The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-04-15 00:00:00

rants had

them had been criminal warrants
solved itself in,-
power

Luis— was it necessary to have this
tection of criminals ? He contended that
Sad been asked whether it was fitting, in

w s tbolishe(l, that the

matte A sate vehicle for the transit of treason-
espondence. He thought that there was more
t than sense in that question. He would take
4 power from the Secretary of State. and would
the power to issue a sear

warrant to seize let-
+era of suspected persona in the Post-office, just as he
ad reason to believe that

sons if

Die documents about them. T

s power in its present

sistance of a metro-

at, and of a municipal police. It had
-I,nd affectionate people ; and that
properly treated, would be a better safegn-ird
a,on than all these dirty power which the Go-

i recen

—,-cised, He did not know what
ament intended to pursue on this occa-
t, should hear Sir J. Graham

ped that

hts
power was odious to the minister who
nd vexatous to the people on whom it was
was prepared to bury it now and for ever in

Ju Id be this advantage in such a course
eign minister should come sneaking to
,ne public offices in Downing-street, and
in slanders against foreigners residing in this
and should ask for the examination of their let-
vernment could tell then_ that no power to
Letters existed ; and that if he solicited its
treachery, it P- ' Such

could say to him—

s no longer a

onded the motion,

MES GRAHAM, after explaining that he had re-
-'her information respecting Mazzini, said
his own inclinations, he should
Mr. Duncombe wished to
As tor a minister to exercise, and must

D wer, whic

by the people

But he was
Jrisider it as a the crown, and as a
--,ised by him for public objects and for
. He disputed the law, as it had been
. Dunconibe. Until the passing of the
n Anne, it was part of the prerogative of
:onvey letters, and it was then notorious

I down by M
tune of Quee

al time to till

s intrusted to its care

to open a

f any person emplo

etters sent to

statute of Anne, he repeated

a afisdemeanour

h it had been re

1 remaine

statutes were

~ ......
uld be that to open ..
a letter

oort of the House of Commons stated, that

ndenee passing
It further stated
s opened under warrant was not
one year fur mar

a warrant

lice was inviola

ears past, and that
It added

-n were of a criminal nature

ins ar.d great im

are now preserved. No Secretary of State
en a letter in the Post-office without three

zant of it

But though a record was

opening the

et tors of ci

e admitted that no record hadhilhertoheei; kept
arrants issued for opening letters on political
Sir R. Peel had proposed a new regulation to

r served in the offices of the Secretaries 07gti;,f);-;
a a record would be kept of all the warrants for open-
It was one question to

s for pol tical causes

er this power should

given or not to the

secretary or state ; but it was another to declare that this
power, after it had existed from an early period, after it
had been exercised in the best of times by our most emi-
nent statesmen from the revolution downwards, and after
it had been admi ted that it had never been used for the
gratification of personal feelings, but always for the secu-
of the public peace, should exist no longer, and that
'lat-office should be convened into an engine for the
nstnission of treasonable communication. Mr.
,t had referred to the practice in Belgium and
He would not, at present, question the fact
respondence passing through the Post-offices
auntries was as inviolable as it was now pre-
, be. But Mr. Duncombe had forgotten to state
enince, in Belgium, and in every country of En-
ve England, there a as a check upon the admission
,ers, and a power of removing them at pleasure.
t ask for the existence of any such power in
He had been opposed to it when it did exist,
• wish for its renewal ; but if you allowed

sate tr-ii
Duneon3
in Fran(

Be did n
Eneland

come here without restriction, you must have
,ver their correspondence if they persisted in
,untry the focus of their plots against states
For these reasons he could
usion that

we wen

n amity

*his power of opening

s should be withdrawn from the
i with Mr. Duncom'3e that any act to amend this
'•I he illusive and nugatory ; and that the ques•
whrther the house %Mill A - -

government

Dt repea

3 the introduc

n of this bill

pales, the motion was Ile

r of 161 to 78