The Sun.
London, England, 1835-03-25 00:00:00

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ment candidate, for that although they were officers, they were I
still citizens, and had a right to vote as they pleased—( Hear.)
Mr. MACL E AN hoped the House would throw overboard
all the loose allegations that had been made on both sides.
Sir E. KNATCHBULL rose, amidst cries of Spoke,
spoke. He said, since the commencement of the debate he
bad consulted with a friend of Colonel Tremonier out of the
House, and the result was that that friend, on the part of
Colonel Tremonier, was most anxious that every inquiry should
be gone into on this subject, and, therefore, he (Sir E. Knatch •
bull) for one had no longer any objection to the appointment
of the Committee.—(Cheers.)
Sir R. PEEL—It would be with very great reluctance,
Sir, that I should consent to the appointment of .this Com-
mittee. I can very well understand why the Gallant Officer
and his friends may be anxious to have this inquiry take place,
and have a strong personal wish that the Committee should
be appointed, feeling, perhaps, as they do, that the explana-
tions from this night by the friends of the Gallant Officer in
this House are not completely satisfactory. But I cannot say
that the personal wish of an Officer is 'a conclusive reason
why this House shall appoint a Committee.---( Hear.) Re-
ference has been made -to some observations which the Gallant
Officer is said to have made to some other person, as well as
his having used his military influence over the voters at the
election. Now if any inquiry shall take place at all, lam
clearly of opinion that it should be limited to his official con-
duct as an Officer, and should not extend to words spoken by
him while in the full possession of the elective franchise him-
self. The Reform Bill gave him the elective franchise, and
with it the right to speak his political sentiments freely, and I,
Sir, for onernever will countenance an inquiry into sentiments
so expressed.—(Cheers.) To appoint a Committee' for such a
purpose I consider to be nothing short of an inquisitorial
proceeding.—( Cheers.) For my own part Ido not think
that there have been sufficient grounds laid for the appoint-
ment of any Committee whatever in this case : but if there
should be any, I move, Sir, that the inquiry of that Com-
mittee shall be limited to the official conduct of the Gallant
Officer, and to the alleged abuse of his military authority.
Sir G. GREY fully concurred in what had fallen from the
Right Hon. Baronet that a mere casual conversation was not
in itself alone sufficient ground for the appointment of a Com-
mittee of that House to enter upon an inquiry. But the
Right Hon. Baronet seemed to be in ignorance of the real
facts of the case as stated in the petition. If the Right Hon.
Baronet read the petition be would have found that the peti-
tioners expressed their confidence that that House would not
allow any military authority to interfere with the right of elec-
tion.—( Hear.) The order issued by Colonel Tremonier the
petitioners alleged had been most partially acted on ; and
they felt convinced that this partiality was designed, from the
conversation which Colonel Tremonier had held upon the
subject. He was alleged to have said, "If Chatham does
not return Admiral Beresford, 1 hope the Government will
shut up half the shops in the town."—( Cheers from the Op-
position.) He hoped, under all the circumstances, that the
Committee would be granted. He himself knew many bo-
roughs that were subject to
"similar influence, and be had been
told by several electors that they could not give him their
votes in consequence of this influence, unless he supported
the system of voting by ballot, to which they knew he was
opposed. Such a question as this ought to be made to hinge
upon the personal character of an officer. He knew some of
his own intimate friends, officers in the army, men of the high-
est worth and honour, who, from not being well road in the
Constitution of the country, might not he over-scrupulous in
using their influence at an election, and miglit: often, without
knowing that they were doing anything wrong, .•::2trel,7 their
zeal to outrun their discretion.
Sir R. PEEL--The private conversation has been much
insisted on. Now, with a view to the object proposed, it ap-
pears to me that it would be quite sufficient if the Committee
confined their inquiry to the circumstances under which the
order was issued by the Commandantfor the exclusion of slop-
sellers and others from the barrack-yard without a special
order of admission from the Commandant.
An HON. MEMBER—WiII it be competent to a Committee
thus appointed to enquire into the conversation?
Sir R. PEEL—The Committee will take the course they
may judge fit upon that point; but if the Committee be ap-
pointed in the words first proposed it will have the appearance
of an inquisition into private conduct.
Sir J. C. HOBHOUSE saw no objection to the first
amendment suggested.
Mr. GROTE said the Committee would be of no use un-
less they could enquire into private conduct as far as it tended
to influence the election.
Sir R. PEEL—The Committee would not be preCluded
from enquiry into the bearing of the private conversation.
He would persevere in the amendment.
After a few words from Lord JOHN RUSSELL and Mr.
AGLIONBY, the House divided—
For the original motion
For the amendment l3O
Majority against Ministers —3l
The following Committee was then appointed—
Hodges, I'. L. Strickland, §ir G. Mackenzie, J. A. S.
Knatchbull, Sir E. Geary, Sir W. Ebrington, Lord
Troubridge, Sir E. Marjoribanks, S, Stanley. Lord --
Trevor, Hon. G. R. Inglis, Sir R. H. Grey, Sir G.
Ord, W. Clive, Robert Berkeley, G. C.
Hay, A. L. Clements, Lord Wood, C
Ashley, Lout