The Sun.
London, England, 1840-05-21 00:00:00

ri+lU
-ENG Lit i

his measure, respectfully and calmly, and giving
thee, such an answer a:, Le thought they tid,ght deserve.
It W2S %c;y %t that stage of the debate, to answer
theic vihbout going over ground which had
Plready b;!en traversed by other:, and p,:rliaps &acing the
imprcision of the footsteps of thoFe who laid gone before.
—( licar, hear.) But al from the peculiar circumstances
in %hid: ha 11. d been placed- he bad had as much ex •

p.,rience of the practical working of the Irish system of
re,gistraticn as any Hon '.ember representing an English
coestituency could have, he felt it his bounden duty to pre-
sent himself to the House, and state the reasons
which had suggested themselves to his mind
for voting fir the present measure.__( Hear, hear.)
He had listened with the must respectful attention to the
tj,etions made to this measure by the other side of the
House, fur it vv,s his duty to do so. This measure was
not to he carried by clamour, but demanded the most calm
and temperate diseussion—( Cheers from the Ministerial
side)—and he would endeavour rot to use language cal-
culated to produce the smallest degree of irrit ttion, as it
was dt sirable wha.eyer decizion the House might come to
on the sulket, should appear as the result of calm and
dt liberate disi_us,tion. He would confess that he had
leaked forward with great expectation to the speech of
the Hon. aid Learned Solicitor-General, which closed
the ..bite of last night, because he was aware of the
great abilities sod of the indefatigable industry of that
Ilan. and Learned Gentleman; and that the peculiar bent
of hs mind was a desire to investigate thoroughly every
subject to which he directed his attention ; he had there.
fore watched for a statement from him of the real
ohjections which existed to that important measure,
and which he had locked for in vain in the speeches cf
other lion. Menaces. Ile was compelled to say, how.
ever, that that expectation had been disappointed, for
from the beginning to the end of his speech the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman had not addressed one word as to the
rinciple of the Bill.—(Tory cheers.) fie would pass
s!ightly over the conciliatory recommendation of the Hon.
snd L..arued Gentleman to the Government, to introduce
such Bills as would please, a certain party cut of doors,
without reference to the chance of their being ap-
proved of by the ether House, and then to appeal to
the country on the subject. It appeared to him that popti.
, larity might be tarried at an easy rate, if the Goveinment
atteoued to the suggestion of the Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman, but at the same time of the roost hazardous na'.ure:
but he felt such reliance on the charaexr of her Ma-

jesty's Guvernment—(Cheers)—as gentlemen and states-
men, although lie might have no confidence in the general
measures they introduced, as satisfied him that they would
not adoet the oil captandunt legislation recommended by
their own legal adviser. lie was utterly at a loss to un-
derstand how the Pill of the Noble Lord could, at he
Hon. and Leatned Gentleman stated it did, gu to impair
the efficiency of the Reform Bill—it did Rot extend or
red ice the franchise.—(lronical cheers from the Minis-
terial benches.) It did not touch the foundation of the
franchise at all, and Idt it precisely where it found it.
—( Hear, hear. Neither could he understand how it
could be denominated a Bill of pains and penalties.
The Hen. and Learned Gentleman, and likewise the
Noble Lord opposite, had suggested that it would bo
better nut to allow this insulated measure to
Pass. bat to
wait for some general measure to be introduced by the
Goverement, in which this subject was comprehended,
lie had been struck by the observation of the Noble Load.
the Member for North Lancashire with regardtodtbaet
tb;
sus-
picious time at which that proposal was made, an
the absence of any explanation on the subject in the
speech of the lion. and Learned Solicitor-General for
Ireland.—( Hear, hear.) But it was impossible that any
mea...ure of registration for the three kingdoms could bo
comprehended in oleo Bill with the differeut registration
machinery in the three kingdoms ; three bills would be at).
soloaely necessary, mid if so, why could not the Bid of the
Nable Lard be made the foundation of a portion ut that
rre-asure o Lich Hen. Gentlemen opposite said it has their
iinctiti et to intreduce ?—( Hear, hear.) Tb, Hon. and
Learned Gent!: man had admitted the great evils
ui
the present system of registration in Ireland. But
he objected to the proposed triethcd of reforming the
system, and amongst other objectioes stated the difficulty
imposed upon electors in obtaining the franchise by being
compelled to go to a distance to attend the Registration
Courts. Now the Bill of the Noble Lord gave the As-
sistant- Barrister lower of adleaurbing his Court.—( Hear,
hew ) 'Now, as that had. 'been denied, he would ;Tier to
the Bill. By acctio 26, pow,: was given to the Assist-
' ant•Berrister to adjourn his Court to any place that he
might tlii7la fit. By section 17, the Assistant-Barrister
was tf.; give notice of the place where he intended holding
his Sessiena, such places to include all places where the
Courts of Quarter Sessions were usually held, and like-
wise such places as the Lord Lieutenant might hereafter
appoint. And by section 18, power was given to the
Lord Lieutenant hereafter upon the requisition of the
Magistrates of the county—( Loud ironical cheers from
llinistcrial benches)—to appoint other places as perma-
nent places for the registration of voters. There could no
difficulty whatever occur, as the Sessions must be held be-
tween September 10 and October 20, and as notice of objec.
thin must be given before August 10. A week before
September 10, the Assistant-Barrister would give notice
of the places where he would hold his Registration
Court, and he would have the power to adjourn to any
place where there were a considerable number of voters
to be registered.—(Tory cheers.) lie had endeavoured to
explain to the [louse the provisions which existed on this
aubject, es he believed that great misapprehensioa existed
as to the r rovision in question. This Bill, in fact, afforded
greater facilities for toe acquisition of the franchise than
the Reform Act itself, as under that Act the Assistant-
Barrister possessed no power of adjournment which the
13111 now under discuSsion proposed to give him. It was
admitted on the other side that the octennial registration
was objectionable—that it opened the door to fraud and
perjury. The remedy was offered in this Bill.—( Cheers.)
Those who now opposed the caution for going iota Com-
mittee had in 1832 called for annual registration, and called
for it year after 1 ear.—( Hear, hear.) Now, for the trst
time they found that it would have the effect of disfran-
chising a large proportion of the electors.—(Cheers.) He
could not help thinking
that thu objection was raised be-
cause the Bill had been brought in by his Noble Friend.—
( Hear.) Could any Member of that House doubt that if
there had been in Ireland no system of registration at the
time ct the passing of the Reform Bill, the system in that
country would have been assimilated to that of England and
Scotland, and that there would have been an annual revision
of the registry ?—( Hear.) The lion. and Learned
Member for Dublin, with his usual acuteness, had foreseen
all the evils at the time, and actually proposed a remedy.—
Hear, hear.) The admission of improper persons to the
registry was an injury to all who were properly qualified.
Every person who had a right to register, or a right to
claim, had an interest in preventing the intrusion of those
who had no right. Was a man who was once wrongly ad-
mitted on the registry to remain there without the power
of removing him ? He called upon those Gentlemen who
titight that the Irish registry ought not to be opened be-
fore Committees of the [louse of Commons, to pause be-
' fere they voted for the continuance of the present system,
ttltich allowed the man to retrain for eight years on the re-
gistry
without question. To these who thought that the
registry (eight to be opened he would say, that they should
consider the expense which was incurred by parties who
mid to go More a Committee of the House of Commons
to obtain en investigation into the claims of persons who
had been improperly registered. The mere argument whetht r
investigation should be entered on generally occupied two
or three days. Agents and counsel were employed, and
witnesses were brought over, and frequently it happened
that after all the enormous expenses, the Committee de-
cided that they would not go into the inquiry. The Hon.
and Learned Member for Dublin might say that there was
a provision against this grievance—that a Commission
could be sent to Ireland to examine witnesses. Bat the
efficiency ct the Commission might be understood from a
speech of the lion. Member for Dundalk, from which he
quoted a passage to the effect that the remedy was wotso
than the disease. In the case to which the Hon. Member
for Dundalk was in that speech referring the Commission
corned their inquiry into the whole establishment of the
Castle. The Commissioners would examine no witnesses
on the question referred to them until they had inquired
who were the servants of the Lord Lieutenant, and who
were the agents of the Judges, and that after the inquiry
had been protracted for ten months they sent
over eleven volumes of evidence, five volumes of which
contained only the rejected evidence—which evidence was
not received, although the opposite parties offered to ad-
mit it to prevent delay, and the Hon. and Learned Mem-
ber for Dublin was iiiinself obliged to make use of it.
Could it be said that a system like that could be at all
useful to men who were really desirous of exercising a
legitimate franchise?—( Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member
fur Cork had said that the annual registration was a good
system. Why, then, would he not go into Committee,
for the purpose of adopting it ? There was no argument
offered on the other side against the principle of the Bill.
Let them, therefore, as the principle seemed almost to be
conceded, Co into the Committee, and endeavour to make
its details as perfect as possible. lie did not pledge him-
self in any way to the details, but he thought that, as the
principle of the Bill had received the sanction of the
House, it would be allowed to go into Committee, with
the determination to examine impartially its details.
Mr. O'CONNELL—Sir, instead el being at all dis-
pl.:Esed at the introduction—l think unnecassary introdue-
none...A allegations of fact, which I think, if necessary,
I could show to be quite different. I admit that I think
the Hole nd Learned Gentleman has made out a ease in
favour of this motion.—(Cheers from the Opposition.)
I ant reedy to concede to him that this Bill will be iu
favour of Members of this House, and of those who are
sot oggling to be Men-hers, and of those who have petitions
to present against Members.—( Hear, hear.) I concede
to him that the Bill will be an advantage to the wealthier
classes in Ireland—itamidtghoeoEdstßabill fur l
Cthlieuc°lll.•
freeholders, for the c"lielrlgbyeotal
Hear.) It will be a good Bill for those who can bear
the expepse of scats in this House, and for those who care
nothing fur the c xpanse of obtaining them.-_( Hear.)
poorer classes of the people of Ireland.
But it would be a hard thing to show that it would be a
good
The Noble Lord, under whose patronage
....chßeei'rls.fo; the
this Bill is ushered in, last night exhausted a good deal of
his excellent resentment towards me.—( Cheers and
laughter.) It was completely thrown away._. (Laughter
and cries of " Oh, oh.") From the state of the House--
from the sincere hostility—from the enemies of It eland—
and (fern the lukewarm zeal of his friends.--( Cheers. )
Tile Noble Lord and I can adjourn our retaliation for fu-
ture discussion.---( Laughter, and taunting cheers from the
Opposition.) I thitda it is obvious enough that before the
42d clause of this Bill conies to be discussed in the Com-
mittee we shall have opportunity for the settlement of our
differences.—( Laughter.) The Noble Lord quoted from
the Mirror of Parliament a speech attributed to me ; but.
the Noble Lord's tit-emery was fallacious. The passage
was quoted against me in 1832, when I was arguing against
the Noble Lord and his Attorney-General. I then showed
that if I had ever used the words attributed to me they
were totally inapplicable to the question upon which we
were then engaged. It was Mr. Franklin (as we under-
stood) who read the passage—a gentleman not remarkable
for his candour. But I showed that this was a mistake of
had not the Act of Parliament before him.blame
the report-r
—one into which any reporter mightido not fall who
the Noble Lord for not recollecting that I showed him it