The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-28 00:00:00

they may also remember that it is said that after the bolts and
bars were drawn upon him, be cried out through the key-
hole, " the world goes rounds still."—( Loud cheers.)
He is not a Whig, much less a Radical as I am—but he be-
longs in politics to a party opposed to me; and he says,
" nothing depends on the merits.—every thing depends on ,the
Committee." I ask Gentlemen to put their hands to their
hearts, and to say whether that is true or false ?—(Cheers.)
Parties endeavour to get Committees of the most extraordi-
nary nature. I have heard even to-day of a most extraordi-
nary circumstance with respect to a Committee.--
( Loud cheering, which continued for some seconds. The
observation was made, we believe, in allusion to the
fact of a gentleman having allowed himself to be
ballotted for on the City of London Committee, not-
withstanding he voted for, and was an active partizan of,
the petitioner.) And it really was suggested to me—only the
Noble Lord has conducted his case with so much perfect cor-
rectness towards me, I must say that I will not at all think of
involving him in any species of even legitimate complaint—
but it has been suggested to me, it was arranged that my case
should ho brought on early, before the facts of that other ease
came before the House. It appears that some gentlemen have
that sweet oblivious antidote, that makes them forget two and
two make four, or some proposition of equal certainty.
" Thus the writer goes on to ensure a favourable Committee,
every principle of decency and justice are notoriously and
openly prostituted."--(Loud cheers.) This has been in print
for twelve months; and now I am assailed for taking up this
thing when it is pressing home to the bosoms of those whose
rights are most dear to me. This is what the public say ; and
yet you come with your vindication of yourselves, with a ma-
jority of nine, declaring that to be true which the public
declares to be utterly untrue.—( Cheers.) It goes on :
" The solemnity of an oath and public opinion have
little effect on many when the interest of one of their party is
at stake. "—(Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") That is what the
public say, and what becomes of your vindication, or your
reprimand of me ?—( Cheers.) I have expres: ed no regret for
what I have uttered—l have retracted nothing—l retract
nothing.—( Loud cheering for some time.) Sir, I have risen
to move the appointment of a Committee of investigation,
which I had not an opportunity of doing before. Let me meet
your resolution by evidence.—(Loud cheers.) Give me a
Committee—let it be selected in a way you think most
likely to obtain the opinion of the public—let the lead-
ing men of each party be upon it.—( Hear and cheers.)
Let it be nominated by the Speaker. Ought this House to
submit to this history of it given to the public ? It is not only
to the organs of both parties I refer to—l refer to the delibe-
rate publications of your own House given to you. I will
I examine before that Committe the Members of this House—
the Learned Counsel who practise here, and who said to me
it is in vain for you to struggle, you sea the Committee will
decide everything against us.—( Hear, hear.) They will at
once say, that when 7 to 4 are struck you may instantly
send your witnesses home—we will go on with your case,
but they will strike to-morrow.—( Hoar, hear.) I have heard
that said recently—( Hear, hear,)—and now that being so, I
will put it to the honour and candour of the gentlemen who
hear me, if they will persevere in that course, and not give us
this trial. You have your public tribunals to try everything
unstained and untainted. You find in those tribunals Gentle-

men among you, whatever the!r politics may be, who perform
their duty with impartiality. I will say that of you English
gentlemen who come among us in the judicial scat. You have
therefore unstained and untainted benches of justice. You
have impartial juries—you can remove a trial from place to
place—you can, what we call, charge the venue—you can get
counties free from all bias and party attachment—you can get
the judges to preside and correct the errors of juries if they
find a verdict against evidence, or the weight of evidence—
but your present tribunal, who is to correct it? Nobody.
It is the most absolute tribunal in the world. Law you pro-
fess to know nothing of; and what can be more dangerous
than for a body to take upon itself to decide upon law who is
utterly ignorant of it? You sages who have laid down rules
that no man shall be deprived by law of his life or property
wi,hout evidence, what is your evidence ? What would you
require ? This gentleman goes on to state that whatever one
on one side wishes to have, they have only to suggest it to a
friendly Counsel that he may ask for it, and which a Counsel
in a Court of Justice would be ashamed to ask. I am ready to
prove my case. I call on you to let me prove my case.—( Hear. )
If that Committee decide that I have made a false charge, there
is no submission too humble which will not proudly be bowed
to by me. If that Committee states it is proved that I have
made a mis-statement, there is no reparation I shall not
make which so humble an individual as myself may be capable
of. But I cannot, stand by the notion that any censure is in-
flicted on roe by any vote of a majority that will not come to
the evil and eradicate Much cheering.) I will not say
all—tevcral may not come, but many will come down
to-morrow, and be reproached in their clubs, if they happen
to be away when their ballot is going on. All they want to
have said is—" Oh if you had been in your place—if you
had been there, the majority would have been the other way."
A morality of party against the morality of justice I—( Cheers.)
I have heard a great deal against religion here. What scuffles
and scrambles have been made for the purpose of throwing
out observations against religion in one part of the House and
in another, and what sanctimoniousness of demeanour has
been observed on other occasions I—(Hear, hear.) This, then,
is a question of trying a matter fairly, after being sworn on the
Holy Word of God. Where then are those men of pore
canctity? Why don't they come forward now and adjourn
their Sabbath. days' Bills, if we are to hear any more of those
Bills adjourn them for a week or ten days, and come to
a real vindication of their calling on the sanctity of the name
of the Eternal God.—( Hear, hear.) Sir, I mean to move that
this Committee shall be formed, and I shall submit upon that to
anything which the House may think fit. I have repented of
nothing—l have retracted nothing.—( Hear.) I mean not to
use harsh or offensive language.—( Cries of " Oh, oh," from
the Tory side, at which the Hon. and Learned Gen leman
paused, as if surprised, which produced profound silence.
After a brief pause t he Hon. and Learned Gentleman proceeded. )
I admire their attention to a subject which introduces the
name and sancticn of the Deity.—( Hear, hear.) I repeat
what I have said, but I wish I could fied terms less offensive
in themselves and equally significant.—( Hear, hear.) lam
bound to re-assert what I have said, for I am convinced of
nothing by a vote.—( Hear, hear.) Sir, I now more for the
appointment of a Committee.
The SPEAKER.—Mr. O'Connell, it is contrary to the
roles of The House to move for a Committee without having
given notice.
Mr. O'CONNELL.—If that is the rule, Sir, I now give
notice that I will move for the Committee to-morrow.--( Hear. )
. Lord CASTLEREAGH then rose, but gave way to
ILord JOHN RUSSELL—Sir, I rise to move that your
ddress be inserted in the Journals of the House.
LONDON ELECTION COMMITTEE.
Mr. CURRIE, the Chairman of the London Election
,Committee, appeared at the Bar, and being asked by the
aker what he had there, sa d—A ref ort, Sir, which, as
kChairman of the London Election Committee lam directed
ito make to the House. I am directed to state, that,
o T meeting this day, and before the Committee proceeded
to business, Mr. Sanderson, one of the Members, stated
'that it was only this morning be discovered that he had
voted at the last election for the city of London.—(Cheers,
laugh'er, and cries of " Oh, oh," which continued fur some
!minutes.) When the noise subsided, Mr. C. continued—
kAnd Mr. Sanderson added, that he took the earliest opportu-
rnity to apprise the Committee of the fact.—( Hear.) Upon
Pacing informed of that, the Committee adjourned to to-morrow,
'tend ordered me to report the fact to the House immediately.
! Mr. SANDERSON then rose amidst cheers, laughter,
Nand cries of " Order, order." He said—l feel that some ex-
planation and apology is due from me to the House on this
occasion.—( Hear, tear.) It is now nearly twelve years
ilince I first had the honour of sitting as a
Member of
this House—(', Hear, hear," from the Tory benches)
I.—and during the whole of that time I have been
an elector of the City of London. But from the
`circumstance of the election for Colchester having been
'Always preced -from voting in Ldon,
'fixed for the same time as that for the City
but at the
of London, I was
'election, andlud I thought it had been ason before.— last
(" Oh, oh !"
'cheers, laughter, and cries of " Order.") I thought it had
been so at the last election, and that I had not voted. I state
that in my own justification. But on referring to the poll-
books of my own accord, and without any suggestion from any
one else—(hear and a laugh)--I found that I did vote,
and I immediately hastened to apprise the Committee of
the circumstance.—(Opposition cheers.) Sir, I sincerely
regret the inconvenience which I hare caused to the House
on this occasion, and. I assure the House that the error was
moat unintentional—( Hear, hear from ;the Tories)—and I
trust that every Hon Member will acquit me of any desire to
conceal the factiof my having voted.—( Hear, hear, from the
Tories.) I know not what the decision of the House may be.
But upon reference to the poll-books this morning of my own
accord, I found it was not so—that I did vote at the last
election. I immediately acquainted the Committee with the
fact. I sincerely regret the inconvenience which I have oc-
casioned. I assure the House it was an unintentional error ;
I hope every Hon. Member will acquit me of any desire
to be retained on the Committee while disqualified
from serving.—( Hear, hear.) I know not what course the
House may take regarding me--for my own part, I desire my
name may be struck off the Committee.—( Hear, hear. )
Mr. W YNN said a clause had been inserted in the Act
respecting Election Committees—the 30th clause expressly
to meet this case, by the desire of Lord Colchester, enacting
that " eleven Members, sworn at the table, well and truly to
try the merits of any election petition shall be deemed
and taken to be a Select Committee, legally appointed
to try and determine the merits of that election petition,
from and after the time of such Committee having been sworn
at the table." Now, he thought that in this case, the Hon.
Members of the Committees having been sworn at the table,
they were legally constituted to try the petition ; and the
!louse could not meddle with it.—( Hear, hear, from the Op-
position • benches.) Now, while the House took care to guard
against the possibility of this occurring through favouritism
toward any individual, they allowed gentlemen, in consequence
of death or dangerous illness of a near relative to be excused from
attendance on the Committee. The present case, he thought,
came within the limits of the rule ; for they should remember
that the vote of a member who had polled at the election was
likely to be questioned by the Committee, and he would be
obliged to be in attendance during its sittings, to verify his
statement. He did not therefore think that the House would
be straining the rule, by bringing the present case within it.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that after the statement
made by the Hon. Member, he had only to say that he
entirely agreed with him, that the bye-law of the Committee
i
must continue in force, and must not be ntsrfered with in
any way whatsoever. The Honourable Gentleman would no
doubt, have to attend the Committee, to verify his statement.
He thought this consideration would induce the llouse, on
the application of the Hon. Member himself, to be allowed to
attend and verify his own vote.