The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-31 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—(This Evening.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at 5 o'clock.

OATHS BILL.

On the order of the day being read for proceeding to
consider the Commons' reasons for disagreeing to the
amendments made by the Lords to this bill,
Lord REDESDALE said he thought it was neces-
eery, in order to sgt certain doubts at rest as to whether
it would be in order for the noble earl (Lucan) to move
an amendment at this stage of the bill, to carefully
look into the precedents, and having done so he found it
was perfectly in order for the noble earl to proceed with
his amendment. (Hear, hear.)
The Earl of LUCAN then rose to move the following
amendment to be embodied in this bill—" Provided
also, that. whenever any of her Majesty's subjects pro-
fessing the Jewish religion shall he required to take
the oath appointed by this act on any occasion
other than an application to be admitted to sit and vote
in either house of Parliament, the words, 'And I make
this declaration upon the true faith of a Christian' shall
be omitted ; and that from and after the passing of this
act it shall be lawful fur the House of Lords and for the
House of Commons respectively, by resolution of the
house, to determine that the form of the said oath, so far
as such oath rests upon or refers to the Christian faith,
shall, for the purpose only of such oath being adminis-
tered to persons professing the Jewish religion, be modi-
fied, and to make such modification accordingly in such
mariner as to each such house shall seem best calculated
to adapt the form of the said oath to the honest and
yonscientious scruples of the said persons professing
the Jewish religion." The clause in the bill which his
amendment affected was the sth, and he begged to apo.•
logiee for coming forward at this time to ask their lord-
ships if not altogether to reverse, at least very much to
modify, the result at which they hal arrived with
request to this question. In the step he was
thus taking he felt it incumbent to say that he acted en-
tirely on his own responsibilty—(hear)—and be assured
their lordships that he had not consulted his
noble friend (the Earl of Derby), but that he
was as much surprised as any of their
lordships when he gave notice of his intention to move
his amendment. (E[ear.) In moving the amendment
he was impelled solely by a sense of duty to use his beat
exertions to set at rest the differences which had so long
existed between their lordships and the other house of
Parliament. In doing so he felt he was asking their
lordships to do a great deal, but he did not think it was
too much when it became known that the only object
he had in view was to restore harmony between the two
branches of the Legislature. (Hear.) Every person must
know that the question was one which must be be very
shortly settled, and trusted that the proposition he was
about to submit would be assented to by their lordships,
and that the compromise would be accepted by the other
house. (Hear.) In the course he proposed to adopt
he did not think any objection caned be taken, as in
his opinion there was nothing objectionable and undig-
nified in the compromise. The position of their lord-
ships at the present moment with respect to this ques-
tion was suite untenable, and even on the ground of
expediency be thought a graceful concession might be
made. Ho would not enter into the great constitutional
question of the duties and functions of Parliament—
(bear, hear)—for he believed that the House of
Lords had an equal right with the Commons
to uphold their opinions. He did not recollect ever
reading of a member of Parliament heir g questioned at
the hustings for voting for the admission of the Jaws to
Parliament, and it was an important fact that the press
was nearly unanimous in advocating the repeal of the
Jewish disabilities, and he trusted their lordships would
agree to his amendment, as by this mode a compromise
would be effected, and the House cf Commons would be
left to regulate the mode by which its members should
be admitted. He left his amendments in the hands of
their lordships, entreating them to give it their dispas-
sionate consideration hei9re they rejected a proposition
which was to effect au of ject so desirable.
Earl STANHOPE said his opinions with rEgard to
this question were no longer what they were two year,
ago. Public opinion had undergone a change; and as
the proposition of the noble earl appeared to him the
best means of settling this question, be called upon their
lordships to adopt it. Ile assumed if the Jews were not
admitted with the concurrence of their lordships' hous-,
they would bejadrci.tad to Parliament without it.