The Attorney Generalsaid, that he had been intrusted with a Petition from Nottingham, against the delay the Reform Bill had experienced in that House, and praying that it might be accelerated, but as the Bill was now making a more rapid progress than when the petition was agreed to, he should refrain from laying it before the House.
§ Mr. Crokerremarked, that when delay was talked about, it ought to be recollected, that we were pulling down a structure that had lasted for past ages, for the sake of rearing a new building, which was intended to last for future ages. This, whatever the petitioners might think, was not a piece of work to be done in a few days. The Committees on the Orders in Council, and on the Duke of York's case, had lasted longer than that on the present Bill, although both those questions were of a temporary or personal nature and of infinitely less importance, both in themselves and in their consequences, than the tremendous experiment which they were now discussing.
§ Sir Edward Sugdensaid, that as his hon. and learned friend had, upon a previous occasion, charged those who opposed the Bill with offering frivolous and vexatious delay, it was right and necessary that the people of England should be made acquainted with the fact, that so far from the Bill having been delayed by the Opposition, it was not now ready to enable the House to proceed with the discussion. New clauses and amendments were produced from day to day, and the Committee were called upon to discuss and agree to them before they had been printed. He thought it right that these things should be known to the people, and when that was the case, he trusted they should hear no more from his hon. and learned friend, of vexatious delays on the part of those who were opposed to the Bill, and who had only given the Ministers an opportunity of improving the measure, as they admitted that it had been improved, by the alterations it had undergone.
The Attorney Generalhoped, that he had said nothing that looked like an accusation of delay against the other side.
§ Mr. Crokerreminded the hon. and learned Gentleman, that it was he who, 1066 on a former occasion, had talked of "frivolous and vexatious opposition" to the Reform Bill.