The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-04-23 00:00:00

fro rutting in parliament.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-TUESDAY.

Mr. GIBSON brought on his motion for the repeal of the duty
on paper and advertisements, and of the newspaper stamp
duty. During the course the discussion, in which Mr.
Hume, Mr. Ewart, Mr. Aglionby, Col. Thompson, Mr. Roe-
buck, and Mr. Disraeli also took part, Lord JoaN RUSSELL
declared that he had no prepossession in favour of the parti-
cular duties under consideration, and that he should be happy
to abolish them did the state of the national finances permit.
• Compared with other countries, where newspaperssold for a half-
penny and propagated principles that rendered all government
Impossible, ...nd a multitude of schoolmasters who taught doc-
trines to make religion odious, the press and condition of Eng-
land were eminently felicitous. The House divided on the pro-
position—Ayes, 89 ; noes, 190 ; majority, 101. The remaining
resolutions for repealing the advertisement duty, the news-
paper stamp, and the customs upon foreign books, were then
put, and, after some conversation, negatived without a division.
Mr. SLANEY moved for a select committee to suggest means
for facilitating the safe investment of their savings by the
working classes of the country. The accumulation of capital
by the higher classes was estimated at sixty millions yearly, a
sum which he thought would be doubled if the industrious
part of the population were encouraged to economy, and placed
within reach of safe and profitable investment. To effect this
'object, the hon. member proposed that the law of mercantile
associations should be altered, so as to enable a body of small
capitalists to unite in carrying out enterprises of a remunera-
tive character in building, commerce, or agriculture.
Mr. LABOUCHERE consented to the appointment of the se-
lect committee, believing that the enquiries it would undertake
might prove highly useful. The subject was, however, sur-
rounded with many difficulties.
The motion was agreed to.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

VEDNESDAY

On the order of the day for the second reading of the Educa
cation Bill,

Mr. STAFFORD moved that it be deferred for six months.
He observed that the House had hitherto committed itself no
further to the principle of this bill than by recognising a defi-
ciency of the means of education, and by expressing a desire
to grapple with a subject of such extreme difficulty with care
and patience.
The Earl of ARUNDELL and SURREY seconded this amend-
ment. Such a measure as this he argued, must be founded
upon one of two principles—either that secular education was
more valuable than religious education, which none but an
infidel would maintain ; or, that secular education would lead
to religious education, which was contrary to all experience.
Mr. ROEBUCK controverted the two propositions upon which
Mr. Stafford had based his amendment, and deni-d the fair-
ness of hiidefinition of the term " secular," namely. that it
meant non-religious, therefore irreligious, therefore atheistical,
education. " Secular education," meant fitting the minds of
human beings for the due performance of their duties in this
world, and thereby to fit them for the next.

Lord ASH LE
the issue of th
and unmistak

sv solemnly declared his firm belief that upon
is question—the propositions in which were clear
cable—hung altogether the future welfare of the

British empire. He protested against the principle laid down
by Mr. Roebuck, that the morality of Scripture had nothing to
do with its doctrines and dogmas, which were on the contrary,
Closely connected with its moral precepts. He should prefer
to discuss this bill upon principle alone, but the details were so
mixed with the principle that they could not be severed.
Lord J. RUSSELL said, in speaking of the bill he wished to
avoid as much as possible all intemperance, and to make every
admission which was fairly due to the author and to the bill
itself. In the first place, it could not be denied that there was
alamentable want of education amongst the poorer classes, and
that it was desirable that Parliament should endeavour to
remedy the deficiency; in the next place, he thought it would
be unjust to infer that if the schools proposed by this bill were
established, it would follow, as a necessary consequence, that
the doctrines inculcated in the writings referred to by Lord
Arundel! would he prevalent amongst the teachers ; he believed
it, would be found that, with the habits and opinions of the
people of this country, there would be no inclination on their
part to adopt these writings as the standard of their creed; but
that they would resort in matters of religion to their clergy-
men or minister. There might be places where the inhabitants
were so irreconcilably divided by religious antipathies that it
was impossible to admit the Bible into the schools, or any mode
of relizious teaching. In such an extremity the instruction
might be limited to secular education. But the bill differed
widely from this proposition ; it was opposed to all freedom of
choice. If the prevailing opinion in any part of the country
was in favour of combining religious with secular education, it
was too much to sanction a scheme that would destroy all the
existing schools which could not co-exist with schools sup- .
ported by rates. Agreeing with Mr. Stafford, that the scheme
Interfered with conscientious liberty, he thought that it was
impossible that Parliament could assent to such a measure.
though his desire for the general education of the people was in
no degree diminished.

The debate was adjourned until that day fortnight.
Leave. was given to Sir J. Duckworth to bring in a bill to alter
the laws relating to weights and measures; and to Mr. T.
Hodges, a bill to alter the law relating to therevision of burgess
lists in corporate boroughs.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—THURSDAY.
• LARCENY SUMMARY JURISDICTION BILL.
Mr. M'CuLt AO H moved that the House do resolve itself into
a committee upon this bill this day six months. He consi-
dered the bill took from the humble classes the protection of a
competent judge and a competent jury. Experienced persons
had conveyed to him their opinion that the bill was mischievous
and unnecessary, as excluding the local knowledge of the
'.,g justices of the peace with a summary
•ing infamy to the accused.

juries, and as entrusti
jurisdiction in cases it

Sir G. STRICKLAND seconded the motion. and deprecated
the continual attempts at abolishing that sacred right—trial by
jury.

111 r. P, HOWARD opposed the bill as unconstitutional, and as
conferring arbitrary power on individuals.
The House then divided—For the amendment of Mr. M'Cul-
lagh, 76 ; against it, 133 ; majority forgoing into committee, 57.
Mr. LAw then moved the omission from the bill of the
clauses which gave two justices in petty sessions summary ju-
risdiction in cases of adults. where the larceny did not exceed
the value of a shilling in order that such provisions might be
embodied in another bill.

The committee divided—For Mr. Law's amendment, 102;
against it, 50 ; majority, 52.
The other portion of the bill extending summary jurisdiction
to offenders under sixteen years was debated as a separate bill,
when Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND moved a proviso, depriving
justices of the power of inflicting whipping up to the age of
sixteen. This was carried by 170 to 89. The bill as thus
amended was agreed to, and reported.
The Tenants at Rack Rent Relief Bill was then passed
through committee.