MR. YORKEasked Mr. Attorney General, Whether his attention has been 308 called to the Report of Mr. Justice Grove, presented to this House on the 8th of June 1874, with reference to the late Election Petition for the Borough of Boston, in which he states that, in pursuance of the Act, he reports as follows:—
That there is reason to believe that corrupt practices have extensively prevailed at the Election for the Borough of Boston, to which the said Petition relates;and, if so, whether it is his intention, in accordance with precedent, to move the House to pray the Crown to issue a Royal Commission to inquire into such corrupt practices?
THE ATTORNEY GENERALIn answer, Sir, to the Question of my hon. Friend the Member for East Gloucestershire, I have to state that my attention has been directed not only to the Report of Mr. Justice Grove with reference to the late Election Petition for the borough of Boston, but also to the judgment pronounced by him in the matter, and to the evidence upon which both the judgment and the Report were based, and, having regard to all the circumstances of the case, it appears to me that it will only be consistent with my duty to act upon the Report of the learned Judge, and to move the House, as suggested by my hon. Friend in his Question, to pray the Crown to issue a Royal Commission to inquire into the corrupt practices referred to in the Report. I may add that, although the first Report of the learned Judge was made as long ago as June last, his final Report affecting the seat of one of the sitting Members was only laid before the House on the first day of the present Session, so that it was only the other day my attention was particularly directed to the matter.