The Sun.
London, England, 1821-04-13 00:00:00

good .iSr.bof of .the'eteht to which. influence wa
carried in that borough, • that,:nOlfew'er than 190
~•
.persons connected with Queenboroitgh had situa-
tions in the, Ordnance, or in the Preventive Ser-
. vise,. or in some otherdepartment. . He gave. in-
stances of some
:individuals of the , corporation
who
.held sinecures of a very advantageotis ha-
•ture... In making some of his inquiries ilium this
,subject, he had met with many obstructions. 7—
(Hear !)—He was glad to hear, the cheers of the
Master of the Mint.
W.POiE rose to order. He conceived it
was not orderly. to be pointed to by. name, mere-
ly because he had joined in a pretty general
_cheer at his side of the House.
The S.PEAKER did not conceive that there was
any thing in the allusion of the lion. Member
against the usage of the House.
Mr. HUME said, that he did not intend to al-
lude to the Right lion. Gent. in any other way
than. he had frequently observed adopted by
other Members. When obstructions were given
to such inquiries as those of which he had been
speaking, it was a ground for suspecting very
strongly that there was something wrong in the
department... He then proceeded to enume-
rate the names of several individuals belonging
to the Corporation of Queenborough, whO held
either sinecures or offices on the whale exceeding
14,0001. a-year. It was by this list of individuals,
who were all freemen of Queenborougb, that the
two members for that Borough were returned:
He here stated as a fact, to show the value whiCh
WAS set upon the freedom of this' Borough, that se=
veral persons sent their wives to be confined there,
as it was necessary that all the freenien should
natives.—(A laugh.)--Now, he would ask,
how was it possible that .such persons, who held
their situations at the pleasure of the Crown,
should exercise their elective franchise.indepen-
dently of Government influence ? He then re;-
ferred to the charges which en a former occasion
he had made against the establishment at Sheer-
ness, in consequence of which a regular conimis-
sion was sent down. Not a tenth part of those
charges had been investigated, yet several of the
officers there were dismissed. The House, how-
ever, would be surprized to learn, that those indivi-
duals were re-appoirited, and this injury to the pub-
lic service took place, he had no doobt,through the
baleful influence of the freemen of Queenborough.
—(Hear, hear !)—The grossest case, however,
of all the gross cases which he had ever met, was
that of a Mr. Thomas Akid, who had been store-
keeper at Sheerness, and who at the age of 72
was superannuated on 5001.. a-year. In his,place
was appointed a Mr. Pennel, of the age of 74.
—(Cries of hear, hear,hear!)-He would leave
this case •to make its own impression on the
House.. He added, that, taking into account the
expenses of houses, and coals -and candles and
gratuities, the freemen of Queenborough cost
the country on the whole a sum exceeding 25,0001.
a year. He instanced the case of several per-
sons who were dismissed from the Ordnance'
service to make room for freemen -of Queenbo-
rough ; and it Was an additional grievance, that
those fresh substitutes were appointed, although
they were above the age fixed.in a eircular from
the head of the department. Seeing, therefore,.
the jealousy. which had been manifested in the.
whole.course of' the statutes which suspended
the Elective . Franchise in persons. likely to be
influenced by the public money, he. hoped the
house would assent to his bringing in a Bill to
. effect his object.. If they would not assent, he,
for his part, would give
.every.support. to any
Member who would bring in a Bill yyhich..would
enable the Lerch of the Treasury to elect a cer-
tain number of Members of Parliament themselves.
--,(flear,hearl and a laugh.)—They would thus
at least save 25,000/. a-year. He assured the
House that his 'only object was economy; and
when he began .to inquire into this Sithject, he
had no more notion of meddling with the freemen
of Queenborough, than with the.. Bishop of Rome.
He concluded with moving for leave to bring in
a Bill to disqualify certain
.Civil Officers con-
,nected with the Ordnance, and others, froth vot-._
ing for _Members .of Parliathent,—(ll ear,. hear !)

B--Eit. seconded the motion.. IIIe ac-.
)ceowledged that the Goveinnient must, and
ought, ,perhaps, .to have.a certain degree of iri-
fluence. All he wanted to see was, that the cur.,.
rent of that influence , should, not oVerllOw. He
hcped that his Ihin. :Friend .would succeed in his
.object, and would afterwards extend the urea-
.sure to the whole
.of the .Under" offices of, the
public departments..
WARE, 'stated .his determination, to op-
,pose this motion-. He could give an answer- to
aLI the Hon. Gentlernazi's, cases. But,:in the -first.
.place,-.he would put it-to thocandour.of the lion.
G.eutleroan, whether. he would • :not .have acted
more consistently_with the..pub.lic interests if-he-.
:had .put off this question as his Right llon.Yriend
had requested, in the absence of the Noble Lord,
who was the RepreSentative of the Government
House. The Hon... Gentleman had stated-
a .4reat deal of the influence of .the.! .Grown, and
had also cited several;Statutes. But whit did
•
those Statutes prove.? . That certain persons were
e ztc I uded
,fretn .seats in ,this ifousei and -from-the
ercise. of ele,ctive,ftanchise....l3ut.he,denied -
I that it.-was• -the con.stitution, of ..this .zonntry. to
,deprive 4-invi:of his, right to -...vote.merely be=
•caUse he. vas connected with the .G,overnment: •If
.that pvinclple Ivas true, the Hon,Gent. could not
stop here, but 'he . must...go on,. as, the_ Hon. Se-
.cQndcr had . suggested, through the .whole;or the'
public offices, and disfranchise themalL—(lear!).
This, hi was sure, was a subject of too much irn-
ipiktance' to Je triated desultory tier-
tt
was cies lof d)arl jai:led-tory e form 1 whi
vire. was unite sure the llouse-mould..not agree to.,
w.lehout Mitch- mutt, .mature consideratitin. .He.l
4i4ke41,. was• it possible that the,flon....Member
.w 047,111-- be -the person to"propose to deprive so
.
40any griglishmen .'their -privileges—he who.
'.opPosed the...Newlngtoii- Select Vestry' Bill upon
-the ex,pi-esV :ground, that-it took away the Fran-
:clrises of scAarge a.:body. of Inca'. ,-BUt aroma-.
sure. of the lion..G cuticula:: was founded altoge-t•
thelr 'Von the faise4uppositidn that intluencoarid
interfereiice--were-the .§ame. With respect-to-the.
• navy,-the instances were •numberless in which
persons employed in it voted for determined
Members of the Opposition. He himself vas