The Sun.
London, England, 1813-06-22 00:00:00

lIELSTON ELECTION.

• Upon the speetial r4ort being.read,
SwAg rose..for,the purpose of moving, that
the. House do agree with the resolution of the
C;oinn►ittee by which the HeMon election had

been trio!. The Honourable Member went into
a long history of the abuses that prevailed for
some time. iii that borough. It had been lately at
the disposal' of five Aldernien,lhree of whom were
of the same family. The. Duke ar Leeds, he said,
held the patronage upon the condition of pays
log the parish dues, which amounted-to 17001. per
annum, it was for the House to say, whether

they would permit such abuses as existed in 'that
place to continue there. He spoke with much se-
verity of, some of The Clergy, who, be said,
throughout Cordwall were the principal avuts in
such infamous transactions. A greater tradic for
seats in Parliament for thiS place had been carried
on than for any borough in Cornwall. The only
borough in Cornwall that had even the semblance
of independence be took to he that which he Te-
r
presented.--qLou4 laughter.). He expected they
would laugh at this.; he had said it on purpose. It
' was, however, true. That which he represented
hacl been differently situated formerly. It had 100
voters, who received twenty-four guineas each
from the patrons of the borough. Now the num-
ber of voters had been increased to four hundred.
The adherents of the patron had su managed things.
for his interest at the last dissolution of Parliament
that a rate was made out on Friday or Saturday,
yet he (Mr. Swan) had been unable to obtain it
before twelve o'clock on Monday night, so that it

was not till Tuesday that he knew among whom
he'was to canvass. A distinction was made in
speaking of the Charter and the Borough ; but
those who had onehad both. This he illustrated
by recounting an anecdote of Sir Robert Walpole,
who had said, on giving a charter to the borough,
of Lestwithiel, to the party who obtained it,—
" There is the charter, now if you lose the bo-
rough you ought to be The Honourable
Gentleman proceeded to contend, that the parties
concerned in tbe Holston election ought to be pu-
nished, if the- House passed. ever their c Induct,
how could it justify chic course pursued with re-
spect to Grogan, who was now in chai»s in New-
gate for attempting to traflic,in boroughs, though
he had not, effected any thing ? Here was a direct
contract for seats; anti how could they excuse
themselves if they did not visit this offence with
severity ?. lie then read to. the. House the form
of the ti,reernents entered into between the pa-
trons ar>d the yoters of some of the boroughs in
Cornwall, deseribetl more at large the means
.by

which semi were somethOs obtained, and eon-

chideil by moving, ''That the Attorney-General
do forthwith prosecute George Frederick Duke of
I.4k.etk for the ,iaid offence." (The offence set forth
in the report.) further, stated, that it was his
intention to follow this motion up, if it were car,
lied, by another, the object of which, •we uncler.
tatui, was to bring to justice the 4ather parties

concerned.
Mr. D. GIDDY said, had he been an this Com-
niittee he should entirely have concurred in the
Report, satisfied as he was, 'that the connection
which had existed between the Duke of Leeds and
the borough of Helston was contrary to law, and
contrary to the privileges of that House. Believ-
ing, at he did, the law to have been broken, still,
before he agreed to
.the !notion, it was proper for
I!,int, to. consider the motives of the persons accused.
k i:ohw the circuoistances of the case, and a view

of the•situatimi in which they had been placed,
and-in which they had found things, be did not
think their iiitcutious beewbad, but that their
conduct %11'Wit I'l'olll a reluctance to Offend the peo-
ple by alteriog that system which had been long
established, and to which they were attached.—.
He did not urge thi3 u a justification of their
con-
titics,t, but merely to show that it was Uut without
lie thought a qui tem action might
Home excuse.
be brought against the parties, but ,be Saw no reit,

son why the House should gb Out of its way to
punish this offence. The elective franchise he
statetito have been extended to 80 freemen, who
had-the right of voting before, and who were not
selected in any way which could give them a par-
ticular bilis. He objected to prosecuting the indi-
viduals concerned. in the late election, but Wished
the practices imputed to them to be discouraged.
He hoped, therefore, the House would not accede
to the present ►notion, but he had no objection to
the borough being thrown open. To do this would,
in his opinion, be better than to prosecute the in-
dividuals accused ;. and he would therefore move,
if the present motion were negatived, " that early
in the next Ses don of Parliament, the House should
take into consideration the situation of time Borough
of Helston."

"Mr: W. WYNiNTP. stated, a great part of what he
had intended to say, lila been rendered unneces-
sary by the resolution of the House, (which, had
been come to without a word of discussion) that
the connection which had subsisted :between the
Duke of Leeds and the borough of He!sun) was
illegal, and a breach of the standing order of the
House. lf, as the • last speaker thought, there
were circumstances to be urged in palliation, he
thought it would have been better to have moved"
them as-an amendment on. the resolution before
the House, than to put a negative on it altogether.
In such cases, if an excuse were once admitted,
there would be always excuses in the way of jiis-
tiee. When a similar charge was proved against
Oxtortl, it was voted a high breach of theprivi-
leges of Parliament, on the Mayor, Aldermen,
and. Bailiffs, in all ten persons, most of them of
great respectabrity, were :sent to Newgate, sod
afterwards reprimanded. It was clear from the
evidence, that the Aldermen knew they were act-
ing contrary to law. lie denied that that House;
would be departing front its ordinary course, in
proceeding to punish those implicated in this bo-
siness. He called upon the Gentleman opposite
(Mr. D. Giddy) to show him an instance of their
passing over such conduct on their joitrnals. If
they were not to "punish it, it would •appear that
that. might be clone with impuhity, by a Member
of either Hottse of Parliament, Which they visited
with severity on others. He should vote for the
motion.

'm:yinYr:l; wished punishment to (all on
the borough, but not on the individuids accused,
who did not appear to he actuated by bad motives.
fie would wish the borough to he thrown open to
the freeholders Of the hundred, but should vote
Against the motion for prosecuting the' individuals
concerned in the late election..

Mr. Bantso, though bethought there was less
of criminality in this case than in many others of
a similar nature which bad been brought before
the House, could not see, how,•-after the report of
the Contu►ittee, they could pass Over the indivi-
duals ccn►cerned. For the borough, he hoped, at
an early day a Bill would be brought in to throw
it open to the surrounding hundreds. He, had
urderstood that the inhabitants of those hundreds
were as ,likely to send .a pure, honourable, and
dependent Representative to Parliament as the
voters of tiny other ptirt of the country. But for
his having received this hiformation, he should not
have proposed toy throw it open to the sUrrounding
hundreds, but he should have moved an .amend-
ment to the Bill, to give it, to some other hundred
or populous district. Though in the present
in-
stance be thought it desirable to throw the bo-
rough open to the surrounding hundred 4, he was
by no means of opinion 'that. this would he proper
ii revery similar case, and now wished to give no-
tice, that it was his intention, when next n Cor-
nish borough fell under the censure of the House,
to move, that its franchise be presented to some
of the populous, but unrepresented districts of
Yorkshire.

- - -
Mr. TREMAYNR. explained.
Mr. BA.NKES Objected to the motion for a prose-
seention; as, flit should fail, they would stand in a
worse situation than at present, and he thought it
had little or no chance of success. Whatever,
might be their Opinion of the criminality of 'this
case (and he did not mean to palliate it) lie ob-
jected to the course proposed, not because he was
notdesirous Of punish in 4 the offence,, not because
he was not anxious to prevent its recurrence, hut
because he feared the I esult, instead* of punish-
ment, would give the indemnity. The most e.f-
fectual way of punishing the offence, would be to
throw 'open the
.borough, to teach other bo
roughs, •that in such-cases, Parliament knew'how
to breult that ,constitution which had been thus
abased.

Mr. Pamiori spoke nearly to the, same effect,
and moved an amendment, that all the wordS of
the original resolution should, he omitted after
the word " that," ,for the purpose of inserting
these, " this House will, early iu the next Session
of Parliament, take into its consideration the state
of the borough of Helston, with a view of extend-
ing-the right of election therein."
Mr. ASTELL stated it to be his intention to at-
tend to the arguments used on both sides of the
question, but at present he had a most decided
objeethut to the motion helore the House.
Mr. S. WoRTLEY objected to the Motion. The
consh Ant' the parties accused had been illegal,
but, it was not proved to be corrupt. That word,
when proposed to be .applied to them in the Com-
mittee, bad been thrown out. Notice had been
taken'of other Boroughs in the course of this.dis-
cussion. He did not approve of tins. Let He':
stop, if proved to be guilty, stiffer, but let them
not punish :by heaping ou her that vengeance
which was due to others.

STUART WORTLRY was against the motion.
Mr. BARHAM observed, that it was not the in-
variable practice at the liduse to proceed by pro-
sedition, and instanced, as a proof of this, the
ease of his own election, in which his opponents
were guilty of bribery„
Mr. POLE CAREW Was for the Amendment.
• Mr.flotAms rose in consequence of an obser-
vation that fell front the lion. Member (Ti.
Swan), respecting the Clergyman of Tregooy.-----
Ue snit! he felt it Lobe due to that Reverend Gen-
tleman's character to state, that he, from his oun
knowledge, could confidently assett, that the
grossest representations concerning him had been
wade before the Committee, and. that bills of in-
dictment were found against two of the infamous
actors iirthat affair. The Hon. Gentleman was
then prueecding to state bow unjustly the tfouxo

had acted agaiti;t Thomas Cro,,rtgati, when lie was
&ailed to osier ; and in conclusion said, he would
give notice of a motion foi his (Croggan's) dis-
charge.
Lord CASTLEOAGII sillily that, in the ease ba-
fofe the lionSe, no view to corrupt influence was
imputed ; but on the contrary, 'the 'miles ac-
cused had only acted On an ancient practice which
few could suppose came within the meaning of the
Act, if prosecution Would be effective; and the
evil thus corrected; he would infor pursuing that
course;" but if not, he thought it unnecessary and
unadvised to proceed in that way, when a better
remedy lay before them.
Mr. Wynne, Lord Castlereagh, Mr. Barham,
and Mr. Preston, Severally explained.
0u the nun ion of Lord A. 11ANIILTON, the Re.
port of the Tregony Election 'Committee was read,
and the Noble Lord proceeded to found thereon a
comparison with the present case,, and spoke in
favour of the motion. •

The ATTORNEY GENERAL, ill reply to some
usions thrown out against him, assured the House
that his opinion on ibis question hAd not been
communicated to any person.
Lord A. 11A.MITLTON explained.
Lord CASTLEREAGH•i thought the insinuations of
the Noble Lord Were unwarranted.

Lord A. 11AmAt...1'os- explained.
Mr. CANNING spoke in favour of the Amend-
_meta; It this had been,a ease of gross personal
corruption, it would have been right to have ani-
madverted on the persons coneerue I in it; but
where it was notoriously otherwise, they would
do better to. apply a rewcdv to a tlragrant,abuse.
Au ellectke remedy, was to be preferred to a yin.
died we prosecution.
Mr. BATnuasT was in ftivour of the !notion, as
he thought it right to go against thes,corpus ctelicli
where any sufficient caut,e was in:nle. out..

After a feW \vim's from Sir \V. Lemon, Mr.
D. Giddy, and Mr. Oti,,low, and a reply. from Mr.
Swan, the House divi,led on the miginal (notion.
41.}-es
. is;oes
Majority agitinit the Proieentioo

(fin our return to the Gallery,
Air. BANKES obtained lei►ve to bring in a Bill
to secure the freedom and purity of Election in
the Borough of Holston ; and to make room fur
which, the original amendment of Alt, Presfou was
withdrawn ; 'and Mr. BRAND, iilr. PROTHEROE,
and Mi. WESTERN, supported :tlkg. potion, as.
inure consistent with the d;giiity character of
the 'House, than delaying it to another Session.