The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-04-07 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLLLVENT.

HOUSE OF OF COMMONS, Falbay, Aram 6.

The SPEAKS* tonic the Chair at half•past three
o'clock, and was shortly after summoned in the usual
manner to the House of Lords, to hear the Royal
Assent given to certain Bills, for which see Lords'
Report.
NEWINGTON VFSTRY BILL COMMITTEE.

As soon as the SPSAKER had returned to the House,
and regunied the Chair,

Sir It. WILSON addressed the Chair on the suhject
of some most tlisorderly and irregular conduct which
had taken place that morning In a Committee up stairs
appointed by the Wine. This conduct was of such a
nature that he conceited it incumbent on him to repre•
sent it to the House, and to obtain that justice from
them, which it had been found ionpospible to obtain

from the Chairman of the Committee. The House
would remember the circumstances under which the
present Committee on the Newington Select Vestry. Bill
was appointed. It had been the opinion of the last
Committee on that Bill, that the preamble of the Bill
was not true, in consequence of some of the Standing
Orders of that House not having Woo strictly complied,
with. l'pou receiving this Report, the [louse was in-
duced to appoint a Special Committee, to examine
into the abstract point of whether the StandingOrdere,
alluded to hail been infringed, or not. That Special
Committee having reported that the said Orders of the
House hail been sufficiently complied with to justify
the further progress of the Bill, the House again ap-
pointed a Cou aaaa ittee on the Bill, wills power to send
for persons, papers, and records. This was the his-
tory of the transaction up to that day, when on the as-
sembling of the Committee, his lion. Friend, the Mem-
ber for the Borough, thoaght fit to make a proposition
to send for the Report of the Special Committee, which
motion was carried by a decided majority ; but not-
withstanding that the Chairman, the lion. Member for
Surrey (Mr. H. Sumner) was the means of preven ing
the decision of the Committee from being carried into
effect. Ender these circumstances, the perverseness
of the Chairman obstructing all proceeding with the
business of the Committee, lie (Sir R. Wilson) (moved
an adjournment, in order that they might have the benefit
of the Speaker's advice ; for their exclusion from
sending for the Report by which they were authorised
to sit, appeared to him to be a gross violation of
justice, and time orders of the House itself. That iinm.s-
lion was put and carried by a majority in the nega-
tive, and thus they saw themselves deprived of the means
of ascertaining the extent of the powers with which they
were invested, or of the views by which they were di-
rected to sit again. He was aware that in the space of
time which these proceelings occupied, great disorder
prevailed in the Committee ; and in the course of the
discussion about to ensue, allusions would be made to
the irregularities that ono- co 11111 l itted ; but he begged
to ask who were the cause and origin of the whole:—
Those miti.loubtedly who refused to send for the papers
demanded by the Coi 1111 l ittee in the first place, and then
opposed a reasonable opposition to refer the questions at
issue to the Speaker. Such conduct was in violation of
every principle of common sense and justice. He was
confident the House would hear out the decision of the
Committee, by ordering the paper in question to be re-
ferred to it. and he hoped it would he remembered that
if' they did not enforce their own regulations they could
have no hope of being able to command respect out of
doors. For these reasons. he should move " That the
Reports made by the late Committee on the Standing
Orders of the House with respect to the Newington Se-
lect Vestry Committee, be referred to the said Coin-
miltee."
Mr. H gUMNER said, that the motion was as im-
portant in its consequences as extraordinary in its ns-
tnre. lie, as Chairman of the Com 11l liter, would con•
Rider it his duty to bring the whole twitter before the
House as soon as there should he a full attendance of
Members. His motion would certainly be one in
the spirit of complaint agaiust the couJuct of several
Members of the Committee.
Mr. HUM E said, that the present was the proper time
for the Hun. Member to bring forward his threatened
complaint. He felt that it would be the duty of some
Member to bring forward a complaint against the Chair-
man himself.—(Hear.)
Mr. H. SUMNER said, the only reason for delaying
his motion was the very thin state of the House.
Mr. HUME said, that he thought time reason an ex-
traordinary one. He saw millions of the public money
were voted by much thinner Houses.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. LITTLETON took the opportunity of calling the
attention of the House to the manner in which private
business was conducted; anti he gave notice of • Isis in-
tention to bring the subject before the House during the
present Session.
Mr. Srrjeant oNsLoir said that the ground of dig
ference, as appeared to him, sprang out of a motion that
the Report of the Select Committee shou'ad be read.

Mr. W. COURTENAY begged to call to the recol-
lection of the House that the motion of the Honour-
able and Gallant General, the Member for Southwark,
remained to be disposed of.
Sir It. HERON said, that if the Honourable
Member (Mr. Sumner) had, as Chairman of the
Committee, pursued a more temperateline of conduct,
the present transaction never would hare been hron7ht
before the House. The conduct of the Honourable
Member appeared more like a partial advocate than
an indifferent and impartial Chairman of a Committee
of that House.

The motion was then put and curried.
Mr Hl: ME next rose, and was about to address
the House, when
Mr. S. WORTLEY said, that if the Honourable
Yilember were al tto bring- forward any motion re-
specting the conduct of the Chairman, he would pro-
test against such motion without previous notice be-
ing given.
HOME submitted to the Speaker that the pre-
sent was the time to call the attention of the House to
transactions respecting a private Bill.
The SPEAKER said, with respect to the proper
time for any lion. Member to bring forward a motion,
lie could not be expected to determine. With respect
to the point of orde-, certainly a question might be
raised as to the priority of private or public business ;
bit he apprehended that the House would be ready at
any time to entertain public questions, it remaining- in
the breast of the House itself and of Hon. Members
bow far the convenience of the House should be con-
sulted in regard to time.
r- Mr. MIME then proceeded to make his motion. He
should not Isere pprsistell in troubling the House at
that particular period, had it not been for the threat
held out by the HO*. Chairman that he would, as
soon as the Speaker took the Chair, bring a charge
against every individual who had opposed him in the
Committee. The lion. Member then recounted the
occurrences of the morning in the Committee alluded
to. There were lie believed twenty-live Members on
esteil side who would be obi," to corroborate his state-
ment, or put the House in possession of the facts of
the ease. As he disapproved of the
.principle of the
Bill, which went to disfranchise a great number of the
inhabitants of the parish of \e►vington, he had made
a point of attending this Committee, which that morn-
ing lie had fou►:d very fully attended with not less
than 50 or 60 nip/obert. His lion. Friend moved as
he went into the Committee that the Report of the Se-
lect Committee be read. .1 division took place on this
question, which was opposed by the lion. Chairman.
At the imminent of proceeding to divide, three members
came in, one of whom was the Hon. Member for
Shrewsbury. Time Chairtuan upon this declared that
those Members should not vote, and directed them in
a manner not remarkable for mildness or urbanity to
leave the room. His lion. Friend, the Member for
Shrewsbury, refused toil() this, declaring that although
he might not be permitted to vote he saw no reason
for quitting the room, and had never heard of such a
command coining from the Chairman of any Com-
mitter up stairs before. The Hon. Chairman then
with no treat alteration in tone or gesture, ordered
the Clerk to write down the names of these them
Members vowing that they should not be allowed to
vote. This might tend to give the blouse a notion of
the temper likely to have been created in the Com-
mittee. The lion. Member for Huil declared, that he
should have been in the room time enough to be en-
titled to vote hail it nut been for the exit of strangers

which prevented his entering, although It' had his
hand on the handle ..f the door and heard the question
put from the Chair. Under these circumstances he
contended it was the duty of the Chairman to put tl►e
question again. This the Chairman refused. It was
then moved that the Committee should adjourn, in
order to refer the point in dispute to the Speaker.
This motion was also negatived, although he was con-
♦inced there could not have been a more reasonable
one tinder the circumstances made. The division ac-
cordingly took place ; and when the tellers handed up
their report of the numbers, through the Clerk, to time
Chairman, that Hon. lientleman, with that peculiar
suavity of mariners fur which he was distinguished,
threw the paper down on the table, declaring that he
would not pmt it. Such were the circumstances which
originated the confusion complained uf ; and although
he scarcely knew if he were proceeding regularly, he
should move that it be a resolution of the (louse,
"Th►at the conduct of the Chairman of the Committee
appointed by that House to sit upon the Newington
Select Vestry Bill, was intemperate and irregular, and
led to riot and disorder in the Committee." The Hun.
Member was proceeding to write down his motion, in
order to band it to the Speaker to put to the (louse,
when—

Hr. WYNNE remarked upon the anomaly of calling
upon the House to pass an opinion upon a subject of
which they mild know nothinz.—{Near.)-.—lf the
motion were entertained, the House would be occupied
the next hour and a half in hearing contradictory

statements from the two-sides of the House. which
could leid them to no satisfactory conclusion.
Mr. HUME said, that be had no objection to delay
his motion.
After a few words from Mr. WRO'TTESGET,
The SPEAKER observed, that the numbers of the
proceedings of the Committee must have been taken.
and it would be necessary. in the flint instance,ft have
those number. before the House
Sir J. MACKINTOSH said, that the motion Were
the House was caused by a notice given by the Hoe.
Member (Mr. Runner) of rather a crimiaatery nature.
Undoubtedly it was competent for the Chairman of a
Committee to bring forward any motion he might Wok
fit, either with or without the instructions of the Com.
mime, but to give notice of a criminatory proceeding
against certain Members of the Committee, without
the instramiess n< sogh Qiegpmialgt wipe tom.
least of It;' in Unusual proceaing—was a
from that temperance and impartiality which were the
first and most valuable qualities of a President. It.
appeared that extreme disorder and violence pre-
vailed in the Committee—disorder and violence from
which, of course, the lion. Member escaped, in come-
quence of the peculiar happiness of his temper—
(Mach laughterr.)—The Hon. Member, however, came
down from the Committee to that House, and rave
notice of a proceeding of a Eliminatory nature against-
some Members of the Committee; and he very properly
intended to bring forward that motion whilst the.
minds of the fifty Members who sat on the Committee •
were yet heated, from the disorderly proreedlags of
the day. Was that a moment to discuss the threatesed
motion?—No doubt the lion. Member, from his un-
paralleled command over his own (eelings—(A laugh)
—from his extreme temperance, and his habitual
mildness, would escape that warmth in debate which
tientlemen, not gifted with such superior endowments
of temper, would naturally be subjected to. The lion.
ausl Learned Gentleman said, that the inquiry would
lead to no useful poop ,se whatever; it would lead to
no result that would be either creditable or useful.
Ile would therefore recommend the Hon. Gentleman
(Mr. Sumner) to withdraw his motion, and his lion.
Friend (Mr. How) would not persist in his motion,
which was put ely defensive.
Mr. SCNINEII said, he would not be thrown off
his guard by the very invidious insinuations of the
Honourable and Learned Geutleinan—(a laugh),—or
the very unhandsome part which he had taken. He
denied that his notice, though one certainly of con.- •
plaint, was of a criminatory nature, and he was ready
to go on with it. He waited for the opinion of the
House, whethei he should appear as the accuser or
the accuses'.

M. W 1 NN suggested the people*. a s.delay to
Monday.
31r. DENISON said be was sorry that the lion.
Dent!email should have been betrayed into s slight
deviation front Ole right line.
Mr. SUMNER spoke to order. He wished to
know whether he was now called upon to defrnd his
conduct ?

Mr. S. WORTLEY snggested the propriety of the
Honourable Member withdrawing his notice of mo-
tion till Monday.

After the lionottrable Gentleman sat down, sever.,l
Members rose together and caused some confusion iu
the House.

Mr. DENISON said, that, if he were not inter•
rupted, he would have made a proposition which would
have reconciled all parties ; it was, that the Com-
mittee ha. to got a paper which they deemed essen-
tial, if the Honourable Member for Surrey would
►rithdraw his threat of an accusation, the Members
of the Committee ►would be contented not to proceed
further.
Mr. SUMNER refused to withdraw his notice,
and was proceeding to wake sonic observations, when--
Sir J. NEWPORT said, that he hoped a delay of
at least •iti hours would be allowed to take place.
Mr. SUMNER said, it was indifferent to him; he
was ready to I roceed now or on Monday.
Mr BP,NNET said, that as he was likely to form a
figure in the discussion, he would not consent to have
it postponed for a single hour. He was quite ready
to say, that heats hail existed on both sides in the
Committee. He (Mr. Rennet) had then forgotten
then►--(hear, hear') ;—hut he saw that vindictive
feeliii.rs urged the Honourable Member to pursue the
matter against those who differed with him in the Com-
mittee. Whether they proceeded on the inquiry
now or on Monday, they would find themselves in this
singular predicament-45 members would appear on
each side, flatly contradicting each other—(a loud
laugh.)—lie would pledge himself that that would
be the case. What had already occurred ? The
Chairman ass •rted that he put the question. An Ho-
nourable Member replied, " you did no such thing—
(a laugh)."—This occurred a, the starting-post. The
House might judge what would take place before the
conclusion. The House should recollect that these

proceedings would go forth to the public—they would
be emblazoned in every country where the EngliA
language was understood—it would be read with sur-
prise, that on Committee on the Parish Bill, 50 gen-
tlemen of the (louse of Commons lint their temper and
forgot themselves—and that the Chairman of that
Committee CAMP down to-the House to prefer an accu-
sation against a number of Members of ir.
The SPEAKER said, that the House always re-
posed in its Committees the utmost confidence, slid
never imputed int ntlons to pursue a wrong line of ca. -
duct. With respect to the points that fame imme-
diately before the House, the practice of Parliament
was, that Membets who entered
.the House whilst
strangers were withdrawing, after the questiee was
put, had nut a right to rote on the question. As to the

it
other point, appeared to him, that where the Report
oldie Tellers agreed as to numbers, that report waft
always stied on. Metnbers were never counted ilk se-
cond time, unless there existed a strong impression
that an error bad taken place in couating. Weems-
eeptions and errors might take place without 'DJ a
existed for throwing any imputation un the currla :
of any party. Ile suggested that if any farther f r:-

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