The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-10-06 00:00:00

CONTEMPORARY PRESS.

IMPORTANT TO FREEMEN.— On Monday last, when
the list of 'claimants (freemen) were handed to William
Gtav, Esq., the revising barrister for the city of York,
Mr. Richardion directed the attention of the court to the
33rd section of the reform act. Upon the construction
of • this section, he contended, would depend many of the
claimants' right to stand on the register. The town-
clerk observed, that it certainly would be most desirable
to have the opinion and decision of the court upon this
important question. He would then tale care that the
future lists of the freemen should be made out conforma-
ble with such decision. Mr. Calvert, clerk to Mr. Brook,
on the part or the conservatives, wished to make a few
observations. He observed, that ever since the passing
of the reform act it had been generally understood by the
freemen, that such of them as were absent from the city,
or had not been placed on the register for two successive
years, would he deprived of their franchise for ever.
Tile section in question was ambiguous, long-winded,
and confused. He had pei used it over and over again,
and had given it his best consideration; but, after all his
labour, he could come to no other conclusion than that
the freemen were not in the least ;affected by it. He had
also entered fully into its merits in unison with several
gentlemen connected with the legal profession, who,
nearly all, differed with him in opinion, but he was ne-
vertheless firmly, impressed with a notion, which was up
to the present moment unshaken, that the freemen were
as much entitled, by that section, to come into the regis-
ter, after two years' absence, as they were if no such
circumstances had happened.
.The hardspip, too, of the
case was evident, if they were not admissible; for in-
stance, .a person who is at this moment a freeman, if he
leaves York, and is absent two years according to the pre-
sent construction, is cut off from the franchise for ever,
whilst, on the other hand, a young man who has just
come out of his time, and who, without giving any no-
tice or reason, chuses to quit York without taking up his
freedom, may do so for two years or upwards, and when
he returns, he is eligible to be admitted a freeman, and
placed on the next register, and thus an old freeman
stands in a worse position than a new—the former being
for, ever disfranchised, whilst the latter obtains it for the
same reasons. The first sentence in the section simply
confirms the rights of freemen, and certain other classes
of voters, as existing at the time of the passing of the
reform act, but every word of the remaining part of the
section was not directed against the freemen, but against
the scot and lot class, pot-walloppers and such like. If
the legislature had intended the disfranchisement of the
freemen, some sentence to that effect would have found
its way into the bill, particulirly in section 32, which
section might very properly be called the Freeman's sec-
tion, as it was entirely applicable to them and to them
only. This was a most important question to such of the
freemen as might leave York for two or more years and
then return - for what could be more gratifying to a free-
man when he did return to his ancient city, than to know
that he still possessed his much valued right to vote for
its representatives in parliament ? He might stand
alone in his opinion, but as the question had never
been raised before, he felt very anxious (being himself
a freeman,) to have the decision of the court on the
point, feeling the greatest confidence as to what
the decision must be. Mr. Wood, the agent of the
Liberals, took another view of the act, and thought that
it was the intention of the legislature to get rid of the
freemen ; and he further contended that the freemen were
disfranchised by the section in question, as well as the
scot and lot voters, and pot-wallopers. The revising bar-
rister said that as the point was one of the utmost mo-
ment to the freemen, he would consult his learned friend,
Mr. Raincock, and he retired for that purpose. He was
absent about half an hour, and on his return he stated
that they had put the same construction upon the section
as Mr. Calvert. Mr. Calvert then said, "I rejoice, Sir,
at-so favourable an opinion, both on my own account,
and my brother freemen:" The freemen were highly
gratified at the announcement.--k York Paper.