The Sun.
London, England, 1840-07-07 00:00:00

IRISH REGISTRATION.

Lord STANLEY said that before the Orders of the
Day were proceeded with, he considered it his duty to
state to the House the course which he:intended to take
with regard to the Irish Registration Bill which stood
for Thursday next. He had introduced that measure
at:an early period of the Session, not perhaps at so early
a period as he should have done if he had been aware of
the opposition by which he had been encountered. He
introduced that Bill as early as March, and on the 25th
of that month it was read a second time, and on an
early day after the Easter recess it was appointed to go
into Committee. Circumstances occurred which ren-
dered it necessary to postpone the further consideration
of that stage to the 18th of May, and after three days'
discussion it was appointed for the 11th of June. The
13ill had gone through the ordeal of ten divisions. In
five olsthose divisions the whole power of her Majesty's
Government had liven exerted for the purpose of
throwing it out, and of the ten divisions there was only
one in which the Government had been partially success-
fll. On the remaining nine the Bill remained untouched.
If the Bill had been encountered with an opposition
most unfair and unusual, he was bound to say it had been
supported with a degree of cordiality unprecedented in
former times. For three successive %leeks :300 gentle-
men had: recorded their support of a measure
which had been determindly opposed by the Govern-
meat. As long as he felt there was any chance of
carrying the Bill in the present Session, he felt bound
to taxthe kindness of his friends, but lie thought he
should be doing wrong if he continued to do so when
he found that it was impossible that the measure should
be successful in the present Session. The MI had met
most unprecedented opposition, and be could not an-
ticipate that that opposition would be relaxed. The
exertions, however, that had been made by his friends
on behalf of the Bill had not been fruitless.
Tile evils of the Irish Registration had been confessed
to be so glaring as to require an ialtuediate and effec-
tual remedy. The House had decided in favour of
the remedy he had suggested against that pro-
posed by the Government.—(llear,) Four successive
times had the House decided in its favour. Ti:ey
had decided in favour of annual registration in
contradistinction to quarterly registration ; and
on two occasions, by majorities of over 300
against minorities of under 200, they had declared
that they would not mix up with that
qustion, the disputed question of the franchise. That
was the position and ground on which they stood.
—([fear, hear.) They might go on with further
success, carrying future clauses, and achieving barren
triumphs against a Government which did not
seem to regard being defeated upon such a
question as of the slightest consequence.—( Hear, hear)
But by going on they would stand in the way of much
public business, and having lost much of the hope and
expectation of carrying it during the present Session, he
dii not wish, for the mere purpose of harassing or even
of defeating the Government, to continue to carry on
the struggle.—( Hear, hear.) There were many
important measures still to be considered, and
otters to be proposed, which he thought it
would hardly be possible or expedient to postpone.
He felt that any further discussions or debates
upon the measure would be productive of inconvenience,
and what he (Lord Stanley) would be exceedingly
sorry to incur the blame of continuing. He felt, how-
ever, that he had established in the present session
a principle with regard to the Irish Registration Bill
which he was prepared to rest upon ; and if he now ab-
stained from pressing it, he wished at the same time dis-
tieetly to state that, profiting by the experience of the
present Session, and knowing- the opposition be was likely
to oncounter—(Ministerial cheers)—he should take the
very earliest opportunity of inviting the attention of the
House to the measure in the next Session ; and he should
bring it forward at so early a period, as he trusted would
enable him to bring the Act into operation at the time he
originally proposed. Ile would now move the Order of
the Day fir going into Committee on the Bill, in order to
is being dischaiged.
The order was then read and discharged.
Lord J. RUSSELL said, after the Noble Lord had
stated so much with respect to the Bill, he would take
leave to say a word ; and he would observe that there was
one part, and one part 'only, to which he felt himself
bound to reply. With regard to the reasons of the Noble
Lord, on the ground of public expediency, for postponing
the Bill for the present, he had nothing
to say; but
with regard to what seemed to be implied, with re-
spect to the opposition that had been given, be thought
it certainly his duty to observe, after what the Noble Lord
hid said, to use his own words, that he thought a fair,
open, candid opposition had been the characteir, of that
opposition.—( Loud laughter, and cries of " ph, from the
Tory benches.) There might be a question certainly,
v‘ bother, after the House had agreed to go into Committee,
any motion should be made to prefer any other Bill to
that of the Noble Lord's. He (Lord J. R. ) felt it was
desirable that there should be such a Bill, but he would
not introduce it himself, lest it should he said that it was
e arb,nydhiLse
laircinne.d
Fri
enidi
unfair. if it then fell uponis,uolii,i,sphooHrwtocendv.
d
Halifa voted in favour of
theto doms,iom,
baenrdfot hr
xtv,aws
the Noble Lord's
.Bill, at the same time that he spoke very
strongly against it—( A laugh)—and surely the Noble
Lord would not say that the Hon. Member for Halifax
had given an unfair and factious opposition to his
( Hear.) Now, under what circumstances did the lion.
and Learned Member for Dublin move the instruction?
It was after the Hon. Member for Bridport had been pre-
cluded, by a technicel rule of the House, from moving a
similar one.—( Hear, hear.) And when the Speaker so
declared the rule he (Lord J. Russell) would have, with
deference, offered sonic cbjection to that division, only
for the excitement of the House at the time. But he
had intended at some other time to do so. It was under
those circumstances, and having been precluded Were
from moving the instruction, that the Hun. and Learned
1 Member brought it forward on the occasion when he did.
lie (Lord J. Russell) had been blamed for causing delay ;
but the fact was, that when he beard Hon. Members oppo-
site debating the questions of law at such length, and so
often, he could cot help observing to his friends near hint
Ah I surely they do na intend to go on still this
• Cheers and laughter.) Now, so much for the
factious delay that had been caused to their Bill by those
who supported the instruction of the lion, and Learned

EVENING.

Member for Dublin.—(Cheers.) With regard to the
measure (continued the Noble Lord) I do not meal,
after the Noble Lord has declared his intention
of abandoning it, to say anything whatever with regard fts
the nature of that measure ; but in the next Session, whe-
11,er we bring forward measures of legislation on tour
Bill, or whether the Noble Lord brings thenv forward,
or the other, I shall certainly be ready to discuss them, but
always with this object in view, that if it is intended fairly
to allow the peasoes who by law are entitled to vote
easily to register themselves, and without exorbitant ex-
pense er needless delay to place their votes on a list by
which they will be able to go up to the poll when the tine
of election comes—everything that can forward that object
shall have my earnest support.—( Cheers.) On the con-
trary, if, whatever may be the motive of the provisions in.
troduced, I see those provisions tend, under the name of
registration, to obstruct and. destroy the franchise given by
the Reform Act, I shall feel it my duty to give the
strongest opposition to them.—( Loud cheers.) . I was
looking the other day to see what was the course of discus-
sion in the progress of the Reform Act, and I saw that for
forty says my Noble Friend, L.. 1.1 Spencer, and myself
argued in Committee in favour of that Act, and that the
Bill being thrown out by the House of Lords, in thi
curiae of the ileac-,Session, for teen ty.two days we aga
combatted in favour of the Bill in Committee. Thai
was beside s all the lengthened discussion that took place
on the second readieg, and going into Committee, and oft
the third reading of the 13t11. But long as that titre was
—sixty-two days altogether in Committee, besides the, vete
rious other days taken up in discussion—l am ready to
encounter, even for that, or for a longer petiod of time, dill*
cussions in this House rather than submit to a virtual and
eff,-ctual repeal of the Reform Act.--( Loud cheering.)
The Order of the Day was then discharged.
Sir CHARLES DOUGLAS inquired whethai. it Wit
the intention of the Noble Lord to go on with the Right
of Voting Bill this Session ?
Lord J. R USi E LL—No, it is not.
Sir R. PE EL—As this is about the time we generally.
clear off the Bills—(Cheers and laughter)—I wish to ask
whether it is intended to go on pith the Treating and
Bribery Bill.-:-( Hear, bear.)
Lord J. RUSSELL-1 got leave to introduce that
Bill, and I have had it for some days before me. There
is one point on which I have considered a good deal, an&
• I shall require some further time before I finally -ettri:'ll.
—( Hear, hear.) I shall introduce the Bill, but Ido nit
intent.; to go on with it this Session.—(Hear, hear.),
S:r ROBERT PEEL—And the same I suppose with
regard to No. 2 Irish Registration Bill ?—( Laughaer.)
Lord JOHN R US SEL L—Yes. —( Hear ana laugiTter.)
Sir ROBERT PEEL—Then we have got rid of live
Bills this Session.—( Great latiebter.)
METROPOLITAN POLICE COURTS.
Colsird WOOD wi.hed to know whether the Metropo-
litan Police Courts would be proceeded with. The sill
stood in the paper that evening, and it was his intention to
take the sense of the House on one of the dailies, which
proposed to exclude the Magistracy from acting with the
paid Magistrates of the rural districts. If the Bill Veas to
be proceeded with he hoped due notice would be given that
they might have a fair opportunity of discussing it.
Mr. F. MA ULE said it was his intention to press the
Bill Cr on as early a day as po.ssible.
Colonel WOO[) hoped it would be brought on at a pe-
riod of the night when Members might have a chance of
paying attention to it.

Mr-. HOGG (in answer to a question from Mr. C.
Buller) said the East Im!la Company had not let received
any deipatch from the Governor-General respecting the
Sattarah case, nor could he say when Lord Auoililaiql
would send it.

Mr. II li'FT begged to give notice, that as he despaired
of avairCbg his object this session, it was his intention to
postpr,ns: the notioe of mation, for as instruction to the
Corntoittte upon Grinding Foreign Corn in Bond until
next session