The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-04 00:00:00

What was the danger of the Government ? Simply
mere want of places. (A laugh.) There was no danger
to the Government from any opposition that could be
offered from the other side of the house. The danger was
that it received shots from the rear. (A laugh.) If the
Treasury were to be symbolized or embodied, it would be
asCyle or Tellus, with more applicants for nourish-
ment than she could supply ; or he would take a more
homely illustration,—that of Gillray's caricature of the
sow that brought forth more pigs than she had teats for.
(Laughter.) He saw in the notice paper a motion from one
of the friends of the Government—something about India.
What was it but the squeak of a pig that had got no teat ?
(Great laughter.) He took the liberty, on a former occa-
sion, to implore the head of the Government in that house,
in consequence of the state of things that had been brought
about by the Reform Bill, never to quit his office upon any
petulant vote that the house might come to until there
was a direct and specific resolution for an address to the
Crown, (Hear.) The noble lord had been taunted with
the situation he now occupied ; but in his humble opinion
that situation was the most honourable the noble lord had
ever filled—(hear, hear)—and he besought the noble lord—
not as an individual, but as the head of the Government—
there to remain until the motion he had alluded to should
be carried. (Hear, and laughter.) The right hon. gentle-
man over the way need not have quitted office if he had
chosen to remain, and Lord Derby ought either never to
have taken office or never to have quitted it—(hear, hear)—
for there was no doubt these constant changes were greatly
to the detriment of the public service ' • but the fact was,
they never had been reformers—they had been mere specu-
lators. Their reform would have led them back to the
wisdom, and principles, and practices of their ancestors,
and they would have seen that unless they gave property
its legitimate way of action it would use the illegal way of
continual bribery—(hear, hear)—and, moreover, he hoped
it would, and that they would not be able to make that
house a mass of paupers. (" Oh, oh !" and laughter.)
They must make that house the representative of the
wealth of the people, and, when they did that, they would
not find the bribery which they complained of. (Hear,
hear.) As to this immediate motion of prosecuting Sir F.
Smith, they who voted for it were the men who were dis-
graced by it, and not Sir F. Smith. (Hear, hear.) What
was the simple question? That gentleman had lived in
the place for many years ; he was proved before the com-
mittee to be a kind and charitable man to his political foes
as well as to his friends, never asking any question on the
subject; Slid, because he gave a Post-office place of 12s. a-
week, all their purity was up in arms—(hear, hear)—and
they thought to go and show the country at large what
sinless pure creatures they were themselves. (Laughter.)
He thought the motion was. discreditable to the house, and
therefore he was opposed to it. (Hear.)
Mr. HUME could not agree with the hon. gentleman
that this motion was discreditable. (Hear.) The speech
of the hon. gentleman, indeed, was one of the most extra-
ordinary he had ever heard. (Hear, hear.) It was a speech
that he could not have believed any Englishman would
have stood up in that house. and delivered. (Hear, hear.)
The hon. gentleman had libelled the house—(" 01;! oh !"
and loud'cries of " hear")— he had libelled the country ;
and, whatever the House of Lords might be, he had
libelled that and all who were connected with it. Would
they not support the resolution they had 'come to, and
show the country that they would maintain the purity of
election ? The hon. gentleman said he wished there was
more bribery and corruption, and that men were more
debased than they were. .("Oh !" and laughter.) He
should be sorry to see it—they were too much so already.
(Laughter.) It had been F's endeavour to get an honest
house, and the best way to attaia that risult would be to
support such resolutions as the one now before them. They
would be wanting in respect to their own character, and
to the character of that house, if they did not agree to the
resolution.

Mr. RICH (amidst loud cries of " Oh, oh !" and great
laughter) said, the hon. gentleman the member for West
Surrey had done him"the favour to make a joke at his ex-
pense. As to the expressions of the hon. gentleman, he
could laugh at them as well as his neighbours, for, having
been nearly 20 years in that house, he believed ke could
say he had conducted himself both in public and in private
life as a gentleman and a man of honour. (Hear, hear.)
Now, as far as the motion of which he had given notice
was concerned, no hostility was intended to the Govern-
ment. (Laughter.) The present Government he regarded
with unfeigned respect. (Laughter.) It was composed of
many honourable and indePendent gentlemen capable of
carrying on the government, and from him they would
receive the most cordial support when his conscience
would go with them. (Hear, and a laugh.)
Sir J. SHELLEY believed and hoped there was no man
in that house less quarrelsome than he was ; but words
had been let drop by the hon. gentleman near him (Mr.
Drummond) which, for the credit of that house, required
some explanation. (Cries of "Question," and "Order,"
and great confusion, during which the hon. baronet re-
sumed his seat.)
Mr. KUNTZ rose, and was about to address the house,
when the noise having subsided,
The SPEAKER said, that if the hon. baronet had wished
to take exception to any word spoken by the hon. gentle-
man the member for West Surrey, he ought to have done
it at the time. (Hear.)
Mr. DRUMMOND said, if he had used any words that
were improper, he would at once withdraw them.
Sir J. SHELLEY (with some excitement).—You said
it was disgraceful and discreditable to the house. (Cries
of " Hear, hear," and " Order.")
Mr. MUNTZ said, he was not one of those pigs that
wanted a G overnment teat--(laughter)— but there was a very
important question before the house, and it would be well
for them to consider before they voted upon it what the
people out of doors thought of this sort of thing. The pro-
ceedings of the committee had given rise to a belief out of
the house that there was a good deal of corruption, not
merely on the part of the voters, but on the part of the
members, and the sooner they could clear that up the bet-
ter. (Hear.) But there was a resolution on the books of
the house that they ought to punish any person seriously
who did this sort of thing. Now, he never saw Sir F.
Smith ; all he knew was, that there was a repert to that
house very prejudicial to his honesty, and if they permitted
him to escape, or if he were not allowed the opportunity of
clearing up the matter, the public might very well say that
it was all chattering in that house on the subject. With
these feelings he should support the resolution.
Sir T. ACLAND said, an appeal had been made to the
house by his hon. friend who had just sat down on account
of what the public would say of these matters. Now, he
gave his vote on a question of personal justice and character
as if he were giving his vote on any indictment before the
grand jury, and not from any regard whatever to
.3vh
should be said of his conduct out of doors. (Hear.)
The house then divided; the numbers we:o—
the motion
Against it—.
Majority

118
...-110.