The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-06-01 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY

Mr. SCHOLEFIELD gave notice that he would move a re-
solution on Thursday next to the effect that parliament ought
not to separate without adopting some mode of affording
relief to the people.
On the motion of Lord J. RUSSELL, it was arranged
after some conversation, in which Sir R. Peel took part, that
the house at its rising should adjourn until Wednesday next,
and that on Wednesday the debate on the motion of the
want of confidence should take precedence of all other busi-

Mr. MILNES resumed the adjourned debate on the mo-
tion of Sir R. Peel, and strongly condemned the govern-
ment for having put forward the alteration of the corn laws
in order to excite agitation throughout the country.
Mr. SANDFORD was willing to admit that ministers had
by their recent propositions acquired an unfortunate unpo-
pularity, but in the course of time justice would be done to
the motives of those who, in periods of difficulty, had con-
ducted the affairs of the empire with honour to themselves
and with immense advantage to the country.
Mr. DARBY contended, that Sir R. Peel had it in his
power to form a strong government, which fully justified
him in bringing forward the motion before the house. He
certainly looked with some apprehension to what might be
the consequences of a general election, while the public
mind was in such a state of excitation • but for all such con-
sequences the government, as its chief promoters, must be
held responsible.

Mr. BUTTON thought that the Irish members had reason
to expect from the right hon. baronet (Sir R. Peel) that he
should have told them what he meant to do in respect to the
Irish registrations, and 'other questions connected with Ire-
land. For his own part he would support the present
administration, which by its measures had conferred essential
benefit to his country.

Lord NORREYS supported the motion of Sir R. Peel,
which was opposed with much violence by Mr. H. Grattan.

Lord TEIGNMoUTH designated the speech of the hon. and
learned gentleman (Mr. H. Grattan) as an ebullition of party
spirit, which left almost untouched the question before the
house. For his part, he had no confidence in the measures
proposed by the government, and should therefore support
the motion of the right hon. baronet (Sir R. Peel).
Mr. INonAm, who voted against ministers on the sugar
duties, announced his intention of opposing the present
motion. He would not oppose it if he thought ministers
were retaining power in defiance of the House of Commons,
but he deemed them to be quite justifiable in retaining power
in order to take the sense of the country upon the measures
they had proposed, and this they could only do by calling a
new parliament, which was a perfectly constitutional pro-
ceeding.
Mr. HUTT defended the measures of the government, and

power had already passed from the hands of the Ministry,
said that he could see no ground upon which the Govern-
ment had a right to triumph with respect to their foreign
policy. He could look upon the war with China in no other
light than as a great calamity—a war in which glory would
aot he the attendant of success, and in which failure would
be a heavy misfortune indeed. The right hon. baronet then
,numerated a variety of instances in which it was evident the
house had declared its want of confidence in the Ministry,
and said that the only measure of importance which they had
been enabled to carry through Parliament was the Irish Mu-
nicipal Act; and even that act they were unable to carry
until they had conceded nearly all the points which they
themselves deemed essential to the bill. The Poor Law
Amendment Bill was another measure which proved how
utterly powerless were the Government to carry their own
measures. They proposed to make the Poor Law Commis-
sion continue for ten years ; but the moment a hint was given
by his right hon. friend the member for Tamworth that the
time was too long, they forthwith abridged it to five years.
The right hon. baronet then went through the history of the
bill, showing how the Government had been obliged to aban-
don a variety of their propositions, and this to such an ex-
tent that he should be content to rest upon that one bill alone
his proof of the utter want of power of the Government to
carry through that house their own propositions. He was
of opinion that it was an unfair use of the prerogative of the
Crown for the Government, when defeated on the sugar
duties, not to have adopted one of two measures—immediate
resignation or immediate dissolution. They chose neither—
they proposed to go on with the administration of the affairs
of the country until they could have an election under a new
registration, and if, with all the influence of Government,
they should still have a roajority against them, they might,
perhaps, resign. Such a course was more than dangerous ;
it was almost revolutionary. With respect to the alteration
of the duty on corn, it was a desperate plunze made by des-
perate men, and he would venture to predicate that they
never thought of the 8s fixed duty until after their defeat upon
the Irish Registration Bill. The right hon. baronet sat down
amidst general cheering, and the debate was immediately
adjourned.

THE PRESENT CRISIS