The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-01 00:00:00

Committee would be,slifficielitly limited by the results-
lutions of the Right Hon. President of the Board of
Traje. Again, it .;.i.e11,1 be a very .I,llcult matter. to
decide upon every occasion whet(cr a Member proposed
to be on a Committee had a local influence or not.

Mr. T. DUNCOMBE—There was one party
whose interests had been entirely neglected throughout
the discussion, and be wondered that they had been
neglected by the Hon. 11.1emb'n- for Kilkenny. He
meant tho:e who were unable to procure counsel f
themselves. He could not assent to the amendment,
because by so doing he would be saying that he was in-
capable of per Forming the duties ()this constituents, which
wcra almost as important in a Committee in the House.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the
House divided, when there appeared—

For th,.! original resolution
For Mr. 1-lume's amendment • 35
Majority fur the original resolution —2lo

On our admission into the gallery, w•e found
Mr. AGLIONBY on his leas, moving an arn,nd-
ment to the second resoltrion, to the effect that Mem-
bers having local interests should be at liberty to attend
Committees. but should not be allowed to vote.

Mr. P. THOMSON could not consent to adopt
the proposition of the Honourable Member for
Cilbekermouth, as it seemed to involve greater ob-
j'etions than the one proposed by the Honourable
Member fir Kilkenny ; for the effect of it would be to
declare that Honourable Members were unfit to vote
a 3 Members of Parliament.

Mr. ELLIOTT would be willing to attend Corn-
mitte,.!s under the circumstances proposed by the Hon.
Member for Cockermouth. He should be glad to at-
ter..l Committees without the power of voting, because
he should then be able to •Natch over and plead the cause
of his constituents.

Mr. M. PHILLIPS trusted that the Hon. Mem-
ber for Cockermouth would not put the House to the
trouble of a division on so absurd a proposition. If the
Hon. Member succeeded in carrying his amendment,
he would, in fact, be sending Hon. Members to sit on
Committees as so many dummies.—(A laugh.)
The amendment was negatived without a division.
On the third resolution being put,
_ _ .

• Lord MAHON trusted that the House would in-
troduce some provision relative to Committeson Contro-
verted Elections. By the resolutions they were to have
a Committee of Selection, to consist of the Chairman
of the Standtog Order Committee, the Chairman of the
Committee on Public Petitions, and the-Sub-Chairmen
of those Committees. Now by the Bill of his Right
Hon. Friend, the Member for Tamworth, they were to
have another Committee of Selection, to decide who
should sit on Election Committees : now, supposing
that the Committee of Selection should select the same
persons as the Committee of Selection on Election
Petitions, in what an awkward position they would be
placed. He only threw out these observations for the
consideration of the House. The resolution was then
put and agreed to.
The fourth resolution was agreed to, after a few ob-
servations from Mr. Warburton.

On the fifth resolution bean; put,
Mr. AGLIONBY said he could not allow it to pass
without making a few observations. If the House
established a Committee of Selection they imposed upon
them considerable duties, and by the present resolution
the House would place them in a most invidious position.
There would be such difficulty in carrying out the prin-
ciple of Selection on the importance and yeality of the
interest, that he thought it would be much better that
all Members locally interested should be eligible.

Mr. P. THOMSON said he believed the Commit-
tee of selection would discharge their duties satisfacto-
rily. The duty was most important, and the task:of se-
lection must be exercised by some parties. He thought
the House would do wrong in hesitating to delegate
that task to the Committee, whom he anticipated would
not shrink from it.

Mr. O'BRIEN said he feared the principle of selec-
tion would be very liable to abuse. No principle was
likely to create more discontent, than allowing Gentle-
men, however respectable, the right of excluding
Members desirous .1 serving upon Committees, and he
should suggest that these words be introduced, " That
the Committee of Selection recommend to the House,
the Members to be appointed." He thought that
it would be as we►l that Private Committees be se-
lected on the same principle as Public Committees, and
then the number might be more limited.

Mr. P. THOMSON was of opinion that all ob-
jections would be obviated, by framing the resolution
thus—" That the Committee have power to add Mem-
bers locally interested, if the reality of their interest be
satisfactorily established."
The resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
On the next resolution, " That the Committee be
empowered to appoint upon a Committee as many Mem-
bers, not locally interested, as they may deem necessary,"
Mr. P. THOMSON said that he did not see the
necessity that the declaration to attend should be re-
quired from these Members.
Mr. WARBURTON said that those Members
who were not locally interested, and being, therefore,
of course impartial, it was most important that their
attendance should be secured—(Hear, hear)—and he
thought that the declaration to attend should be re-
quired from them equally as from those who were lo-
cally interested.
Mr. HUME thought all Members should alike be
compelled to-promise attendance.

Lord STANLEY said it was intended that all the
imp )rtial Members should attend, but it was considered
there would be difficulty in compelling the attendance
of Members not locally interested. A great deal
must, in such matters as these, depend upon the
general understanding among Members. It had
been deemed desirable that the Chairman should endea-
vour privately to ascertain who were willing to put
themselves upon a List from which the Committee was
to be selected, and who were to be considered bound in
an honourable engagement to attend whenever called
upon to do so.
Mr. AGLIONBY thought the subject was involved
in great difficulty. He thought that nothing had been
urged against the objection of his Hon. Friend the Mem-
ber for Bridport. He believed it had been originally in-
tended to exclude those locally interested, but that ulti-
mately this resolution was framed in order to counter-
balance those locally interested by such Members as
were impartial. If such a resolution was necessary
for public justice, why not make it fully effective-
-(Hear, hear)—he should propose that these words be
added " Such Members shall declare that they will at-
tend the Committee."—(Hear.)
Sir ROBERT PEEL said no doubt the Hon.
Members who had spoken were actuated by an ho-
nourable feeling to maintain the character of that
House, and were anxious that such Members should
be selected for Private Committees as would be im-
arbiters amid the collision of conflicting
parta:
interests. tie :_inufessed that his impression was in fa-
vour of placing those Members not locally inte-
rested on the same footing as those who were.
—(Hear, hear.) He wished them to exercise a moral
influence—(hear, hear)—and how could they exercise
such an influence if they were placed on a different
footing from the others.—( Hear.) He did not think
that there would be any difficulty in asking them to
declare that they would, to the best of their ability,
attend and hear the evidence on which they were to
decide.—( Hear, hear.)
After a few words from Mr. PAYNE—
Mr. P.THOMSON said, if the House wished it, he
would agree to the amendment, though he thought
there would be some inconvenience in it.
After a few words from Mr. FRESHFIELD and Mr.
PItAED, the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.

On the last clause being read,
Mr. ELLIOT proposed an amendment, to the effect
that anv Member not regularly attending the Com-
mittee should be excluded from voting on any points
which had been discussed during his absence, and re-
specting which he had not heard the evidence.
Mr. POULETT THONISON thought the intro-
duction of such a clause would be invidious.

The original resolution was then agreed to.
PRISONS (IRELAND).
Mr. Sergeant JACKSON begged to ask the Noble
Lord, the Secretary for Ireland, when the returns from
the inspectors of prisons in Ireland would be laid upon
the table ? By the law of the land the time was gone
by when they should be produced.
Lord MORPETH said they only had been received
yesterday, and it was the earliest period in which they
had been received for the last sixteen years.
Mr. Sergeant JACKSON was glad to find that
there was some improvement in that particular.
MR. WYNN'S CASE. _ _

Mr, JERVISMoved the appointment of the follow-
ing Select Committee on Mr. Wynn's case :—Mr. John
Jervis, Mr. Goulbuvn, Sir Frederick Pollock, Mr.
Solicitor General, Lord Staid:3y, Mr. Sergeant Wilde,
Sir James Graham, Mr. Sanford, Mr, Ward, Mr.
Pusey, Mr. Greene,