§ Mr. Gillonpresented a Petition from Linlithgow, praying the House to accelerate the progress of the Reform Bill.
§ The Speaker, on the Petition being brought up, called the attention of the hon. Member to some erasures that appeared on the face of the petition, and asked him to explain how they occurred.
§ Mr. Gillonsaid, that the petitioners having used some strong language, which he thought might not be favourably received by the House, he had, not having much experience on the subject, not thought it unparliamentary to make the alteration by erasing those words.
§ The Speakersaid, that a little consideration would have served to show the hon. Member, that the petition, so altered, and not by the petitioners themselves, ceased to be the petition of those whose names were annexed, and therefore could not be received by the House. If the hon. Member saw anything objectionable in the language of the petition, he should either have abstained from presenting it, or, calling the attention of the House to the objectionable passage, should have left it to the House to dispose of it as it should see fit. It was quite clear, that he should not have made any alteration in it himself, but having done so, it from that moment ceased to be the petition of the parties who signed it.
§ Mr. Gillonsaid, he was not aware that he had been acting wrong. The petition, however, showed that the people of Scotland were not as lukewarm on the Bill as—
§ The Speakercalled the hon. Member to order: having presented a petition which the House could not receive, there was 1268 now no question on which the hon. Member could address the House.
§ The Speakersaid, that the rising of the hon. Member afforded an illustration of the inconvenience against which he wished to guard, when he reminded the preceding speaker that there was no question before the House.
§ The petition withdrawn.