The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-11 00:00:00

"HE smv, LONDON,

IrRIDAy EVENING,

it wts agreeable to the house, he would move that the re-
soluions just agreed to should be reported forthwith and
inserted in the bill, so that the committee might consider
the Treasure as a whole.
Tie suggestion was acceded to, and the report of the re-
solutions was brought up and agreed to.
REFRESHMENT HOUSES AND WINE LICENSES
BILL.

Tie CHANCELLOR of the EXCFAEQUER moved
that the house go into committee upor this bill.
Mr. PALK contended that it wr;uld be unwise, as wellas
injurious to the morals, health, and happiness of the people
to permit unrestricted cormWiition in the sale of alcoholic
drinks. So long ago as t):0 reign of William and Mary an
experiment similar to now proposed by the Chancellor
of the Exchequer 'was tried, and the trade was carried on to
an enormous P:dent, but the evil became so great that the
legislature was compelled to interfere. The right hon. gen-
flow:A now for the first time since the days of -William and
Mary sought to take away the power of the magistrates to
grant licenses, and to throw the whole power into the
hanAls of the supervisor of excise. No necessity, however,
had been shown for the incroase'of public houses, and it
could not be alleged that there was a want of public-house
accommodation, inasmuch as a return published in 1855
proved that at that time there was a public-house for every
38 of the male and female populat'on above the age of 21.
Under the bill any person, though of bad character and the
associate of thieves, might obtain a wine license. The bill
was neither a fiscal measure nor a free trade measure, nor
yet a measure dictated by any principle of sound policy. lie
would therefore move that the house gointo committee upon
it on that day six months.
Mr. PACKE in seconding the motion said the bill was
one cf the greatest attempts to infringe the liberty of the
subject that he ever remembered to have seen introduced
into that house. It would render every old woman who
sold cakes or ginger beer liable to a yearly tax. In fact he
did rot know that the bill would not apply even to butchers'
shops.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER did not
think the house would be willing to resume the lengthened
debate which had been brought to a close on Monday night.
The objection of his hon. friend who had seconded the
amendment did not really apply to the bill; the general
words in which were subjected to many important limita-
tions. The other hon. gentleman's (Mr. Palk's) objections
were no doubt of a very different character. He had listened
to the hon. gentleman, and he admitted that his opinion was
entitled to much consideration. The Government had stated
in that house what they anticipated would be the social
consequences of certain measures, and the fallacies against
the bill were that hon, gentlemen declined to draw dis-
tinctions which ought to be drawn, and which lay on
the surface of the case. The case of wine licenses
was different from the beer bill. He had propounded
this measure as a deliberate attempt to effect a
great improvement in one portion of the law, with re-
gard to which refreshment was to be had by the
people, and under which they were to be enabled to find
fermented liquors in the same places as eatables. After the
long arguments he had offered to the house the other night
it would not be respectful to repeat them at this moment.
But when they went into committee he hoped they would
make such amendments as might be required, if any were
necessary. (Hear, hear.)
The amendment was then negatived without a division,
and the house went into committee, Mr. MASSEY in the
chair.