§ Order for Second Beading read.
§ DR. BALLsaid, he could not allow the second reading of this Bill to pass without saying a word respecting the exaggerated statements made with regard to the voters in Dublin, in consequence of which a Bill was introduced last Session with the object of totally disfranchising the freemen of Dublin, a very small proportion of whom had been proved to be corrupt. The Government had in this matter acted with great fairness, because they had rejected these suggestions of general corruption, and had confined the provisions of the Bill to the cases actually reported upon by the Commissioners. He must, however, in making these observations, guard himself against being supposed to agree with the penalty provided in each individual case. He admitted that the Government were justified in drawing up the Bill in its present form; but trusted he should be able to show in Committee that there were special grounds for exempting particular persons from its operation.
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. DOWSE)said, that everyone who had read the Report of the Commissioners must have come to the conclusion that the Government ought to take action with regard to the Dublin freemen. The Schedules contained the names of 672 persons who were more or less engaged in corrupt practices, and he was sorry he was only able to ask the House to disfranchise 100 of them.
§ MR. J. LOWTHERpointed out that there were not 100 mentioned in the Bill.
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. DOWSE)But there are 98.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ Bill read a second time, and committed for Monday next.