The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-26 00:00:00

I Ts land that the object of these (I; visions was to obstruct
rho measure; but teas ,as not the true slew of the cass.
—(deer.) Lie did no ',ink that his rile of the House
would hose the confidense or reset ct c f the Irish peeple
by making an effort to have their business conducted
with some regard to courtesy, srel acme observance of
the usal forms of the House.—(Hear.) The lion. Mem-
ber for Warwick had remindei them that lion. Gentle-
men opposite had been urging an increase of the fran-
chise as a panacea fir al! the evils of Ireland. His own
opinion was that, large and liberal as the measure might
seem, it w is very probable that those who brought it in
would be likely to burn their own fingers in the result.
many of the most loud-mouthed orators in fa-
vour of tl e measure would probably, when the new
Parliament was called t -,gether, not be found Members
of it. There was one qnestion, and one question only
Lefore the House. Had the Government acted in-
g in their conduct of this business?—(Hear,
hear.) ll,t tliought the facts that hail been stated amply
jostifie I them in the opposition they had given to
pro.o sating with the measure, aid wht t'hes they were
b -men by an accide al majority or not,
sufli nent hai been stated to enable the public to firm
s candid and impartial judgment upon thy.
sti,m. No one could deity that the measure was one
at the greatest importance, but in addition some IL n
G ittlem m said rh it although important it, was not
novel. Ole of the argionen's used in its favour was that
they ou slit not to oppose it now because it hal been in-
troduced WI .en years previously by Lord Morpeth.
No man had a greater respect for the present Earl of
Carlisle Than he had. At the same time he did not un-
derstand t even a int asuse introduced by that Noble
Lord fifteen years ago should be looked upon as a mea-
sure having received the sanction of Parliament. Why,
f he mistook not, Lord Morpeth had brought forward
a measure is grant 5,000,0004 for tile construation of
railways in Ireland. If he (Mr. Di araeli) proposed such
a measure now, would the House support him?—(Hear,
hear.) lie would be glad t.) know who had read the
Bill last year, or who would study a Bill which the Go-
vernment had declared they did not intend to carry. If
the measure had Is ally been introduced by the Noble
Cord last year—if it had been canvassed and discussed
ay the House, and had gone through the various stages
altich the wise constitutional farms of that House
had devised fur the prevention of all hasty, crude, and ill-
considered legislation, then the argument might have been
of some avail. He did not sae why measures submitted
to that House should not undergo the same fair and can-
did inve,tigation which, whoever was the Minister, he
trusted would always be the characteristic of the House
of Commons. The House would judge whether he was
indulging in any imaginary assumptions, or whether he
was not stating details the authenticity of which none
could question. Lst them look at the authentic docu-
ments—let then look at the Speech from the Throne.
First, they were told that there were some measures
which bad been postponed at the end of the last session
for want of time, that would be again laid before them.
—(" Hear," from the Treasury bench.) He expected
that cheer, and had waited for it. But those who
cheered must prove that the pre,:ent was one of those
turanres. "Among the most important was one for the
bet:er government cf the Australian colonies." But
with regard to the measure before the House, what did
the Speech say? Her Majesty had directed various
measures to be prepared for the improvement of the con-
dition of Ireland. Why that was a new paragraph and
a new catalogue, and what was the last of the list of new
tneasures thus prepared? The mischiefs arising from
party processions; the defects of the laws regulating the
relations of landlord and tenant; the imperf ,ct state of
the Grand Jury Acts; and the diminished number of
electors for Members to serve in Parliament.-
-(Hear)—will, together with other matters of serious
consequence, form the subject of new measures to be
submitted for your consideration.—(Loud cheering from
the Opposition benches.) It was clear, then, that this
could not be taken as a measure that had been previously
under the discussion and consideration of the House.
Why, not only was it placed in the Speech from the
Throne in an inferior position with regard to the mei:-
sures that could not be passed for want of time—not only
was it placed fourth, but the confidential agent of the
Treasury, who arranged the Red Book, had, in prepar-
in e the orders cf the day last week, omitted even to
mention the name of the Bill.—(Hear.) The whole
proceeding clearly showed that the conduct of the Go
vernment was neither candid nor ingenuous, nor was it
consistent with the respect and consideration that was
due to a minority of that House.—(Hea-, hear.) In a
great popular assembly like the present is behoved the
Minister of the Crown, whoever he might be, to take
care that his conduct should be beyond impeachment.—
(Hear.) He did not think the conduct of the Govern-
ment in the present instance was beyond impeachment.
He thought the question was one which required
the greatest consideration and forethought; and that
could herd!y be said to have been given to a Bill which
had only been read a second time on Fi iday night. The
Noble L st.d was bound to take care that a measure of so
much importance should be well heralded and well an-
nounced, in order that all those Hon. Members who had
amendments or suggestions to make should be prepared
with them. In no one of those respects had the conduct
of the Government been either clear or satisfactory.
They hal taken the present course of opposing the fur-
ther progress c f the Bill that night with great pain and
much unwillingness, but they had been compelled to do
so from a sense of duty, and none of the petty taunts
that had been levelled at himse'f or his friends would in-
duce him to move from the cause—(Loud cheers)—ants,
in the long run, ho was satisfied that all men of business,
and all men of common sense (he did not. of course, in-
clude the traling agitators) would admit that they had
acted with temper and discretion.—(lltas, hear.)
Mr. ADDERLEY said it would be much more con-
venient if the Government had adhered to the course
marked out in the Speech from the Throne, and had
taken the colonial measures in the first instance. He
wished to ask the Noble Lord whs ther he was aware
that as the Australiau Constitution Bill was left at the
end of the last session, there was in re ality no Parlia-
mentary sanction for the Government of Western Aus-
tralia?—(Hear, hear.)
Lord J. RUSSELL said the Hon. Gentleman ap-
peared to have adopted the suggestion of the Hon.
Member for Dublin, and taken the Australian colony
under his pra ction. Hon. Gentlemen appeared to be
desirous of making now the speeches they intended to
make on the diseission of the Australian Bill. He would
say that when the affairs of that colony would come
bef,re them he would stets what the law was, and how
far the measure of let year was a temporary measure.
The question at present before the House was whether
or nut they should proceed with the consideration of the
Bill relating to the elective franchise in Ireland?
The Hon. Member for Buckingham had given them a
historical account of the question, but his statement
was subject to some criticism as regarded his facts.
The Honourable Member for Tyrone said the Bill had
been introduced last year fir the purpose of withdraw-
ing it, and therefore that no ono had thought it worth
a bile to look into its provisions. But the fact was, it
vas introduced for the purpose of passing it, but the
discussion of other measures prevented its being carried.
He did not, however, see how that should prevent Hon.
Members looking into it, or how the Government were
to be held answerable ler their not study ing the Bill.
The Hon. Gentleman had treated them to an enureera-

Lion r f the measures in the Speech from the Throne,
cult; notis variorum.—(A laugh.) The Hon. Gentleman
hid Aated that certain matters would form the subject
of re v measures to be submitted to the consideration of
the House, as if that was a portion of the Speech from
the Throne; but what the Speech said was, will form
the subject of measures to be submitted for your con-
sid,eation"—(liear, hear.) Really he could not help
thinking that it was not solely on account of notice
not having been given till seven or eight o'clock on
Friday evening that Hon. Members wished to
po:Oone the Bill. Because it seemed to him that if
they have no aversion to discuss the enlargement of
the f anchise, after complaint had been made, and
a division had, and the sense of the House taken, that
then they would have set themselves seriousiy to discuss
t`.o provisions of the Bill in Committe3. Ho could not
help thinking that there was a great reluctance to alter
or extend the franchise at the bottom of the present op-
position. Although the present motion might delay the
measure, be feared he could hold out to the Hon. Gentle-
me a opposite no further consolatior. He believed a
large majority of that House was disposed to concede to
the people of Ireland a more extended franchise, and to
enable the people of Ireland at the next election to come
forward in much greater numbers, and with that opinion
existing in the minds of the majority of that House it
was likely that the measure would be passed into a law
during the present session. Now if that were so, would
it not be better not to shrink from the discussion of the
question, but proceA with it at once. One part of the
House appeared to think that the Irish franchise was
already sufficiently extended—another was of opinion
that it ought to be still further extended, and why then
should not the sense of the House be taken fairly on that
a: on every question that came under the discussion of
Parliament ?

Mr. W. MILES said that the principle of a necesssity
for another Reform Bill for Ireland was admitted on all
hands; but what he and the Hon. Members on his side of
the House wished was, that tLe country should fairly under-
stand what their plan was, as well as what the plan of
the Government was. All they asked for was a little
delay to enable the people of Ireland to consider the pro-
‘isions of the measure, and they could cot understand
by the Minist?rs should refuse to accede to suck a pro-
position. lie was astonished that the Noble Lord, who
was so wtll verted in constitutional law, should have re-
fused his assent to such a demand. He certainly was
not aware, until it had been stated by the Hon. Gentle-
man (Mr. Adderley), that Western Australia had been
left without a constitution since the close of last ses-
sion. The proper course for the Government was to
h..ve taken the Australian Bill first. Let it be distinctly
understood in the country that they were not averse to
an ( xtension of the franchise; but the Irish Members
Ind the Irish public should certainly have been allowed
time to discus and consider its provisions. He should
have no objection to consider the measure if only due
time was allowed for that purpose.

Colonel RAWDON was Soriy to find that Ireland and
its interest was again made the subject of party discus-
and detwe in that House.

Mr. HENLEY thought that Hon. Members on that
side f the House were treated sorrewhat unfairly in
having been charged with the attempt of making this a
party question. If they wished to make this a party
question, or to delay this proposed extension of the fran-
chise, they might have opposed the progress of the Bill
on Friday, instead of permitting that stage of its pro-
gress to pass with only a few observations.—(Hear,)
l'hey might have occupied two, three, four, or five nights
in di:cussing the principle of the Bill on its second read-
ing; and th y might have ex.endel the subject, which
was t ry large, into about 50 Irish debates.—(Laughter.)
'l-'63 were now t ,unted by the Noble Lord with making
this question the bottle-field of party. Hon. Members,
who spoke from varioun sides of the House, took dif-
ferent vie vs of what the franchise ought to be. The first
clause however, went right into the question. The