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    168 THE L E APE R. QSAytrRDAY ,

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    History O3v Parliament. The New Militia ...

    sirous of being elected to dive into the accounts and proceedingsof their agenta . ( Hear , hear . ) I was the practice of the candidate to canvass the electors , to answer their questions ; that was his course . And so completely was he deceived , that he stood a course of examination for more than half an hour , answering all sorte of political questions put byan ejcctor , and congratulated himself thereupon ; on having gained a vote by argument . ( Loud laughter . ) It transpired , however , in the investigation A * O ' * . . 1 . 1 J . 1 . ^ « 1 ^« J . ^« Z- * + n «/> C-fim » i that the elector in question

    pursued by the commisson , had been boug ht beforehand . , and had simply argued the question with him in order to keep him in the dark on the subject . ( Loud laughter . ) There was another consideration which made him not a free agent . After he had taken the field , and had canvassed the borough on liberal principles —( renewed laughter )—he felt that he was responsible for those principles , and that it would have been highly improper for him to have backed out of the election , even if he had been so disposed . ( Ironical cheers . )

    As to the borough , he could not defend it . But ought the House to rest content with making St . Albaii 3 the scapegoat of a bad system ? A few days ago he visited the House of Correction , and found therein 150 prisoners . He knew there were 40 , 000 outside the walls just as bad , but who only had more skill and prudence . ( Loud laughter . ) " He had been frequently told of the enormous expenditure and extravagance he had committed . It left no doubt on his mind as to the nature of the case , but at the

    time of his election he was quite unaware of the amount . Comparing it with the expenditure of other elections—¦ with the 60 , 000 / . spent upon one , the 50 , 000 / . spent upon another , the 40 , 000 / . which he himself only the other day heard an hon . member say had been spent on his election , —comparing it with the 5000 / . and 10 , 000 / . elections , ¦ which were as plentiful as blackberries —( laughter ) —com - paring the 4600 / ., which his election has cost him , with the sums he had just mentioned , he thought the House Was most severe upon St . Albaus . For the . 4600 / . which he had spent , he had enjoyed the excitement of an election , of a petition , and still more , of a commission : The system was corrupt . The House was dealing with

    one case , while there were sixty others equally bad ,, and the same principle ought to be applied to all . ( Hear > hear . ) He was hot desirous of making personal remarks , but he thought it was only fair—having been attacked in this manner , and having been singled out in consequence of inexperience and inability to control the imprudence of inferior agents—to take an opportunity to represent his own case . ( Hear , hear . ) He had spent a large sum down at once , while other hon . members , however , spread their expenditure over a period of seven years , at the end of which they walked into the house unopposed , and perfect patterns of purity . ( Laughter . ) What was the difference between such an " hon . member and himself , who had been

    dragged into the corruption ?' Mr . ltEPTON was called for , and said in a few word " , that he knew wrong had been done , that he had been involved unwittingly , that he was disgusted with the practice of bribing , and that he had long resolved never again to be a candidate for St . Albans . Just as the question was about to he put , Mr . Roebuck moved that Mr . Coppock be called to the bar . Lord Claud Hamilton seconded the motion . Sir

    George Grey , tuken by surprise , objected rather sharply . Mr , Hayteb insisted that Mr . Coppock was not the dispenser of government patronage , whatever he might insinuate . Mr . Disraeli recommended that the motion should be postponed to tho second reading , and his suggestion was adopted . Leave was then given to bring in tho Bill .

    SAVINGS BANKS . Mr . IT . Herbert moved tho following resolution on Tuesday : —¦ " That this House has observed with regret tho continued neglect of Her Majesty ' s Government to fulfil their promise of introducing « i hill for the regulation of savings-banks , by which those important institutions mny be enabled to preserve their hold on the confidence of the country , and a due encouragement be thus given to the industry and providence of the working classes . " Ho made out n strong case against ministers—showing how inefficient , and , in some instanccH , how mischievoiiH , had beun government and quasi-govornment control . Mr . Tidd Pratt's doctrine , that trustees and

    managers of suvuigH banks wore as free to act an any person miuinging his own affair * , was an instance of tho latter . Trustees and managers were irresponsible To free themselves from the charge of careless complicity , ministerB denied that Mr . Tidd Pratt was a government officer , because ho wa . 4 appointed by Act of Parliament , and paid , not by salary , hut by fees . Mr . Pratt , however , wont about tho country speaking with tho authority of tho government , and that was a Hourco of grout mirtohief . Mr . Herbert was supported by Mr . RicyNOi-os , Mr . Huarman Crawkorw , Mr . Pour / im Souora , Sir Hknky Wix , i , oucuriiY , and Mr . BisnAjai . Tho defence sot up by tho CuAwcnaum of tho ExouKQUBB was , that , pructlcnlly , they had no control whfttevor over tho savings banks . He was

    willing to accept the responsibility if he might appoint the officers . He had prepared a bill last session ; but as there was no chance of carrying it ; he had riot laid it before the House . He should do so early this session . As to Mr . Tidd Pratt , he was an officer appointed by Act of Parliament , and not subject to Government control . Having elicited the promise of a bill , Mr . Herbert withdrew his resolution . *

    INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION . On the same day , Mr . Slaney renewed his motion for an unpaid commission to consider , suggest , and report , from time to time , measures to remove legal and other obstacles which impede the investments and the industry of the humbler classes . The discussion turned mainly on the bearing of the law of partnership on the co-operative associations of the working classes . The principle of " limited liability" was that which it was sought to introduce . Mr . Headxam , Mr . Moffatt , and Mr . Ewart expressed themselves as decidedly favourable to limited liability . Mr . Cobdest concurred , on the ground that

    unlimited liability was an interference with the free employment of capital . He did not see why limited liability should be conceded to the rich and denied to the poor . But he thought working men laboured under a delusion in thinking that the introduction of the principle of limited liability into our law would be beneficial to them . Yet he was willing that they should have the fullest opportunity for trying the experiment . Mr . T . Baring attacked Mr . Cobden for recommending the adoption of a principle which he did not believe would be advantageous . For liis own part , he must oppose the introduction of limited liability . Government , through Mr . Labouchere , promised a commission to consider the whole law of partnership .

    " In many instances the law of partnership opposed the development of many associations and schemes carefully devised for the advantage of the working classes . He had not been unobservant of what had been going on with respect to working associations and co-operative societies . Societies of this description had for some time existed , and were spreading in this country , and , althorigh"he entertained no sanguine expectation as to their probable results in a commercial point of view , he would be extremely sorry that the working men , who regarded them with different feelings , and believed it possible to unite the profits of capital with the gain 9 of labour , should have any real ground to complain that the state of the law prevented them from carrying their views into effect . Influenced by

    these considerations , he had recently considered carefully the law of partnership . From this consideration of the subject he arrived at the conclusion that the Joint-Stock Companies Act interposed an obstacle—' entirely unintended by its framcrs , he believed—to the formation of cooperative societies ; and , if the alteration or repeal of that act would have been sufficient to place the law with respect to partnerships on a satisfactory footing , he would himself have proposed it . He found , however , that it would be necessary to go further—that he could not stop nt the removal of an obstacle , but must proceed to give something in the nature of positive encouragement to working associations by altering the general principle of the law of partnership , and enabling them to sue and be sued by their officers . "

    He was personally adverse to tho principle of limited liability . Having obtained from tho Government the promise of a commission of inquiry , Mr . Slaney withdrew his motion .

    COUNTY KATES BILLS . There were two apparently rival bills on this subject , asking for a second reading on Wednesday . First , Mr . FiiESHFiELD moved the second reading of one bill , stating , that its object was to consolidate the several acts relating to county rates , and to correct their incongruities , without extending liabilities beyond the present law . He explained the machinery by which it was proposed to effect this object—one feature of which wuh the appointment year by year of a standing committee , with power to investigate tho claims of parishes to relief and report to the sessions . He also proposed to make a material change in the mode of estimating tho relative value of parishes . Government did not oppose tho second reading of this bill . Next , Mr .

    IluronT moved the second reading of tho County Hates and Expenditure Hill , tho principle of which consists in giving to tho rate-pavers power to elect such representatives , magistrates , or not to sit on a county board , as they should think best qualified for that ofiico . Mr . Milnor Gibson , who had charge of tho Bill , was met by tho charge , that ho had altered the measure from that introduced last session . Sir John Parington opposed tho Bill , as a measure introducing a change in tho management of tho ufliiirs of counties bo sweeping , as to ho justifiable only as an act of the Government . He moved the second reading thut day six months . Sir GiconciK Grey , Mr . Deedos , Mr . Henley , Mr . Christopher , oxprosHcd themselvcB entirely opposed to a measure which would exclude ex ojffloio magistrates from the proposed board . At tho same time , it was

    pretty generally admitted , that there was no sound reason why rate-payers should not have some contr 1 over the expenditure of those funds which thev ft ttished . Mr . Wilson Patten and Mr . Babro ^ Mr . Patten , because be wished to restore the clauses " * the Bill of last session omitted in this ; and Mr . B row , on the broad ground $ hat propert y subject to tax * ation should ' . be allowed to protect itself . The House divided , when there were , — For the second reading , 63 ; against it , 130 . Majority against , 67 .

    SUITORS IN CHANCERY BELIEF BILL . On Monday , the Solicitor-General moved the second reading of this bill . Sir Henry Wilioxjghby called attention to the fact that this bill invaded one of the most important powers of the House , namely that of taxing her Majesty ' s subjects through the Stamp-office . In the last twelve years , 2 , 500 , 000 ? . were raised by fees in the Court of Chancery , and paij into the suitors' fund . This bill abolished those fees and raised money by stamps issued by the Lord Chancellor ' s order . Was the power of the Lord Chancellor

    in that respect limited or not ? The Solicitob-General said that what was proposed in the bill was precisely that which the hon . baronet seemed to wish ; it introduced a simple instead of a complicated system of finance . No limit had as yet been fixed to the issue of stamps , but it would be easy , if thought necessary , in committee , to introduce a maximum . With reference to the salaries of officers , be did not think it would be just to charge all the salaries upon the Consolidated fund ; the suitors ought to bear some portion of the cost . This bill would give relief to the extent of 5 O , O 00 Z . a-year

    in fees , and 10 , 000 / . a-year more in salaries . Sir James Ghaham expressed his satisfaction that at length a bill had been introduced . His object in rising was to put a question to the Solicitor-General . The Chancery commission , of which he ( Sir J . Giaham ) was a member , had strongly recommended that no additional Masters in Chancery should be appointed ; that the present Masters should devote themselves to winding up the affairs at present in their hands ; and that the functions at present performed by the Masters should for the future be executed by the Judges . ( Loud cries of Hear , hear . ) But he had heard with great surprise , that the Lord Chancellor had expressed

    the greatest doubt in anotber . place , whether the portion of the report relating to the masters' offices , the very keystone of the whole matter , should be adopted . He therefore begged to ask the learned Solicitor-GeneTal , whether it was really to be understood that the Lord Chancellor had not yet made up his mind on this most important part of the report . The Solicitor-Genebai said , that the observations of the Lord Chancellor appeared to have been generally misunderstood . . All that the Lord Chancellor had said was , that , he was not opposed to any of the views that had been presented to him , but that " he had not made up his mind one way or the other ; " these were his exact words . The bill was read a second time , and ordered to be committed on next Friday week . THE IEISH SCANDAL . The relations between Lord Clarendon and Mr . Birch , the editor of the World , have at length been made the subject of a Parliamentary debate , and a party motion . Lord NaaS was tho instrument of tho Opposition on the occasion . He moved the following resolution on Thursday night : — " That in the opinion of the House the transactions which appear recently to have taken place between the Irish Government and the editor of a Dublin newspaper are of a nature to weaken the authority of the executive , and to reflect discredit on the administration of public affairs . "

    In opening his cose he disclaimed , by antici pation , the charge that his resolution was a personal attack on Lord Clarendon , for whom , privately , he had tho higha * respoet . It was in the fulfilment of a public duty time he came forward . In support of Iub case , ho told tn story of tho hiring of James Birch by Lord Clarendon to support tho cause of " law and order" in 1848 . Jj held Birch up to infamy as a convicted libeller , tho publisher of a low paper , having a small circulation , » " « tho worst of characters ; and ho represented the Lori - Lieutenant as in league with thi « man , paying him ou of the public funds , and through his private socretury making hiih the official defender of tbo governing

    And these transaction ^ substantiated on the trial ,, ft not denied in tho House , wore not confined to l *> Clarendon . Lord ltohneroton l »* l *»• Blmn ' ' \ l through his soeretary , had offered information to defender of " law and order , " T r j This was a question of public morality , niiU u » Naaa asked tho Houra whothor it would sanction u doctrino that a government might subsidize the | P « Without a momontVs hesitation , Lord Jonw »™* rose and replied s he refused to receive the dwcI "" that this was not a personal , attack ; on tbo contw

    168 The L E Ape R. Qsaytrrday ,

    168 THE L E APE R . QSAytrRDAY ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 21, 1852, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_21021852/page/4/