The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-27 00:00:00

T= BZIGUTON (MID.XENT) SCBEMZ•

Mr. Atrium resumed his reply. He commenced this
milrv;ng with the question of competition. He contended
that if the Committee were so enamoured of that principle asto
Induce them to grant the Brigllton BEd Kent line, they could
mot refuse the Croydon line to the South-Eastern Company,
became without that short branch the South-Eastern would
be at the mercy of the Brighton Company, and would also have
the key of the continental traffic in their possession, and that
slate of things would effectually render all competition nuga-
ti.rv. Again, he must tell ;be Committee that the Brighton
Co7ipany were not anxious to make the line. It was not
promoted by them for the purpose of being made, but with
21,e view of defeating the South-Eastern plan. The
Committee were aware of the 20,0001. tax the
Croydon Company received from the South-Eastern
Company, without expending one farthing on their
part, and nothing was too desperate for them to under-
take to perpetrate that abominable impost. They found no
difficulty in entering into agreements with landholders, be-
cause tliey never intended to carry them out. It was a feel-
ing of that sort which had dictated their "bid" for this line.
The Committee would perceive that nothing was heard of
the low Brighton fares until after Mr. MacGregor
bad stated the tolls the South-Eastern Company
verse prepared to pledge themselves to. It was
a palpable trick, a species of bribe held out to the Committee,
or xby were not the fares mentioned in the Brighton Bill.
He hoped, therefore, the Committee would, by their decision,
discountlinance this forced and unnatural species of bidding
for lines, and teach the Brighton Company that the time
had arrived when Parliament felt called upon to put a stop to
such abominable trickery on the part of pnblic companies. He
could not find terms sufficiently strong to express his disgust of
ifpnduct like this, but he hoped when the Brighton Company
came before a Committee for Bills again, Parliament would
infi:ct retributive justice upon them by inserting a clause in
one of their Bills, compelling them to take the low fares
they had attempted to bribe the Committee with on that
occasion. Bet the trick should not succeed, and he would
tell the Committee why they should not succeed. The
public, at all events, should not be injured by
the conduct of the Brighton Company in respect
to low fares. lie had advised his clients—and all who were
present well knew that he was speaking literal facts—he
had advised his reluctant clients to meet the attempt of the
Brighton Company, if the members of the Committee thought
it right to encounter the responsibility, by pledging them-
selves to adopt the fares of the Brighton Company. He made
this cffer to defeat the trick of •the Brighton Com-
pany, but he hoped the Committee, if they
did not feel themselves bound by the bid of
the Brighton Company, would not accept. It was not
an offer made spontaneously by his clients, but by himself,
and he made it as he had stated to defeat dishonourable
trickery. He hoped, however, the Committee would see
tit to pass the South-Eastern Bill without feeling themselves
called upon to ask the company to pledge themselves to the
ruinously low fares of the Brighton Company.
The room was then cleared, and the Committee haring
deliberated for about half an hour, strangers were readmitted,
and the CHAIRMAN announced the