The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-09 00:00:00

DISTRICTS.

iTROPOLIS

House has the power of receiving or rejecting all kinds
of petitions as it deems proper, I shall on this occa-
sion take the sense of the House.—(Cheers.)
I admit it has been the usagf? since 1693—1 admit that
it vvas to practice adhered to in the time of Sir Robert
Walpole, and followed up from that time to the passing
of the Reform Bill.—(Hear, hear.) - But from the
time of Walpole to the Reform Bill this House became
every year more and more corrupt and more pliable to
the will of the Ministry than it ever had been.—(Hear,
hear.) However, in 1815, Sir William Curtis was
allowed to present a petition from the City of
London against the property tax, pending the
consideration of that tax, though the House divided
as to whether it should be received or not—(Hear, hear)
—and again in 1816, another petition was presented by
Sir W. Curtis against the same tax, and the City of
London presented a similar petition by the Sheriffs
at the Bar—(Hear, hear)—and it was received—(Loud
cheers)—and I think for one, that the old usage
was more honoured in the breach than in the observance.
—(Hear, hear.) I must therefore, Sir, with all respect
to your authority as to what are or are not the laws
and usages of the House, take the sense of the House
upon this petition, as I am resolved to stand by the right
of the people to petition.
The SPEAKER—Of course it is for the House to de-
cide whether it will receive or reject any petition—
(Cheers)—it is only for me to say what are the usages
of the House.—(Hear.)
Mr. ROBERT PALMER (who spoke rom the Trea-
sury Benches) did not see any reason why that petition
should not be received.—(Hear, hear.) If be had been
in the House yesterday, when the Hon. Member for
Finsbury brought forward his motion, he (Mr. P.)
should, most certainly, have voted in the mino-
rity with him.—(Hear, from the Opposition.) But, in
point of fact, the Hon. Member had done quite as much
to answer the ends of the petition, as if it had been-
formally laid upon the table.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon.
Member had stated the prayer of the petition and the
number of the petitioners--(Hear, hear)—and he (Mr,
P.) could not see what inconvenience there would be in
practice from allowing the petition to be received and
laid on the table.
Mr. KEMBLE was not present yesterday when the
motion of the Hon. Member for Finsbury was under dis-
cussion, and he could not say whether, if he were, he
should not have supported it. He could not say posi-
tively whether or not.—(Laughter.) But when it was
known that no public business was brought on
until five o'clock—(" Hear, hear," from the Tories)
—and he thought no gentleman—(lnterruption and cries
of " Hear, hear," from the Tories)—he repeated, that
when this was known, and when this question was dis-
cussed last night, and the House decided that the rule
should not be departed from, he thought it a most unfair
proceeding to come down with the other side in such
strong force as they had on this occasion.—(Great
cheering and laughter from the Opposition benches.)
It was impossible to see the array on the other side
without coming to the conclusion, that an effort had
been made for the purpose.—(Hear, hear.) It was not
fair after the discussion of last night to try and get rid by
a side wind of the resolution which had been come to, and
when the Speaker had declared it was contrary to the
usage of the House. Under these circumstances he should
move that the debate upon the subject be adjourned till
Monday.-(Hear, hear.)
The amendment having been put,
Sir H. HARDINGE said he must declare, after the
decision which had been come to yesterday evening,
that it was an unparliamentary proceeding to comedown
to the House that evening, and before the usual hour at
which public business commenced, to attempt to set aside
that decision.—(Hear, hear.) He hoped, therefore, that
the Hon. Member would not persist in his motion, but
would adjourn his proposition till Monday.
Mr. O'CONNELL hoped his Hon. Friend would not
consent to postpone his motion, and as to saying that
the proposition came by a side wind it was no such
thing. It came directly, and that was what they
wanted. It was far from being unparliamentary to
preseat petitions; it was the foundation of their Parlia-
mentary jurisdiction to receive and entertain the petitions
of the people.—(Hear, hear.) They never would have
a Parliament but for the coin which the English, people
took out of their purse ; and money was the foundation
of the institution of Parliament, and it was ridi-
culous to say thitt the people of England
need not give a shilling of their money, and,
at the same time, preclude them from • telling
their representatives whether they would consent
to it.—(Hear, hear.) Ho confessed he had come down
for the occasion. He had the misfortune of being shut
out from the division of last night, and be had determined
on being present this evening, and, without meaning any
disrespect, lie would persevere on the subject till he had
succeeded. He felt embarrassed lest the Speaker should de-
cide otherwise than he had; and in that case he (Mr. O'C.)
would consent to his decision ; but as he (the Speaker)
left the House to decide, lie trusted an end would be piit
to the question. Taxes was a subject which, of all others,
most affected the interests of traders and professional
people : and ought not they on such a subject to be heard
by their representatives ?—(Hear, hear.) He hoped it
would not be consith-red a party question, and that they
would only consider what was their duty to their con-
stituents ; and, for his own part, he would, under any
circumstances, have supported the view he was now ad-
vocating.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. KENIBLE wished to explain. He had said no-
thing with regard to the question, but he complained
that, after the decision they had come to last night, the
question should be sought to be carried by a side wind.
—(Hear, hear.)
Colonel SIBTIIORP said that he had last night voted
for the Hon Member for Finsbury, but after that mo-
tion had been lost by such a majority last night—(lroni-
cal cheers from the Opposition)—he did not think
it altogether fair to seek to upset that deci-
sion in the manner he (Mr. D.) now sought to do it.
It was not consistent with the open and manly course
which that Hon. Member always took, and he should
therefore vote against his proposition to-night.
Mr. LAMBTON said that he had supported the mo-
tion of the Hon. Member for Finsbury last night, but
after the decision which had been then come to as to
what the practice of the House was, he did protest
against this proceeding, as being rather an unfair way
—(Ministerial cheers)—of obtaining by a side wind a
reversal of that decision.—(Hear, hear.) Let the Hon.
Member, bring forward his motion on a future day, and
he (Mr. L.) would support him on a question which
involved the security of the people, and their right to
petition that House, but he would not lend himself to
upset the rules and regulations of the House by a side
wind.