HC Deb 20 March 1882 vol 267 cc1279-80
MR. LEWIS

asked Mr. Attorney General, Whether, before proceeding with the Corrupt Practices Bill, he will cause to be laid upon the Table of this House a full copy of a letter addressed to the Right Hon. Lord Richard Grosvenor, M.P. a portion of which appeared in the Report of the Chester Bribery Commission?

MR. THOROLD ROGERS

asked Mr. Attorney General, Whether, before bringing in his Corrupt Practices Bill, he will cause to be laid upon the Table of this House the cheque for £3,000, drawn by a member of the Carlton Club upon a fund standing at Drummond's Bank in the name of a member of the late Government, which cheque was given to one Pegler, alias Matthews, and the proceeds of which were expended in bribing the electors of Oxford; and, why it is that the same Pegler, alias Matthews, who so expended the £3,000 provided by the Carlton Club, has not been prosecuted?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES)

I am sure the hon. Member for Londonderry (Mr. Lewis) and the hon. Member for Southwark (Mr. Thorold Rogers) have some good reasons for putting these Questions on the Paper; but I hope they will forgive me for saying that it is much to be regretted that Questions of this character should be asked. The answer to these Questions is that both of these documents, in all their material parts, will be found referred to in the Reports of the Chester and Oxford Bribery Commissions respectively. The letter, to which reference has been made, in all its material parts is set out by the Commissioners in their Report in regard to corrupt practices at Chester, and the same answer may be made to the hon. Member for Southwark with respect to Oxford. There is one part of the Question of the hon. Member for Southwark to which I would wish to make an explicit answer. It was why a person in a certain case had not been prosecuted? An information was filed against the person nine or ten months ago, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. No one knew where the person was to be found, and it had consequently been impossible to effect his arrest.