The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-13 00:00:00

BILL:

Mr. HUNT moved the second reading of this bill, the
object of which was to direct that all extra receipts be
paid directly into the Exchequer. The object of the
bill was to cause the excess of all votes of money by Par-
liament to different departments to be paid into the Ex-
chequer, without being directed to other purposes, so
that Parliament might be first consulted in all matters
requiring the outlay of public money.
The bill was read a second time.
CORRUPT PRACTICES AT ELECTIONS.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in moving
for leave to bring in a bill to amend the law relating to
election petitions, and for providing more effec-
tually for the prevention of corrupt practices
at parliamentary elections, referred to the manner
in which controverted elections were treated by the
Grenville Act, and also to the measure introduced by the
late Sir R. Peel in 1839, which was repealed two years
after it had received the Royal assent. Matters went on until
the year 1848, when the house decided to give alegal charac-
ter and shape to all matters of controverted elections, and
appointed a committee of elections, who should have the
power of appointing the members to try the merits of
election petitions, and that the members so appointed should
have the power of examining witnesses on oath. If it was
nit thought advisable to depart from the fundamental
principle, he did not think a better tribunal could be
found than that which then existed. Yet it had failed to
give satisfaction, and it had been the intention of Her
Majesty's Government to deal with the matter last
year at the same time that they dealt with the
matter of Reform. But the matter we s found
to be of such an extensive nature that it was thought pro-
per to introduce a separate bill. In that bill the Govern-
ment proposed that Mr. Speaker should constitute
a panel of eminent gentlemen of the long robe, and
whenever an election petition was presented to the
house that, by an order from the Speaker, a tribunal from
the panel should investigate the charges of the petition,
and that that investigation should be made on the spot.
The house, however, accepted the principle of the bill, but
objected to the tribunal. The bill was referred to a select
committee. Various propositions were made and con-
sidered, one of which was that the tribunal which should
try the merits of an election petition should be one of the
highest in the land. The recommendations of the select com-
mittee had been fully considered by Government, and the
bill he now asked for leave to introduce was in strict con-
formity with the recommendations of the select com-
mittee. However, her Majesty's Government had not
been able to consult the judges on the subject,
and when it was considered how much _ their

time was occupied, ho hoped the house would not
insist on thrusting the duty on the judges, but he must
say the Government had received the refusal of that
august body to become the judges of a court for the
purposes of deciding the merits of an election petition.
de thought that as one of the recommendations of the
committee, viz., to incapacitate an English gentleman
found guilty of bribery from sitting in the House of Par-
liament for seven years, and if found guilty a second time
that he should bo totally incapable of ever taking his seat
therein again, was a matter of sufficient importance to
have induced the judges to have taken up that duty.
However, as they had been met by a refusal in
that quarter, the Government proposed to form a
new and original tribunal, and that was to
appoint three members of the learned profession,
with a salary of £2,000 per annum each, who would be-
come the Judges of the Parliamentary Elections Court,
and that all appeals from revising barristers should be
dealt with by the new tribunal. He concluded by asking
for leave to introduce the bill.
Mr. KNATCHBULL-HUGESSEN said he was afraid
they would not be able to deal satisfactorily with bribery
at elections where the expense of proving it was thrown
on the candidates. With respect to the judges refusal, he
could only say for himself that he looked upon it in a
favourable light, because if the house wore to make
them the arbitrators in political matters, they would lose
that confidence which the public now so implicitly placed
in them. He felt certaia that the house would give its
best consideration to the measure, and without fettering
himself to any of the proposals he should wait
until the bill was regularly before them before entering at
length into the many serious matters that surrounded the
motion.
Sir F. GOLDSMID said he shoull have an amendment
to move when the bill was in committee ; that would se-
cure that:the pure candidate would receive that which was
his light.
Mr. WHITBRED thought it monstrous to say that the
work proposed by the select committee could not be done
by the judges. (Hear, hear.)
SirJ. COLLIER thought that, considering tha nature
of the provisions of the bill, it was greatly to be desired
that such important matters as would arise on these elec-
tion inquiries should only be dealt with by the judges,
and not by a tribunal constituted as the Government pro-
posed.
Mr. R. GURNEY said he had hoard the announcement of
the Government with extreme regret. If the election
petitions were not to be dealt w. ith by the judges,
hoped the house would well consider before they removed
them for consideration to an inferior tribunal.
(LEFT SITriNo.)
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.
Debrett's Itaronetage and Sulghtage, for 186, Deane and
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ference. Debrett, the oldest handbook of its kind extant, has
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baronet, and knight, or else by some near relative. The
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are equally remarkable.

NAVAL APPOINTMENTS.

The following appointments wore made at the Admiralty
,his afternoon :

Lieut. Frederick Walter to the Bristol ; Lieut. John S.
Browne to the Bristol ; Lieut. Harry T. Grenfell to the
Bristol; Lieut. William Dutty to the Simoorn.

A memorandum has been issued by Captain W.
Houston Stewart, C. 13., superintendent of Chatham
dockyard, in which he congratulates the master-
attendant, Captain It. Stokes ; the master ship-
wright, Mr. P Thornton, and the officers and work-
men employed under them on the skilful and suc-
cessful manner in which the ironclad frigate
Hercules was undocked and safely moored in the
harbour. The whole of the arrangements met the
full approval and commendation of the Firi3t Lord
and Board of Admiralty and the Controller of the
Navy.