The Sun.
London, England, 1834-07-19 00:00:00

his motion after the conclusve argument 3 of Viscount

MELBOURNE.

We feel certain that the great majority of the sin-
cerely religious inhabitants of the United Kingdom,
will learn with pleasure that the Sabbath Protection
Bill—as its fanatical supporters called-it—was lost In
the House of Commons last night. Had this im-
pious and absurd measure passed into a law, we are
convinced it would have been the cause of more crime
than any other Act ever sanctioned by the Legisla-
ture. It is madness, or worse, after the experience
the world has had of the evils which ever resulted from
all attempts to coerce conscience by the force of human
enactments, to expect that the people will be made
more moral, more religious, or more loyal by interfering
with the innocent recreations at present enjoyed on the
Sabbath. Thank Heaven, there is in the breasts of
the poorest of the people, a better guarantee for the
decent observance of the Lord's-day, than there would
be in a hundred Acts of Parliament, were all the
civil powers in the empire to be employed in enforcing
their coercive provisions. But were it otherwise, con-
science is the province of God, and man cannot legally
interfere with it without invading one of the highest
prerogatives of the Detty. Religion constitutes no
assembly the mailed and gloved champions of the
Gospel ; neither does it impel those whose bosoms
glow with it, to torment others because their notions
may be different, though their motives are equally
pure. It is an error to suppose that the Sabbath is worse
kept in England now than it ever was. The number of.
individuals who appear abroad on that day, is greater
than it has been, but compared with the aggregate of,
the population, it is decidedly less than in the most
rigid times ever known in England. Mr. O'CONNELL
well observed that if the people were prevented from
amusing themselves in the green fields, they would find a
solace in the public-house, in the society of poachers,
and other abalidoned charactcrs,from whose example they
would learn to scorn the laws and make a mockery of
religion. Nothing could be truer than this, and hap-
pily for the country, the words of the Honourable and
Learned Gentleman were not lost upon the House. We
trust that the fate of so many Bills on this subject will
at last open the eyes -of the deluded individuals who
mistakingly imagine that they are rendering a service
to Heaven by thus seeking to diffuse a fanatical gloom
over the earth ; and that they will at last perceive that
the good sense, the good feeling, and the real piety
of the country, is equally against them. We are con-
fident that the most virtuous—the most exemplary
living people in the kingdom—will rejoice at the fate
of this well-meant, but sacrilegious abortion of igno-
rance and fanaticism.

The extreme haste with which the House of Coin.

mons has rescinded its vote of last week, for the pub
lication of correct lists of the divisions, is not calcu

lated to impress the country with any extraordinary
opinion of the deliberative coolness of that branch of
the Legislature. After a full acknowledgment by the
House, of the excellence of the principle upon which
that vote was agreed to, there is a great want of dignity
—to say the least of it—in thus suspending the opera-
tion of that principle, because some trifling delay took
place in the first attempt to carry it into effect. But
whatever the House may think proper to do about it
during the present Session, we arc very sure that be-
fore the end of the next, the country will insist on de-
vising and agreeing to sonic plan which will place
the conduct of their representatives in a proper light
before the people.
What gives us the greatest pain in this matter, is
the consideration that a resolution compromising the
dignity of the House of Commons, was moved,
and seconded, by such " liberal men as Lord
EBRINGTON, and Mr. WARBURTON, both per-
sons, whom yesterday we would have pronounced
incapable of such narrow minded precipitancy. Sir
ROBERT PEEL, of course, was well pleased ; the
Ministry were indifferent ; and the House was seem-
ingly glad enough, to get rid of a vote which insolently
interfered with the exercise of parliamentary influence
for private gain, at the trifling expense of pledges, prin-
ciples, and public good. -
The only reason which the noble mover, and
honourable seconder, of the resolution of last
night, could adduce in support of the motion
was, that the plan of taking divisions recommended
by the Committee took up too much of the time of
the House. Now, we are quite willing to admit that
any unnecessary waste of time would be a great evil ;
but the thing to be here considered is, whether the
House could be better occupied for five or ten mi-
nutes, than in informing the country of the conduct
of its representatives in Parliament ; and whether the
House of Commons possesses more attractions than
CROCKFORD'S for certain Hon.and Noble Legislators,
seldom heard of except during an election contest. In our
opinion, Parliament would have great difficulty, judg-
ing from what it has done in the way of public busi-
ness, to convince the people that any equal portion
of its time, since the beginning of the session, has been
half so well occupied as the five-minutes which were
spent yesterday, during the morning sitting, in making
out the list of the division on the Upwell Tithe Bill.
But even suppose the time so spent was admitted to be
more than could be conveniently spared, it was the duty
of the House to have adopted a more expeditious method--
of proceeding. This could be easily effected were the
members to set about it in real earnest. What, for
instance, could be more simple and expeditious; than
for each member, on going out or crossing the House,
to drop a card, with his name, into a box held by one
of the clerks ? Is there is any difficulty in this? Couk

not two clerks with boxes be placed in different
parts of the House to collect the cards, for, and
against, and the whole so managed that four
hundred names could be taken in five minutes ? . The'
• •

Ling is as easy as possible ; and as to saying that Mem-
..

bers would not give their:cards, or giving them would
give wrong names, why that is too silly an objection
to be entertained a moment. The House would soon
put that to rest ; and no person would dare to trifle in
a matter so momentous, after its investiture with the
dignity of a solemn ordinance of the Legislature, and
aware of the penalty that would await an act so dis-
honourable, at the bar of the great tribunal out of
doors.

But the House of Commons has not got rid of this
question, though it may stand over unmooted during
the present session, and perhaps the early part of the
next. The country is justly resolved upon being
made acquainted with its proceedings, and omnipotent
as Parliament is, there is no means by which it can
resist a demand so made. We have had too much
secret legislation,—too many demands upon our con-
fidence in the honesty of public men. Men who act
uprightly, seldom seek to screen their conduct from