The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-26 00:00:00

LITHOGRAPHED PETITIONS.

Mr. WOOD said. he had been instructed by the
Public Petition Committee to inform the House that
they had met with several petitions which had been
lithographed. They svere of opinion that they came
under the same rule as those printed in letter-press.
The Committee were desirous of having the directions
of the House upon the subject.
Sir G. CLERK could not see any difference in
principle between a lithographed and a printed peti-
tion. He thought the same rule was applicable to both,
as neither could be considered as the spontaneous act of
the petitioners.
Mr. WARBURTON could not see the common
sense of excluding even printed petitions.—(Cheers.)
It was folly to suppose that they were less the spon-
tnaeous acts of those who signed them, because
they were printed or lithographed. Let them look
at the number of petitions which were received on the
subject of slavery. They were the act of some indivi-
duals who took the trouble to send them down to all
parts of the country.—(Hear, hear.) When they
had manuscript petitions couched in the same words,
and flowing in in such abundance, he did not see
why the House should draw a distinction between a
petition that was lithographed and one that was written.
He could not see any objection to receiving lithographed
petitions, and he trusted that the day was not far distant
when their reception would form a precedent for receiv-
ing printed petitions also.
Lord STANLEY was decidedly against the House
receiving lithographed petitions, as there could be no
doubt that a great many persons were ignorant and
careless of what those petitions contained. He thought
it was a great abuse of the right of petitioning, to get up
petitions, then to have them lithographed, and sent all
over the country. He thought the rule of the House
not to receive printed petitions was founded in justice
and sound sense.

Mr. HUME said that the only means to make peo-
ple understand petitions was to have them printed.—
(Hear, hear.) For his own part he advised every per-
son who had a long petition to have it printed,
in order that all Hon. Members might be cognizant
of its contents. He hoped another Session would not
pass away before the ridiculous notion of not receiving
printed petitions ways done away with, and the Acts of
that House, instead of being written in black letter,
which nobody could read, would be legibly printed.
The SPEAKER thought that some decision ought
to be come to by the House on the subject. Perhaps
some Hon. Gentleman would think it right to bricg
forward a special motion relative to it.
After a few observations from Mr. HUME,

Mr. G. W. WOOD give notice that he should call
the attention of the House to the subject on Tuesday
next.

Mr. MARK PHILLIPS presented a petition from
the Manchester Literary Society, in favour of a penny
postage.
Sir R. PEEL presented similar petitions from Ches-
ter and several other places ; also a petition in favour
of the Stone and Rugby Railway Bill.
Mr. BROTHERTON brought up the report of
the Committee on the Worksop and Kelham Road
Bill.

Lord DUNGANNON gave notice that on the 9th
May he should move for a Committee to inquire into
the state of the Roman Catholic College of Maynooth.
Mr. CRES WELL gave notice that on the 7th of
May he should call the attention of the House to the
petition presented some time ago from the Merchants
of Liverpool, and moved for certain papers.