PARLIAMENTARY ELECTORS BILL. (Hansard, 7 July 1847)

§ MR. T. DUNCOMBE
moved the Second Reading of the Parliamentary Electors Bill.

§ SIR G. GREY
was not aware that the Bill had been committed to the charge of the hon. Member for Finsbury; but if the hon. Member persevered in his Motion, he should be obliged to resist its further progress.

§ MR. T. DUNCOMBE
said, that the two hon. Members whose names were on the back of the Bill, were not present, and the Bill was now in the hands of the House. Seeing, however, that it was the wish of the right hon. Baronet the Home Secretary that the Bill should not be proceeded with that day, he would not object to a postponement till next day, if it were arranged that the measure should then be positively proceeded with.

MR. S. O'BRIEN
begged to object to the Motion being withdrawn. He should certainly take the sense of the House on the subject.

§ SIR JAMES GRAHAM
said, he believed there was as yet no amendment moved to the Motion that the Bill be read a second time. He believed this Bill had been under discussion in the course of last Session; and, entertaining a strong objection to it, he felt it his duty then to give his opposition to it. He was still of the same opinion, and should feel it to be his duty to vote against the second reading of the Bill before the House; but at the same time, he thought it was rather hard to press a measure forward in the absence of the hon. Members who had charge of it, and that it was well for the House to display a mutual courtesy on such occasions. Therefore, though there was no Member in the House more opposed to the Bill than he was, he should beg to move, as an Amendment, that the Order of the Day be postponed until to-morrow.

§ MR. T. S. DUNCOMBE
explained. He was asked to give his support to this Bill after his own had been thrown out; and he was convinced that if not persevered in, great dissatisfaction would be occasioned in the public mind. If those by whom the Bill had been introduced, now proposed to withdraw it, he should certainly give them his strongest opposition. He did not see why it could not now be read a second time, and afterwards considered in Committee, as it contained but one clause, which could be easily disposed of any day. [Sir DE LACY EVANS here entered the House.] Knowing as he did the anxiety of his hon. and gallant Friend to pass this Bill, he hoped he would persevere in moving the second reading, and that the right hon. Baronet would not press his Amendment.

MR. STAFFORD O'BRIEN
begged to explain, in the presence of the hon. and gallant Gentleman, his reasons for pressing the Motion. He adopted that course be- 10 cause he thought the hon. and gallant Member had been wanting in his duty to the House in absenting himself at three o'clock, when a Bill, on the back of which his name was appended, stood second on the orders of the day.

§ SIR JAMES GRAHAM
brought forward the Amendment in consequence of the absence of the hon. and gallant Officer; but, seeing him now in his place, he would, with the leave of the House, beg to withdraw his Amendment.

§ SIR DE LACY EVANS
expressed his acknowledgments to his hon. Friend the Member for Finsbury for taking care of his property in his absence, and to the hon. Member for Northamptonshire for the manner in which he had criticised his conduct. He had been engaged, however, that day in opposing what he believed to be a decided job; and, hearing hon. Gentlemen making very long speeches on a former question, he thought he might safely venture to absent himself from the House for half an hour in order to meet some of his constituents. As it was a rare thing at this period of the Session to see so full a House, he should feel it his duty to move the second reading of the Bill. Having had several opportunities of stating his reasons for thinking such a measure as the present necessary, he would not now trouble the House by entering at any length into the question. He would merely observe, that so far from interfering with the Reform Bill, it only carried out the principle of that great measure. Persons of the highest condition in society were constantly excluded from the franchise by reason of the very limited period now allowed by the law for the payment of rates and taxes; and he did not think the extension of the time for which taxes were payable, from April to October, which this Bill contemplated, was too long. The only objection which he could conceive to such a provision, was that entertained by those who thought that it was desirable to restrict the electors to as small a number as possible.

List of the AYES.
Aglionby, H. A.	Berkeley, hon. H. F.
Arundel and Surrey, Earl of	Bernal, R.
	Blake, M. J.
Baine, W.	Bowring, Dr.
Bannerman, A.	Brotherton, J.
Baring, rt. hon. F. T.	Brown, W.

Browne, hon. W.	Norreys, Sir D. J.
Buller, C.	Osborne, R.
Buller, E.	Parker, J.
Colebrooke, Sir T. E.	Pechell, Capt.
Dalrymple, Capt.	Perfect, R.
Duncan, G.	Pinney, W.
Dundas, Adm.	Plumridge, Capt.
Dundas, F.	Protheroe, E. D.
Escott, B.	Pusey, R.
Ferguson, Sir R. A.	Rich, H.
Ferrand, W. B.	Sheil, rt. hon. R. L.
Forster, M.	Smith, rt. hon. R. V.
Gore, hon. R.	Somerville, Sir W. M.
Grey, rt. hon. Sir G.	Strutt, rt. hon. E.
Grosvenor, Lord R.	Tancred, H. W.
Hallyburton, Ld. J. F. G.	Thornely, T.
Hatton, Capt. V.	Trelawny, J. S.
Hawes, B.	Troubridge, Sir E. T.
Hervey, Lord A.	Tufnell, H.
Hindley, C.	Villiers, hon. C.
Hobhouse, rt. hn. Sir J.	Vivian, J. H.
Hume, J.	Wakley, T.
Jervis, Sir J.	Walker, R.
Macaulay, rt. hon. T. B.	Ward, H. G.
Maule, rt. hon. F.	Williams, W.
Moffatt, G.	Wood, rt. hon. Sir C.
Molesworth, Sir W.
Monahan, J. H.	TELLERS.
Morris, D.	Evans, Sir de L.
Morison, Gen.	Duncombe, T.

List of the NOES.
Acland, Sir T. D.	Henley, J. W.
Adderley, C. B.	Hildyard, T. B. T.
Arkwright, G.	Hill, Lord E.
Austen, Col.	Hotham, Lord
Bankes, G.	Houldaworth, T.
Bennet, P.	Inglis, Sir R. H.
Bentinck, Lord G.	Jermyn, Earl
Bodkin, W. H.	Jolliffe, Sir W. G. H.
Boldero, H. G.	Jones, Capt.
Botfield, B.	Lawson, A.
Bowles, Adm.	Lowther, hon. Col.
Brooke, Lord	Lygon, hon. Gen.
Buck, L. W.	Manners, Lord C. S.
Carew, W. H. P.	Miles, P. W. S.
Christopher, R. A.	Mundy, E. M.
Clive, Visct.	O'Brien, A. S.
Codrington, Sir W.	Pakington, Sir T.
Colville, C. R.	Palmer, G.
Courtenay, Lord	Powell, Col.
Denison, E. B.	Prime, R.
Dickinson, F. H.	Rashleigh, W.
Dodd, G.	Repton, G. W. J.
Duckworth, Sir J. T. B.	Rolleston, Col.
Duncombe, hon. A.	Round, J.
East, Sir J. B.	Seymer, H. K.
Estcourt, T. G. B.	Stuart, T.
Fellowes, E.	Thornhill, G.
Fitzroy, hon. H.	Tollemache, T.
Floyer, J.	Verner, Sir W.
Frewen, C. H.	Vyse, H.
Fuller, A. E.	Waddington, H. S.
Gardner, J. D.	Walpole, S. H.
Graham, rt. hon. Sir J.	Worcester, Marq. of
Granby, Marq. of	Wortley, hon. J. S.
Greene, T.
Grogan, E.	TELLERS.
Hamilton, G. A.	Newdegate, C. N.
Hamilton, Lord C.	Spooner, R.