BRIBERY AT ELECTIONS BILL. (Hansard, 9 May 1849)

§ SIR J. PAKINGTON
said, that after the decision at which the House had arrived on a former day on the first clause of this Bill, which had reference to the declarations to be made by Members at the table, he had postponed it for the purpose of considering what should be done with the remaining clauses. He had some hesitation, after that decision, on a point to which he attached some importance, whether he should go on with the Bill; but understanding that some influential Members of the House were desirous to have a portion of the Bill preserved, he wished to give notice that although it was not then his intention to proceed with those portions of the measure, he did intend on a future day to do so. After the decision which had been pronounced, he did not intend to ask the House to assent to the declarations which it was proposed should be made by Members at the hustings, and by agents; but there were other clauses—beginning, he thought, with the sixth—which he considered it was desirable that the House should pass, and he proposed to fix the Committee for a future day, with a view to take those clauses into consideration.

§ COLONEL SIBTHORP
thought he had 174 reason to complain of the course which had been taken with respect to the measure by the hon. Baronet. He distinctly understood from the hon. Baronet the other night that he would give up the Bill altogether, and, believing that he would adhere to that declaration, he Colonel Sib-thorp) had walked away delighted. Being impressed with the conviction that this Bribery Bill would not come on during the Session, he told other hon. Gentlemen to feel as comfortable as he did, and went away; but, to his surprise, he subsequently heard from the hon. Baronet that he thought he would bring it on at half-past eleven o'clock at night. There was an old saying, "Catch a weazel asleep," and he (Colonel Sibthorp) would not be caught asleep again. He would trust to no one at all; he would say to hon. Gentlemen—be on your guard, for there was so much chicanery going on it was impossible to know what to believe. He should in future watch the hon. Baronet as a cat watches a mouse, and oppose him in every measure of a similar nature.

MR. VERNON SMITH
thought it would be advisable for the hon. Baronet to state precisely what he intended to do with respect to the Bill.

§ SIR J. PAKINGTON
thought the House would agree with him in thinking that nothing had fallen from the hon. and gallant Gentleman the Member for Lincoln that was worthy of notice. [Colonel SIBTHORP: Hear, hear!] With respect to what had fallen from the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Northampton, he admitted there was some practical difficulty in dealing with the matter. As he had before said, it was not his intention—in consequence of the division on a former day, to proceed with the declarations, but he intended to proceed with other parts of the Bill. It was only in deference to the opinion of very high authorities in the House, that he intended to persevere with the latter portions of his Bill. He did not mean to press then the earlier clauses, but it would still be competent for any hon. Member to take what course he pleased with respect to them.

MR. GREENE
suggested that the better course would be to strike out in Committee the whole of the first six clauses, and leave the remainder of the Bill to be dealt with on a future occasion.

§ SIR J. PAKINGTON
said, that he had no objection whatever to that course.

§ COLONEL SIBTHORP
said, that he certainly could not understand what the Committee were about; and moved that the Chairman report progress, and obtain leave to sit again.

MR. VERNON SMITH
thought that if the hon. and gallant Member wished to get rid of the Bill, he could not do so by better means than getting rid of it clause by clause, as the Committee were now doing.

§ COLONEL SIBTHORP
said, that what he wanted was, to get rid of the Bill, and the hon. Baronet too.
After some further discussion, the Motion was withdrawn, and Clauses 3 to 6 were struck out of the Bill.

§ SIR J. PAKINGTON
then moved that the Chairman report progress.