§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that the House resolve itself into a Committee of Supply.
Sir J. Grahamsaid, he was unwilling to stop the course of public business; and had accordingly a proposition to make to the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He felt it his imperative duty to bring forward the Motion of which he had given notice: he was most anxious to do so; but still he was unwilling to bring it forward as an Amendment upon the Motion of the House resolving itself into a Committee of Supply. It was his undoubted right to introduce the question in this manner; but he considered it a right which should be cautiously and sparingly exercised—one, in short, which should only be asserted upon great and important occasions. He was accordingly anxious to avoid making his Motion as an Amendment, and, with the consent of the hon. member for Aberdeen, who had been good enough to allow him precedence, he would propose to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that the House should go into the Committee of Supply, on the understanding that no vote should be proposed after ten o'clock, but that he should be then allowed to bring forward his Motion.
The Chancellor of the Exchequerfelt great difficulty in replying to the hon. Baronet's proposition. He gave him credit for not wishing unnecessarily to obstruct the public business; but at the same time he allowed him less free will in the matter than was altogether satisfactory, since he had only the choice of going into Committee for four hours or not going into it at all.
§ Mr. Humewas willing to give the hon. Baronet's Motion precedence; but he wished to state that he did not concur with him in the opinion that the right of moving such questions as amendments to a motion for going into a Committee of Supply was one that ought to be sparingly used. He thought it was the legitimate course of the House that motions concerning the people's grievances should be 710 brought forward when they were asked to vote away the people's money. If, however, the hon. Baronet and the Chancellor of the Exchequer agreed that the former motion should come on at ten o'clock, he would give way; if not, he would pursue his own course.
§ Sir J. Yorkesaid, it was a perfectly plain-sailing question, and he wondered that his right hon. friend should think of opposing the hon. Baronet's proposition.
The Chancellor of the Exchequersaid, he intended to grant the hon. Baronet's wish, with a very slight difference of form, which was perhaps scarcely worth discussing.
§ Sir J. Newportobserved, he was a Privy Councillor, and could not see why the Motion should be opposed.
The Chancellor of the Exchequersaid, his objection to the Motion was, that it applied to a class: he had nothing to oppose to a motion for the total amount of salaries, or to the salaries enjoyed by particular persons, as public officers. He objected to the Return being made quoad Privy Councillors, as he would quoad Baronets, or any other class. This was the only point on which he and the hon. Baronet differed. He would propose, as a substitute for the hon. Baronet's Motion, one for a Return of the total amount of all Salaries received by public officers, and of the amount received by each, distinguishing the source from which he received his Revenue.