Star.
London, England, 1827-02-27 00:00:00

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himhiminsoperalile. 41 was to be toispOsed of a certain"
number of members, whose names were known, and
whose acts would also be made public. And what was
the duty they would be called upon to perform ? They
would have in fact to pronounce not only upon the
charges of bribery and corrupt acts alleged against par-
ticular Members, hut their decision, according to the
admission of the Noble Lord himself, would in certain
cases ge to expulsion.—(Hear, hear !) Now, if there
was any one situation more than another in which party
feelings would be likely to influence the conduct of
Members, even against their wishes, it was this very
eibunals But whether they acted impartially or
rot, it would be equally impossible that they should
loupe a degree of suspicion and odium which he
thooght few would choose to encounter.—(Cheers.)
He should like to knot, whether any one Gentleman
then present would like to be a Memher of this Stand-
ing Committee. Nay, he would go farther, and ask
osetberliny Honourable Member would say that he
jboeld lite to see the Gentleman who 'sat next him Upon
it? Ile declared that he never knew a proposition which
give rise to sa many unpleasant considerations. Who
would say that there would not be a most perplexing
difficulty in appointing the persons to compose this
Sanding Committee ? Who was there who would not
have objections to delegate such a superiority and power
to any Member in his heart, although he might not be dise
posed to give them full utterance?-..(Cheers.) The Noble
Lard had said that the measure he proposed was not
novel in its principle; that it was analogous tb the ap-
pointment of Committees by ballot, and to Grand
Jutiei. He was willing to grant to the Noble Lord that
in one respect, and in one only, there was an analogy—
is both cases the prcceedings must be ex paste. Such a
Committee would have all their acts made public ; and
was it possible to avoid prejudicing the persons accused,
when the allegations against them should have been
echoed by half the newspapers in the country, before
the House was called -upon to confirm or reject the
opinion which the Committee had reported ? He en-
treated the House to pause—(Hear, hear) —before it
consumed to such a proposition ; but always admitting
himself ready to support any measure which appeared
really calculated to lessen the evil against which this
was directed. He denied that there was any analogy
between this case and the proceedings of the House in
respect to the Committee of Privileges. Here there
were twenty-one judicial characters to be chosen by the
House, to be placed above their fellows, and to be
clothed, not merely with a judicial but permanent au-
thority. This body would not only have to decide upon all
charges preferred against otherMernbers of theHouse,but
also upon the merits of their own elections. It was impos-
sible but that they must be the objects of odium,suspicione
imputation,and jealousy. which ought not to attach to the
character of a Member of Parliament, and to which their
present laws happily did not expose them. The Noble
Lord wouldappoint these twenty-one Gentlemen as the
guardians of that House. But, he would ask, who was
to be their guardians ? Costae:, quis C'ustodiat ipso:.
The measure was unfair to the House, it was unfair to
the individual Members who would be placed in so in-
vidious a light, and he did not see that it promised any
advantage which was not to be derived from their laws.
Lord J. RUSSELL rose to offer his thanks to his
Noble Friend, for having put the opinions which be had
oftsevwxpressed, into the form of the resolutions before
the House ; a form which he• had hoped would have
been agreed ettestset much opposition. What had
fallen front Kirk Member opposite amounted tol
this—that the /louse wanted no farther remedy against
bribery and coreeption than that already in existence.
how he would appeal to the House whether such a
position could be maintained, after the experience
a every general election, and particularly after the
notorious proceedings of a certain borough from
which Members had lately been returned to Par-
liament? At that election. the voters returned from
the poll with the bank-notes in their hands, or stuck in
their hats, as signals that they had received the wages of
their iniquitous conduct. While these practices were
openly going on, let him ask whether the character of
that House did hot require other means for their re-
pression than those already in their hands?—(Hear.)—
There was one error which appeared to him to have run
through the whole of the Hon. Member's reasoning, and
that was, that he ascribed to the Committee proposed
by hi, Noble Friend a judicial character. The Grew.
',ilk Committee was, indeed, a judicial body ; but that
now proposed would only be a Committee of Enquiry.
He entertained an objection upon principle to giving
the judicial character to such a body. He thought the
House afforded very good materials for Courts of En-
Orb but very bad ones for judicial tribunals. But the
Peoposition of his Noble Friend was for a Committee
who would have to pronounce no sentence, but only to
enquire arid report the result of its enquiries to the
House. The Hon. Member had, indeed, argued that
the Committee would be called upon to decide for the
expulsion of Members. He could assure the House
there would be no such thing. The Committee
would only have to enquire into the conduct Of parti-
cular candidates and their agents, and although the al-
legations of bribery should be proved, it by no means
followed of necessity, that the sitting Member should bet
expelled. In the case of Grampound, the sitting Mem.
bets remained in their seats until the end of the Parlitia
anent, although the corrupt practices were proved, to
the complete disfranchisement of the Borough. It was
true that his Noble Friend had, in his candour, allowed
that cases of such a flagrant nature might arise, as to
',ender the expulsion of sitting Members incumbent
upon the House. But that would be the act of the
House, and not of the Committee. The Hon. Member
opposite had dilated upon the difficulty of appointing
,individuals to form such a Committee, and of finding
any who would like to undertake the task. He thought
ti.ere were Members to be found in that House, pos-
sessing characters for learning and honesty which
were above suspicion, who would stand forward to
undertake such a duty, and who would receive the
support and confidence of Parliament. The Hon.
Member had objected that such a body would be
without controul or
srseornsibility ; applying to them
the phrase—gait Cu , ism Cuse•diat. But then
what became of the Grenville Act, which was equally
liable to the same objection? It must, indeed, lead to
the entire extinction of the judicial character in that
House, and the transfer of judicial decisions to some
other tribunal. Before he sat doirn, he desired to ex-
press his regret that his Noble Friend should have added
the instrection to the resolutions. He thought their effi-
ciency was by so much lessened, and therefore regretted
.that it should have been considered necessary. He
knew that his Noble Friend bad consented to it, in order
t° conciliate hostility to the measure, and he was aware
that this was among the difficulties which any Mem-
ber co that side of the Houle must expect CO en-