The Sun.
London, England, 1829-06-03 00:00:00

rupt, and ought, therefore, to be disfranchised by
• statute, and another for the House of Commons to
declare, that without the concurrence of the other
branches of the Legislature, it would prevent the
• issue of the writ to the extent of its power. There
• were constitutional grounds fur objecting to al-
. lowing any portion of the body of the people
to be unrepresented. In cases of extreme ne-
cessity and of extreme delinquency, this defect
had, however, been permitted to exist; but it
was a most difficult, delicate, and dangerous power,
because it was liable to abuse, for the House
of Commons to exercise the power (he would not
call it privilege nor right, because, constitutionally
speaking, it had no such right), of doing that which
could alone be properly done by the three branches
of the Legislature. If East Retford were guilty, the
course was plain and straight-forward. It would
only be disfranchised by a Bill, originating in this
House, and adopted by the King and Peers. East
Retford was not disfranchised—no Bill for the pur-
pose was ever before the House, and as long as the
writ remained unissued, the House was not full, and
the representation of the people incomplete. The
same reason which had recently influenced the
House in issuing the writ directly for the county of
Clare, ought to induce it not to withhold the writ
from East Retford. He agreed with what had
fallen from the Hon. Baronet, the Member for
Hertford, that on the score of corruption it was,
perhaps, a less evil to return the writ to East Ret-
ford, than to give it to the hundred of Bassetlaw.—
The inquiry had been pursued for three successive
Session:, arid had faded, and yet what was the
House called upon to do ? It was required to
punish. East Retford, because it had not been
found guilty : at no time could that punishment
exceed six years; but in this instance it
might not amount to more than 48 hours, for
the House would adjourn in two day:, and the Par-
liament might possibly be di - solved immediately after-
wards : in that case the writ would be directed to
East Retford as a matter of course. No man re-
spected the Hon. Member for Blechingly more than •
he (Mr. Brougham) did; but he must say, that the
amendment he had moved was of a paltry nature, yet
full of solemnity and mock dignity. It declared, come
what may, that no new writ should be issued to East
Retford, for the whole of the rest, residue and re-
mainder of the present Session, which rest, residue
and remainder amounted only to forty-eight hours.
He thought it would have been much better to have
met the motion by a simple and direct negative. The
Hon. and Learned Gent. concluded by declaring that
he would vote for issuing the writ.
Mr. Secretary PEEL thought that there would be
greater inconvenience in now issuing the writ than
in withholding it. When the House had almost
unanimously declared that the borough of East Ret-
ford was corrupt, and that it deserved punishment of
some kind or another, it appeared to him very im-
proper to issue a writ, empowering these corrupt
voters to return two Members to Parliament. He
should vote, therefore, for the amendment of the Hon.
Member. It would have been better, indeed, if the
amendment had not been put into its present form by
the Hon. Member, and if he had met the question by a
direct negative. He was desirous to meet it so, and
if the Hon. Member would withdraw his amend-
ment, and meet the motion by a direct negative, it
should have his support. He begged leave to take
that opportunity of replying to some charges which
had been made against the Government, of wishing
to postpone every question till the next Session.,
If ever there was a Parliament which could be com-
plained of for not doing business, this was not that
Parliament. He recollected that at the early period
of the Session the complaint made against the Go-
vernment was not procrastination. They were then
accused of hastening their decisions beyond what was
proper, and of having made up their mind on the
queetions that were submitted to them too hastily.
He did riot think that the charge of wishing to escape
responsibility was at all deserved; but it was not
extraordinary that the Members of Government,
whose time had been occupied, should desire,
when questions were submitted to Parliament
involving most important principles, which the
individuals who brought them forward had mas-
tered by their undivided attention—it was not ex-
traordinary that Ministers should desire to have the
Recess in order to make themselves masters of these
important subjects. He did not know how it was
possible that the House could be more occupied
than it had been since the Catholic Question was
disposed of. He believed that not mere time had
been given to the consideration of the questions
which had been submitted to Parliament than was
required. His Right Hon. Friend the President
of the Board of Trade had not been charged with
procrastination in bringing forward the Silk Duties
Bill. The questions that had been submitted to the
House were of vast importance, and the questions
which Members proposed to bring forward were
also of importance; and there was no justice in
charging the Government either with throwing off
its responsibility, or with wishing to postpone till
another Session the important business of the
country.

Mr. TENNYSON had no objection to withdraw
his Amendment, and support the negative of the
Right Hon. Gentleman.
Mr. G. LAMB declared that he meant to vote
for issuing the writ.
Sir E. CARRINGTON supported the motion
for issuing the writ.
Mr. FANE briefly replied.
The House then divided, whon there appeared,
For the motion ... 44
Against it
Majority against Mr. Fane's motion -91
SILK TRADE.

Mr. lIUME moved for leave to bring in a Bill
to extend the powers given to Magistrates by the
4th of George IV. to the Silk Trade, and all other
trades. By the Act, provision was made for the
protection of the goods belonging to the master, and
intrusted to the hands of the workman. But tho
Courts had held that this Act did not extend to the
Silk Trade, because it was not specially mentioned
in it.—Leave was given,
[Some merriment was excited by Mr. Hume's
naming the Attorney-General as one of the parties
to present it.]