The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-19 00:00:00

THE IRISH CHURCH.

The LORD CHANCELLOR gave notice that on that
day week, on the motion for the second reading of the Sus
pensory Bill relating to the Irish branch of the Established
Church, ho should move that the bill be read a second time
that day six months.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COAINIONS—LAsT EVENING.
PUBLIC BUS [NESS.
Mr. M. GIB3ON wished to call the attention of the
house to the present arrangements of public business. At
one time it was said by the right boa. gentleman that the
first business to be disposed of was the Scotch and Irish
Reform Bills and the Boandary Bill ; and now, before that
was carried out., two bills of considirable importance, viz.,
the. Foreign Cattle Market Bill and the Electric Tele-
graphs Bill, were iatorposed, both of wuich seemed likely
to give rise to a very animated debate.
Mr. DISRAELI said ho certainly did place the public busi-
ness in the order referred to by the,hou. member for Ashton;
that of course was necessary in order to facilitate business,
and he thought ho was justified in &tying that consider-
able progress had been made, so that the two other bills
might be taken into consideraton, as it was extremely
desirable to have an expression of the feeling of the
house upon those measures. Under tt 030 circumstances
he hoped the hon. gentleman would nut offer any impedi -
meat to considering, as had been arranged, the two
bills he had mentioned—viz., the Foreign Cattle Market
Bill and the Electric Telegraphs Bill. Ho hoped therefore
there would be a condensation of thought - (laughter)—
on the subject, and that they would dispose of the matter
without any unnecessary delay.
Mr. D. G FITH reminded the right hon. gentleman
that he had not said a word about the Corrupt Practices
at Elections Bill.
Mr. DISRAELI said ho undoubtedly promised to pro-
ceed with that bill after the supplementary Reform Bills
and the Boundary Bill were disposed of. He thought they
had better clear the paper before they began to make
further arrangements.
IRISH REFORM BILL.
The house then went into com:nittee on this bill.
Mr. DISRAELI said ho took that the first o2portunity
of stating that with respect to the postponed "clauses
10, 11, 12, he did not on the part of the Government offer
needless obstacles, therefore he should move that they bo
expunged. (Hear, hear.)
Ou clause 10 being proposed,
Mr. PIM moved to leave out from " boroughs" to end
uf clause, and insert " borough of Portarlington shall
cease to return a member to serve in Parliament, and the
boroughs of Downpatrick, Dungannon, Kinsale, Mallow,
and Bandon shall cease to have the right to take part in
the election of member a of Parliament, otherwise titan as
forming part of a district of boroughs in manner herein-
after provide'."
After a short discussion, the clause was withdrawn.
The remainder of the night was occupied in the discus-
sion of new clauses. The first controversy which arose
was ou a new clause moved by Mr. C. Fertescue to group
the Queen's University with the University of Dublin for
election purposes. it was objected to by Lord Mayo on
the ground that it was not possible for these two bodies
to amnalg tmate, and th it both were equally averse from it.
Replying to some statistics quoted by Mr. Furfescue as to
the paucity of the publin University constituency, Lord
Mayo mentioned that in the Irish Registration Bill a
change would be made which would add considerably to
the number of electors. Tho Attorney-General for Ireland
also opposed the conjunction on behalf of his constituency ;
while Mr. Gregory strenuously supported it, as the first
stop towards breaking up the exclusive character of the
University representation. On a division the clause was
rejected by 183 to 173.
Mr. FA.WCETT, in order to provide a separate and
independent member for the Queen's University, moved
to disfranchise the smallest borough in Roland—Portar-
lington ; which Lord Mayo opposed on the ground that
the house had already determined not to deal with Redis-
tribution in the bill. On a division Mr. Faweett's clause
was rejected by 210 to 55.
A clause brought up by Sir C. O'Lo,glilen to disfranchise
all Irish freemen its futuro, saving existing rights, gave
rise to a long and lively discussion, which was mainly a
reproduction of the arguments used last year, when a
similar clause was moved in the English bill. It was
zealously supported by Mr. Gladstone, and the claims and
merits of the freemen class 'of voters were espoused with
equal warmth by Mr. Henley. Oa a division the clause
was rejected by 153 to 109.
The sharpest struggle of the evening was on Colonel
French's amendment to reduce the county franchise from
£l2 to £3 rateable value. In support of it Colonel French
entered at length into the rating arrangements of Ireland,
to show that the reduction ho proposed would about
equalise the county franchise in all the three kingdoms.
Lord MAYO, iu objecting to the amendment, rested on
the fact that the Government scheme of Reform placed the
county franchise on the same footing in all the three king-
dords, though Ireland had anticipated England and Scot-
land by some years in adopting the figure of £l2. There
was nothing, he urged, in the circumstances of Ireland to
justify this further reduction, fur it was absolutely certain
that in a very short time there must be an alteration iu the
system of valuation in Ireland which would completely
assimilate the basis of valuation in all the three countries.
The proportion of the number of county voters to the
population by the bill would be about the same in Ireland
as in England and Scotland.
Mr. OSBORNE, designating the bill as an igeis fatuus
and a farce, made light of this or any other reduction of
,ho county franchise, unless accompanied by the protec-
ion of the ballot. Between the landlord and the priest
be franchise would be a curse to the tenant without a