The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-08-08 00:00:00

POLITICAL MISCELLANY.

---+
The qui tam action against the Attorney-General for
bribery at the recent election at Horsham, has been with-
drawn. He denied in the House of Commons, on Friday,
that the action had been in any way compromised.
The annual ministerial white-bait dinner at Greenwich
_

—indicative of the close of Satur-
day the 19th instant, and the prorogation by the Queen in
person will take place in the following week.
THETFORD.—On Friday, Mr. Baring was elected for
this borough, in the room of the Hon. F. B. Baring, now
Lord Ashburton. The late and present members are bro-
thers. The hon. gentleman declared his utter hostility to
" free trade" principles as being injurious to all classes.
The attempt to bring the session to a close by the 19th,
has been given up as hopeless. The 26th is now supposed
to be the day ; and, when it is closed, the prorogation will
be only for a short period—a practice which Lord Sid-
mouthalwaysrecom mended in troublesome times. Another
winter session is therefore in prospect.
TREATING.—In the debate on the corrupt practices at
Elections Bill on Friday, Colonel Sibthorp said that he
scouted the new fangled notion which prevailed on the
subject of treating. For his part. he would not abandon
the habits of hospitality to please anybody. (Hear, hear.)
If one of his constituents called upon hist when he was at
lunch, was he not to ask him to take a glass of wine or a
basin of soup for fearsome purist should cry out "Bribery?"
(Hear.) His motto was " hospitality, and the exercise of
the duties of Christian charity."
PETITION AGAINST PROROGUING PARLIAMENT.—On
Wednesday, a deputation consisting of Mr. Robertson
Gladstone, Mr. Charles Robertson, Mr. John Clow, Mr.
Bibby, and others, waited on the Mayor to ask if his wor-
ship would convene a public meeting for the purpose of
petitioning parliament not to separate until it has made a
reduction in the public expenditure, relieved commerce,
and adopted meagures for the permanent improvement of
Ireland. His Worship, without expressing an opinion
on the subject, said that he was very adverse to calling a
public meeting on any subject whatever in the present
excited state of thetown ; but as he was about to write
Sir George Grey, he would state to him the request
which had been made. Since this interview a petition,
embodying the views of the deputation, has been drawn
up, and now lies for signature at the usual places. It may
be read and signed at the Standard office, where it haw
already received a great number of signatures.
WHAT IS BRIBERY ?—Treating must be made a clues.-
tion of degree. A man's common sense revolts from the-
idea that the opinions of any person in trusting by law
with the exercise of the Parliamentary franchise can be-
influenced by a ticket for two-and-sixpennyworth of re-
freshment. This, however; as we see by the speech nt
Mr. Stuart Wortley on Friday, was made a crime in the
case of the North Cheshire election. A nu.liber of coun-
try gentlemen—without the cognizance of the candidate-r-
-gave to their tenants who were goingup to the poll tickets
by which they could procure refreshment to the amount
of half-a-crown. Considering the heat, noise, dust, fatigue;
and excitement, which in the aggregate make up what is
called a polling-day, these Cheshire landlords would have
been but a shabby set of fellows had, they acted otherwise.
If Mr. Bright be of opinion that the constituency of Eng-
land are liable to such a temptation as this, and that spot
of half-and-half will turn " Blues" into " Yellows," and
Conservatives into Liberals, we cannot but think that the
franchise has already descended too low. We should think
of raising, not of depressing the property qualification. In
debate on Friday we are happy to see that both Lord John
Russell and Sir Robert Peel took the ceenmon-sense view
of the case, and protested against the notion that treating
obviously not intended for the purpose of influencing
voters at an election could be held to be corruption.

LATE ST
'Direct.

DATES
Indirect.'

AT LIVERPOOL
I Direct.

Indirect.

iMay 19

May 18
July 16
June 10
July 16
.. 25

June 24

July 19
June 14
April 29
July 9

week
'e turns

1848-
Amnt.