QUALIFICATION UNDER THE REFORM ACT. (Hansard, 18 June 1833)

Colonel Evans
would not occupy much of the attention of the House on the present occasion. The object of his Motion was, to repeal the proviso in the 27th clause of the Reform Act, relative to the payment of rates and taxes as a qualification for exercising the elective franchise. The effect of that clause, which was a very short one, had been, as he was informed, to disfranchise not fewer than 300,000 voters all over the country. In Westminster it was expected that the number of voters, under the Reform Bill, 962 would have been from 18,000 to 20,000, but, in consequence of the proviso in question, he believed they did not exceed 6,000, 4,600 being the largest number polled at the two last contested elections. He thought the clause highly objectionable, inasmuch as it tended to limit the constituency, the number of voters under a 10l. franchise subject to this qualification not being greater than it would have been under a 20l. franchise. Government originally proposed the payment, not only of rates and taxes but of rent, as a qualification for voting; but the payment of rent was abandoned at the instance of the opponents of Reform, although he thought Ministers had quite as good a right to require rent to be paid as to insist upon the payment of rates and taxes. He, however, objected to the existence of any such qualification, the only effects of which were improperly to limit the constituency, and open a door to corruption. Hundreds and thousands of voters had had their rates and taxes paid for them by candidates; in fact, he believed there had been as much corruption at the last as at any previous general election. One of the evils of the clause was, that it gave an undue power of interference to the collectors of rates and taxes, who were persons likely to interest themselves in election tactics. Upon every ground of expediency and justice he objected to such a qualification. The hon. and gallant Member concluded by moving for leave to bring in a Bill to amend so much of the Reform Act as related to the payment of rates and taxes as a qualification for exercising the elective franchise.

§ Lord Althorp
wished to abstain from making alterations in the Reform Act during the present Session, and until the working of the approaching Registration should be observed. The object of the clause to which the hon. and gallant Member objected was to afford a satisfactory proof of occupancy. He was aware that, at the last election, its effect had been to restrict the exercise of the elective franchise more than was intended or expected: but he thought that objection would not apply to the next Registration. It was partly owing to the mode of collecting rates, and partly in consequence of the carelessness or imperfect information of electors, that the constituency had been so limited under this clause; but neither of those causes were likely to operate 963 again; and he did not think that, in the Registration about to commence, there would be found that diminution of voters in consequence of non-qualification of which the hon. and gallant Member complained. The hon. Gentleman stated, that hundreds and thousands of voters had had their rates paid for them by candidates; he (Lord Althorp) was not at all aware of that, and thought that the hon. and gallant Member's information on the subject was fallacious, or greatly exaggerated. Under the former system rates could be paid at the time of polling, which was evidently encouragement to corruption; but now that taxes were required to be paid by a certain day distant from the time of election, a material obstruction was thrown in the way of bribery. He apprehended, even taking the hon. Member's statement as to what had occurred at the last Registry to be correct, that a similar result would not occur at the next Registry. The object of the clause which the hon. Member now sought to alter was, that the occupiers of 10l. houses claiming a right to vote therefrom, should be bonâ fide the occupiers of such houses. Whatever might be the amount of qualification giving the elective franchise, it would be admitted by every one, that precautions should be taken so as to prevent the privilege from being acquired by fraudulent means. Now, the object of this clause was, to prevent persons who pretended to occupy a house of a certain value, which it was not, from acquiring the right of voting. He felt bound, from experience of the working of the Bill in this respect, and upon general principle, to oppose the Motion of the hon. Member.

§ Mr. Hume
was sorry that the noble Lord was opposed to this amendment of the Reform Bill. If, as the noble Lord admitted, the effect of the clause in question had been to limit the constituency, and as, of course, the noble Lord's object was to enlarge the constituency, he was surprised to find the noble Lord oppose this Motion. He understood the noble Lord to say, that he would agree to this alteration next year.

§ Lord Althorp
said, he intended to propose other alterations, but not this one, in the Reform Bill, in the next Session of Parliament.

§ Mr. Hume
regretted that this alteration was not to be included amongst the intended amendments. During the Mary- 964 lebone election he had himself seen several letters to one of the candidates from electors, who stated, that circumstances of a temporary nature had prevented them from paying their rates, but that if he would assist them in doing so they would vole for him. Such a clog should not be imposed on the right of voting. If a man possessed a house of the bonâ fide value of 10l., that ought to be sufficient security to give him the privilege of voting, and the payment of taxes should not be at all taken info account. When this part of the Reform Bill was under discussion, he (Mr. Hume) opposed it, and he was informed at the time that this payment of the rates, as a condition prior to voting, had been for years the fruitful source of bribery and corruption in Westminster. As an election was likely to take place in the course of the next year, it was most important that they should adopt this alteration, in order to increase, instead of diminish, the number of electors, as the clause as it stood was calculated to do.

Colonel Evans
replied. He had heard no satisfactory reply from the noble Lord to the objections which he had stated to the clause referred to in the Reform Bill. The conduct of his Majesty's Ministers, in resisting this Motion, was not calculated to increase their popularity in the country. He felt compelled to go to a division on the Motion.

List of the AYES.
Barron, W.	O'Connell, J.
Bish, T.	O'Connor, D.
Blake, J.	Parrott, J.
Buckingham, J. S.	Pease, J.
Butler, Colonel	Philips, M.
Evans, Colonel	Pryme, G.
Fenton, J.	Rippon, C.
Fielden, J.	Ronayne, D.
Fitzsimon, C.	Ruthven, E.
Fryer, R.	Tennyson, Rt. hon. C.
Gisborne, T.	Vigors, N.
Hume, J.	Warburton, H.
Molesworth, Sir W.	Williams, Colonel
O'Connell, D.