The Sun.
London, England, 1836-04-19 00:00:00

REGISTRATION OF VOTERS.

The Order of the Day for the House going into Committee
on the Registration of Voters Bill having been read,
Mr. T. DUNCIIIMBE rose for the purpose of submitting
the motion of which he had given notice, " That it be an
Instruction to the Committee to insert a provision to re-
peal that portion of the Reform Act which requires in
boroughs the payment of poor's rates and assessed
taxes as a condition of registration, the amount of the
constituency of Great Britain having been thereby reduced
much lower than was originally meant by the Legislature."
The Honourable Member proceeded to point out what the
effect of the clause to which his motion referred had
been, and in the instance of London, which, according to
the calculation of the Noble Lord (John Russell) would hare
an increase of 95,000, the increase had been only 40,000;
the result had been the same in all the Metropolitan Boroughs.
It was most absurd to make the payment of these taxes the
condition of a man's being entitled to vote. Surely the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer had quite a sufficient remedy, for
the recovery of any arrears of taxes which were due by the
seizure of his furniture and effects, without also seizing
his vote, and thereby depriving him of that high political pri-
vilege which had been conferred upon him not for his private
benefit but for the good of the community.—( Hear, hear.)
All he asked was that the Borough constituencies should be
placed on the same footing as those of Counties, and he did
say that the abrogation of these clauses would effect that oh-
jcct,and would also do away with great bribery and corruption in
small boroughs—it would also tent much to simplify the du-
ties of the Revising Barristers, and render their decisions
more uniform and consistent with each other. The first Par-
liament which carried the plan he proposed, would not only
be entitled, but would receive the warm gratitude of every true
Reformer in the country.

Mr. EWA RT seconded the motion, not only because he
agreed in the principles laid down by his Hon. Friend, but
because he was one of the minority of. two who voted against
the clauses in the Reform Bill.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL felt it his duty most
strenuously to oppose the motion, and he thought he
would be enabled to do so and yet detain the House for a
very short time. This tras not the time for bring-
ing forward the motion—the Hon. Member ought to have
brought in a specific Bill for the purpose of effecting his
'object. The Bill then before the House was merely for the
purpose of laying down the mode in which the registra-
tion should be taken. The payment of rates was absolutely
necessary, in order to be a check upon the rating, which was
the foundation of the right to vote—it was not only
so now, but was perfectly analogous to the old scot
and lot franchise—the most ancient practice of England.
He was surprised that the Hon. Member should bring for-
ward the example of the metropolis. He should conceive,
looking at the opinions entertained by the Members for
the metropolis, that the Bill had worked well.—(Hear,
hear.) It was true that some inconvenience had taken
place from inadvertently not paying taxes; but for that there
was a remedy provided by the Bill itself. According to the
statements of the Honourable Member for Liverpool,
when the Bill was under discussion, only two Members
were in favour of the proposition of the Honourable Member.
Mr. WARBURTON said that he should support the pro-
position of the Hon. Member for Finsbury. The Attorney Ge-
neral had stated that no inconvenieuce had arisen from the
fact of making the payment of rates a qualification to vote.
Now, what was the fact ; why, that the making the payment
of rates a qualification had led to great inconvenience; inas-
much as it had certainly led parties to pay rates for the
electors.—(Cheers.) In his opinion, if the landlord thought
the party sufficiently respectable, that was quite enough. For
these reasons he should support the motion of his Hon. Friend
the Member for Finsbury.

Mr. HUME was surprised at the statements that had been
made by the Learned Attorney- General. He had stated that no
inconvenience had resulted from making .the payment of rates
the ground of a right of voting. Was it no convenience that
out of 240,000, only 12,000 had the power of voting ?
( Cheers.) Could that be called fair representation ?
It was the bounden duty of the Noble Lord in his (Mr.
Hume's opinion) to render his Bill effective, and he thought
the Noble Lord should not oppose the present motion.
Mr. BROTEIERTON supported the motion.
Mr. WAKLEY said the existing state of the law gave
the greatest dissatisfaction, and he trusted his Hon. Col-
league would press his motion to a division.
Mr. KEMP supported the motion, and hoped the Attorney-
General would see the necessity of introducing a clause to cor-
rect the evil complained of.
The gallery was then cleared for a division,
when there appeared—
. .

For the motion.
Against it 154
Majority against the motion -103
The House then went into Committee, Mr. Bernal in the
chair.

Lord LINCOLN complained that the schedules referred to
in the first clause had only been delivered that morning.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL, as we understood, ex-
plained that these schedules were the same as in the former
Act.

Clauses 1,2, 3, and 4, were then agreed to.
On Clause 5 having been read,
Mr. ELPHIN STONE objected to the clause.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL defended it. The prin-
ciple was the same as in the Bill introduced by the Right Hon.
Baronet the Member for Tamworth.
Mr. HUME, seeing that the office of high censtable being
so various, some being paid and others not, thought it was
better to have the business performed by the overseers.
Mr. E. BULLER observed that as a change was about to
be made, it was better to make a sensible one, and take care
to have the duties performed by a responsible officer.
Mr. VILLIERS thought it was a duty which required to
be executed by some responsible person. It might be done
by the clerk of the union.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said the clerk of the
union had quite duties enough as registrar.
Sir R. GRE ISLE Y said, if the Hon. Member pressed his
amendment to a division he should vote with him.
Mr. WYNN was understood to Support the amendment ;
which, however, after a few words from the ATTORNEY-
GENERAL, was withdrawn. •
Mr. MACKINNON then moved the fellowing amend-
ment :—" That a provision be made for appointing a registrar
or officer for the purpose of preparing the list of voters for
counties, cities, or boroughs, in lieu of overseers of the poor,
and otherwise for carrying the Act into effect, so far as re-
lates to the duties at present required of overseers and con-
stables, with a view to the diminution of expense, the obtain-
ing the list in a more correct form, and the prevention of
unnecessary delay before the Revising Barrister."
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL contended that the ma-
chinery proposed by the Bill was the best calculated to serve
all requisite purposes.
Colonel PARRY suggested that the clerk of the peace
should put himself in communication with the Clerk of the
Petty Sessions for this purpose, or if that was not thought ad-
visable let the Clerk of the peace communicate directly with
the overseers.
Mr.:GROTE would give the preference to the mode pro-
posed by the Bill.
Mr. MACKINNON replied.
After some further conversation the gallery was cleared for
a division, but none took place, and the clause was understood
to be agreed to.
Clause 5 was then agreed to.
Clause 6 was agreed to, after a long conversation;.in which
several verbal amendments were proposed and agreed to.:
On clause 7 being put from the chair—
RUSSIAN POLICY.
Mr. P. STEWART said that it had been an understand-
ing with the Government that his motion respecting the policy
of Russia should come on at a certain hour of the evening.
As it was then half-past nine o'clock he suggested to the
Noble Lord that it would be only justice to him to postpone
the further consideration of the Bill before the Committee until
his motion should be disposed of.
Lord J. RUSSELL denied that any such understanding
existed on his part. The only understanding of which he was
cognizant was, that the lion. Member should have the oppor-
tunity of bringing forward his motion after the Bill before the
Committee had passed through certain stages. He (Lord J.
Russell) was opposed to the 'postponement of the Bill to the
motion, but in another hour or two it might be brought on.
Mr. P. STEWART complained that he had given way se-
veral times to the entreaties of the Government on the subject
of his motion, and that now he was as distant as ever from the
point at which he aimed.—(Hear.)
After a few words from the ATTORNEY-GENERAL,
Mr. ROBINSON set the question at rest by taking the
opinion of the House, and moved that the Chairman do report
progress and obtain leave to sit again.

Lord D. STUART thought it was an unfair proceeding on
the part of his Noble Friend to say that he did not under-
stand, what he (Lord D. Stuart) believed there was no
Hon. Member in the House but did, that his Hon. Friend
the Member for Lancaster should have permission to bring
on his motion at a certain hour.—(Cries of " No, no.") In
proof of the participation of the Government in that under-
standing he ( Lord D. Stuart) should merely mention the
fact of the Noble Lord, the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, having come down to the House at nine o'clock.
The opposition of his Noble Friend the Secretary for the
Home Department would go far to strengthen the opinion en-
tertained by the country that he—not the Government—was
adverse to any discussion of the subject involved in his Hon.
Friend's motion.

Mr. F. FRENCH moved that the Chairman do report pro-
gress and obtain leave to sit again.
Lord J. RUSSELL repeated his denial of any understand-
ing on the subject of the motion with the Hon. Member for
Lancaster.

Sir R. PEEL had proposed an arrangement in the early
part of the evening, that the motion of the Hon Member for
Lancaster should interpose at a certain stage of the Bill before
the Committee, but he was bound to say that the Noble Lord
opposite had delined to acquiesce in it. That was what had
strictly passed.
After some words from Mr. P. Stewart, Mr. P. Thomson,
Mr. T. Attwood, Mr. French, Mr. J. Jervis, and Captain
Pechell, on the suggestion of Lord Stanley it was fixed that
the discussion of the motion should take place on Wednesday
evening next, at five o'clock, on the bring up of the Report
of the Committee of Supply on the Navy Estimates; and that
to facilitate that object all private business should be suspended
after that period.
The Committee then resumed.
Clause 7 was agreed to.
Clauses 8,9, 10, and 11, were, as verbally amended,
agreed to.
On clause 12, relative to the appointment of revising bar-
risters, being put,
Mr. WARBURTON objected to the number of revising
barristers' Courts, which the clause, if agreed to in its pre-
sent state would establish. By the clause the same day was
fixed for revising the whole of the lists; but if, instead of
that arrangement, different days were named for the pur-
pose, twelve barristers would, in his opinion, be amptly suf-
cient to revise the lists of the whole country. He, therefore,
proposed that an amendment to that effect be made in the
clause.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL should support the clause
as it stood.

Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET contended that the
state of the law at present was unsatisfactory. There was no
single year in which there were not contradictory decisions of
the revising barristers. He thought it would be most advan-
tageous if the persons appointed to act in this capacity were
persons of longer standing and greater experience. He
thought that their standing ought at least to be five years.
The Noble Lord proposed an amendment to the effect of his
suggestions. . _

-Lord J. RUSSELL did not think that the amendment of
the Noble Lord would go to meet the objections which he
(Lord G. Somerset) had himself urged. The Government
had taken the course which they thought best calculated to se-
cure the most efficient discharge of those important duties.
Mr. AGLIONBY hoped that after what had been now ad..
milted the Bill would not be, pressed forward at present, but
that the Noble Lord and the Right Hon. Gentleman (Sir J.
Campbell) would consent to postpone it, or at least the pre-
sdnt clause, to some future day.
Mr. FINCH was opposed to allowing the nomination of the
Revising Barristers to rest in the hands of the Government.
Mr. \VARBURTON stated his intention, on the bringing
up of the Report to move a clause to effect the object he had
proposed.
After a few words from Lord G. Somerset, Mr. Pemberton,
Colonel Sibthorp, and the Attorney-General, the Gallery was
cleared for a division, but none took place, and the clause, with
one amendment, was agreed to.
Clauses 13 to 18 inclusive were then agreed to ; and, the
House, having resumed, the Chairman reported progress, and
asked leave to sit again.
Mr. FINCH asked a question respecting some trees which
had disappeared from Kensington Gardens.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER referred
the Hon. Gentleman to the Office of Woods and Forests,
where he could get every information on the subject. He be-
lieved they were cut down for the improvement of the gardens.
Mr. HA WE S obtained leave to bring in a Bill for the better
regulation of inns, ale-houses, and victualling houses.
The other Orders of the Dav were, then disposed of, and the
House adjourned at Half-past 'Twelve o'Clock.