The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-22 00:00:00

hai 11,r. been dismissed. As he stated before, a
re lueti n was Free seri in the uumb r ot the Penelaw
C stn sai ire' s. It was t ropes. d to reduce the
n t ener from ten to nine, and Mr. Mott was
selected as the party who was to retire. He
retired the reiore tee t_ einteissii n, and as not di.-
mi•sed.—(l ear, hear.) He said, therefore, that it was
not right that the Secretary of -tate should be called on
to give explanations at second-hand, and in an unsatis-
factory manner. It was of no use concealing the real
state of the question. He maintained decidedly, from
his past experience, considering the large powers which
were given to the Poor-law Commissioners, it was im-
portant that they should be directly responsible for their
own acts, that the public and that House should be able
to place their fingers on those who might do any wroeg
in the administration of the law.—(Hear, hear.) The
Noble Lord at the head of the Government has said that
it was a question formerly in the Cabinet of Earl Grey,
whether the resp 'risibility should not be made direct.
Lord Althorp, a high authority on this question, was
strongly disposed to take the course now proposed. and 1
of which he (Sir J. Graham) entirely approved. Lord
Althorp consented to suspend his judgment in the
matter at the time, and it was agreed to make
the responsibility indirect instead of direct. Now, trom
his (Sir James Graham's) judgment of the working of
the poor-law for the last ten years, and he was strongly
convinced that the responsibility should be direct, and
not indirect as befhre. Though it might do much
incommode the Government, still the step, in hisllopi-
nion, was one of great importance and valhe. —( eae,
hear.) He (Sir James Graham) further wished to ob-
serve, that the opinion of the Hon. t ember for Fins-
bury appeared to be a different opinion now to what
it formerly was. If his (Sir James Graham's) me-
mory served him right, he was convinced that the Hon.
Gentleman's opinion hitherto on the subject till that
night, was, that the boards of guardians, or local au-
thorities, were always seeking to cut down the supplies
to the poor, and that the central authority had been re-
peatediy exercised in a salutary way to prevent this
taking place.—(Hear, hear.) This brought him
to the main question before the House, which
was, first, was the central authority necessary ;
and if so, had that authority been improperly
exercised ? If it bad been improperly exercised then
the next question was, did the present measure supply
the cenitnission? With the regard to the first point, he
thought it had been generally admitted, that central
power was required. It had been admitted by the Hon.
Member for lansetshire, in the course of the present
&bate, and several other Hon. Metnb.-rs. But the Hon.
Member for Finsbury says that the present system ot
control has operated injuriously. That by the existing
system of rehet the poor have been confined in gaols, a,
he ti rms them, instead of being visited at their own
homes. Now what was the Government's after course?
So tar from the poor being generally relieved in the
werltheuses, as he alleges, tor the last three years but
fifteen per cent. of the poor of England and
\Vales have been so relieved ; while ei •htv-five
per eent. have been relieved at their own dwellings.
Irt England and Wales last year but 185,000 were re-
lieved in the wortthouse, while upwards of a million
were relieved without.—(Cheer,) Talk of the hard
ships of the poor after this, why a mere unfounded
charge was never brought agai.ist any party by any
body of Enelishmen. In the whole civilised world no
country made such a noble effort as the people of Eng-
laud to maintain roe ,lestattite cnaroy out of the
public funds. Its proportion to the population of 1834,
the sum of eight millions was rai,ed for the relief co
the poet-, but new the poor were relieved in a superior
manner by five m 'lions of money. And he begged to
call the attention of the flou,e to the fact that during
last year, though there was not that distress which un-
fortunately now prevailed, two millions of their fellow-
countrymen received a lief out of the parochial
rates. One-eighth of the whole population of England
and Wales were thus relieved, and as he said
before of these, no less than eighty-five per cent.
of them were relieved out of the workhouse.
It would be in vain for them in the history of the
whole civilised world to match such an effort of humanity,
so etfectire and unsparingly directed, and without, at
the same tune, degrading the characters of those who
received the relict.—(Cheers.) Now it had been said
by the Hon. Member for Warwick, that the workhouse
test had proved unsuccessful; and it was said by others,
that they had too many assistant commissioners. In
1844, a wish was expressed to reduce the number, and
he (Sir James Graham) thought that a reduction would
take place. At another time it was stated, that the
number was too low; and they were asked to increase
them. At one time the rules and regulations of the
commissioners were too stringent; at another time they
were too relaxed—objections being continually made.
But as he said before, the central control was very in-
effective, and it was on that account that he supported
the proposed change. He put it to any Member now
sitting on the Committee on the Law of Settlement, as
to the great impertance of the question, and the difficulty
of dealing with this branch of the poor-laws.—(Near.)
They had had brought befwe them the most intelligent
witnesses from all parts of England, men recommended
as the most likely to throw light on this difficult subject.
Whatever might be the difficulty felt by the Committee
in coming to an unanimous agreement upon every point—
s difficulty so graphically painted by the Him. and
Learned Member for Liskeard—he was satisfied that hi
expressed the opinion of the Committee on thi,
point, and that of ail the witnesses brought helot.,
the Committee, the four most competent and able and in-
telligent witnesses were poor law assistants, wiles(
names he felt bound to mention. They were lie
Tuffnell, Mr. Gulston, Mr. Bigot, and Mr. Hall,
Now, with respect to the commissioners the ta •
selves, he might he permitted to say very shorth•
what were the facts which had taken place wilt
respect to the e :minis4ioners when he ,tieceedsd to office
in 1841. He round that at that time one single commis
sioner exercised the power delegated by the Act through
out the eho e of England and Wales. He was forcer
confess that when Sir Frankl and Lewis resigned office
he was exc, e finely starry, because tie did not think the
his son could be qualified to sueceed him. He would not
in the presi, ace of the Speaker say how much he Fe
when Mr. Le sere resigned office, becau•e, from his ad
miration of that gentleman's high conduct and character.
he might, perh pi, be thought to exage,erate the pet!
w /nett that reeenetion had given. He nianot know Si(
Franklistal Leves'e ST,II ; and he, therefore, thought that
the trove prudeat course would Le not personally to court
h i scquaintaiice, but to watch his commie in Ills lege
efficee coteinun;eate with him officiihy, and form his ( pi
nom by ob-ervieg his aerformance of those duties en(
he admitted him to farnitiar acquaintanceship. So into-
ters went on for some three menths. His pre
di-.positi els were not favourable to Mr, Lewis, but
it would he the height of injustice to that gentlemai
did he not say, that el all his acquaintanceship he ha:.
never seen or met a public mare sot eminent for punt
tuality unit a hap; y power of overcoming by prompti
tide the ereisear it:ankles. The able matiner in whir::
he su,tlir e I his pr,:vieus character, by promptly meet
in tne 11:tlicultles of the your 1842, decided his (Sir J
Gr maul's) opinion. Ile was rejoiced to find that to,
good opiriii.n tie iisd begun to entertain was well fuunded,
and from ill rt period he terined tan acquaintance with Mr
aliadi te.d no reason to regret. With that
lie acted for fivc years, arid the great effort:
he made-, and the prudence and dec•sion he evinced un
&sr the mott trying cireunastances—effirts c uitinue,
from day to day --cenfirmed more and more the goon
opinion he entertained of Mr. Lewis's qualities ; an,
now, in (vh-y place, and under any cireunastancee
was prep:nett, trom his knowledge of that gentleman',
ekeat ability, and of his eminent straightforwardness,
t d, fend that gentleman against any charge whirl,
might be brought against him.—('Tear, heir.)
It was unworthy of a great as!embly
that to dwell on small faults, where the person scruti
nised had other qualitiee of far higher moment. Surely
it wee far better that Mr. Lewis should be distinguished
by pr,,mpt.tude than by las,itude ; and he was ready o
take a portion of the blame upon himself in those matter,
which had called forth the most determined expressions
oF public disapprobation, for he was assured that nothing
had been isAied by Mr. Lewis or the other commissioners
which had not received his previous inspection. Whet,
L rd Melbourne left office, there was a vacancy in the
Poor-law Commission, and, upon the accession of his
Right Hon. Friend tee Member for Tamworth, he (Sir
J. Graham) filled up that vacancy by the ap-
pointment of Sir E. Head, who, from his previous
conduct, without regard to his political feelings,
for he was opposed in politics to the then Go-
vernment, bail recommended himself to the favourably
notice of the Government, and his subsequent conduct
had proved that he was in every way worthy of the con-
fidence at first bestowed upon him. By the appoint-
mint of that gentietnan to the office of Poor-law Com-
missioner, he (S:r James Graham) believed that
cot siderable dissatisflactii_n had been given to Mr.
Chad wick, who, from that moment, had not
worked cordially with the Commissioners. With respect
to this Bill, it h. d been objected that it would increase
the numb rof p'acemen in tee House. Now, it so hap-
pened that the nernber of placement had been consider-
ably diminished during the last few years. Reductions
had been ma le in the number of placemen in the Boards
hf Ashnieelty, Oolnancr, arid the Navy, while the only
acid tine that hail fern made was that of his Hon. Friend
tits i'residow, of the Railway Board. It had also beer.
tVe'll fish, Pelt that gnat power was given to the
Poor
v t delegation of their au-
thori,y, hut
of tot„ ~d gat ain the
see how that could be dispensed
with. Oneling, must be done, either that the
Rot's must s,
ail
o,°th,,,tiga:uttor the gsneral regulation of
tl-aiaev country, or else ill,.
t`ro •‘.lnmissiovers should i
t t., frame such regulistiu:s e a
power vested in
q•i
d t,, o,e• the co euiu.tetuersaa.n tot mightea, eh be re
ar e
ee, he was (ectdceadplhe Lniuvtho necessityla Ni
op.
c:1 )g the latter? N.), it was not
tof ; because the
r.,• irier :he,,,e gen<•ral rules must alwey
vary
with
lite:tU r tn
t e wing industry
of the
coin., eit n teed stinted and slackened the appio
cothei of tee oreh• oseer of out-door relief in too
•lu • ns rids country must be suspended,
Sido• ' • • as circumstances ren-
vestie ti nee to miff
der ,(1 it ri ce,sary., it must be stringently applied
aceen. J t•t molde r at this moment the coun-
t;y was soil: T:11.4 undt r an infliction which rand, red
de eee emed -- V. with refere
attest
es a nt-
eo
1"1"
c"ll)Par"'vei'Y detarlanditbad
b particular
e4.uoties, to alter the dietary in different unions, and,
therefore, the circumstences being so liable to chanee,
is was impessibls to tyke away the power of making
g( neral rules. It appeared to him that it had been ad-
mitted. that at the present moment Government parti-
cipated, to a certain extent, in the administration of the
poor-laws, but it had been connected with the adminis-
tration of the law, without the power of command. It
had been responsible—indirectly responsible—for the
administration of the law Si ithiat the supreme authority
of regulation or control ; and he was satisfied that the
time had arrived when that imperfection must be re-
moved. The mode to accomplish that end, it
seemed to - him, after much - reflection upon the