The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-03 00:00:00

PETITIONING.THE HOUSE.

Mr. NEWDIGATE rose to amend the notice of motion
which he submitted to the House last night, respecting
an instruction to the Committee appointed to inquire into the
way in which the petition from Cheltenham in favour of the
repeal of the corn-laws: had been got up. His amended
motion was to the following effect :--" That it be an instruction
to the Select Committee on the petition from Cheltenham, that
they do inquire whether forged objections have net been served
upon certain electors for the northern division of the county of
Warwick against the claims of the said electors late retained
upon the register of the said division of the said county."
He said he had been induced to alter his original motion, in
consequence of information which he had received imme-
diately subsequent to bringing forward his motion last night,
and which was to the effect, that the system of which he
complained prevailed to a great extent in North
Warwickshire, and North Staffordshire, as well as
in other districts. He thought it his duty to propose
this additional instruction to the Committee, because he felt
himself agrieved, in common with those who entertained similar
opinions to himself, and because he represented those who had
bees most unjustly attacked en account of their being in favor
of the maintenance of protection.— ( Hear.) When it was con-
sidered that the Hon. Alember for Cheltenham (Mr. C.
Berkeley) was totally opposed to him on the score of politics,
and that he had first brought the subject before
the House, they would acquit him of any intention to
cast additional unnecessary labour on the Committee.
He could not divest himself of the statement which was made
by the Right Hon. Baronet the First Lord of the Treasury,
that it was not a question well worthy the consideration of the
House. The Right Hon. Baronet the other night, when a
question was raised with reference to the alleged interference
of Peers in Parliamen', induced his Honourable Friend op-
posite (Mr. Collett) to withdraw that motion, because
he stated that if their influence was traced, it may be found
not more than was used by other parties. It had even been the
practice of that House to consider, where grounds were sup-
posed to exist, whether any undue influence had been used
in the election of Members; and he thought it right that
such should be continued by the present tribunal appointed.
It was considered that the real contest took place in the regis-
tration Courts, which decided the fate of the elections; and
he considered it was the duty of that House to inquire into
the conduct and practices of such Courts. The Right
Honourable Baronet thought right to say, that
the battle of the elections were fought in the
Registration Courts, and this induced him to introduce
some instructions to the committee. He trusted that his con-
duct on that occasion could be fully justified, for he thought
he could be able to prove to them that no light ground or
doubtful evidence had induced him to make the present motion.
He stated that a great number of objections had been served
on voters of the North division of Warrington, most of which
failed on the merits, and he had also stated that the most re-
markable of these transactions occurred in the Registration
Court at Birmingham. He could then assure the House that
no lesss than 700 electors had been served with notice of ob-
jection in two parishes of that district, and in Birmingham the
number was so great—over 30,000—that the Post-office
could not be cleared of them for several days. Now
these had all been served at the instance.
of the Anti-Corn-law League, and on behalf of that body.
There were three names which he could mention as avowedly
connected with that body; and if he could prove, as he believed
he could, their connexion with the present practices com-
plained of, no doubt could remain on the minds of Hon. Gen-
tlemen that it was through the agency of the Anti-
Corn-law League, that such objections were served
The objections were served indiscriminately, and upon persons
of property to a large amount. But those objected to were
selected from amongst voters who resided or were at the time
at the greatest distance from the Northern division of War-
wickshire. This system was adopted in order that the greatest
inconvenience might result to the parties in attempting to
maintain their votes in the registration courts. The person
who signed those objections was a man named Worthington,
who was possessed of no property, and was almost labouring
for his daily meal and subsistence. In proof of this he might
state that the man, upon being threatended with prosecution
for his conduct, declared that he was not worth 51. Now he
wished to know if the House intended to allow such objections
as these to be continued, or would they not rather interfere their
authority and protect the franchise from this vexatious system.
On Willliam Worthington being subsequently asked whether
he had told the witness Stafford to write like him, he replied
not; but he admitted, after some hesitation, that he had handed
him a written notice, signed by his own hand, and desired that
all the rest should be signed in the same manner. Now,
after such evidence, he (Mr. Newdegate) considered that
there could be little doubt as to the character of the objector,
but he wished to show the House that it was still more neces-
sary that they should enter into an investigation ; for after the
objector had foresworn himself, and his evidence in conse-
quence ought not to have been• received, the barrister
decided on admitting his evidence in other cases of
where objections had been taken. He would now take occa-
sion to trace this system to the Anti-Corn-law League, a
leading member of wham publicly boasted that they extended
the franchise, a noble object were it net carried oat for a party
spirit, and for party purposes, in favour of a body nhich was
as much a commercial project as a political association.
If such inroads were to made upon the claims of those who
were fully entitled to the franchise—if such a system was to
be carried on, the electors of any part of the country might
pen the Right Hon. Baronet to
doing put a stop to such oppres-
absesidstisftrhainschirisqeudi.ry,Haendcablyledsou
sions. He told the Hon. Member for Stockport, that though
he might treat the :present question as a light one, still
such practices as he had detailed to the house had
had their weight pith the Covernment.—( Hear, hear.)
He hoped the Right. Hon. Baronet would pause before he
allowed such practises to be passed over unnoticed. He wished
to have this a fair Committee; he was himself a protectionist
and he did not wish to have any gentleman of that body on
it, nor would he allow of any Members of the Anti-Corn-law
League a Member on the inquiry. He would not have it treated
as a question between the proteetienists and those on the other
side, but he considered it should be entertained by that House
as a question between the Government and the Anti-Corn-law
League. The Hon. Member concluded by:moving thearnend-
ment of which he had given notice.

Mr. REDHEAD YORKE was understood to inquire by
whose instructions the Honourable Member had moved his
amendment.

Mr. T. DUNCOMBE admitted that it was no light case—
a case consisting of perjury, and a very vexatious system of
serving notices by some agent of the Anti Corn-law League.
Admitting the whole facts of the case, he could not conceive
what the House had to di with the question. A Committee
had been appointed to inquire into the breach of privilege, with
reference to the forgery of certain names to a petition, by
means of which the House had been misled, and was,
therefore, a breach of its privileges. But he did
not see that the present charges were breaches of
privileges. With reference to the charge of perjury,
that is a case for another tribunal. The system of given
notices was not a breach of the privileges. He did not know
what offence it was, it was a very vexatious and harassing
system to the electors that was the fault however of the system
of registration. That system he had found fault with over and
over again. But Hon. Members opposite were always so proud of
their registration. They now began 'to feel that
inconvenience which had so long been felt by
the electors of boroughs. Now they began
to feel it in the counties. Hon. Members came down to this
House to complain of the system. If the Hon. Member had
moved fur a Committee to inquire into the whale system o
registration, and into the operation of the Reform Bill, with its
penalty clauses, he should have been happy to have
assisted them to the utmost of his power.—(Hear, hear.)
He hoped, therefore, that the Government would not give
their support to the motion of the Hon. Member. He had
consented to be one of the members of the Committee to
which the petition from Cheltenham had been referred; but
he should decline to serve, if the additional duty proposed by
the Hon. Member should be referred to them.—( Cheers.)
Mr. NEWDEGATE said the Hon. Member for Finsbury
bad asked film why they did not proceed at common law
against the parties whoseha ( Mr. Newdegate) stated had
outraged the privileges of that House? Simply, because none
of them had any wish to prosecute the unhappy. tools of the
organised system of annoyance to which he had referred.
He did not seek for a Committee to inquire into the effects of
the Reform Bill or into the registration of the country, but he
wished for a Committee to inquire it,to the way in which sig-
natures were attached to these petitions, and who the parties
were who thus interfered with the registration.
Mr. ADDELEY thought that the subject brought forward
by the Honourable Member should be referred to the Corn
mittee on the Cheltenham petition, because there was an
analogy between them. It was rigl.t that the Com-
mittee appointed to inquire into the manufacture
in Manchester of Cheltenham petitions should inquire into this
subject also.—(Hear, hear.) He was prdpared to prove that
the privileges of electors had been interfered
with in North Staffordshire, and that discussion on
the subject was germane to the matter referred