SECOND READING DEFERRED. (Hansard, 26 June 1857)

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
intimated that he would not agree to the second reading of the Bill at that late hour.

§ MR. ADDERLEY
said, he was astonished to hear that the Government intended to oppose a Bill which was brought in to check the practice of wholesale fraudulent election petitions, which, under cover of the privileges of the House, contained a number of roving, loose accusations made by low attorneys and agents, who knew that the allegations did not contain one word of truth, and that they were in fact baseless slanders, brought forward for the purpose of electioneering jobbing. There was undoubtedly great difficulty in coping with the evil, but the remedy he proposed was not his own merely. The provisions of the present Bill were drawn by Mr. Rickards some years ago, under the eye and with the approval of the late Speaker. Lord Eversley, the highest possible authority, had recently revised the Bill, and had suggested some alterations which had been adopted. And yet, with such a grievance and scandal, the Attorney General was prepared to object to the second reading of the Bill. He saw who was at the bottom of this opposition; it was Mr. Coppock himself. He was the only party who could feel aggrieved by it, and that was the principle upon which the Attorney General opposed it. Otherwise he (Mr. Adderley) could not conceive the ground of the Attorney General's opposition to it. The Bill did not obstruct the right of election petitions, but would correct abuses which tended to destroy it; for wholesale petitions for corrupt practices gave practical impunity to such practices, and parties accused of them recklessly retorted them. And he thought the character of the House would be sustained by the attempt to remedy the abuse which now existed.

§ SIR GEORGE GREY
It is impossible to discuss the Bill at this hour of the night. 511 The hon. Member has not explained the principle of his Bill.

§ MR. ADDERLEY
The Bill was framed to give some assurance of the bonâ fide character of election petitions, and to afford a check both upon their presentation and withdrawal. If the Government would take the matter up he would readily drop it, but he hoped that it would not be left where it stood at present, for the present Session afforded the best chance for the passing of such a measure, as hon. Members were now smarting under the evils of the existing system.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
thought the best thing he could do for the hon. Gentleman was to move the adjournment of the debate, in order to restore him to some degree of serenity of temper. He heartily concurred in the object contemplated by the hon. Gentleman, but did not think the provisions he proposed would tend to promote it. Indeed, the silly machinery by which it was sought to carry out that object would only make the House the laughing-stock of the world. He begged to move the adjournment of the debate, with a view to defer the discussion to a more favourable opportunity.

§ MR. SPOONER
said, that as the Government assented to the principle of the Bill, they ought to introduce a measure of their own on this subject. If the hon. and learned Attorney General had himself that command of temper which he recommended to others, he would hardly have spoken in the contemptuous terms he did of the provisions of this Bill, more especially as he knew the high quarter from which they emanated.

§ SIR GEORGE GREY
said, it might be possible to amend the Bill so as to adapt it to its object, but the hour was too late for giving it the consideration which its grave nature demanded; and he thought that it would be very injudicious for the House without an opportunity for such consideration to adopt so novel and important a measure.

MR. NAPIER
maintained that some such measure as this was imperatively necessary.