HC Deb 05 May 1881 vol 260 cc1870-2

LORD RICHARD GROSVENOR moved— That Mr. Speaker do issue his Warrant to the Clerk of the Crown to make out a New Writ for the electing of a Member to serve in this present Parliament for the Borough of Knaresborough, in the room of Sir Henry Meysey Meysey-Thompson, whose Election has been declared to be void.

SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL

said, he had hoped some statement would be made by a Law Officer of the Crown under the peculiar circumstances of this case. Knaresborough was one of the rottenest of the rotten boroughs in England. ["No, no!"] It was one of those petty, trumpery places which could not possibly survive any new Reform Bill. There were 5,000 inhabitants in it formerly; but the latest Returns had shown that that number had decreased. The principal industry of the place was beer, there being no less than 47 public-houses for over 4,000 people. The result of the recent inquiry had shown that at the last and previous General Elections corrupt practices were practised extensively on both sides, a man's vote being easily bought by a liberal allowance of beer. He protested emphatically, therefore, against the issue of a new Writ for the return of a Member to represent in Parliament so worthless and insignificant a borough as the one he had described.

MR. DAWSON

said, he should not oppose the granting of the Writ which was asked for; but he could not let the opportunity pass of remarking upon the fact that while the Government moved for the election of a Member for Knaresborough they were willing to continue the disfranchisement of Cashel and Sligo, in neither of which boroughs had it been proved that nearly the same amount of either bribery or corruption had ever existed.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES)

said, he could not allow the observations of the hon. Member for Kirkcaldy (Sir George Campbell) to go uncontradicted. The Report of the Commissioners went to show that corrupt practices had not extensively prevailed, and that in itself was a sufficient reason for issuing a Writ for the election of a Member. There could be no doubt that the Commission of Inquiry was the result of an unfortunate accident; and it would certainly be hard that a whole constituency should be disfranchised by reason of the conduct of an individual, in addition to having to pay a heavy rate in order to pay the cost of the inquiry. He was afraid that if a searching Commission were issued into every borough of England there would be scarcely one that would come out of the ordeal purer than Knaresborough. He would also include Ireland in that statement. [Sir GEORGE CAMPBELL: And Scotland?] He would not include Scotland. There they never gave anything to anybody. By issuing the Writ Parliament would restore to Knaresborough the representation which it ought never to have lost. As far as the observations of the hon. Member for Carlow (Mr. Dawson) were concerned, he could only say that in his view there was no similarity between the cases of Knaresborough and Cashel and Sligo; and that he should be glad if there could be found equally cogent grounds for re-enfranchising Cashel and Sligo with those on which it was now proposed to give Knaresborough an opportunity for returning a Member to the House.

MR. SEXTON

said, that he would be sorry to compare Sligo and Cashel, or any Irish borough, with Knaresborough, where it was well known corrupt practices prevailed. The House had recently by five to one refused to issue a Writ for Sligo, which had suffered for 14 years for the fault of a small and insignificant number of voters. It would now be seen how unfairly the two Irish boroughs were treated.

SIR HENRY TYLER

said, he would not have risen but for the sweeping assertion of the Attorney General, to the effect that if a searching inquiry were made into every borough in England, scarcely one would come out of the ordeal purer than Knaresborough. He would take this opportunity of reminding the hon. and learned Gentleman of the very searching inquiry that was instituted into the borough of Harwich, which he had the honour to represent, and of the excellent Report that resulted from it. And he was the more anxious to take the opportunity of drawing attention to that Report, because he was aware of the prejudice with which small boroughs were regarded by certain Members on the Liberal Benches.

Motion agreed to.