The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-11 00:00:00

JEWS ACT.

On the motion of Mi..WiLTOI.E, the following com-
mittee was nominated on the Jews Act :—Mr. T. bun-
combe, Mr. Walpole, Lord J. Russell, Mr. Henley, Sir R.
Bethel', the Solicitor-General Sir J. Graham, Lord J.
Manners, Sir G. Grey, Lord Hotham, Mr. Vyng, Mr.
Newdegate, Mr. Dillwyn, Mr. Adams, and Colonel W.
Patten.
MARKETS (IREIAND) BILL.
This bill Passed through Committee.
muIiICIPAL ELECTIONS BILL.
The house then went into committee on this bill.
Clauses up to 10 were agreed to with verbal amend-
ments.

On clause 11,

Mr. HUNT Proposed iw alueudineut, to the effect that

" two justices of the county in which the borough is
situate', shall decide upon the matter, instead of two
justices of the borough. In many cases the justices in
boroughs were political partisans.
Mr. GILPIN did not think justices in boroughs were
more subject to political influence than justices in counties.
Mr. SALISBURY trusted the house would not sanction
an amendment the effect of which would be to throw a re-
flection on the borough justices.
Mr. S. ESTCOURT thought it would be most objec-
tionable to throw on one set of justices duties which ought
to be performed by another set.
The amendment was withdrawn, and the clawie was
agreed to, with an amendment providing that the duty
should be performed by the justices sitting in petty sessions.
•
Clause 12 was agreed to.
On clause 13, fixing the penalty for bribery at elections
at 405.,
Mr. DIVETT expressed his opinion that the penalty
was inadequate to the offence, and he would move that
the penalty be £5O.
Mr. CROSS remarked that if the penalty should befixed
at L5O the clause might as well be left out of the bill. The
present penalty was £5O, and was so high that nobody
thought of putting it in force. The object of the clause was
to make the penalty small but certain. Besides the pecu-
niary penalty, the party offending would be disfranchised
for six years. The greater part of the persons to whom the
penalty would apply were poor, and to them 40s. was a
serious sum. The rich would have to pay 40s. for every
person whom they might bribe.
Mr. S. ESTCOURT believed the smaller penalty would
best effect the object contemplated by the bill. He trusted
the committee would adhere to the penalty of 40s.
The committee then divided, when there appeared—
For the amendment l3
Against it
Majority
The clause was then agreed to.
Clauses 14 to 22 were agreed to, with some verbal amend-
ments. •
Mr. HADFIELD proposed to add a clause reducing the
length of occupation before a burgess was entitled to vote
from three years to one year.
Mr. CROSS opposed the clause proposed by the hon.
member for Sheffield, and regretted that an attempt should
be made to insert provisions of that nature in a which
had been introduced for a totally different purpose, and the
passing of which, in order to remedy a crying evil, should
not thus be imperilled.
After a few words from Sir G. PECRELL and Mr.
BERKELEY in support of the clause, the committee divided,
when there were—
For Mr. Hadfield's clause 97
Against it
Majority ..90
Mr. W. J. FOX proposed the insertion, of a clause to
repeal that provision of the existing act which renders the
possession of a certain amount of property in real estate, or
being rated at a certain annual value, requisite qualifica-
tions for the office of mayor, alderman, or councillor of any
borough. He remarked that the house had wisely repealed
the property qualification for members of Parliament, and
he now asked them to do the same thing for municipalities.
It was desirable, no doubt, that persons of property should
be amongst the members of municipal corporations, and
should exert their due influence in local affairs; but it was
laso desirable that the corporations should include men of
ability and character belonging to different classes of society.
It did sometimes happen that the interests of private pro-
perty were at variance with the interests of the community.
The wealthy alderman who resided in a suburban villamight
perhaps feel indifferent to questions of sewerage and sanitary
regulation which would be matters of life and death to the
poor inhabitants of the closer and more crowded districts of
the town, and cases had even been known in which the
inspectors and officers of health were afraid to lay an infor-
mation against some wretched cottages or other dangerous
nuisance, because the owners of those buildings were mem-
bers of the corporation, and they were their servants. It was
not, however, from the poorer classes themselves, nor wasit
from any ambitious demagogues who wanted to get into
municipal offices, that this demand for the repeal of the pro-
perty qualification now proceeded; but one corporation after
another had petitioned the House of Commons to that effect
—the corporations of Rochdale, Oldham, and Sheffield had
lately done so, and if the corporation of Leicester had not
actually petitioned, it had joined in expressing the same
desire. These corporations wanted to be allowed to avail
themselves of the talents and energy of men in every rank
of society who might be found willing aad competent to
serve the borough, and whom the electors might think fit
to be chosen.

. ,
Mr. CROSS said the bill had been drawn with a special
object, that of preventing bribery and corruption at munici-
pal elections, and he thought ii :would be unwise to imperil
measure by the insertion of a. clause that might give
rise to so much' difference of opinion:
The committee divided—
For the clause ...108
Against it lBl
Majority against 73
The clause was thus lost.
Mr. HADFIELD brought up a clause relieving dissen-
ters from the necessity Of taking the oath not to use their
office to, the prejudice of the Established Church.
Mr. CROSS repeated the answer he had given to the
previous proposal, and
The clause was negatived. -
Mr. H. BERKELEY proposed a clause providing for
elections being taken by ballot. (Hear, hear.) He con-
sidered that the arguments he had adduced on previous
occasions remained unanswered, and when he contrasted
the small talent of which he could boast with the great
ability with which he was opposed, he could not but attri-
bute his success to the goodness of his cause. (Cheers,
ironical and otherwise.) He could quote cases of intimida-
tion in municipal elections in every constituency in the
kingdom. ("Divide,'' "agree.") There was a case of a man
employed at a mill at Staleybridge—(Name, divide)—who
was employed there 20 years, and one morning he was told
he might go home, because he had voted for a candidate
to whom his employer was opposed. (Laughter, and
Divide.) That was the way the wrongs of the work-
ing classes were received by the house. (Oh, and
Divide.) He had before him 13 cases of persons
brought to ruin in that way. He would read them, if they
liked. (Oh, and laughter.) He could bring cases of that sort
from every corporate town in England. The only protection
against this was secret voting, and as he should bring the
subject of voting by ballot for members of Parliament be-
fore the house this session he should leave the matter now
in the hands of the house. • •

Mr. A. STEUART asked if the clause could be now en•
tertaiued.

Mr. FITZROY said that the clause would be incon-
sistent with the 16th clause, which had been agreed to.
Mr. BERKELEY would then move his clause on the
report.
The house then resumed.
LAW OF PROPERTY AND TRUSTEES RELIEF

AMENDMENT BILL.
This bill went through committee pro forma.
THE CHARLES ET GEORGES.
The adjourned debate on this subject was postponed till
Tuesday next.
CHURCH RATES ABOLITION BILL.
Sir J. TRELAWNY moved the second reading of this
bill.
Mr. B. HOPE appealed to the hon. gentleman not to
press the bill at that late hour. (" Oh," and cheers.) If
he did not accede to his request he must move the adjourn-
ment of the debate.
Sir J. TRELAWNY said that he had given up his
Wednesday to the bill of the Government. • Two church.—
rate plans had been discussed, one yesterday and the other
that night ; and after the fate of the bill of the right hon.
gentleman (Mr. Walpole), he thought all plans but his
(Sir J. Trelawny's) were exhausted, and nothing better .
could be done than to pass his bill. •
The house then divided on.the question of adjournment.
For the adjournment ' 108
Against it 173---65
On the question that the bill be read a second time,
Mr. BENTINCK appealed to the courtesy of Sir J. Tre-
lawny not to press the bill to a division at that late hour,
and concluded by moving that the house should adjourn.
Sir J. PAKINGTON said itivas unreasonable to expect
that the bill would be agreed to without debate, and they
could not debate at that hour.
Sir J. TRELAWNY consented to postpone the bill to
this day. (Cheers.)
The house adjourned at one o'clock.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.—On Wednesday night, a
fire, which was not extinguished until an early hour yes-
terday morning, broke out in the premises belonging to
Messrs. Smith and Co., rope-manufacturers, New Church-
street, Bermondsey. The buildings covered a large space
of ground, and comprised the rope-walks hemp-loft,
wheel •sheds, tar-stores, and other erections. The fire com-
menced in one of the buildings which contained a great
quantity of hemp, jute, and other equally inflammable
articles. The fire was not extinguished until a great
amount of property was destroyed, including one building
50 feet long by 45 feet wide, the wheel-sheds, the hemp and
jute lofts, and the tar-sheds. The building and contents
were insured in the Atlas Fire-office.
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