Star.
London, England, 1830-02-12 00:00:00

law ? Would all the votes be as independent as they should be ?
The best way to prevent bribery and corruption was, so far as East
Retford was concerned, to disfranchise it altogether.
Mr. PEEL said that the character of the house was involved in
this question. Three years having elapsed since the attention of the
house had been first called to the subject, the rights of innocent par-
ties having, in chat interval, been in suspense; and there not being
a full compliment of representation in the house, the time had
now arrived when the question ought to be terminated one way
or other. iiis object, in the first place, was to disembarrass
tire question of all those political considerations which were-intro-
duced into it by his right honourable friend'the menth:r for Liver-
pool ; and which, certainly, as for as lie (Mr. Peel) could see, had
no very close connection with the subject. His right honourable
friend said he hoped that his Majesty's Government was about to
adopt on this occasion the principles of Mr. Canning because
they had appointed to the office of attorney-general his honourable
and learned Mend (Sir James Searktt.) Ile agreed' in the panegy-
ric which his right honourable friend had passed upon that learned
individual, and he also rejoiced that the Government was able to
place in the situation of head law.officer of the crown an iodivi.
dual who united so much knowledge of all parts of the law with
so much personal dignity and esteem among members of that house.
He agreed most sincerely in the panegyric passed by his right ho-
nourabi c friend upon that learned person 4 but he did not know
why his right honourable friend said that in electing Sir J. Scarlet'
to that office the government were following the principles of Mr.
Canning. Why it the government followed the principle' of Mr.
Canning upon this subject, they should do exactly as they were now
doing—namely, vote for the transfer of the franchise of the borough
of East Retford to the neighbouring hundred of llaseetlaw. He
confessed that he did not feel the force of the ridicule which his
tight hon. friend directed against the observations which he (Mr.
Peel) made the other night, with respect to the appointment of the
committee upon the trade to the East Indies. He then thought
it was right that one members at least, connected with the wool
trade, should he placed upon that committee. He had heard it said
by his hon. friend, in a debate in that house last year, that there
was a great opening is the northern parts of China, for a
market for our woolen-manufacturer. Presuming, thereon, that
the extension of our woollen-manufacturer would be conducive to

the prosperity of our wool-growers and woolen.inanufactunes at
home, he (Mr. Peel) thought it right to name upon this committee,
Mr. Burrell. the member for the county of Susses, connected as he
was with the landed interest, and with the wool-growers.—(Hear,
hear.) He begged the gentlemen in the landed interest to
consider this question.—Was it true that the members tepee.
Renting the landed interests were predominant is that House P
His right honourable friend, Mr. Huskisson, made it matter of corn.
plaint that one gentleman connected with the landed interest was
plated upon the committee, and suggested that he (hit. Peel)
onght to displace the honourable member for Yorkshire
(Mr. Stuart Wortley) to make room for Mr. Marshall, who was
connected with the manufacturing interest. For his own part he
did not see any predominance of the landed interest in that house.
He did not repent of having placed the name of Mr. Burrell upon
that committee ; neither did be repent of not placing the name of Mr.
Marshall in place of that of the member for Yorkshire, connected
more with the landed interest. Having said so mute upon the dif-
ferent considerations introduced into this discussion by his right
honourable friend, he would next come to the question mote imme-
diately beferc the house. Now there were four separate courses
proposed for the consideration of the house. The filet was that they
should forthwith issue a writ for the election of members for the bo-
rough of East Belford. Some boo. members who supported that
proposition thought that so much time having now elapsed, or the
borough being so long mane, sufficient punishment bad been in-
flicted on it, so that the writ might now be issued. The second pro.
position Wlls to throw the franchise open to the neighbouring hum-
deed of Bassetlaw ; the third proposition was to transfer the franchise
to the town of Birmingham; the fourth was for the amendment of
the local law, throwing discredit upon the present forms of election
in all cities and boroughs, and proposing to amend them. Of all these
four it was his own intention to support the proposition of his hoes
friend the member for Hertfordshire, and to give the franchise to
the hundred of Bassetlaw. He would reject the first proposition,
as he would not agree to the issuing of the writ now for a place
which the vote of that house denounced as tainted with bribery and
corruption. Although there was not evidence of general bribery and
corruption, yet there was clear evidence of several cases of bribery
and corruption, such as made him think that there was a strong ob-
jection to the issuing of the writ now ; and as it was voted by the
assent of the house that corrupt practices existed, they could not
now but notice that vote, and therefore could not now issue the
writ. He begged to be allowed to advert to the proposition of the
noble lord (Howick) to whose arguments he always felt inclined to
pay great attention. But in this use he thought there was a strong
objection to what the noble lord proposed. The noble lord called
upon the house to admit, without proof, such practices to exist
in all cities and boroughs as made them fit to be didran.
chised—that was, he proposed to them to affirm that bribery
and corruption existed in cities and boroughs; and limiting the
charge to cities and boroughs, he, therefore, exempted counties from
the charge. The noble lord exempted from the stain of corruption
the freeholder* of counties. In that view he (Mr. Peel) agreed, for
the most part, with the noble lord; and that was a reason for his
inclining to think that the franchise ought to be extended to the
freeholders ef the hundred of Bassetlaw. But he did not suppose
that the representatives of cities and boroughs in that house would
be willing to admit that bribery and corruption existed in those
cities and boroughs. If the house were to adopt the noble lord's
amendment, and if, as would be the case, a bill were to follow,
affirming that resolution, could the house assent to it ? Ile would
not admit that the voters in cities and boroughs were corrupt. He
would not admit that the place he represented, for instance, was
tainted with corruption. (A laugh, Mr. Peel himself joining in it.)
The noble lord had exempted from his charge his oan constituents,
the freeholders for counties.

Lord HOWICK, as we understood, said he did not.
Mr. PEEls.—" Well, let the noble lord admit them also to be
guilty; but he (Mr. Peel) could not admit his own constituents to
be subject to the charge (a lau); and he believed there were many
other members of the house equally convinced of the innocence of
the voters in the places they represented. I his showed the inexpe.
diency of ado the noble lord's resolution. Now, with respect
to the hutttlred of w and the extension of the franchise of
East Bellied to the heehoders of that hundred, he wished, in the
first place, every case to be decided on its own merits. But his
right honourable Mend (Mr. C. Grant) who addressed the house
from the bench below. in a manna certainly unworthy of
him, and, contrary to his usual habits, mixed up this question
with much that was said last session about the Dukery. He
(Mr. Peel) well remembered when the question was last before the
house, that it was imputed to himself that he and other members of
the government supported the extension of the franchise to the
neighbouring hundred to oblige the Duke of Newcastle, who had a
large int rest in that hundred. But now, though the Duke of New.
castle was opposed to the government, he (3lr. Peel) still adhered to
his vote of last year, and to the reasons he then gave foul'. He
believed that there were 2,000 voters in the hubdred of Bassellaw ;
and so large a numbet could not be easily influenced. He was not
disposed to vote for the extension of the franchise to large towns as
propmed. He did one time vow for the proposition to transfer the
fkatiehiee from Penryn to Manchester; and lie did so because he
saw the vast majority of inhabitants of the borough of Penryn were
corrupt, and he could not refuse to transfer the franchise altogether to
a larger place. But there were peculiar circumstances in the passe'
case to induce the home to adhete to their former resoludeentem.
tending this 'lunch's° to the neighbouring hundred. There was no
reason now for the House of Commons to depart front its former de.
cision, and to say that this franchise ought to be transferred-to the
town of Biniqingham. Auother reason, which he had formerly
offered, for extendicg the francnise to the hundred, was this, that
the whole county of Nottingham had but eight members els
together, and it ought no. to lose two of them. By the motet
of the franchise to the hundred of Bassetlaw they would !mall
in sonic measure the borough, while, at the same time, they
would save the few who were not corrupt. The voters of East,
itetford themselves would consider the transfer of the fres-
chute to the hundred a punishment upon them. For thesi
reasons, therefore, and that this question was tea times considered
by the house, and that there was not that great preponderancy of the
Representatives of the landed Interest in that house, andotlott an
adherence to their former tesolutions was far better than a depar.
tore from them, be would vote for the proposition of his hon. friend
(Mr Calvert.) But he could assure the house that whatever deter-
mination they should Mae to, there should not be any delay thrown
in the way by him ; and if Isis hon. friend's (Mr. Teonyson's) pro.
poeitiOn, should succeed, he certainly would net give any delay in
sending the bill up to the other house as soon as it paned through
this; nod be hand he should never spin hem the name of Emit
Relay&

Mr. N. CALVERT said he was accused of throwing this M.
clam from the borough into the hands of the Duke of Newewidor
lie was not acquainted with the noble duke, nee did he believe the*
he was now the patron of the borough, although a former duke
had a claim to be so consitlend in the reign of Georg% the Second.
Mr. 11USHISSON, in expisaation, said that he did not infer
that, bicanse mums el whig principles were appointid to Abe'
office of Attonley.lienetal and Chief Baron of Scotland, theorem
die present government were to adopt Mr. gan ing's. principles ill
but, since %i big* were appointed to high Mikes, he Inferred some/r'
mrnt would adopt stone wbig prineipits, and sews othenrwright
be included their principle upon this 'epitstion. With revilel
to his objection to oue of the landed iotemet and of the mirriseme,
upon the coinratites upon Kist Jodie again% jia.dachavd indigoes
then know whether that honourable member beleinpd to the mimes
creep. tie could not SSW any objectiria on Mak heed, InvottslN
the first mums upon the arannitme war the Marqubi Cluthdaor
-and °them connected with chelanded aristocracy. ILi Mit sbacirhai
lie said ems misrepresented. What 1w said was, dim the member