HC Deb 11 May 1846 vol 86 cc328-9
MR. BANKES

said, he had a petition to present of rather an unusual nature, and as it contained a question of privilege, he hoped he might he excused if he departed from the rule which ordinarily governed the presentation of petitions. The petition relation to a voter of Bridport, named Rockett, who complained that the decision of the Committee turned solely on the question of one vote, and one vote only—that the Committee had come to the determination to transfer this one vote from one candidate to another, whereby one Member was unseated, and the other put in his place—

MR. SPEAKER

said, if the hon. Member was stating the substance of the petition he was in order, but if he was reading the petition and addressing the House on a question of privilege, he was not in order; for his purpose was to object to the decision of an Election Committee, which the House had decided should be conclusive.

MR. BANKES

said, the course he adopted might possibly be irregular, but he thought the importance of the subject justified the proceeding. In deference to the rules of the House, he would only read the substance of the petition. The petitioner Rockett, stated that he had been an elector, of Bridport for the last thirty years; that during the whole of that period he had voted for Tory candidates; that he had attended every contested election; that at the last election for Bridport he tendered his vote, and voted for Mr. Cochrane; that his vote had been transferred by the Committee to Mr. Romilly—a course repugnant to his feelings, and, in his opinion, inju- rious to his character; he prayed, therefore, to be heard in support of his complaint at the bar of the House of Commons. He wished to support the views of the petitioner; but he found a difficulty in promoting the petitioner's wishes, otherwise than by bringing the case under the notice of the House as a question of privilege, and on that ground moving that the petitioner be heard at the bar.

MR. SPEAKER

said, the regular course for the hon. Member to take was to move that the petition be printed, and to give notice that he should call the attention of the House to it.

MR. BANKES

adopted the suggestion from the chair, and the Motion for printing the petition was agreed to.

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