The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-08-20 00:00:00

BUSINESS OF THE SESSION.

Though our readers will bear us witness that we have
not been the indiscriminate approvers of the policy of
Sir Robert Peel's government, we feel no hesitation in
giving the Right Hon. Bart. an opportunity of showing
the progress of legislation in the following speech de-
livered on Friday evening, in the House of Commons, as
a resume of the business of the session, in reply to Lord
John Russell. In the first place, said Sir Robert, a
Poor Law Bill was introduced by my right hon. friend,
and was conducted throughout with the greatest temper,
moderation, and ability, gaining from hon. members,
almost in spite of themselves, a cordial approbation of a
measure to which they were at first decidedly opposed,
and their opposition to which was abated only by the per-
fect knowledge of the subject which my right hon. friend
exhibited, the good temper in which he was disposed to
discuss it, and the readiness with which he received and
yielded to every useful suggestion. A bill has also passed
under the auspices of my right hon. friend regulating
factory labour, and embodying many most important pro-
visions. Then, with respect to financial matters, one of
the greatest financial operations that ever took place in
this country has been performed in the course of the
present session, by which the Three-and-a-Half per
Cents. have been reduced, and the foundation laid for the
prospective and ultimate reduction of taxation to the
amount of £1,240,000 per annum now levied on the peo-
ple of this country. That measure was brought to a suc-
cessful issue in consequence of the high state of public
credit. This is the just reward of public honesty. This
is a legitimate reduction—this is the honourable economy
which a country that is honest may adopt. If we had
taken another course, and had refused to satisfy the
claims of the public creditor, we might have saved in a
dishonourable way £300,000 or £400,000; whereas, by
adopting the principle which is applicable to states as to
individuals, that honesty is the best policy, we have been
enabled to make a considerable immediate reduction, and
a very great prospective reduction, in the public expendi-
ture, and at the same time to give general satisfaction to
the public creditor. Let other nations profit by our ex-
ample. 1 must at the same time say, that, in carrying
through this measure, we received the general support of
this house. It was fortunately excepted from the course
of party politics, and 1 have therefore the happiness to
reflect that a measure proposed by her Majesty's govern-
ment. following out the principles of the bill of 1819, did
pass both houses of parliament with the cordial consent of
the political opponents of the government. A bill has
also passed with respect to the future regulation of joint-
stock companies. I recollect sitting in a committee on
the subject of joint-stock banks, in June 1837. We also
I sat in 1838 and 1839. It was a subject on which it was
most difficult to legislate, and great opposition, it was
said, might be expected from the joint-stock banks, but
in the course of the present session we have passed a bill
regulating the concerns of all existing banks, and em-
bracing new regulations with regard to all future joint-
stock banks. In the course of the present session a
measure also for the registration and regulation of joint-
stock companies has been passed. Then also an Insol-
vent Debtors Bill has presentsd. I can also say that
in the course of the p sessifm a final measure has
been adopted for putting an end to imprisonment for debt
where the amount due is under £2O. Then there were
also other matters of great importance, and which were
calculated to excite strong religious feelings ; but I have
the satisfaction of saying that no less than three most
important measures, touching on religious differences,
have passed in the course of the .present session. Her
Majesty's government have passed a bill to prevent end-
less, useless, vexatious litigation with regard to dissenters'
chapels. We proposed that bill solely for the purpose of
doing that which appeared to us to be equitable and just
towards parties who were generally our decided political
opponents, and who had little other recommendation to
us except that which should always be the most powerful
recommendation to her Majesty's government—a cl-.sire
to do justice to all her Majesty's subjects. That bill for
quieting the title to dissenters' chapels, and preventing
useless vexatious litigation, has passed. We have also
settled, in the course of the present session, a matter of
dispute in the north of Ireland, which affected the inter-
ests of a most powerful and respectable class of her Ma-
jesty's subjects—the question as to the validity of Presby-
terian marriages. Though the bill which we introduced
was at first viewed with considerable jealousy and dis-
trust, I believe that the Presbyterian body are now con-
tented and pleased with its enactment. And, lastly, we
introduced a bill for the purpose of Placing charitable
trusts in Ireland on a firm and equitable basis. The con-
stitution of the former board was almost exclusively Pro-
testant. We have amended the constitution of that