribery.
We find that the sum of 1 2001. PM expended by
Mr. Blagg on behalf of Mr. Repton, for the purposes of
the elsct;on in 1847; that soul., part of this sum, was ad-
vanced by Mr. Edwards to Mr. Blagg for the express
purpose of bribery, and was expended by Mr. Blite
buying votes for Mr. Repton; that Mr. Repton, duringni
the peeing, and before the election,
knew that bribery
was being practised on his behalf, and we find that he
y.
owed his election in 1847 to such briber
"We find that nearly 1 000% was advanced by the
lion. Mr. Craven to Mr. Ed Nerd Gibson for the pur-
poses of the election in 1847, when ho was one of the
unsuccessful candidates; that 300/, part of this sum,
was given by Mr. Gibson to Mr. 'James ViViS for the
purpose of bribing voters on behalf of Mr. Craven; and
that the said suns of 300%. was expended by Mr. Vass in
bribery.
," We find that Mr. Craven was not directly cognisant
of any portion of the money having been expended in
bribery; hut that he had strong
suspicion of the way in
which the money had been employed.
" We find that a win of 800/. was advanced by Mr.
Willts for the purposes of the election in 1847, when he
also was 008 of the unsuccc.ssf ul candidates; and that a
large portion el this sum was exo.ended by his agent,
Mr. Thomas Elscris, in bribery on his behalf; that
Harris gave 751. to George Perry, and 50/. to Mr.
Fredorielc Theophilus Webster, for the purpose of