The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-29 00:00:00

PETITIONS.

Mr. BIGGS prasented petitions from LeiceAerAire
in favour of the Legalisation of marriages with a
deceased wife's sinter. (Matiy other petitions t the
same effect from other parts t.f the country were
presented.)
Alderman COPELAND presented petitions from
Stafforeshire against certain clauses in the Local Gc-
vernment Act proposed by Mr. M'Mahon.
GALWAY FREEMEN DISFRANCHISEMENT
BILL.

The house went int' coorni' t-e on .leis b:11.
Ord 1,
Mr. BUTT moved that the chairman do leave the
chair, believing that if they pr ceeded reel further
with the bill they wool l ne con tuittirg a veaniiest is -
lattice and plu •ge themselves in hopeless c,tefu-ioe
Toe system of the franchise of freemen as it tz.i,ted in
Galway was more popular than ;bat v. hich prevailed in
any part of the country, for all amzans, artificers, and
seamen residing there were admitted freemen, with-
out any exelnsion on the score of religion, or in any
other way. The bill proposed to d.sfra.:2chise the poor
freemen, e.hile they left the noble I..rd who oh-
tiined his seat in that house by their votes in
quiet povsession of it. Another member of that house
bad openly declared that he had taken part in those
acts of bribery, and yet no notice of that declaration
was taken, while the whole weight of Parham. nt
was brought down upon those poor freemen ho

probable in cons!eq,.enci of want had bast) indusod
accept a bribe. (liesr' hear.) cortider•A tio:t nt
atiertdnient that could be in4oduiiid into the bill would
make its provisions consonant with ju•tice.
Mr. CLIVE, who has charge of the bill, said t"e hon
and lcarited gentleman (Hr. Butt) had stated that if
they proceeded with the bill they would be involv: d in
marifest Injustice and hopeless corruption. He (Mr.
Clivt) considered that if they did not proceed
they would encourage manifest bribery and corrup-
tion. Wi'h regard to the evidence taken bef,re the
committee in reference to the bribery of these men, he
considered that it wan the duty of the house to take
some ni;tice of the. report of the roar ittee.

Mr, WALPOLE thought it VP 4,4 urjuet to proceed
against sorne, while others were, left untouched. The
Att,Toey-General f.)r Peland ha'l given notice of
an amendment, dealing with the bribers as well as the
bribed. Tt'at proposition in itself would lead to very
long and very serious discussion, which be thought
they would not get through to-day. Another discus-
ski) must be taken on the third reacinag, and be doubted
whether they would be able to get thu bill in proper
shape into the. House ( f Lords this session.

Mr. J. D. FITZGERALD said that, as systematic
corruption and bribery on the part of the freemen of
Galway had been proved, the house ought to deal with
the question, notwith,tanding the advanced period of
the session. Ie did not care which course was adopted,
either disfranchising the whole of the frteuaen, or only
dieranchising these who had been proved to have
given or received bribes, which was the ammendment
of the Attorney-General for Ireland. Corruption
reigned in the whole body of freemen, and Parliament
would be trifling with the subject if it shirked the bill
now before the house. If tkis bill were dropped the
people would come to the conelivion that election com-
mittees were all humbug. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. BERESFORD HOPE was quite prepared to
admit that freemen in various part-, of the country had
been subject to the gentle violence of the pur-e' but
thought that it was unfair to disfranchise a large body
of seen in consequence of the malpractices ota few.
Mr. AYRTON had no hesitati n in saying that this
bill proposed the most unhappy plan he had ever
witnessedt for carrying out a measure of justice. lie did
not think that, with the prom pest of a measure of Parlia-
mentary Reform for nee ee.sion, they should mete
public time now in a p'ece of exceptional legielati, a.
Mr. BENTINCIC. thought they could not proceed
with the hill without ii.flicting a great and glaring in-
justice. The zest with which the hon. gentleman (Mr.
C lee) pres-ed on the bill would lead to the supposition
that he and his political friends had some ulterior object
beyond the punishment of these poor freemen.

Mr. KEli. SEYME ft thought that hi 1 founded upon
reports of committees should be taken up by the Govern-
ment, in- rnuch as it was almost impossible for a private
merubtr to carry through such a bill successfully. As
far as he was c•uncerned, he should support the bill in its
integrity.
Mr. CONINGHAM considered that as the freemen
of Galway hal proved themselves so corrupt, they ought
to be di-franchised in a body.

Mr. WHITESIDE thought thbt if proceedings weie
taken the bribers as well as the bribed should be
punished. The bribers eqrrup'ed the virtue of these
pn:.r freemen for tbeir FA:tient ends, and were now will-
ing- to destroy them. (Hear, hear.)

•
Mr. COLLINS urged OA, if the freemen of Galway
were not to be pnaished, Alhaus had been improperly
punitb,d.

- Mr. WARREN said that certain d the witnesse4 in
this commission had come forward and made a clean
breast upon the promi4o that they should not be
visited with any pains or ptlialties, and now it -was
proposed to visit them with the very highest Paths-
mentsry penalties.
After PC me further diecussiGn the committee divided—
For Ails. Butt's motion .. 90
Agsiue.t it
Majority —l7
The motion was cons( quently lost.
(LEFT SITTING.)

Racing Fixtt
.1. U

res for 1858.
X.
Liverpool l4
Nottingham 90
Stamford — 22
Marlborough 23
Go)dwood 27

Hereford
Ipaccich
Pontefract

O liham 2
Newmarket July 6
Worcester Summer 8

AUG

Ripon..
2
Belford
North Staffordshire 3
Brighton
Brighton Club
Lewes
Wolverhampton ..... 9
Reading

UST,
I York 18
Radcliffe 23
Egham 24
Hereford .....26
Stockton 26
I Lich6-1,1 3O
I Great Yarmouth 3l