The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-02 00:00:00

TIMBER DUTIES.

Lord HARRY VANE presented a petition from
Stockton-on-Tees praying fur a repeal of the duties ott
timber.

In answer to a question from Mr. SCROPE,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that on Monday night
he proposed, first to go on with the Navy Estimates,
and afterwards to proceed with the Mercantile Navy
Bill of his Right Hon. Friend.
AUSTRALIAN COLONIES.

In answer to a question from Mr. HUME,
Lord J. RUSSELL said that he proposed to go on
with the Australian Colonies Bill on Friday night.

NAVY ESTIMATES.

In answer to a question from Mr. COBDEN,
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that his Right Hon.
Friend the Fir“ Lord of the Admirslty was absent
from the House through illness, and he was not able to
state whether he could be present on Monday night.
MERCANTILE NAVY BILL

Mr.CARD WELL said that as there ;;;;1 impression
in the country that it was not the bona
,fide
intention of the Government to go on with this Bill on
Monday, he whiled to know from the Right Hon. Gen•
tleman whether it was his intention.

Mr. L ABOUCHERE said hcs could not pledge himself.
PARLIAMENTARY VOTERS (IRELAND) BILL.
The House then went into Committee on this Bill.

On clause 1 being proposed,
Mr. HAMILTON observed that if it were necessary
to extend the franchise, it ought not to be done at the
expense of the franchise that existed already. The
franchises that now prevailed in Ireland ought to be
preserved, and he should therefore move that after th•
word " that " in line 11 the following words be inserted:
"in addition to those qualified by law to register and
vote at any election of a Knight of the Shire in Ireland
in virtue of any qualification not requiring occupation."
On the amendment being put,
➢lr. BRIGHT said he should be glad to know what
question they wet e now to decide. Would the Attorney-
General for Ireland be so good as to explain it.
Mr. HATCHELL said, the Bill in point of fact did
not affect the franchise that existed already, but, in order
that there should be no ambiguity about the matter, Go-
vernment had no objection to insert these additional
words.

After a few observations from Mr. ROEBUCK and Sir
W. :SOMERVILLE.
Sir F. THESIGER wished to know from the Go-
vernment whether the Bill did not propose to sweep
sway all the existing franchises for the purpose of en-
tirely reconstructing the representative system in Ire-
land ? because, most unquestionably that was the way
in which he read the Bill.—(Hear.) Most undoubtedly
some parties already registered would have under some
clauses of the Bill a prima facie right to be registered
again, but not according to the qualification which they
possessed at present, but to a new qualification established
under the Bill. It was important to understand at the
outset that the Committee would have to decide whether
they would adopt the plan put forth by the Government,
viz., that the existing franchise should only remain so far
as it would constitute a prima facie right to register un-
der this Bill ; or whether they would adopt the words
introduced by his Honourable Friend the Mem-
ber for the University of Dublin, by which he con-
tinued all the existing rights, but proposed
to supply the deficiency which had arisen in the number
of electors, by certain new rights which were established
under the Bill. He was ready to admit that in the pre-
sent decayed state of the representation in Ireland addi-
tional voters should be created,but it was for the Committee
to consider in what way this purpose could be best effected.
The Reform Act substituted an occupation, of a 101.
franchise, but it left the property qualification, with a
very small alteration, precisely upon the distinction
which had existed from the earliest times. The first
inroad which was made on that distinction arose on the
Chandos clause of the Reform Act. That clause intro-
duced into the county constituencies persons who merely
occupied, and were liable, to the payment of rates on the
value of 50/. At the time when that clause was pro-
posed to be introduced the Noble Lord (Lord J. Russell)
objected to it on the ground of the abuse which
might be expected to arise from it, but by reason of
that alteration of the basis the Reform Act established
a county qualification, viz., property and not
occupation. Now, the Reform Act was one
grand comprehensive scheme, the object of which
was to bring the representative system in the
three parts of the empire to a perfect similarity;
and if Hon. Members would compare the existing repre-
sentative system as established under the Reform Act
with that which was established in Ireland, they would
find as much uniformity as was possible under the ex-
isting circumstances of each particular case. In 1129
40s. freeholders were annihilated in Ireland. The
Ra form Act for England established a quali-
wT. ohuel ct,Roben.
ffiocoant ido nw
was
upon r ae d
out
freeholdiu r e
graartde ,
Members would find, with regard to freeholders for life
in England, an occupation was required of them if
handit.
t o wlhr iecl
they occupied only of the value of 101. or under. The
Reform Act in England established a new right
in favour of the assignees and lessees of terms.
Then cave the Chandos clause, by which a lease of sixty
years, according to the 20th clause, of only 104 a year,
gave a right to vote. Then it was determined that those
who paid a rent of 5/. a year, in rural districts, should
also have a right to vote, provided they had a certain in-
terest in the property. Last of all came the right to vote
in boroughs, by those who held tenements of only 101. a
year rent. When the Reform Bill was passed an entirely
new system was adopted, and revising barristers were
appointed to see that the registration of voters was just
so far as it went, although of course it could not be per-
fect.—(Bear, hear.) When it seemed desirable
to pass another Bill for registering the constitu-
ency in Ireland, the whole of the bar were parti-
cularly anxious that the law of representation should
be assimilated to that of England. If the system were
good, it ought to be universally adopted,
arranged
fur the whole of the United Kingdom. The Reformot
of 1725 corrected by
was based upon the Bill
of representation was distinctly recognised.
In principle day introduced a Bill
In 1835 the Government of the
of
the Act of the 35th George 'in which thte
" the franchise, and giving to Ireland a double
through Sergeant O'Loughlen for the purpose a ter-
Bill, which was met by a rival Bill,
appeal. In lti3B Sergeant Wolff introduced a
similarbut neither of them came to anything. In 1840 began
the memorable struggle which was commenced by the
introduction of Lord Stanley's Registration Bill. Of that
Bill the Noble Lord at the head of the Government ex-
pressed an opinion that of all the measures which tended
to unsettle the Reform Bill that Bill did. This showed
the impression which the Noble Lord had on his mind
of the necessity of keeping the Reform Bill in-
tact. A Bill had also been introduced into the
House by Lord Morpeth, which was a Bill for altering
and amending the representation as well as the regis-
tration of the people of Ireland. The Right Honour-
able Member for Tamworth had said of that Bill, that
it was calculated to revolutionize the franchise.
In order to provide for the deficiency, the Government of
the day proposed to create two new classes of elector.",
the first class resembling that proposed to be established
by the present Bill. It gave every person who in a county
was rated to the extent of 301. a year a vote, making
tho class equivalent to one created in England by what
was called the Chandos clause. The second class that
was proposed to be created was the 51, freeholders. The
Noble Lord at the head of the present Government did
not object to the 301. class, but with regard to the
Si. freeholders, he suggested that the amount should
be reduced to 40s. The measure, however, was not
persevered in at the time, and he merely mentioned it
now to show what were the views and what were the
objects of the Government of that day, with
which he had the honour to be connected, and in order
to. preserve his consistency ho proposed to