§ The House having gone into a committee on this bill,
Lord Melvillesaid, he must oppose this bill, because its enactments were quite at variance with the title. It purported to extend the period necessary to constitute a Settlement in Scotland; but this it did not do, for it left the natives of Scotland in this respect where it found them, while it extended from three to seven years the time of settlement for persons who were not natives of Scotland. The sole object of this bill was, in fact, to prevent the influx of the poor Irish into Scotland. This mode of legislating was contrary to the spirit of the Act of Union, and was unfair and invidious. He would move, as an amendment, that the words "not being a native of Scotland," be omitted. The omission of those words would make the bill a general bill, and prevent it from being applicable to particular individuals only. He would also omit the proviso of the bill. He was not, however, prepared to defend his own amendment; for he thought it would be much better to defer the consideration of the whole measure to the next session.
The Earl of Roseberysaid, he should not press his opposition to the amendment to a division; but if any other noble lord should divide the House, he would divide with him. He exonerated the bill from the charge of its being an anti-national bill, as affecting the people of Ireland, and contended, that the amendment completely 1370 annihilated the principle on which it was founded. As the amendment was likely to be carried, he should not think of proceeding further with the bill this session.
Lord Napiersaid, he must oppose the bill, as it went to subvert the ancient system of poor-laws in Scotland. He believed that altering the time necessary to obtain a settlement from five to seven, years, would make the case much worse than it was at present. This bill had been passed by the other House, in consequence of a petition from the manufacturers of Glasgow; and yet he understood that whenever the manufacturers of Glasgow were in want of hands, they sent to Ireland to obtain them. The Irishmen came over in crowds: and then, at the end of five or seven years, the Glasgow manufacturers having sucked their blood, became anxious to get rid of them. He looked upon such conduct as a species of barbarity, which the House ought not to tolerate.
The Marquis of Butesaid, he had doubts whether the evils which this bill was intended to remedy would be remedied by extending the time necessary to obtain a settlement in Scotland. This bill was not brought forward entirely on the representations of the manufacturers of Glasgow; for the evil was felt pretty generally throughout Scotland. He would adopt the alteration which had been proposed by the noble viscount; and would then let the bill drop for the present session, not by withdrawing it, but by failing to move its further progress. Such a mode of proceeding would call the consideration of parliament to it in an increased degree next session.
The Earl of Limericksaid, that as this bill was founded on a principle of exclusion, it had been his intention to oppose it; but, after the declaration of the noble viscount, he considered it to be already dead in law. He deprecated the introduction of the English system of poor-laws into Ireland; and contended, that the emigration of the redundant population of Ireland into Scotland was calculated to raise the emigrating population to the same moral level with that on which the population stood among which it settled.
The Earl of Haddingtonsaid, that the opposition which had been made to this bill, would create a strong impression in Scotland, that something ought to be done 1371 to compel the people of Ireland to do move by law for their poor than they did at present. The people of Scotland did not wish to impose an evil upon the people of Ireland; they only wished to prevent the people of Ireland from imposing an evil upon them. He could not agree, that the emigrants from Ireland would, during their stay in Scotland, rise to the same level with the population of Scotland. On the contrary, they would bring down the population of Scotland to the level on which the population of Ireland now unfortunately stood.
§ The amendment was agreed to. The report was brought up and ordered to be received this day three months.