The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-30 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

ROUSE OF COMMONS, JAN. 29.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'Cloek.
ANSWER TO THE ADDRESS.
The SPEAKER reported that the House had yes-
terday attended her ANesty with the Address, to which
her 111.jesty had been pleased to return the following
most gracious answer :

" I have received with great satisfaction your loyal
and affectionate Address. I thank you for your con-
gratulation on the increase of my domestic happiness. I
shall not cease to direct my most earnest attention to
every measure which may be calculated to promote the
public welfare, and for the maintenance of the peace of
Europe."

HUMPHERY presented a petition from the
borough of Southwark, praying for the erection of a
new street leading to Blackfriars-bridge.
POOR-LAWS.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL then moved for leave to
bring in a 8.11 to continue the Poor-law Commission
fur a time to be limited, and for the further amendment
of the laws relating to the poor in England. The
Noble Lord stated that he proposed by the Bill to
extend the authority of the Commissioners for ten
years.

Mr. GRIMSDITCII rose, and said that he should
feel it is duty to oppose the motion. When the
N9ble Lord introduced the Bill before, ho
gave a pledge that he would never again attempt
to renew the authority of the Commissioners,
and under those circumstances he (Mr. Grimsditch)
was rather surprised at the present motion. He
thought the conduct of the Commissioners had been
such as to bring confusion into almost every part of
the kingdom. It had certainly been so in the North,
with which he (Mr. Grimsditch) was most intimately
acquainted. He could point out many instances in which
this law had worked injuriously, creating great discon-
tent, adding to rather than lessening the burden upon
the public, and making the condition of the poor worse
than it was before. The results of the inquiries which
had been made throughout the country, had been to
convict the masters of workhouses of gross oppression.
The Honourable Member then proceeded to state that
many inconveniences had arisen from the districts being
too large to admit of proper management. He was
acquainted with Unions which extended over a district
of ten miles. It was impossible that a Union of such
extent should be properly governed. He -also com-
plained that the number of Assistant-Commissioners
was nearly double what were originally proposed to be
appointed.
Mr. WAKLEY said that there could be no doubt
that the present law would admit of an amendment
being introduced into it, but if the Noble Lord wished
to take the sense of the House on the present motion,
he should divide it into two parts. 'rho two legitimate
parts representing the subject to be considered were
one to emend and the other to extend the commission.

Ile did expect that the Noble Lord would• state, as
far as he could learn it from the Commissioners, the
full development of the effects which the existing law
produced on the interests of the people. He expected
that the Noble Lord would satisfy the House of the
necessity of the changes proposed, but he left them in
utter ignorance of the necessity of those changes. He
had expressed a hope that the Noble Lord would not
object to put the proposition in two parts—one re-
specting the continuance of the Poor-law Commis-
sioners, and the other relative to the amendment of
•the existing law ; by his so doing the House would
know how to vote, but if the Noble Lord declined to
adopt the course which he (Mr. Wakley) suggested,
he in consenting to the introduction of u Bill for pro-
perly amending the existing law, begged to state, that
when other proposals were made with reference to the
other Bill he would oppose it in all its stages. The
Commissioners had failed in ;;i%ing satisfaction to the
country. The institution must. be considered a useless
and most expensive one ; the people would not grudge
expense if they felt that the law was satisfactory to the
poor, but the law was regarded as a harsh and in-
human law. It was considered to be a law unsuited to
the charitable and kindly disposition of the people of
this country. He was amazed that a Ministry calling
itself a Reformed Ministry, and relying fur support. on
the good wishes of the people, would propose -a Poor-
law of that nature, and would propose its continuance.
atter the experience of its pernicious, and, in 44 °Pt"
nion, cruel working. The present law took from the
people the administration of their own affairs in the
matter that concerned their own interest in an especial
manner, and deprived them of the means of applying
their own money in charities to the objects that c ame
under their observation in the different
eNoble Lord
localities of the
d
places which they frequented. Was th
prepared, he would ask, to showthe
tinuiog the Commission? the law to be in the
hands of the Commissioners, or in the statute books of
necessity of con-
the realm ? If ever a law was to be well understood it was
assuredlythosew.how. were to administertheir t
principles laid d
tcould,hitt andu
understand
er
st,th d the
byt t
rr a: statutes,nowr ett? erringhe an
no thepp e
aliawir.omßthue
cruelt
igousitdoirdc ofe
hendenrcsieet' of the guardians to the Commission-
ers -house. They were to carry into ope-
rationwhatever law they might think necessary. If
t
as a constitutional mode of governing the cone-
f,at Somerset-house.ee
sooner they got rid of it the better. It was
the creation of a despotic authority at Somerset-house
—greater than that House, or any other, could exer-
e;se. He hell in his hand a small book which he had
obtained a short time since from Somerset-house—it was
entitled " An Amendment of the Workhouse Rules."
1-leaven only knew what the rules were which those to
which he referred were intended to amend. But wha
was the nature of the discipline ? No severer punish-
ment could be inflicted than the silent system. Crimi-
nals complained of being harshly and unjustly treated
by the oleeration of the silent system, and yet tht law
enables the Commissioners to carry out that silent
svttem. Ho believed that there was a provision in the
Poor law Act which required, that before any general
rule be adopted, it should be submitted to the Secretary
of State ; it could then only obtain the force of law.
But in order to avoid the responsibility and in en-
u y ii
i cee,
eirrvhicisttithLiwtv: madeoulo
d occasion,
eachcasi particular,a
particular Union,
ruleo
was ,
and thus no general rule was submitted to the Secretary
of State. But what did one of the rules state? It stated
that all paupers in the workhouse, except the
' sick, and the paupers of the fourth, fifth, and
seventh classes, should rise and leave off work
• at a time to be intimated by the ringing of a bell, and
that doting the time of meals silence :Ida be main,