The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-13 00:00:00

SUN, LONDON,

SATURDAY EVENING-,

MA Y 13, 1848.

feetly true; but what a Flur would it not be on the cha-
racter of the ,Marquis of Exeter he had not influence
in the b3rough.—(Hear, hear.) He recolected a per-
Lion of the speech which the Noble Lord opposite made
on the question of the Reform Bill which he had heard
with pleasure, and he begged to read it to the House.
The Noble Lord used the following language :—" It
may be said that one great and injurious effect of the
measure which I propose will be, that it will destroy
the power and privileges of the aristocracy. This I
deny. I utterly deny that this plan can have any
such effect wherever the aristocracy reside, rect-ive
large incomes, perform the important duty of reliev-
ing the poor by charity, and evince public worth
and private virtue. It was not in human nature
that they should not have great influence on public
opinion, and have at least equal weight with others
in electing - persons to serve the country in Parliament.
Though such may not have the direct nomination of
persons under this Bill, I contend they will have -treh
influence as they ought to have."—(Hear, hear.) That
was the nature of the influence exereisAl by the Mur
quis of Exeter, and it would be little to the credit of his
character if he did not possess it.—(Hear, hear.) The
Right. Hon. Baronet the Member for Tatuwerth, in
1846, declared also that Peers ought to exercise a legi-
timate influence in the return of members to Parliament,

and iiiat it could not be extinguished in tact.—(Hear,
hear.) lle also said that the less Peers attempted to
exercise their direct influence the more anxious would
their tenants be to cmnsult their wishes. Such was the
secret of the Marquis of Exeter's influence. Because
particular party had been defeated at Stamford It was
not fair to attribute that defeat to undue it.fidence. He
hoped the House, for the reasons he had stated, would
not listen to unfair and unfounded statements, and that
they would reject the motion of the lion. and Learncd
Member.—(Cheers.)
Mr. HUME rose amidst cries of " Divide, divide."
He would admit that the Right Hon. Gentleman who
had just sat down made the best apology he could by
bringing forward matters which were not called in ques-
tion. The Right lion. Gentleman spoke 0f the large•.
possessions of the Marquis of Exeter and his ex:.3.llent
character. No expression had fallen from any of the
Gentlemen on his side of the House who had sp..ken on
this subject against the character of that Nobleman.
They did not object to the legitimate influence which
belonged to great property and high station. What
they c mplainecl of was the exercise of illegitimate and
improper interference.--(Hear.) He confessed he had
never heard a clearer and more convincing statement

than that of his Hon. Friend. It appeared -to him that,
if all the allegations of the petition were not proved to
be true, the statements made were such us required to
be investigated. The Right lion. Gentleman had con-
tented himself with reading letters which had lhtle to do
with the question, whilst he eluded any response to the
charges which had been made.
Mr. G. BERKELEY said that he would not shrink

from &Mg his duty, which was, to inquire into wha
was done by a Peer in respect to a county election
before he looked at the conduct of a Peer in a borough
election.—(A laugh.) He had presented two petitions to
the Crown, complaining of the Lord Lieutenant of a
county. In every such case the rule had been to insti
tate an inquiry ; but in the case to which he alluded
no notice was taen of his petitions. He was instructed
to say, that had any magistrate done what the Lord
Lieutenant had done he would have been removed trom
the commission of the peace ; and if he had been an
officer in her Majesty's; service he would have lost hie
commission. Although he should vote for the inquiry
into the conduct of the Marquis ot Exeter, he must say
that he thought the Government was not justified in
refusing to a county that which they were prepared to
grant to a borough.
Sir RING Ida reminded the House that they were not
deciding upon the conduct of Lord Fitzhardinge, but upon
a very different question; and he hoped they were pre-
pared to do justice to the Marquis of Exeter by their Yoe s.
Let him ask any Member pi esentil there had been one of the
principal allegations of the petition sustained during.
the debate of that. evening ? Was there the slightest
proof offered that the tenants of the Marquis of Exeter
were compsfled to enter into a stipulation to vote ac-
cording to his wishes, or to lose their holding, ?
hoped sincerely that the Howe was prepared to reject
tae proposal of the Hon. and Learned Member for
Oxford.
Lard J. RUSSELL said he felt it right to state the
reasons which governed his vote on the present occasion.
He had made up his mind on the subject, riot without
considerable doubts. He should theretore vote in con-
formity to the opinion which he had formed, alai he by
no nia ans wished to influence the vote ot any °Leer Hon.
Member. The question had been brought before the
Eluuse upon a petition very artfully drawn, and entering
into minute details and reasonings, the petitioners stating
that they had no wish to interfere with the just rights
or influence of property, and asking fur the remedy
which they sought in language of great moderation.
The case had been ably stated and argued by the
Han. and Learned Member for Oiterd. The question
was, whether any sufficient reasons had ben stated to
induce the House to grant an inquiry. The Right H an.
Gentlem an opposite (Mr. ferries) had in the most
powerful manner met and rebutted the allegations con
tained in the petition, and had stated very forcibly the
r. asons for not going into an inquiry. Tne Right Hon.
Gentleman had met the allegations on two grounds—
first, as to their truth; and; secondly, as to the mein
facts upon which they turned. The impression which
he (Lord John Russell) had
.formed, as well from the
statement of the case as from precedents which
he found in the books was, that supposing the
Marquis of Exeter's tenants in some instances usder-
stood they were to vote for his nominee, and afterwards
were ejected for not having so von tl—if these acts could
not be clearly and iedisputably shown to have affected
the majority of the veters, there was no remedy to be
',ad against the Marquis before the Elec.ion Committee.
But the House was asked to institute an inquiry
into the allegations of the petition. The first of
those allegations was, that it was the practice to give
the tenants of the Marquis et Exeter advantageous
holdings, which they were deprived of un ess they voted
according to his wishes. Now, the Right Honourable
Gentleman opposite had read a letter from the agent of
the Marquis of Exeter, denying that any such under-
standing ur arrangement existed. And if he (Lord J.
Ulu-sell) were called upon to state his ballet in the
matter, it was that he did not think such a staternt nt
could have been made if it was not true. He, therefore,
could riot believe that any such restrictions were placer
upon the tenants of the Marquis of Exeter. At the
same time the petition stated such to be the fact, and the
allegations were rwpectably signed, so that he did come
te the conclusion that there would result some advan-
tage from going into an inquiry, and from satisfyine the
public mind that this allegation was not true. Ann
ther allegation of the petition, which had not been so
satisfactorily rebutted as the first, was that certain
tenants had been deprived of their holdings in coese-
quence of the votes they had given. Certain it was that
notices to quit hal been served on some of the tenants
of the Marquis of Exeter, and they had afterwards been
carried into effcct. The Noble Marquis opposite
(Granby) had not satisfied him (Lord J. Russell) that
this proceeding had not been adopted towards the
tenantry. But the Right lion. Gentleman opposite (sale.
ferries), had explained that the results of the seversl
years past would show that removals of tenants had
taken place, and the removals of 1847 had not exceeded
in number those of former years. So that if it could be
shown that no greater number of removals had taken
place than formerly, and that those removals differed in
no respect from the character of former removals, the
proceeding could not be blamed, nor could the rights to
act thus be contested. If the resolution of the louse
to nominate a Committee of inquiry was to be construed
into. a censure passed upon the Marquis of Exeter,
then he wouid not vote for it, for the explana-
tion of the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite had con-
vinced him that the allegations at the petition could not
be sustained as against the Marquis of Exeter, for he
apseared to have exercised no other influence than that
to which he was fairly entitled. It this allegation was
proved on inquiry to he false, the public mind would also
be satisfied. It, on the contrary, it was sustained, then
the House would be justified in having gone into the in-
quiry. On the whole, he had come to the. conclusion,
that as the allegations contained in the petition had been
respectably vouched for by. the signatures of the parties,
it was right to institute an inquiry Into them, rather than
by a vote of that House to decide that no further pro-
ceedings should be taken in.ihe matter. The Marquis of
Exeter hitnsel would derive much more advantage from
the inquiry, than if the House were to return a verdict
without havi g made any examination into the facts
alleged, Such being the impression which he enter-
tained, he should, though nut without entertaining some
doubts, vote in favour oldie inquiry.
Mr. BANKES had heard with deep regret the speech
and the declaration of the Noble Lord. The Noble Lord
had stated the doubt and difficulty which he entertained
respecting the allegations contained in the petition, and
yet he had determined upon proceeding into an inquiry,
there not being a single precedent to justify him in
taking such a step. The question which the Committee
would have to determine was relative to a railway Bill
and an election petition. The village Hampden who
had brought the question forward, having been defeated
in his railway schemes and in his electioneering attempts
had resorted to the present mode. of attacking his suc-
cessful opponent. There was only one previous instance
of such a course having been attempted, and then the
opinion of the House was clearly against it; that was the
case of the Newark petition: If they combined with
their new
.Bill for inquiry by a roving commission into
all cases of alleged corruption, an inquiry such as was
now proposed, they would be taking a course unpre-
cedented, and the end of which could not be predicted.
Sir R.. PEEL concurred with the Noble Lord that this
question involved judicial as well as political considera-
tions; and in approaching it he would endeavour to ex-
clude all bias which might in any way interfere with a
judicial determination.—(Hear.) But it was because
the question did involve jndicial considerations—that was
because he was not blind to the passing events to which
the Noble Lord bad alluded, and to the temper of the
public mind, that on the whole he thought the wisest and
the safest course would be not to permit them elves to be
involved in these temporary reed transitory considers
Lions; bui, that they should rather adhere to that prin-
ciple which was applicable to all times and all circum-
stances. It was of the utmost importance that the
House should decide the mode by which the right to sit
in that House was to be regulated. They had had
ample experiel:ce in the history of the past—he
might say
.of the corruption which resulted from
permitting these matters to be decided by majorities
of the. House in each case.—(Hear.) It was mere than
100 years since the administration of Sir R. Walpole,
whose fall wits produced by
.the constant ciattfl.cts which
arose on the right to sit in Parliament; the decisions
upon disputed returns being then taken, riot on the
merits of the election, but made subjects of. party con-
flict in. Parliament, in which each party was ranged ac-
cording to his party feelings. The vote which at length
determined .the tall.of that Mojeta who the question