The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-03-03 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

ble for. He denied that he had ever contemplated the removal
of the protestant ministers from the churches of Ireland, or that
he had ever had any differences with his late colleagues on that
subject. He had always cordially ageeted with Lord Lans-
downe and 'Mr. Spring Rice oueueeaertes of general policy.
Tele. letter of Lord Kenyon to the King, which had been
largely distributed, he would read extracts .from, were it
not " such . utter arid disgusting nonsense.", (A loud laugh.)
He (Lord John) Worild 'ask, admitting the prerogative of the
King to dismiss his ministers alit dissolve parliament, whether
there ever was an example of the exercise of that prerogative
for Which so little reason lied been shown as that which had
lately presenied itself?- Was the internal state of the country
disturbed? Or had any other extraordinary circumstance oc-
curred to render it necessary to resort to sucri measures? Why,
the King's speece falsifies the whole of such pretences—oue
half of it being filled with testimonies to the excellence and
success of the uneasuree of the late government (hear,lear,)
the' prosperity of manufactures, the general good order and
tranquillity of society when they left oflice; and the other half
containing recommendations of measures which were parcel
of those which that very ministry were prepared, to nigh
more extensively, to carry into effect. (Hear, hear, hear.)
It was said that it was quite usual for a new. minister to dissolve
parliament; but ne (Lord John) beiieved there had scarcely
ever been an instance in which it had been done before a due
trial of the existing house had been made. He did not mean
to say. that the right hon. ge,ntlemitn was not in a very difficult
situation ; he was ready to admit. that the noble duke having
taken the first and most unconsltutional step of vesting in his
own person all the great offices of the state, the right hou. bart.
having had no concern in that matter, must .have tound himse.f
personally in a most unpdeasant predicament, and he (Lord
John Russell) could well imagine the obloquy that would have
been attached to him if he had declined the office marked out
for him. In fact, it was a • case in v. hich the noble duke
seemed to have proceeded by way of impressment. (a laugh,)
and he would recommend the hon. member who proposed doing
away with that evil to take into his most' serious consideration
the propriety of making some special provision, that no person
should use the King's warrant as authority fu send a press-gang
into the pope's dominions in order to impress a prime minister
into office, and that travellers be allowed to pursue their journey
wherever they pleased. (Laughter.) Without that protection
the right hon. gentleman could scarcely avoid, in taking office,
incurring a very heavy responsibility; but why not have ceded
the late parliament together, and stated to them its measures
and intentions? If that parliament, approving his projects•
supported him, good and well; if they opposed him factiously,
against the opinion of the country, he mighehave safely dis-
solved it ; but if he felt convinced that the sense of the country
went with that House of CO:Amens, they should have been
spared the disturbances that had since taken place, and the'
difficulties in which they were now involved. (Hear' hear.)
If he (Lord John) were asked to place confidence in the adult- •
nistration of Sir R. Peel on the corporatioriereform question he
enlist refuse it, because corporations were the fortresses of their
'power to which they had so long clung. He had only one
other observation to make in reference to what had fallen from
the right hon. baronet, that, under the present administration,
measures proposed in that house were likely to be carried with-
out difficulty in the other house of parliament. (Hear, hear.)
Now, there arose front this a very natural question—are the
measures to be similar, or are they to be different? Ii simi-
lar, were they then to be told that the House of Lords
Would not agree to reform measures unless they saw in office a
ministry of their own selection? (Loud cheers and " Hear.")
But if the measures were to be different, if they were to be less
effective measures of reform, were they then to be told that they
must yield to the House of Lords with respect to the measures, and
admit that what they considered necessary could not be proposed
in that house? (Hear.) He had always been against attacks
on the House of Lords; his own opinion being, that if mea-
sures which had the cordial concurrence of the commons were
sent up to that house, they might be rejected once, possibly
twice, but that the house of lords would yield to what was the
clearly expressed and temperate sense of the people of this
country. In thinking thus, he paid a tribute to the wisdom and
patriotism of their lordships. Ile wished them to hove their
due place in the constitution ; but he count never allow that
power over the House of Commons which belonged to them in-
directly before the reform bill should be restored to them in the
way it was now attempted to he done. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. GOGI.B.URN would not follow the noble lord through all
the extraneous topics introduced into his speech. He was told
that he considered himself contaminated by dissenters, but he
begged leave-to deny the charge in the strongest manner. Ile
had always expressed himself with the greatest regard and good
wishes towards the dissenters, nor bad' he ever been hostile to
their enjoyment of any civil privileges which could be con-
ferred on them without the destruction of the national establish-
merits of the country. The whole of his argument aeainst
their admission to the universities was founded on this, that
the civil privileges from which they were excluded might be be-
stowed on them by othe,r means without violating' the. principles
on which the universities were founded, and inflicting serious
injury, not only on the established church, but also on the
religious feelings of the country in general. (Hear, hear.)
Speaking of the divisions of the late cabinet Mr. 0. said,
It was as indisputable as any condition of facts could render
it; it was absolutely certain that in any discussion which could
arise in parliament the noble lords composing that cabinet
must either abandon their principles or each other. Then
the noble lord • opposite alleged that he must have an amend-
ment to the address, because he required a reform of the Church
of England. Why, was there not a most distinct and specific
assurance in the speech from the throne that measures of re-
form in the church would be instituted and well and properly
conducted? The third point against which the accusations
of the noble lord were directed was the allusion in the royal
speech to the subject of municipal corporations. It was bear-
ing rather hard
_upon the present ministers of the Crown for
a member of the late government to condemn them for not
being' more explicit, for not going further into detail on the
subject of a commission issued by their predecessors them-
selveS, and of which the report had not yet been made. When
the noble lord opposite had to oppose the government, he
thought it absolutely necessary that immediate and detailed
`communications should be made to the House of Commons,
without waiting for the report of the cotninissioners ; but
when in office he pursued
.precisely that course Which he cen-
sured in the present advisers of the Crown. (Hear, hear.)
The noble lord deeply censured them for not havit4 cat. 11.4 t -
gether the parliament teLieh they found in existence at the time
of their accession to office. If they were to judge of what might
be the conduct of the noble lord in circumstances similar to
those in which the preseut government stood, it might perhaps
be easy to frame a retort. He admitted the difficulty of form-
ing any opinion of what might take place from what had; he
knew how haze' dons it was to predicate anything respecting
the noble lord, but judging from the circumstance of the choice
of a Speaker being made aground fur displaciug a govern-
ment, he professed himself unable-to comprehenci upon what
rational grounds it could be contended that the present ad-
visers of the Crown ought to have met the late parliament.
If the appointment of Speaker were onpesed in a new par-
liament, what might have been done in an old House of Com-
mons, before the recently appointed ministers of the Crown
could have taken their seats ? (Hear,- hear, hear, and cheers.)
For those who had replaced the late ministers he could under-
take to say that they were as anxious to promote and as unwilling
to retard improvemeut as any of their predeccesors, and that lie
fully concurred in the, coucluiling opinion of the noble 'end—
namely, that ;hey lay under the weightiest obligation to dis-
charge their duty to the public without pusillanimity on the one
hand or inconsiderate rashness on the other. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. D. W. HARVEY was of opinion that the feeling of the
country was with those who had been the predecessors, and were
destined soon to be the successors of the present. ministers.
Mr. BARING combatted the opinion that the metropolitan
members were the representatives of a vast sum of wealth, in-
telligence. sod respectability. Undoubtedly, according to the
constitution of the country, they were so; but it was, in fact, a
mere fiction. Unfortunately, never was there a case in which
numbers and property were more at variance than in the metro-
politan boroughs. (cheers, and "No, no.") He was not one
of those fond of distinguishing the various classes of society by
their extent of property or degree of intelligence and informa-
tion ; it was only when particular pretensions were put forward,
as in the present instance, that he ventured to state his opinion.
(hear, hear,) and that opinion was, that nine-tenths of the
wea th and intelligence of the metropolitan boroughs was unre-
presented in that house. (" Hear, hear," and " No, no.")
On the general question which was involved in the address
from the throne he would not trouble them with many remarks.
The case had been so fully and ably stated by his right honour-
able friend, that it would he a mere waste of the time and
attention of the house if he were now to dwell upon it. (I-dear.)
As to the possessiou of office, he would say, for his own part,
that so sensible was he of the very slight pretensions which he
had' to serve in the office which he had the honour to hold, that
though he highly estimated the honour of being associated With-
men of such high honour and character, he should not feel at
all annoyed at being relieved from the labours of official duty;
and he could assure lion. gentlemen opposite that no oue
amongst them could be more glad to get into his place than lie
should be to give it up, provided he were well assured that its
duties would he discharged in concert with those of the other
departments of the pubs service on principles well calculated
to secure the public welfare. Being in office, however, he felt,
in common with his colleagues, that in justice they ought to be
allowed a lair time for the exposition of those measures which
they had announced their iutention to introduce. He did hope,
therefore, that hon. gentlemen, before they voted in opposition
to the present government, would look well around them, and
see whether, under all the circumstances in 'which they were
placed, there was any other party which afforded a chance of
making an efficient and permanent governmeut. He did
hope that the votes of hon. members would be founded on
principle, and not such as woupslatasilhelosnwi,,,liiiinooerwriethylyil.ahagftahacei:iisiootuustshdeeislgpvaoos.-
sition. might.betrue, that when several parties Were joined,
tvheenrlernme might
butbe looking
kmi majority. raitt
3't'hea
divided, and looking at one of these as aiming to supply the
place of the present ministers, he would say that it would nut
afford a majority, but, on the contrary, would be a minority,
and a small minority too, of the House of Commons. Could a
makingoa nl g e a
permanent belonged.
Under these ad-
dress.
party so circumstanced, he would again ask, expect to form a
government with ady, hope of its being.permanent? Ile felt
supportl n
theis t c ofor sr
b original
ne
convinced that it could not
o party ~ and he was equally convinced that
i ntghcoai
governmeut
ec
ruuins houseetan
circumstances
c eass offered l
iethat
should sot
ow
fair ai
h prospectn

Loud cries of "Adjourn," in the midst of which
Mr. IlumE moved that the debate be further adjourned to
Thursday.
• 'Fie house then adjourned at a quarter to ono o'clock.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—THuRsDAy.

The Earl of Shaftesbury sat for the Lord Chancellor lit three
o'ciock, when the Duke of Northumberland and other peers
took the oaths and subscribed the plrlianientary roll, after
which the house atjourned during pleasure.'
The Lout) CHANCRLI.OI2 took Ms seat on tin. woolsack at
five o'clock, and announced to the house that the lords with
white staves had waited upon his Majesty with the address of
that house, to which his majesty had been pleased to return' the,
following most gracious answer :—" My lords, I thank you for
your loyal and dutiful addres,,, and I receive with great satis-
faction the assurance that you will afford me your cordial co-
operation in all such measures as will tend to promote th 9 hap-
piness and concord of my subjects."
The Duke of RICHMOND then presented a number of petitions
complaining of local taxation. He also gave notice that to-
morrow he would present a petition un the abolition o'f un-
necessary oath.
The liar' of RADNOFt gave notice of a motion relative to the
oaths taken previously to the admission of graduates to the uni-
versities.

Lord B (tOUGH Au moved for a return all the commissions that
passed the great seal in the years 1828-9-30.
After some observations troth the Lord CtiAtscELLoa, the
Marquis of LA N SDOWNE. Lord PLUNKETT, the-Duke of WEL-
LINGTON, and 1,011:t 131: Ol*G 11A NI, the i eturn was ordered.

CHURCH PLURALITIES AND NON-RESIDEr.cE ON CLLEGY
• BILLS.

After some desultory conversation on these bills, which were
brought in by. Lord Brougham, they Were read a first time and
.ordered to be printed.
'1 he Duke or CCFtnEnLAND wished to ask the noble and learn-
ed lord if the church p!uralities and clergy non-residence bills
were the same as those laid before the house towards the close
of the last session ?

Lord Buo LGHAM assured the illustrious duke that they were;

but, as on that occasion he expressed. his. willingness to con-
•sult the bishops of the established church on any exceptionable
portion that might be found in those bills, he was also willing to
go as far in the present instabOi.
- Lord I:cLaNedilounit said that a portion of the proposed
neasure to du away with non-residence would go to deprive. his
.najesty of the prerOgatiVe of mercy. Anil if,' for instance, a
clergyman was absent or called away- to attend the distant
death-bed of his parent, he would come under the penalties
fully as much as if he were absent from his duties for pleasure
or amusement.

After a few. words from Lord Brougham,' who said that this
particular clause should also .he pa►d attention to, and undergo
revision, if necessary, their lordships adjourned.

.HOUSE .OF COMIOSS.—TituiisDAY:

The Speaker took the chair at a quarter t,) four o'clock.
Sir F. Burdett, viii;) had been in waiting tor nearly an hour,
took the oaths-and his seat.

Mr. EWART gave notice of a motion respecting the royal
acadeiny, and its influence upon the fine arts.
Mr. Georg gave notice that on the 18th March he would
move for leave to bring in a bill to amend the highway acts,
and for a return of the number of persons employed in the col:.
lection of the malt duty.
Sir IL FERGUSON gave notice of a motion for a bill to dis-
franchise the borough of Stafford.
The SPEAKER informed the h:.ise that he had received a
petition against the return for the county of Stafford. Ordered
to be taken into consideration on the 4th March.

Mr. WA no uirroN presented a petition against the return for
the city of Worcester.
Some petitions were presented, and other notices were also
given.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.

Mr. Ewaltt brought forward his motion relative to the sit-
tings of the house, the substance of which was, that no public
business of importance should be introduced after 11 o'clock at
night."
ajor BRAUCLIRK seconded the motion.
. .

Sir K. PEEL could scarcely believe that Mr. Bwart was in
earnest. It' such a change were introduced it would limit the
hours of business to six. If the house commenced business at
ten in the morning, it might be possible to make sumo such
regulation.. But before he introduced such a change, it would
be necessary to review ad the circumstances and condition'of
public business, and also the private arrangements or members
of parlianient. The deimte was subsequently adjourned to Fri..
day, the llth March.