The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-05 00:00:00

REFORM.

Mr. COGAN expressed a hope that in dealing with the
question of reform it should be dealt with as an Imperial
measure, and that a stop should be as much as possible put
to the practice of exceptional legislation. (Hear.) Ireland
and Scotland and this country now formed a United King-
dom, and he did not see why they should be treated in an
exceptional and not an Imperial line of :legislation. He
should also be prepared to include in any Reform Bill
which might be hereafter proposed the protection of vote by
ballot. (Hear, hear.)

COURSE OF PUBLIC BUSINESS.
Nr, AMON Willed to ask the 00,404419 r of tiie g4s

chequer whether it was intended that during the remainder
of the session orders of the day should take precedence over
notices of motion on Tuesdays and Thursdays ?

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said—lt
is my duty to reply to several questions, and also to offer a
few observations to the house. I think I ought first to
inform the noble lord the member for Tiverton and the
noble lord the member for London as to the period at which
we anticipate the new Parliament will be able to assemble.
(Hear, hear.) I must say I was rather surprised at the
pomp of patriotism with which the noble lords put that
question. (Hear, and a laugh.) Did they suppose that the
Government were not going to call the new Parliament to-
gether before next February ? (Hear, hear.) That would
be impossible with the state of feeling which exists in this
house. (Hear, hear.) But the noble lords must have known
from their own personal experience that such a course would
be perfectly impossible. What we are going to do now is to
ask for a set of votes, the influence of which will only reach
over a very limited period. Even the financial statement
which it was my intention to make next week, cannot now
be brought forward. (Hear, hear.) Now, lam asked when
the dissolution will take place. (Hear, hear.) Of course
I could not come down to the house to-day with perfect
confidence upon the subject, because, after the extraor-
dinary announcement made in the late debate by
the noble lord the member for Tiverton, I could not have
anticipated I should have received that support from the
house which, under other circumstances, I might have re-
lied upon. I may say now that on the occasion of the last
dissolution it only took 16 days to bring about the proroga-
tion. I should hope we shall not take a longer time now.
Every effort will be made to carry on affairs; and, generally
speaking, I anticipate that on that day on which it is pro-
bable I shall move the motion for the adjournment of the
house for the holidays I shall be able to announce the pro-
rogation, and in that case the dissolution will probably take
place towards the end of the month. (Hear, hear.) With
that view I shall propose, if it is agreeable to the house, that
Government orders of the day shall take precedence of
notices of motion on to-morrow and every succeeding
day during the remainder of the session. (Hear, hear.)
I shall now notice an observation which I have heard in the
course of the present debate, that the announcement which
her Majesty's Government have to-night made was not one
which was made with that due consideration to which a
matter so weighty was entitled, but was one taken up hastily
after they had first recommended to themselves a different
course. It has been said that we at first intended to resign,
but that on second thoughts, and upon some influence else-
where we altered our minds. There is, sir, no foundation
whatever for that assertion. (Cheers.) Her Majesty's
Ministers have from the commencement been fully sensible
of their responsibility in the conduct they should pursue,
and never, from the moment it became necessary for them
to come to a decision, hesitated as to the course they should
adopt. (Hear, hear.) The noble lord the member for the
City of London has this evening made a statement of a very
important character. I shall not, as is sometimes said, say
that it would be important if it were true, because I am sure
that the noble lord, when he made the statement, believed it
to be true ; but I will say that he has made a great misre-
presentation to the house. The noble lord has said that I
stated it would be dangerous to the peace of Europe if our bill
were to be opposed. Nothing of the kind ever escaped from
my lips. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) I never deprecated
opposition. On the contrary, had the bill been fairly en-
countered—had it even been rejected—by the house, I
should not, considering the responsible character of the
measure, in the settlement of which so many Governments
have failed, have thought that that decision implied any
censure upon, or any want of confidence in, Government,
and should not have thought it the duty of Government to
take any step of extraordinary importance upon such an
event. (Hear, hear.) What I did complain of was, that
the bill was not encountered fairly—(cheers)—that the
noble lord should trust himself between the house and
the bill with a party resolution, the object of which—
I do not say that such was his lordship's object—was
perfectly well understood by the house to be the dis-
turbance of her Majesty's Government, and that such was
likely to be its result was afterwards avowed by the noble
lord himself. (Cheers.) It was the irregular conduct of
the noble lord which had I said embarrassed negotiations,
and endangered the peace of Europe—a statement, sir,
which I here emphatically repeat. (Cheers.) The rejection
of the measure we should have accepted from the house with
respect. With regard to what has fallen from the hon.
gentleman the member for Devonport, I agree with him
that it is advantageous to the public interests that the
Superannuation Bill should be passed in the present Par-
liament ; and, perhaps, as there appears to be a general con-
currence of opinion upon that point, we may be able to give
it the sanction of law before the dissolution. (Hear, hear.)
There is but one other point on which I would touch, and
that refers to a statement made by the other leader of the
Opposition, the noble lord the member for Tiverton. The
noble lord said that it is apparent frommy speeoh that there
is to be no further Reform Bill from the present Govern-
ment. It is more possible that I may not have adequately
stated our intentions to the house, than that a person of his
lordship's acuteness could misunderstand them. It was not
my intention to make any such statemert. What I did do
was to guard myself and the right honourable friends with
whom it is my pride to act from the imputation that we had
no right to bring forward a Reform Bill. In opposition to
that I asserted our right, and I went further and stated that
not only had we the right, but also that it was our duty
to deal with the question. But what Ido say is that, hav-
ing fulfilled our pledge in bringing forward a Reform Bill,
at great personal and political inconvenience, I held myself
free from any distinct pledge for another measure, but that
we should deal with the question when the occasion justi-
fied our doing so. My observations all had reference to
the meeting of the new Parliament, and I assert our right
to deal with the question, and state that it is our intention
to do so whenever the occasion may justify us in taking
that course ; but we do hold ourselves exempt from any
pledge that would make it our duty to bring forward
another Reform Bill in June. That is not at present our
intention, nor under any circumstances do I contemplate
our doing so. In conclusion, I beg leave to withdraw the
motion for adjournment.
Mr. SPOONER, before the motion was withdrawn,
wished to inform the hon. member for Kildare that he in-
tended to call the attention of the house to the subject of
Maynooth.