The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette. — 1858-05-04 (Dorchester, Dorset, England)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-MONDAY,  The Oflatromon of the EXCHEQURR moved a monition that the House would on Friday resolve itself into a committee to consider the Aot of the 16th and 17th of Victoria, op. 96, with the view of proposing the resolutions he had laid upon the table on the subject of the government of India. He briefly reviewed what hid occurred during the present session with reference to thin subject. He then proceeded to compare the main features and principles of the two Bills,—that of the late and that of the present Government. One consisted in the appointment of a Minister with undivided responsibility sitting in that House. assisted by a limited number of nominees—an under.secretary and elerice— meaning that India ought to be governed like other ex. tor* poseessions of the Crown. He denied that such a scheme of Indian_ _government would work in a sails. factory manner. The other plan which had been laid before the House in the Awe of a Bill had been stip instilled as oomplicated. He did not SIMI that this was a fault in the form of administration for Indian affairs. He mumed that the majority of the House was in favour of a council. Then, assuming that the eounoil should consist of the number mentioned In the Bill of the present Government, wee the House prepared to In. trust the nomination of these 19 councillors to tits Crown? Tide wee a proposition which the country would never approve. Then recourse must be had to the elective principle. In the resolutions a oonatituoney Was proposed anal-opus in character to the present, but Infinitely improved, representing 09,000,000 of capital, all invested in Indic It wax objected that it would be impossible to (ammo mut% a constituency. He believed so, and he thought this WAN one of the great mom• mendatinne of the plan. PaNslng under review various other objections to this part of the resolutions, he insisted that the proposition wag a wise one; that if there was to be a real council for India recourse tnust be had to the elective principle ; that this was on all-important portion of any scheme ; and that other questions—such as patronage and finance—were subordinate And, comparatively, matters of detail. Lord PALMERSTON observed that any one who entered the House during Mr, Disraeli's speebli without beMg aware of the question before it would have concluded that he was moving the second reeding of the India Hill No. 2. That meesure' upon which he had pronounced so unbounded • funeral panegyric had been murdered by himself. If he thought co well of the merits of the Hill why did he kill it? He contended that the argument in favour of the elective principle was founded upon a fallacious analogy. It appeared to him that 18 was an Inconvenient number for the council. Its functions were not to decide, but merely to Advise in the department for the management of Indian affairs. Mr. GLADSTONE did not think that, after the decision of the House in February in favour of terminating the existing form of government for India. the best mode of proceeding was by resolutions, which had the effect of snaking a new commencement of the work. Looking at the state of public affairs and of public opinion upon this subject, he respectfully protested against affirming the motion before the House. In neither plan, however, could lie see any elements of a good scheme, and there was great difficulty in attempting to govern by one people another people separated not only by distance, but by blood And by institutions. The Court of Directors had been practically A body protective of the people of India, and there ought not to be a less efficient provision for that object. He looked in vain, however, he said, in either plan for any protective power that could be compared with the Court of Directors. There had grown up, he obaerved, a system fraught with danger to the Parliament and to the liberties of the people of England, as well As to India, by the undue and unconstitutional exercise of power by the Executive here through the treasury and army of India, by which wars were oommenced without the knowledge or consent of Parliament, and an accumulation of debt was cast upon India. There was no limitation on this power, or worse than none, in either plan, and he therefore remonstrated against the motion. Mr. GREGORY moved, aa an amendment, "That at this moment it was not expedient to pass any resolutions for the future government of India., ' This amendment was seconded by Mr. W.