§ Mr. Huntpresented a Petition from the Inhabitants of Stockport, objecting to the Reform Bill, as not going far enough. The hon. Member read the whole of the Petition, which was couched in violent and abusive language, directed principally against the Church.
§ During the reading of this Petition, the House exhibited marks of strong disgust and impatience, which, however, were repressed by the Speaker; but as soon as the hon. Member had concluded,
§ The Speakersaid, "What does the hon. Member propose to do with that Petition?"
§ The Speaker.—The hon. Member has been a Member of this House long enough to have enabled him to learn that the first duty of a Member of the House of Commons, to whom petitions are intrusted, is, to make himself acquainted with the con- 579 tents of such petitions, and having seen that the petitions are respectfully and decently worded, then to exercise his discretion on the subject-matter of the petition. Now the wording of this petition is neither respectful nor even decent, and I cannot but feel persuaded, that if the hon. Member had ever read it before, he would not have presented it to the House.
§ Mr. W. Peeldid hope, that the House would not consent to receive a petition which contained such unfounded and unjust attacks, and which was couched in such gross language.
§ The Speakersaid, the hon. and learned Member must see, that when gross and offensive language is selected by petitioners, the fair presumption is, that they do not mean to treat the House with any very great respect.
§ Mr. Huntsaid, that he would not press the bringing up of the petition against the sense of the House. The fact was, that he had read it all, with the exception of that single passage which was complained of. He owned that if he had read that part of it, he might not have presented it.
§ Petition withdrawn.
§ Mr. Huntsaid, that he had next to present a Petition from Leeds, but that perhaps there might be something wrong in this petition too.
§ The Speaker.—The hon. Member does not seem to understand my observations, or the feeling of the House. I repeat to the hon. Member, that it is the first duty of every hon. Member to see, that the petitions he has to present are decently and respectfully worded—for that is absolutely necessary; and then to exercise his discretion as to the subject-matter of those petitions. If this petition is worded like the last, the hon. Member may be certain that there is something wrong in it.
Mr. Lawleymust protest against the course pursued by the hon. member for Preston. That hon. Member, like every other hon. Member, was bound to know the contents of the petitions which he presented to the House.
§ Mr. Long Wellesleysaid, that the hon. member for Preston did not seem to be aware that the House was treating him with great leniency. He must, however, 580 endeavour to make the hon. Member sensible of that fact, and to tell the hon. Member that he (Mr. Hunt), more than any other hon. Member, would be bound, in courtesy for that treatment, to be particularly careful in seeing that the petitions he presented were properly worded. He was one of those who wished to see the abuses of the Church reformed; but he would not speak of any body of men in the gross terms which the petitioners had thought proper to use—terms which ought not to be tolerated in this or in any other assembly.
§ Mr. Huntsaid, that many other hon. Members had made mistakes in presenting petitions. The noble Lord the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had made a mistake the other night, and he did not see why so much should be said about a mistake of his. The fact was, that many petitions were presented to that House which were never read, and which might be properly or improperly worded, for any tiling the House knew about them.
§ The Speaker.—Surely the hon. Member must see, that one reason of that is, the confidence which the House reposes in the Members who present those petitions— the confidence that those Members would not neglect the duty of seeing that the petitions are properly worded.