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Leader (1850-1860), 13th April 1850, Edition 1 of 1, Page 57, Untitled Article

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      present penal system , but seemed to agree in considering the Government scheme as only a temporary staving off of the real difficulties , of the question . Earl Grey in reply combated thfi objections which had been taken to the system of transportation . He referred to the growth of our Australian colonies as evidence of the advantages to be derived from such a system ; but while he thought that transportation should not be abandoned , *• he was more and more impressed with the conviction that the penal part of

      the sentence otiejht to be inflicted at hqme . He believed the difficulties in the way of disposing of convicts would be lessened ; that convicts might be still sent advantageously to New South Wales and Western Australia , sending , however , only such as had obtained conditional pardons , and keeping the remainder at Yan piemen ' s Land . He did not anticipate any opposition from "Van Diemen ' s Land , for ho already saw that the colony was less averse than in 1846 . The opposition at the Cape arose from that being a free colony .

      In the early part of the evening Lord Campbell introduced his bill for the regulation of special pleading . In the House of Commons , last night , Lord John Hussei / l brought forward his motion on public salaries : it ran thus : — th" That a select committee be appointed to inquire into pie salaries and emoluments of offices held during the Peasure of the Crown by members of either Hotfse of sarliament voted in the annual estimates ; into the ralaries and emoluments of judicial officers in the supeiior courts of law and equity in the United Kingdom ; nto the retiring pensions allotted to the judges ; and also into the expense of diplomatic establishments charged on the Consolidated Fund . "

      In 1848 , he said , a committee was appointed to inquire into our military establishments , and , that committee having now nearly completed its labours , he proposed that another should be appointed . The iirst branch of inquiry would be the salaries of persons holding office at the pleasure of the Crown , and any proposal for the reduction of these could be best considered by a committee composed of independent Members of the House . The second branch > vas the salaries of the Judges ; these had not undergone any investigation for a long time . The last branch of the inquiry related to our diplomatic establishment , and as nineteen years had elapsed since they were put on their present footing , he thought the time had come when they ought to be submitted to revision . One member of the

      Government , at least , should be placed on the committee , to ^ ive any explanations , if necessary . He referred to Mr . Henley ' s notice of motion for a general revision of salaries , with a view to their reduction , and Mr . Disraeli ' s amendment on the present motion , us implying that Government were not in earnest in their professions of economy . The best answer to this was to show what reductions they had made in the national expenditure during the lust two years . Within

      that period a reduction of £ 3 , 284 , G 5 S had been made in the Army , Navy , and Ordnance Estimates . _ In the Treasury , one junior Lord , two chief clerkships , one senior clerkship , and lour junior clerkships had been abolished , making a saving of £ 5 , 345 a-year . In 1 S 49 a saving of £ 23 , 000 was made in the Paymaster-General ' s oilice ; in the Customs , by the abolition of offices and reduction of sa l aries , a saving of £ 64 , 791 had been effected . Lord John J ustin " ed the . salaries of the Treasury : —

      " Considering the multifarious duties which are performed by the Treasury Department , as well as the extreme importance ' of its decisions to the public , and that those duties are discharged by twenty-nine persons at a cost of less than £ 25 , 000 , I cannot believe that a similar instance of efficiency combined with economy can be found in any other country of Europe or America . Seeing these things , I cannot concur in the comments r . hioh are made from time to time on the manner in which duties are performed iu the public offices of this country by persons holding permanent situations . ^ It writer

      was lately asserted by a very clever but whimsical that our public offices arc an Augean stable which require an Hercules to cleanse it . My opinion is , that public duties for the discharge of which great intelligence and incessant labour are necessary , were never performed more zealously and efficiently than they are performed by the persons holding permanent offices in the public departments of this country . Those whose duty it . is to consider these questions , and to carry veducions into effect , naturally compnrc the emoluments of 1-cTsons employed in the public offices with those of pern . mis having similar duties to perform in the Bank of mercantile

      Midland , the East India-hnuso , and private establishments . Having made that comparison , I must ;< < y it appears to mo that in point of salary , and in other inspects , the advantage is in favour of the hitter . ' I lo went on to mention other reductions which had Icon lately made . By the consolidation of the Board of Excise with the Stamps and Taxes , a saving of f ; 37 , OOO had already been effected , and when all the meusuroa now in progress were fully carried out the r > tal saving would not bo loss than £ 100 , 000 . Since 1 333 , 2170 persons employed in the Stamps and Excise liii'i been reduced ; making a saving of £ 259 , 050 uyear . These facts prove that Government is earnestly ile-iiroua to enforce economy in all the departments : ; ii ( ler its controul . The present committee was

      proposed -with the view of ascertaining what reductions can be effected consistent ! } ' with the efficiency of the p ublic service , but certainly not in accordance with the notions so warmly taken up by some , that a sudden and general reduction of salaries should be made according to some scale which they have formed in their own heads : — " It is absurd to found such a proposition on the present price of corn and bread in the market . If we

      were to adopt such a principle it would be necessary to have a , tariff of salaries varying with seasons of plenty and scarcity . Next , if the committee went into this question , they would have to consider what reductions there had been iu all the expenses persons in public office had to defray . I have an account in detail of what are believed to be the expenses of a clerk receiving £ 150 ayear salary , and there are not above one or two items at all considerable in which a reduction had been made . I

      am speaking of those who are m the permanent service of the Crown . There are various other objections that must be made if it is proposed really and gravely to make reductions on the principle of what is the price of provisions now as compared with another time . Considering the case of a person who had to live in London , paying rent for a house or lodging , and the expenses necessarily attending upon a residence in this metropolis , I think we should find it impracticable to carry out reduction on that principle . " Another point , which he need hardly notice , was the notion , lately started , that the public service would be better carried on if the persons who were to carry it on were altogether removed from the Legislature , and held no seats in either House of Parliament .

      Such a proposal was quite inconsistent with the machinery of our mode of government . "Unless there were persons in both Houses to propose and defend legislative measures , no proper understanding could be kept up between the majority of Members in Parliament and the Executive Government . The value of the present system was demonstrated by the harmonious way in which the Poor Law Board had worked . But he could never believe that a committee of that House , composed of persons of experience , would think of adopting snch a chimerical experiment as the one he had mentioned . He now left the question in their hands , feeling confident that an independent committee would deal with it as they ought to do .

      Mr . Disraeli moved his amendment , which will be found in our parliamentary history of the week . He contended that they already possessed suffici ent information for the revision and regulation of salaries . If they appointed a committee , how were they to obtain more information ? Would they summon the judges , examine them as to the expense of their circuits and make them produce their tavern bills and vouchers ? The Government had access to the very best sources of information , and , therefore , it did not need to ask for a committee . If reductions could be accomplished , it was the duty of Ministers to propose them at once . Nothing could be more

      unconstitutional than this insidious attempt to shift the responsibility of revising official salaries from Ministers to Parliament . The House of Commons was the guardian of the public purse ; but by this proposal Lord John would cause it to incur the odium which would be attached to extravagant expenditure . To appoint a committee was only to cause unnecessary delay . Lord John himself could settle the whole of the salaries in question in a single day ; whereas the committee would be employed for months Without making any actual progress . If this motion were carried , it would be n complete delusion to look for any important reduction of expenditure .

      Sir B . Hai-l supported the motion , but should have supported Mr . Henley ' s- motion , had it been brought forward as an amendment . Mr . liuMB inferred , from Lord John ' s speech , that no further reductions were intended . He predicted that Ministers would pay no attention to the report of the committee , unless it met their own views . He had been on many committees of this

      kind , but never found that Government paid much attention to anv recommendation in favour of economy . Lord John had told them of £ 2 , 500 , 000 which had becm reduced , but he had said nothing of £ 8 , 000 , 000 a-year which had been added to our expenditure * , lie was glad to see the spirit of economy in Parliament . There would be more country gentlemen voting with him in favour of economy and retrenchment than at anv time since 1822 .

      Mr . Hkxi . hy complained that Lord John had not given the slightest indication of what reductions Government intended to make . No question of this kind could be dealt with properly by anybody but Ministers , who alone possessed the necessary information , or could procure if . He would explain his own views at lurge when the time came , and meantime supported the amendment . Lord Hahuy Vanb , Mr . Uuantlky Ui : uktu , i : y , Mr . Hkimuk . s , Mr . II . Duum . monJ ) , and Lord John-Ma nnhk . s supported tho amendment : Mr . Cookhi- 'KN , Mr . limofir , and the Ciianoi ; m . ou of the E . kcii wiur . u opposed it .

      . ..... , Lord . loir . v Husseu , in reply U > the complaint that nothing Juul been mentioned about reduction by Government , said he certainly thought it would be useless to appoint a committee unless he believed

      that reduction and economy would be the consequence . The House having divided , the numbers were : — For Mr . Disraeli ' s amendment 159 Against it 250 Majority against it ... 91 Mr . Hoksman- moved that the inquiry be extended to the incomes of ecclesiastical dignitaries . After a short discussion , the amendment was negatived by 208 to 95 . Some other business of little importance having been transacted , the House adjourned at a quarter past twelve o ' clock .

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      An impottant arid influential meeting to petition Parliament for a national system of education , was held at Leeds on Thursday . On the proposition of the Mayor , Mr . Hamer Stansfeld was placed in the chair . The meeting was addressed by Dr . Smile * , Mr . Hams , Mr . W , Brook , and others , and resolutions carried , affirming the inadequacy both of the present Government plan of education and of the " voluntary

      activities ; " and advocating a system" of public schools , locally supported and managed , having for their object ' * the secular instruction of the children , but leaving sufficient time for their religious instruc * tion by parents and religious teachers . " Open-air meetings , for the same object , are announced to tdke place at Leeds on Monday and Tuesday . We hail these vigorous accessions to the movement , and shall not fail to " improve the occasion " next week .

      The ministers of the Congregational Dissenters Union have disavowed " all connection or future communion" with Dr . Nolan . Mr . John O'Connelihas issued an address ' * to the Repealers of Ireland , " declaring that if he do not receive decided encouragement within a fortnight , he will abandon the agitation . He says— " 1 have struggled to the last moment that I could do so , and struggled all but single-handed . I have gone on to the last , and it is only now , when the last appears to be c omc , that I declare I can do no more . " Mr . Thackeray has been furnishing the excitable Irish with a new '' English insult . " In a recent number of his " Pendennis , " appeared the following sentence : —

      " The greatest criminal , tyrant , hooby , Bluebeard , Catherine Hayes , George Barmvell , among us need never despair . " All Ireland was in a blaze immediately , outraged at this " unmanly , gross , and cowardly" assault upon the fair Irishwoman , Miss Hayes , the opera-singer . Three Irish newspapers and a member of Parliament opened fire upon the culprit , denouncing " his intention to in suit the Irish nation , " classing him with cutthroats damning him to everlasting infamy , and hoping that if he had any defence to offer that he would hasten to make it . A letter from the criminal sent to the Morning Chronicle .

      shows the whole matter to have been like the old story of the Irish officer , who fought a duel with a man who doubted his assertion that anchovies grew on the rocks of Malta , and who , after shooting his opponent , discovered that he meant not anchovies but capers . The Catherine Hayes referred to in " Pendennis , " was a murderess who was executed at Tyburn , and who subsequently perished in a novel written some ten years back by Mr . Thackeray for " Fraser's Magazine . " The " prompt mid chivalrous espousal" of an injured cause "is the anchovy-caper question over again . "

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      A project of . law , says the Paris National , is about to be considered in the French Assembly on the motion of M . Espinasse ( a Legitimist ) , which , if carried , would effectually prevent any untoward results from universal suffrage . It would still , however , remain to be seen whether the people could be induced to submit to it . M . Espinasse proposes that none shall vote who do not take part in some commercial , industrial , or agricultural enterprise ; nor then , unless established for two years in the commune whence the vote is to be taken : that no workman

      shall vote without a twelvemonth ' s certificate from his master ; that military votes shall be sent to the respective communes , sealed up by the military authorities , so that none may know in what manner the soldiers vote ; that no soldier who has been punished shall vote ; that no election shall be good unless the candidate obtain an absolute majority oi all votes given ; and that those electors who , without legitimutc cause , do not vote shall bo subject to fine . A second proposition would provide that vacant places in the Assembly shall not be filled up till the number of representatives be reduced to 700 .

      An " important" meeting of tho party of order was held on Wednesday at tho Palace of the Council of State , at which , it is said , M . Thiers asked for pledges of support from the legitimists . M . Dorryer declined , however , to tie up the hands of his party . The Government of Hanover refuses to recognize the authority of the tribunal to which it lias been summoned by the Erfurt constitutionalists . Tho Prince of Ilohenzollern-Sigmaringcn abdicated on the Gth of April in favour of the Kin ; . ; of . Prussia . At Munster , in Hauovor , M . Tern me , who lias be « m

      for ten month * in close imprisonment , on a cluirgc ot high treason , has been acquitted by the jury .

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      April 13 , 1850 . ] &t > e 3 Lt&tlt T * 57

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), April 13, 1850, page 57, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1840/page/9/