The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-19 00:00:00

INSTITUE.

Mr. Moffatt addressed his constituents at Ashburton oa
Friday, giving a general review of the topics of the day. He
referred in the opening to the commercial panic of last au-
tumn, the events in India, and the meeting of Parliament
in December, 1837, and proceeded to the great measure of
last session—the India bill. The hon. gentleman said—
" Immediately after Parliament met a bill was brought in
for the better government of India. That bill embraced one
main principle—the dissolvieg of the double government.
The session opened with a prospect that the India bill was to
be the great battle-field of conflict between the Tory and
Liberal parties; but here, again, we may see how uncertain
are all political calculations. Notice was given that that
bill would be opposed, the ground of opposition being
that it was inexpedient in the present state of affair= in
India to legislate for that country, and therefore delay
was desirable. Mr. Baring, a very eminent person in
commerce, and one held in high estimatio❑ in the House of
Commons, led the attack. It was su,taired by almost ece y
member of the present Government, except one. That one
gentleman—l mention it to his credit—was Lord Stanley.
( Hear.) Every one of the leaders of the then Opposition—
the present Ministers—were adverse to the bill. Mr. Disraeli,
seeing probably the mantle of the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer 'looming in the distance'—(laughter)—declared
that the House of Commons did not view the matter rightly
—they had lost sight of the financial part of the question•--
(laughter) ;—now there was a deficiency of L 2,000,000,
next year it might be doubled, and the third quad-
rupled. He further said it would not be a question simply
of losing India, but also of ruining England, unless some
fundamental change was made in the local government of
that country. Another member of the present Cabinet de-
clared the bill to be audacious, ill conceived, and entirely
unnecessary ; but when we came to a division on the 18th
of February the bill passed by a majority of 140 members
out of a house of 480 members. That was considered
as almost settling the question of the political hostilities
of the session. But while this subject of India was being
discussed, another event was occurring in a neighbouring
country which excited the greatest interest there and
here. It was no less than an organised plan for the assassi-
nation of the Emperor of the French. A despatch was ad-
dressed to our Government by the Minister of the French
Emperor, urging it to repress the preaching of assassi-
nation by political refugees. It was laid before the House
of Commons, and a bill was framed with the title of The
Conspiracy to Murder Bill,' and this despatch was practi-
catty the preamble of that bill. (Hear, hear.) Now I, for
one, as a member of Parliament, decline to pass any bill
at the dictation of the Emperor of the French, or any other
foreign potentate. (Cheers.) The bill was brought in
simultaneously with the despatch. There was a slight op-
position made; and having read the despatch, I voted against
the introduction of the bill. (Cheers.) When the bill came
to the second reading—the night after the triumph on the
India Bill—the bill was thrown out, not because it was a
particularly offensive bill, but simply because it was a bill in-
troduced at the dictation of the Court of France. (Cheers.) I
felt—and many with whom I acted felt—after the triumphs
of this country over Napoleon 1., that we who had
struck the lion down need not pay homage to the wolf.'
(Cheers.) Gentlemen, I rejoice to tell you that that bill
was thrown out, and I further rejoice to you that we
' have heard no more of the bill and its preamble. (Cheers.)
We have received no more such despatches from Count
Walewski—and the best answer that we could give to the
gentleman who occupies the throne of the Tuileries was that
the bill was thrown out. (Applause.) The further conse-

quence was the resignation of Ministers. It was kaown
from the circumstances under which that Mini,try was called
to office and the general pledge of support it had received
that it would be exceedingly difficult to form another Ministry,

but the Tories cheerfully took the task in hand. Lord Derby,
whose political courage no one can doubt—and notwithstand-
ing all the prognostications and prophecies to the contrary
—did form a Government, and, after some delay had
occurred in proceeding to business, commenced the un-
dertaking of conducting the affairs of the country, and has
worked his way through the business of the session with, I
must confess, a measure of success. (Hear.) It is neces-
sary that I should dwell somewhat on the earlier period of
the session, because I was returned by you as a supporter of
Lord Palmerston, and I have now came before you to ask
yeu whether I have done right, acting on my own re-
sponsibility as your representative, in not endorsing that
bill of Lard Palmerston's. (Cheers.) Amid all the
prophecies that Lord Derby's Administration would not
last more than a few weeks a slight event occurred
sshich seemed likely to fulfil these prophecies. The
gentlemen with whom I have acted were not reluctant to
come back to office, nor was I unwilling that they should
return ; but I confess that my business in the House of
Commons is not to give indiscriminate support to any sec-

tion in order that they may get into office, but rather to
support those measures—no matter by whom they are brought
forward—which are for the benefit of the country at large—
(cheers)—and consequently you must not expect, if the men
with whom I have differed throughout the whole of my poli-
tical life are in office and are carrying out sound measures,
that I should lift up my voice against them. (Applause.)
I say nothing for their political consistency—(laugbter)—
I am not here to endorse the whole of their proceed-
ings, or to be sponsor for them—(hear, hear)—but we
will see what they they have done." The hon. member
then gave a succinct history of the proceedings in con-
nection with the new India Bill, and explained certain of
his own motions in committee en the bill. He denounced

the bill (No. 3) as merely "Lord Palmerston's measure with
a job superadded." That job was the great objection to the
bill. The hon. member next expressed his gratification at
the passing of the Jew Bill, denouncing the conduct of the
Lords as most undignified. After adverting to the ques-
tions of the abolition of the church rates, the property quali-
fication, and the county franchise (on all of which the hon.
member takes the Liberal side), the hon. gentleman pro-
Retied : " Upon the question of the finances of
the country I have not the gift of speech of Mr.
Disraeli, nor do I approve that gentleman's new way
of paying old debts by reducing taxation and avoiding
payments. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) I am not pre-
pared to tell you that I viewed the late financial state-
ment with satisfaction. (Hear, hear.) We were under
contract to pay a large portion of Government debt ; but
we have now made arrangements to postpone those pay-
ments; and the Minister who made that proposition also
did the popular thing of reducing the income tax. Our
finances, therefore, are left in a barren state. (Hear, hear.)
With respect to the expenditure of the country I have
nothing very satisfactory to report to yos. It is heavy—
very heavy—(hear, hear)—and will be exceedingly bur-
densome whenever a time of pressure shall come. It
is not so much felt when bread is cheap, and all the
staple articles of food are to be obtained on easy
terms ; but still the taxation of the country is, doubt-
less, exceedingly heavy. (Hear, hear.) As your repre-
sentative, I have not been prepared to advocate any
large or sweeping reduction either in the expenditure of the
army or navy. When the present Ministers came into office
they paid their predecessors the compliment of expressing
their surprise at the efficiency of our military force. No one
will deny that our navy ought also to be in an equal state
of efficiency, and I can only say I hope it is so. (Hear,
hear.) Thus we have gone through the session—a varied
session, and a session marked by minor incidents." After
ridiculing the rhapsody of Mr. Disraeli at Slough, and re-
ferring to the " intentions" of the present .Ministry, the
hon. member declared his own opinions on reform. He said
—" I may say that I am for the extension of the franchise,
and shall support a measure of that kind from whatever point
of the political compass it may come. (Cheers.) I am quite
sure that the franchise may be extended, and safely and
hcnefically extended in this country. lam quite willing—
aye, I am desirous, that we should make our constituencies
larger than they are at present; and I think these points
ought to have the attention of any Government in broaching
this great and difficult question. I believe, also, that 'arge
bodies of men at present unrepresented ought to be repre-
sented—(cheers)—and that small bodies having two repre-
sentatives ought to be well content with one, and perhaps
amalgamated with some other constituency for that one.
(Cheers.) I should be glad to see an equalisation, to a mode-
rate extent, of the constituencies of the country—(hear, hear)
—but I tell you unreservedly that I am not prepared to vote for
a measure that shall make the franchise of no avail by bring-
ing it down to manhood sulfrage—(hear, hear)—or that
shall cut the country as it were into parallelograms and
squares, in order to send members to Parliament. This
country has maintained its character of representation
simply by the varied elements sent to Parliament. Century
after century it has sent them there, unbought, unpaid, and
at a great sacrifice to themselves of time and health, in
order that they might have the high honour and privilege
of serving their country. (Hear, hear.) That is a high
honour and privilege, and it has been maintained in that
almost sacred state by the mixture of the various
elements you send there. (Hear.) You send a given
number from large constituencies representing abstract
popular opinions ; you send some from the counties repre-
senting the agricultural interest; and you send others from
the less important towns representing the opinion of the
middle classes. (Hear.) lam willing that small boroughs
should be made larger, although, perhaps, if you watch not
only the present Parliament, but any Parliament, you will
see where the really independent body of men come from.
It has been. from small independent boroughs which would
not be overridden by great landowners—(cheers)--end the
consraueneies of which have exercised their own freedom in
the choice of their own representatives. (Cheers.) I assure
von that there is not a more free body to act in this country
than those who represent small independent boroughs, where
e nowo
havef my Lord
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more to say." That one word more related to foreign
politics, after a brief allusion to which, Mr. Moffatt sat
down.
A vote of confidence in the hon. member was then moves
and 9rried by acclamation.