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GATHERINGS FROM LAW AND POLICE COURTS. O...
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keep tip its elevated character , the smaller boroughs should retain their franchise , and , in this respect , therefore , he cordially supported the measure of the Government , as founded upon sound principles . TJpori the first head , likewise , he assented to the scheme of the Government , ; which he thought entitled them to the gratitude of the country . Here , however , he must diverge , he said ; he could not assent to the second reading of the bill without a guarantee and assurance that the provisions to which he objected , involving the main principle of the bill , should be fully discussed in Committee , and that their modifications would be accepted . Alter pointin ^ out what he considered a grave inadvertence in the bill , by which old franchises were altered , and altered for the worse , he proceeded to discuss the principle of identity of the suffrage . He insisted upon various objections to altering in the main the different nature of the county and borough franchises , urging that the time would come , if the distinction were done away , when property would not have the influence it oug ht to have , and that the change must lead to electoral districts . Keeping tip the old distinction , he thought he could find two resting-places ; first , a reduction of the county franchise from 50 / . to 20 / ., and second , the bringing down the borough franchise to a GL rating . Adverting to the speculations as to the consequences of the decision of the House upon this question , he expressed himself as follows : "It is said that if we adopt the amendment of the noblelordthe Government may resign or Parliament may be dissolved . ( Hear , hear . ) I should regret as much as any one if either of those consequences followed . ( Hear , hear . ) I do not believe that they will . Nay , more , I think that both this house and the country will expect that none of those consequencesshould take place ; ( Hear , hear . ) I think that my friends on the Treasury bench have achieved their ' ¦ position honourably , have filled it ably , and I hope that they will long continue to hold that position with advantage to the country and credit to themselves . ( Hear , hear . ) As to a dissolution of Parliament , bold will be that man —( hear , hear)—who recommends a . dissolution in the complicated state of European affairs , particularly at a moment -when mv noble friend Lord Malmesbury , by his prudence —( hear , hear)—by his firmness , by his , *? agacity —( cheers , and Oh , oh , * from the opposition)— h . is now placed this country iii a position of being the mediator -anti arbiter of peace , ( Hear , hear . ) But the strength of that position mainly depends , " I have no hesitation in saying , on his still receiving , as lie has received , all the ' weight and authority of Parliament to back him , ( Hear , hear . ) It is a dangerous experiment , as I said at the beginning , to leave tbis question open . You ought to settle it now . ( Hear , hear . ) And you can settle it now , on the just ami acknowledged principles of the Constitution , ( Hear , hear . ) You can settle it by adhertnar to prescriptive rights and usages—by maintaining " the distinction between the borough and the ¦ county constituencies ; and by thus upholding the interests of property as well as numbers—rby thus giving to all the varied interests in this great community that variety of representation which it is so advisable to maintain—you can settle it , if you will . act in this manner , fully and fairly—I had almost said finally , ( Hear , hear . ) Let me impress on my friends on the Treasury bench that great will . be the triumph , noblo the success if you accomplish thatj'but tremendous will be the responsibility it' you throw Away the opportunity now afforded you . ( Cheers . )—Mr . Bright , nftc ? r declaring that , if he was found acting with Lord J . Russell , it was only because he believod . t lie course Lord John was taking was advantageous to the country , observed thnfc tlio objects iv , view in a reform of the representation were twofirst , to give the elective franchise to a considerable class not now enfranchised ; ' and , second , to give the country a larger , freer , and more independent ) constituency . How did the Bill meet tins case ? If il did not inect the case it was not a Reform Bill , rim the House would fail in its duty if it countenanced the measure . Appealing to figures , ho contondei that the Bill would disfranchise 50 , 000 pf the besi electors in the kingdom , and that its object wna t < make the representation in counties more exohv sivvly territorial than tit present . » Does any one supposo " ( continued he ) •? that this is the sort o Bill that the Chancellor of the Exchequer thinki is the best adopted for the country ? No , this trans fernncoof the power from the boroughs to the eoun . tie * , this refusal to grant an extension of the franohisi to the boroughs ,---not ono of those things come fronnhis own heart and his own convictions . H Knows that the bill is framed to satisfy the scruples the convictions , if you like , pf the 160 couhtr ; 1 ttentlon ) on wl > o sit behind him . CNo , ' , nn 4 cheers . Now , I should think it as groat a misfortune to hav 150 gonttemen hore representing only ironworks , o representing only ships , or cotton and woollen f « o torien . I believe it la essential almost to a gpu member of this House , so far as depends on externn ciroumstaiK'o ^ , that ho should Imwo' among his con ¦ ¦
¦ . . . — ¦ . - ¦ . ^ ; stituents—a variety of interests , I presume the Chancellor of the Exchequer would call them—persons of various classes . I think they would keep him better to his duty than if , as hon . gentlemen Opposite do . they represented only , one interest , and were banded together as the representatives of no other interest . " Adverting to the question of small boroughs ? , the hon . member remarked that these places had been eulogised as being the jewels of the constitution . In his view they were merel y refuges for the politically destitute , and the best that could be said of them was , . that ' the- persons whom they assisted into Parliament were sometimes deserving obiects . Having alluded , in a humorous strain , to Harwich and Carlow , he said : —" You can imagine the independent electors of Banburyniaking speeehes , explahiinsc their political views , and working away under 'thebelief that the ark of the constitution deT peilded on the fulfilment of their duties , but at the same moment here was the man who concocted this bin—it always appeared to me to be the bill not of a statesman or a cabinet , but of some electioneering agent— . (' hear , ' and laughter)—you might imagine a man like this marching after dark from t lie Carl ton Club to the pillar letter-box opposite , and dropping in ten or twenty of these letters—unless he chose to go to Charing-cross ibr the purpose of registering them — the train goes down at nine or ten o ' clock iii ^ the ¦ morning , and whilst the unfortunate people of . Banbury are deluding themselves with the idea that thev- are , carrying out a great point of constitutional warfare , the resistless locomotive is going down , and next morning ; , when the leathern bag is . opened , somebody is returned wh o has not t 5 ie slightest sympathy Avith the people , and whom they never saw or heard of . " ( Hear , hear . ) What , he asked , would the country say if the bill was passed in its present shape ? The House would in effect tell the unenfranchised , "We don t trust you . " The savings-bank franchise was the only small dole dealt out to . the great body of the working people of the country . He denied that this was a Reform Bill at all ; it was , in election , phraseology ,- a complete case of iiersonation . ? ' The population whom j'ouare about to disappoint and defy , " said the hon . gentleman , " what have they done ? They have conquered everything they liave grappled with . I do hot speak of the distant realms that , they have conquered tinder your banners ; but they have conquered in art . ? , in manufacture ^ , in everything that tends to the civilisation and the wealth of the country ; and do 3 011 think they will not conquer a . much larger share of political riyhts than you appear determined to afford them ? ( Cheers . ) -The hon . member for Dorsetshire said , in the course of his speech , Ma . rn . not afraid of the people of this country ; ' and he gave a very powerful , and just , and eloquent rebuke to the gentleman who , in aii unthinking 1 moment , cheered , in n sneering manner , that observation . Now , I tell the House frankly , that they do not very well understand the great bulk of the population of this country , particularly in the manufacturing towns and districts ; " He added that " large employers pf labour in Manchester and Yorkshire , who had much to lose , liad ho fear of the working classes , and were in favour of a large extension of the suffrage . The Solicitor-General had referred to the state of Europe , nncl had called upon , the House to beware of what they wero doing upon this question . He ( Mr . Bright ) oaino to a different conclusion . Let me assure the House , " said he , " that resistance- is not always 1 conservative . What . right havo you to assume ) that you are more conservative in intention than I am ? I have a business which is much more l liable to injury from public disturbance than - is your land . I lmyc , a numerous family who j depend upon me , and whose hopos , unless they ) become exiles , are bound up with the future of this country .-,. I profess to bo in intention as t conservative as you . I believe , in fact , that I I am . infinitely more conservative , if you will cast 1 . your eyes twenty or thirty years forward . Was I not free-tjjftdo conservative ? ( Cheers . ) And yet t you rosisted it to the last , ( Here , here . ) I recollect > the Chancellor . of the Exchequer , when he used to come down at that time—if I were a scholar I i would describe him in a Latin quotation—I recollect f him when , with dishevelled hair —( laughter )—he 3 used to rise and tell us of the cruelties practised on - the ruined and betrayed agriculturists . Ho used - to say that ho would rent the whole question on the q , condition of the operatives three or four , years after . s Every one knows that their condition has since p constantly improved , and improved at a rate which 1 , was nor known in this country since the comrooncc-V ment of the great French war . Is economy In ) finance a conservative principle ? ( Hear , hear , ) e Is peace a conservative principle ? I havo dor voted in this houso and out of it whatever ¦ 7 energies , whatever capacities I may possoss , to the 4 purpose of advancing these objects . I have ondoail voured to stand by the rules of political economy , and In politics by the higher rulo of rial and true
moralsaiaacasaiw — .. — ,.,. » . „ nnv = s = j ity . ( Hear , hear . ) In advocating a measure more extensive than some members of this house lriay desire , I believe I am still pursuing the same , and advocate the measure- —I am not speaking of any particular proposition I may have put forward , I mean a real substantial measure , one which the people would receive as such—because I believe in my conscience it would , elevate the character of the people , and , in the beautiful language of the prayer we hear here every day , " knit together the hearts of all persons within this realm . " I believe it woul . l add authority , to the decisions of Parliament , and am satisfied it would shed a lustre which timecoulil never dim on the benignant reign under which we have the happiness to live . " ( Loud cheers . )—On the motion of Sir S . Northcotb , the debate was again adjuurned ; and the house adjourned shortly' afterwards at a quarter to one .
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¦ ¦ ¦¦ !¦¦¦ ¦ ¦¦¦ mi ¦¦¦¦ - ¦¦ ¦ ¦¦ ^ ... ¦ .. ¦ —¦ —^ «™ THE LEADER . [ No . 470 , March 26 , 1859-
Gatherings From Law And Police Courts. O...
GATHERINGS FROM LAW AND POLICE COURTS . On Saturday , Mary Donovan , an Irish girl , who obtains her livelihood by selling combs in the streets , was brought before Lord Mayor Wire , on the old charse of " obstruction . " The Lord Mayor aske . l the girl why she did not try to get " an honest living ? " The girl replied , " Why I do try , and you stop inc . I often stay in the streets all day to sell my combs , and only gain a few pence . " Whereupon our chief magistrate committed her . to prison for afortnight . Great sympathy wa ; s-expressed ; by the papers , for the girl , and considerable virtuous indignation : was wasted on the decision of the ¦ ¦ magi- -trait-, who has since written to the newspapsrs an account of Mary Donovan ' s antecedents , which shows her to be a very bad character indeed . At the Court of Bankruptcy , on Tuesday , adjudication of bankruptcy was made against Royers , Gladstone , and Co ., shipowners and ship insurance brokers , in Billiter-street ; their liabilities are stated at £ 19 , 000 ; assets uncertain .- An examination meeting was held iii the case of Ayers and Mel 1 is , merchants , of IsTottingham and Nov .- York , yliose liabilities . are stated at upwards of . £ 200 , 000 . besides £ 8 , 880 on bills accepted without . consideration for ¦ the notorious M'Donald ' s of Glasgow ; assets of small amount . An adjournment was ordered for three" months , proceedings having been instituted for the recovery of pi-operty held adversely by . creditors in New York . Mellis , not having surrendered , was proclaimed an outlaw . ^ Joseph Sutcliffe , cashier to Messrs . Hill , i > ood , . and Hughes , coal factors , who was remanded on a charge of embezzlement , has again . appeared before the Lord Mayor , at the Mansion House , for further examination . Some additional evidence was taken for the prosecution , and the prisoner , who reserved his defence , -was committed fur trial . The amount of defalcation at present ascertained is between £ 0 , 000 and . £ 7 , 000 . At the jUitldlesex Sessions , Henry Pettinfiiill was indicted for stealing property valued at iM-U ) , lrom his master , and Charles Daw and Miirmn Oliver were indicted for receiving the smne , knowing it to have been stolen . The case was very complicated , and it appeared that the police exhibited much intelligence in tracing the thiuves . They lonnd m their possession a number of housubreakmg » ' )} P « timc-nts , as well as some of the stolen property , intj were all three found guilty . Oliver had been previously convicted . The learned judge said he wouiu consider what sentence he should pass . . R fAt the Lamboth Police Court , on WodnesJay , I 11 : 0 chaplain of the " Indigent Semptressos * Hoim-, the Itev . C . Geary , appeared to answer » w """ . " charging , him with imposing upon tho public , borne curious fiwta were elicited in ovidenee . Theonso was adjourned to see if other charges were tort 11-coming , and also to enable tho rev . gentleman to . - produce rebutting testimony , if ho is iible to « lo « o , Tho case of the Kev . Alfred Poole reached nn <> tl er stage on Wednesday , by the judgment duhvorert ly the Archbishop of Canterbury . This was tljo j uigment in the appeal which a mandamus requireu mo Archblsliop to hear . The Archbishop , i *" 8 ' } . ^ Dr .- Lushington , decided , as he hud done bolow , that the Bishop of London acted properly in punisii b Mr . Poole . His Grace said , ho was pf « lm > iul ™' . ; tho proved nnU admitted allegations aflordeil goo and roasoimblo cause for tho revocation oi uio license , ana , that tho Bishop had exercised 11 sonn « i discretion In revoking the same . Ho was of opinion that the course pursued Dy . Mr . Poolo w « s "J JJ accordance with tho doctrines of tho pl ' »* ; J " Kngland , but most dangerous , and hkoly to I «« " « -g moat serioua inisehiof , to the cause of moroJUy « na rG According to his Intlmnfloq ftt tho first hoarlnff of the summons issued against Messrs . Uubr ulfOtiw gont ^ troet , by the vestry of St . Jiimofl ' a , fl > r liy « r rf an overhanging lamp projecting ^ . ? w [ K ^ Sot Mr . Blnghain , the magistrate at Marlboroug h-sl j oot Court , has deUvorpd , after caroftil ooiwlilomapn , ft
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 26, 1859, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_26031859/page/8/
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