The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-11 00:00:00

LONDON,

Mr. G. TURNER also opposNl the intrenu.
Bodmin into the schedule. He would never coment
introduce any town respecting which the evidence was
not before them.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said he had inclu;led
Bodmin and Bolton both, iu consequence of what ap-
peared to be the &Sire of the House.
Mr. HENLEY denied the accuracy of the statement
that Bodmin had been included in the schedule at the
instance of the opposition side of the House.
Dr. BOWRING said that it had been the general opi-
nion of both sides of the House that any borough against
which bribery and corruption had been shov%n should be
included in the schedule of this Bill. For his own part,
he should be perfectly ready to vote for the insertion of
Bolton in the schedule were it shown that Bolton was
tainted with corruption.
Mr. E. TURNER considered that the Hon. Mem-
ber for Bodmin was chargeable with no impropriety for
having presented maps to the Literary Institution of
Bodmin.

Colonel SIBTHORP thought it clearly evident that
the Noble Lord opposite, and indeed tho Solicitor-Gene-
ral himself', knew nothing of the evidence taken in the
matter before the House. He denounced the Bill as
characterised by gross partiality—the measure should
be one of general application, and such a measure he
would be ready to support. He recommended the Noble
Lord to entertain second thoughts on the question, and
to abandon the measure altogether.
Mr. DISRAELI repudiated the principle that two
boroughs having been inserted in a schedule like this
were all at once to be quietly omitted from the schedule,
just because the sitting Members emphatically reminded
the Government of the aid they have given to their
measures. ' If these boroughs had been fitly inserted,
they should have been retained. After what had occur-
red, the Government ought to explain its motives for
withdrawing Bolton and Bodmin, and the reasons for
continuing Lancaster and Sligo in the disfranchising
schedule. The strange confessions from the Treasury
Bench of that evening ought to induce the Committee
to insist upon the Chairman reporting progress, in order
to give the Solicitor-General time to mature his mea-
sure, and for the purpose of affording the Hon. and
Learned Member this opportunity he begged leave to
move that the Chairman do report progress.
The question being put from the cnatr,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said he could not but admire
the tactics of the opposite side, which were at once new
and ingenious. It had formed a ground of complaint on
a former evening that there was no recognised leader
of the Opposition who might organize and control the
movements of Hon. Members on the other side of the
House. But a better plan had been devised by them—
that of having two leaders taking opposite views of the
same question and proposing different plans. One of
those leaders in the present instance had asked why
Bodmin had not been included in the schedule, as there
had been a report of a Committee against it. The sug-
gestion being adopted, up got the Hon. Member for
Dorsetshire, who said he was prepared to show that
Bodmin had been included in the schedule on light
grounds, which the evidence would not justify, and the
Honourable Members around him (Mr. G. Bankes) sup-
ported his assertion. On looking at the report, his
Honourable and Learned Friend had found that there
was no charge against the sitting Member for Bodmin,
or the electors, of bribery, and having admitted
that it was too light a case to justify its insertion in
the schedule, he withdrew it. Then up got the other
leader of the Opposition, who said that the Government
was acteated by corrupt motives, for they had only re-
moved Bolton and Bodmin from the schedule, because
the sitting Members voted for them on all occasions.
Observe only the admirable tactics of the opposite side in
thus dealing with the question ! But the manner of so
treating it showed the advantage of having two leaders
of the Opposition. The Hon. Member for Buckingham-
shire had characterised the Bill as the last act of a melo-
drama, closing the session in a shower of sparks and blue
flames. But it would rather seem that the Hon. Mem-
ber for Dorsetshire and himself had been studying their
parts in a comedy, the dialogue of which had been
settled in a friendly conversation before the curtain
had drawn up that evening. He was quite sure the
Honourable Member for Buckinghamshire would be
prepared to express his indignation at the omission
of the borough of Bodmin, or his surprise at its resto-
ration to the schedule, according to the preconcerted
scheme of the play in which he was to take part.—
(Laughter.) The Hon. Member for Oxfordshire, on the
other hand, was of opinion that the Government ought
to have gone through the evidence in all the cases re-
ported to the House, and, disregarding the reports, have
selected such boroughs only as were most culpable. But
let the I-louse only conceive what the result of such a
course would have been. The Government would have
immediately been accused of having made a selection of
boroughs for disfranchisement upon party motives, whilst
the Hon. Member for Oxfordshire, with his character-
istic ingenuity, would have got a theme to argue upon
which would have lasted him a year at the least.—
(Cheers and laughter.) If the Government had fallen
into the trap prepared for them by the Hon. Member for
Oxfordshire, he would have been delighted to have tor-
mented them, and he would never have let them out.
The Government had, however, escaped this snare.
They had been guided by the reports of the Committees,
and whether the cases of bribery and corruption were
great or small, those reports had formed the
basis as well of the Bill as in drawing up the
schedule, and the suggestions of the various Committees
had been carefully followed. Ho had heard nothing
during the long discussions which had taken place on
the Bill to shake his opinion that the Government was
hound to carry it into operation, and, in fact, Parlia-
ment had to a great degree pledged itself to do so. If
the principle embodied in the measure came fairly into
operation, Hon. Members on the other side would find
in the end that they would derive as much benefit from
its provisions as any other party in that House.

Mr. HENLEY said that the Government had treated
the elective franchise with great levity in consenting to
insert Bodmin in the schedule upon the mere sugges-
tion of an Hon. Member on his side of the House, and
without having made any inquiry as to the degree of
guilt incurred by that borough. He never before wit-
nessed such an instance of reckless dealing with the
franchise as the Bill presented. The principle adopted
by the Solicitor-General was to hang a man first and
examine into his guilt or innocence afterwards. His
Hon. Friend the Member for Buckinghamshire had
taken a very prudent course in moving that the chair-
man do report progress, and he cordially supported him
in so moving.
Dr. BOWRING could not consent, particularly after
what had just occured, that Bolton should be withdrawn
from the Bill.—(A laugh.) lie sincerely and cordially
desired that inquiry should take place at Bolton.
Colonel THOMPSON was of opinion that the with-
drawal of these two boroughs from the Bill might here-
after form the plea that treating was not a thing that
House could take cognizance of; and as he and those
with whom he acted on that side of the House, and he
hoped many on the other side, considered that treating
was identical with bribery, he could not consent to their
withdrawal.
After a few words from Mr. SPOONER, who objected
to the motion for reporting progress, and from Mr. G.
A. HAMILTON, who supported it with the view of giving
the Government time to reconsider the evidence respect-
ing these two boroughs,
Lord J. RUSSELL said that the Government would
not adopt any other course than they were pursuing
that night, and therefore reporting progress could only
have the effect of prolonging the session.
After a few words from Mr. HEALD in favour of ex-
cluding Bodmin,
The Committee divided, when there appeared—
For reporting progress
Against it ll6
Majority --81

Mr. DISRAELI repelled the charge that he or his
friends were the advocates of corruption, and accused the
Government of not knowing their own minds by intro-
ducing Bodmin into the Bill and then withdrawing it.
lle was not the advocate of corruption—he did not owe
his position in the House to corruption; but he was the
opponent of cant, and, among other kinds of cant, that
which complained of the time taken up in discussions
like these as the Hon. Member for Stockport had com-
plained.—(Hear.) What had saved Bodmin but discus-
sion?—(hear.) And when the consequences of discus-
sion had been, as it had been that night, to occasion a
change in the opinion of Government, he would protest
against any attempt to prevent it. _

Mr.T.:HOMIOUSE—It appeared that the principlo

that the inquiry should extend only to those I;orouhs
against which special reports had been presented
by the Select Committee up stairs was now to be
abandoned. He wished to know why Horsham,
which had never been convicted of bribery, was to be

included in the schedule? He called on the Solicitor-
General to state on what principle the schedule
was to be based—whether it was proof of bribery, or
whether mere treating was to be sufficient? He, as a
Member for one of the accused boroughs (Lincoln), was
not prepared, like the Hon. Member for Bolton, to throw
his constituency overboard. Until the principle on
which the Bill was to proceed was distinctly laid down,
he objected to proceed further with it.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL hoped he should be
excused going into a discussion over and over again, as
to the propriety of the withdrawal of Bodmin from the
schedule, upon which the House had unanimously decided;
and when the Hon. Member for Bucks rose to speak,
the Chairman stated that the question was already de-
cided, and two hours had been since occupied uselessly.
He would not take up the time of the House by attempt-
ing to repel the charges brought aginst him by the Hon.
Member for Bucks, but would leave it to the House to
say how far by his conduct, since he had been a Mem-
ber, he had deserved them.—(Hear, bear.) He en-
treated the House to proceed with the discussion on the
Bill, avoiding personal attacks.—(Hear.)
Mr. DISRAELI repeated that in this case discussion
had been of use, and charged the Solicitor-General with
having misrepresented the real facts of the case.
After a few words from the Solicitor-General, Colonel

Sibthorp, and Dr. Bowring,
Mr. HOBHOUSE complained that no answer had
been given to his question as to the principle of the Bill.
Lord J. RUSSELL had already detailed the principle
of the Bill at length—which was that the reports of
Committees should be the only thing to be attended to,
but that the general substance of those reports should be
the guide, and when the substance showed considerable
bribery or corruption had prevailed, those boroughs
should be included in the schedule.

Mr. WYLD wished to say that he had supported the
Government not in consequence of any compact with
them, but because he agreed with their general policy.
It was not on the ground of hii being a supporter of
Government that they had consented to withdraw ,Bod-
min from the schedule.

After an observation from Colonel SIBTHORP,
Lord J. RUSSELL said that when he proposed that
the Chairman should leave the chair, he did so with a
view that the amendments might be brought up and
printed.

S UT* N,

..tion 01 _r. HAMILTON asked would there be any objection
' ili:.ert,llotron in ?
J. 'RUSSELL did not' mean to insert Bolton;
-"ite open to any Hon. Member to move its

but it was (1
insertion.

-d to the Bill as despotic in

Captain HARRIS ohj,c., —vert that House into
its character, and calculated to c 0... "'Aver(' exceed-
a judicial tribunal_ lie thought that tnL, ..
..
ing their power in passing such a law. ~..1.,43
The borough or Bodmin was then struck out of ~..
schedule.

Mr. 111-‘KENZIE moved that Bolton be inserted. '
Mr. G. A. HAMILTON seconded the motion. He
thought it only just that Bolton should be inserted, as
there was a wide distinction between it and Bodmin, in
which case no bribery had been proved.
The Committee divided, when there appeared—
For the motion

Against it l4
Majority for the motion —.404
Tho borough of Bolton was then irserted, the House
resumed, and the report was brought up.
The SOLICITOR GENERAL moved that the Bill
be re-committid for the purpose of being reprinted.
Mr. 'IN EWI)EGATE asked if Sligo and Lancaster
were in-:erted in the Lehedule.

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL—Yes.
The Bill was then recommitted, the amendments were
agreed to, and the report was ordered to be brought up
on Thursday next.
SUGAR DUTIES.

In answer to Lord G. BENTINCK,
Lord J. RUSSELL was inclined to name Wednesday
next for the sugar duties.
After a conversation, Friday was fixed for the dis-
cussion.