Mr. Banksmoved the second reading of the Hellestone Election Bill. He then proposed, that the blank in the Bill respecting the amount of freehold which should give a qualification to vote, should be filled up, by inserting ten pounds. He argued at some length on the great depreciation of money since 40 shillings was the qualification for a vote; and thought it was only bringing back the constitution to its original principles, to require such a qualification as would place the elector above the necessity of corruption.
Mr. Swancontended, that the effect of such an alteration would be to disqualify the many who were the furthest removed from corruption, and give the elective franchise to those who were the most corrupt. It was notorious, that in Cornwall it was among the most opulent that corruption had taken the deepest root, and established itself into a system. He believed that there was not a peer in Cornwall who did not hold his rank from corruption of this sort. He was sure, however, that the effect of such an alteration would only be, to transfer the borough to one or two peers who could decidedly influence the few ten-pound freeholders to whom it was proposed to give the right of election exclusively.
§ Mr. Grenfellpreferred the qualification remaining at 40s. to its being altered to 10l. At the same time, he did not mean to allow, that all the peers in Cornwall owed their rank to corruption.
§ A long conversation then took place, in which Mr. Tremayne, Mr. Lockhart, Mr. Rose, Mr. Serjeant Best, Mr. H. Summer, and other gentlemen, took a part. It ap- 196 peared to be the general sense of the House, that it was better to retain that which was the common qualification required all over England.
§ Mr. Bankes's amendment was then negatived, and the blank filled up by the words "forty shillings."
§ On the second paragraph, Mr. Serjeant Best observed, that as the House, on account of the notorious corruption practised at this borough, thought proper to disfranchise the present electors, he thought it would not be right that the may or should be allowed to be the returning officer. In all elections, it was a matter of some consequence who was the returning officer. He thought the sheriff should be appointed the returning officer; and there would be no more inconvenience in his executing it by deputy, than the sheriffs of London found, who were also sheriffs of Middlesex; or than the sheriff of Cambridge did, who was also sheriff for Huntingdonshire.
§ Mr. Serjeant Best then moved that the clause be added to the Bill, "That the sheriff, or the under-sheriff of the county, should be the returning officer."
Mr. Banksthought it was not of importance to alter the returning officer, and was rather inclined to think that the mayor should continue to act in that capacity.
§ Mr. P. Grenfellopposed the clause.
§ After some observations, on the party Mr. Hammersley, Mr. Tremayne, and Mr. Lockhart, the last mentioned gentleman moved, that the part of the clause, empowering the under-sheriff to act as the returning officer, should be omitted.
§ Mr. Serjeant Besthad no wish to press that part of the clause, not conceiving it to be material to his object.
§ The words—"or under-sheriff," were then ordered to be left out; and the clause, "that the sheriff of Cornwall, for the time being, should act as the returning officer," was ordered to stand part of the Bill. The other clauses were then gone through, and (the House being resume) the report was ordered to be received to-morrow.