The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-23 00:00:00

12th of last March, on the motion of his Hon. and Learned
Friend the Solicitor-General, a Committee was appointed
to consider and bring under the notice of the House
the precedents and Acts which bore on the matter. Than
that Committee none could be appointed more com-
petent to the task assigned. It was true that the Com-
mittee was not empowered to report any opinion on the sub-
ject.—(Hear, bear.) But their attention was directed to
various Acts of Parliament. A draft report was drawn
UP
by the Honourable and Learned Solicitor-General, and con-
sidered, and though the subject was most intricate,
that report, with as few errors as possible, brought
before the House the general body of Acts and pre-
-
cedents on this subject. The general opinion of the Mem
bers constituting that Committee was, that Baron Roths-
child was not entitled to take his seat.—(Hear, hear.) But
the present Master of the Rolls framed a resolution which he
submitted to the House. He (Lord John Russell) bad not
relied on his own notion of the law; but after t consultation
with the law officers of the Crown, and others compete
to
form a correct opinion on the question, he had adopted that
resolution. He saw no advantage that could possibly and
from further postponement or inquiry. His belief war and
that belief had been considerably confirmed by
he had heard delivered in the course of the debate, that
sufficient preparation had already been made, and that every
Member had made up his mind on the question. 14 hew"
ever, it was the generel wish of the House, hshould not 0.
the spbe
pose the appointment of the Committee- hear)-71t
the majority of the House thought such a course desirable,
he would not offer an objectionas matters at present
stood, he confessed he did not see the necessity for either
Committee or postponement.
Sir B. HALL said he should confine his observations to,
the two points spoken to by his Noble Friend at the
head of
the Government. If the Hon. Member for Greenwich bed
adopted the course of claiming to be heard at the bar of tbee.
House, it was quite evident that he must have taken a _
trograde course.—(Hear, hear.) They could not forget.il.7
position in which the Hon. Gentleman had placed himilejl
troo
(Hear, hear.) Within the last twenty-four hours the
Member for Greenwich had voted no less than three tiuieer
and addressed the House as a Member of the Legislature!
and therefore if the Hon. Member were to desire to ad
dr,e,!:
the House at the bar, he would be lowering and injuring tit:
position he now occupied.—(liter, hear.) But there
other parties who might wish to be heard at the
bar.e _
(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member for Greenwich h
d
in
important and influential constituency—one of the largest
the kingdom— and if the constituency choose to petition re.
be heard at the bar of the House in support of them an ti_cf;
they had sent to represent their interests in the Duper"'
Parliament, he thought they should be heard, and tbeeo.Pi
portunity afforded them before the resolution propos o
the Noble Lord at the head of the Government was adolittteh;
As regarded the appointment of a Committee, he thoug
suggestion of the Henourable and
for Aylesbury a very wise one, loekin•
culties and legal doubts which surrounded .the questioner.
True, as his Noble Friend at the head of the Governmeret.
had stated, a Committee was appointed to look out fo.1)
cedents. That Committee consisted of men of great ability,...
gLeaatrnaend
alitee
and eminently calculated to discharge the duty they urnau!.....
took, but had not circumstances of an important character
arisen since that Committee made their report.-(0,:',0,
Was it ever contemplated, for instance, by that Conlitoxl'
that theiliouse of Commons would put itself in the e, and
ordinary position of desiring a man to come forwar:t
admitting him as a Jew, and then telling him that he,raYar.)
take the oaths on the true faith of a Christian? - (11!„ent
Had not fects been brought out in the coarse of the Pr7sir,
discussion, that rendered it nothing less than an act of "„„„
ness and justice that another Committee should De
,P4i't
pointed? The Noble Lord at the head of the Goreern,rid
stated that if it were the general wish of the House h
he
not oppose the appointment of the Committee. 21be,"and,
(Sir Benjamin Hall) thought it was the general wiLemen•
moreover, he thought that the Hon. and Learned House
for Aylesbury had acted most prerl in asking th not
to appoint such a Committee. They Noble Lord he"..B of
taken the same course as he adopted last year in the case
Baron Rothschild, although he said he would do sO. Leer4tas
the Noble Lord pledged himself, before he asked theid4'oo
to adopt the resolution he submitted, that he lee°,',„ far.
steps immediately after the meeting of the ene°l°Utied
liament, to do away with the disabilities which but he
Baron Rothschild from sitting in that House; "Lard
had given no such pledge now. The Noble_ the
had not pledged himself to act next session lua. the
case of the Honourable Member for Greenwich is the
the
had done at the close of the session of 1830 lied the
case of Baron Rothschild.—( Hear, hear.) As ref elicitor'
legal bearing of the question, the Attorney and 'lto one
General interpreted the law differently; for while food
was found voting in the old lobby, the other was to bed the
voting in the new. If they went to one law officer: oi3e
Crown for an interpretation of the law he would givvould
answer, and if they sent to a second his interpretation cd at
be directly the reverse. The resolution of the Noble that
ble
the head of the Government was the most objectioable, Lard
could be proposed to the House. If the N°
and -iP
ai
intended to take an intelligible, bold, mania', oaete
gorous course, he should move a new writ for Greenat
He did not take that course, because he knew th a the
would have the vote of the House in his favour, ilsgsia
result would be that the electors of Greenwich errnil if the
assemble, and re-elect Mr. Alderman Salon:ooe' „Rd.'
Noble Lord proposed such a resolution, it would be ce'b; r for
it it were proposed by the Hon. and Learned De
Abingdon, it would be defeated. The electors of tirt.r Hon
°
would say that they did not care for the writs of tee it.„Jet
of Commons. Let the Noble Lord move his new W,he seine
him give the electors an opportunity of re-electill that tbe
Member, and if they told him (Sir Benjamin Ilan) leoh
people were indifferent about the question, let them t those
the division but of last night, and they would find the „( the
who recorded their votes in favour of the admission °woe
Hon. Member for Greenwich to a seat in the Legitiet
were the representatives of one-third of the constituen'
the United Kingdom.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. GEORGE THOMPSON expressed .ficatioa
kis
at being the representative of a majority o the
his gra° breW
betcrs
community in the United Kingdom. The quesionof race
the House was not a question of law but a queeti:°l3,olere°c.
gious liberty on the one hand, and of religious i- are
on the other.—(Hear, hear.) He had listened to thet, those
merits on both sides of the question, and he tho,ag:a
which proceeded from his side of the House reine
swered. A gross insult had been offered to rit.°'
te 00'.
ersuasion. The Noble Lord was languid where iLedreatell
have been prompt. He had not made this the on'
question of the day, or a question which affected th for the
once of the Government itself. The time had COn3,tnchise"
Liberal Members in that House to justice.e earlooer
There more
meat of the Jews as a simple act of j
was a question on which public opinion had IVellijoure'
unequivocally expressed, and by majorities of the to be
than the present question. It was not a quests)
eta
trifled with, even by the Govrnment itself. lie r°eB
to state his opinion on the question. Gr° lemon
posite made it a political question. The Jew W„,.ile -10ers,e,
in a theological and evangelical view, to many ole.,sor;
that House. The Jew did not believe in the Sari4cietir
did; but the difference was between the belief of (41i, et'
that was to come and a Saviour that had come. batioo.)
sertion was received with repeated shouts of disanPr°,oo Ye'
Well, what was the state of the law? Thug pinion a with
riot's. He should vote against the main qston, 413
still greater pleasure for the adjournment.
Mr. ANSTEY said he wished to know whether tb„eorPriro'
fession of the Christian religion was a necessarr„'", or 14
teristic of a Member of Parliament at common !I"roagirt
decisions of courts of justice. The grounds of inqu'ilicee
to be more enlarged upon this question than were ,„.:4010
the Committee which had been referred to by t",olou'
Lord, and which made a report upon it in a loaner!: none
He thought there ought to be an adjournment to giTtpager
to the Noble Lord to consider this point. He shot"' ,antire
as an addition to the original motion, or as a subs :.; tali'
amendment, " That this House, having regard to ttbeali
gious scruples of the Hon. Member for Greenwich, Qotioe
exercise its undoubted privilege, and make such alte rosy
in the form and mode of administerig the oath, esijscritte
enable the Hon. Member for Greenwich to take 500
such oath."
The House then divided, when there appeared .--
9
For the adjournment ... 6
Against it ••• 190 ,
Majority
g
Mr. G. THOMPSON moved a similar additi°-
Anstey to the original motion. la t Orem°
Mr. J. ABEL hoped that the Noble Lord welt- 11°,,01d
his motion until after Thursday, when peatition that VI% tbey
rmiegshe presented tbeedhbeya
heard
at
tte electorsbar
ofo
whOle, t°l
Greenwich, pr Y'
Mr. REYNOLDS said he objected to the
of their representative. ree
seat in this House.
st?ileutiondproposed by Lord Jahn Russell, and 'Artie asis'e
thatwuonrl es" "abjuration" contained in it, because it els tie
a Mr. Salomons perjured himself he cot" then pro'
ftheH House, and suPpe -let
cupv a
ceeded to urge a variet of oections to the oath 00
tion itself,
which he described as a living libel tlper wea 17,
man Catholic
faith, and said that there were Ine°;„,. yak
that House who, when he remonstrated with them t thee
,
it, told him that they were compelled 'to take it, butte
it,
did not believe it. He (Mr. Reynolds) revered the cc°ll.frerlchi
of the Jew, who, even to attain the highest pitch 0: belie 7
declined to swear to that which he did n°" etarn•
Pour years had now elapsed since the Noble Lord Wee r for re
as the colleague of Baron Rothschild as Mernbe_d tithe
city of London, and since that time the Baron he 0 the
hat el the
elected again by a very large majority. And w-
„,40st t
Noble Lord now ;doing? Why, declaring war eb"d, 0°
electors of the city of London, againn constituents; -are'.
satisfied with that, war also t the electors of.
.4 the
wick.—(Hear.) The best course would be to Han;ta°i'lete:
course proposed by the Hon. Member for the Tower „ac
Mr. C. ANSTEY rose amidst cries of " Oh, oh,voice.
much uproar, which drowned the lion. Gentleman'lero he
The
Hon.
.tenibl)::ttftbesb.jrule-
In the fragments of sentences which reached the groio; flog
a to be complaining of the sullen silence pc
Noble Lord at the head of the Government observed', ogreL3
stating whether he would consent to a Committee, care'
to the amendment, or propose a resolution caculated lAA'were-
t the objects of the amendment. lie moved the e".l
ment of the debate. tOrte
Mr. BRIGHT also urged the Noble Lord t° °nag. lid°
mation of what he eventually proposed de_lo-6potre,,
thought that the decision of the question should be I', it Arn
until the electors had presented the petition vrh,ieh',, hart
announced they intended, praying to be heard at L" sea
t
favour of the admission of their representative to
that House. the eirsa'
Lord J. RUSSELL said that in the early part Of Olt
ing the question which the House had to conaider27ratigito
deliberately and very learnedly discussed. He eta of
forward a resolution which implied, though it did rot was
rie
direct terms, that the Hon. Member for Greenwich.% fail
entitled to sit without taking the oath of abjuration ember r
different from that which the Honourable gehraprieo_ctitenala
himself proposed, and in the form in which Meraw-d
House had hitherto taken it. The Hon. and Learne Bola'
ber for Aylesbury (Mr. Bethell) proposed a Congo me re re
ter te for
tion to meet that—namely, that the ilon. rile-lery e
London and Greenwich having complied with all the wet
quired, so far as the oath of abjuration was concert:l,o P,re°-0
entitled to sit and vote in that House. There werein, or
positions, the one contrary to the other. The 131°t„-rtek","r
Hon. and Learned Member for Aylesbury was suP2-00ot"t",
him in a very able speech, which was answered delghe
very able speech from the Attorney-General, and t ion' lope
was conducted in a manner worthy of such an OCCBS
themes''
Members learned in the law who spoke confined ttleoivieirn
to the immediate question. The House came t° Sea;
and decided that the resolution of the lion. and Lea aecieti
ber should not be put. It remained for the House roe
whether the resolution which he (Lord John) hadg,te l;
should be affirmed. It would be fair, had the fievegt; hot
tinned to a late hour, to have moved its adjourninlig, whiog
instead of continuing the discussion upon the had oothit 0
after all was their business—(Hear, hear)--they L'itgainsea,
but denunciations against that House for going t pr e° of
liberal body of constituents- denunciations for not ode a.
ing at once to affix a sense to the oath and fl; would e A
f
taking it according to what Hon. Gentlemen Sept there hie
mit to a seat an Hon. Member who had been se3 upon
legislating
numerous body of constituents—denunciations
(Lord John's) conduct for maintaining that :117hoirrio
against the Jews which he had been for soine Yet_Lr,tgaiost
to repeal. Then they had long denunciation_er_nieta (.
eonduct by the Hon. -Member for the Tower 1°13:70
George Thompson), who, when he (Lord Jam)