Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

Mr. Wilberforce faid, he was not fure whether the House would recollect that what he had faid in his firft fpeech, the hon. Gentleman had alluded to the infertion of the report complained of being paid for by certain perfons. He had fome reafon to believe that this infinuhtion was intended to allude to him (Mr. Wilberforce); if fo, he wished the hon. Gentleman to fay fo candidly, that he might have an opportunity to fay a few words to exculpate himself from the charge, and if it was propofed to read the paper, fo urge reafons against it.

Mr. Secretary Dundas faid, he rofe to speak immediately to the queftion before the Houfe. He thought that the hon. Gentleman must now have attained the object he had in view in bringing in this complaint. It was certainly true, that mifreprefentation was an aggravation of the breach of privilege in printing the proceedings of the Houfe at all; but the breach of privilege was that which the House had to confider. It was not the accuracy or inaccuracy of the reports, but the violation of the order of the Houfe that was to be taken into view; though certainly it was not to overlook perfonal feelings, and every man must be anxious not to be mifrepresented; the privilege of the Houfe was the great confideration on which they must act. If the hon. Gentleman was not content with flating the complaint, for the purpofe of correcting an error, which probably would be corrected by what had now paffed in the very fame paper the next day, the complaint muft go a great deal farther than the hon. Gentleman might intend. Every other person who had published the proceedings alluded to, muft likewife be called up. He thought therefore, that it would be better at prefent to withdraw the motion. If the object in view was the protection of the privileges of the Houfe, this would be attained, as what had already taken place would fhew that the Houfe was determined to go the rigour of its privileges, if they were abufed. If it was perfifted in no diftinction could be made; and thofe who had been equally guilty of a breach of the privileges of this Houfe, as the printer in quef tion, would be equally liable to its animadverfion.

Mr. Tierney faid, that this cafe differed very widely from every other. The account was inferted several days after the conversation had taken place, and profeffed to correct other ftatements. As to the motion, he thought it belonged to the Houfe to difpofe of it. He fhould not withdraw it. He did feel it a malevolent attempt to excite animofities between VOL. I. 1798. indi

Yy

individuals, and he was convinced that its infertion had been paid for by fome perfons in this view.

The Secretary of War faid, that fince this fubject was brought before the Houfe they had no option under their order with refpect to the vote they were to give, and he hoped it would have the effect to correct a practice which he had even thought before he was in Parliament, and fince he had been in it, both while he fat on the other fide of the Houfe, and on this, an intolerable abufe, materially affecting not only the dignity of the Houfe, but likewife the interefts of the country. Thefe difadvantages, he faid, refulted from it, independent of the mifreprefentations fo juftly complained of. He hoped, therefore, that this complaint would operate as a check, and remove any falfe impreffions as to the reafons which had induced the Houfe to permit the practice. He affented to the motion not on account of the injuftice which the hon. Gentleman had fuffered, though he thould not be Jefs fenfible of the injuftice done to him: than to any other member, but on the general ground, that a particular cafe of injustice was vaftly fubordinate to the great object of protecting the privileges of the Houfe, which were violated by the publication of their proceedings at all. However the Houfe had connived, and how long they might continue to connive, at the practice, he fhould be forry that the matter fhould go off without the Honfe giving an opinion upon the important queftion of thefe privileges. He had ftated his opinion on the general point. As to the mifreprefentations complained of, it was impoffible to expect that daily fubjects of complaint would not occur when the fituation of perfons concerned in the employment, and the influence of every kind to which they were fubject, was confidered. This practice had grown into a great evil, and it was but of recent origin; nor did he think that Parliaments, in former times, had been fo ignorant of what was proper to be done with regard to the regulation of their privileges, and that it was only in modern times that we had difcovered what was the proper course to follow

Mr. Martin faid, he wifhed the matter to be now decided. There was no occafion for further warning after what had been faid a few days ago by an hon Gentleman. He had long obferved the mifreprefentations which were given of what paffed here; and he thought that those who wrote the reports made Gentlemen fay just what they themselves pleased.

Mr.

Mr. William Smith faid, that Gentlemen did not feem willing to obferve the diftinction between this cafe and others where mifreprefentation might exift. However the orders of the Houfe might confider the publication as the chief offence, Gentlenten's minds must take into confideration the intention with which a mifreprefentation was accompanied. If mifreprefentation was an aggravation of the breach of privilege, the intention was an aggravation of that misreprefentation. A report made up in a few hours ought to be diftinguifhed from an account which had been confidered for feveral days, and he left it to Gentlemen to judge whether there was not here an intention to convert reports into a vehicle of attack upon the members of the House.

Mr. Jones faid he agreed that the publication of all reports was a breach of privilege, and if any reprefentation was to be given, it thould be full, fair, official and legal. He thought that Gentlemen in power fhould turn their attention to this point. As to the particular merits of this queftion, he was not fufficiently master of them.

Mr. Wilberforce wished again to know whether the hon, Gentleman who brought this matter forward alluded to him in any part of his fpeech? He had asked the hon. Gentleman before, to which question there was no anfwer given. Whether that was to be confidered as an affirmative or negative he could not fay; but he could molt folemnly affure the Houfe, that he had no more to do with the infertion in last Wednes day's Times, than the hon. Gentleman himself. With regard to the queftion now before the Houfe, he had to obferve, that there were other papers in which mifreprefentations of the groffeft kind, and that upon this very fubject; not only to the general heads of the fubject, but alfo on what he bad himfelf itated with regard to a point about which he confelled he was very anxious- he meant the character of the noble Lord who had been alluded to in the debate, and who had been named that night. He happened to take in two papers, of which that in queftion was one, and he feared there was as little truth or accuracy in the one as in the other, fo far as related to the debates of that Houfe. He stood in a particular fituation in regard to the question now before the House, He, certainly declared it to be his opinion, that it became the Houfe, for the credit and the character of individuals in certain refpects, but for the great object which the House ought always to have in view, for the character of the Houfe of Commons, and for the fafety of the conftitution of the coun

[blocks in formation]

try, it was incumbent on the Houfe to provide fome remedy against that great and growing evil, the mifreprefentations of the proceedings of Parliament, which had been fuffered of late to rife to a height too great to be allowed to continue. Certainly all that had paffed fince had not contributed to alter his opinion. But although this article now complained of by the hon. Gentleman might be liable to cenfure, yet he must obferve, that to take this paper, and this only, as one that ought to be the object of cenfure, would be a very unfair and curtailed mode of proceeding, and it would appear like injustice if the Houfe did not take other papers as well as this. But with regard to the fort of reflection that had been caft upon him, he could not help obferving, that there feemed to be a difpofition in fome Gentlemen to take notice always of the manner in which he fpoke his fentiments in that House, and it was rather infinuated, as if he was actuated by fome angry motives ir, what he faid. He thought this a little extraordinary to come from fome Gentlemen who had for a long time been acquainted with him. Perhaps from a natural warmth of temper, he was led fometimes to speak in a manner that was more acrimonious than he might with; his motives, however, were always the fame, and all his conduct was to one point, namely, the good of the public. However, he must leave this to the fentiments of thofe who of late, as well as of former years, knew the most of him. Be thefe things as they might, he should always exprefs his opinions freely; and now that he was upon this fubject, he should take the liberty of faying, there was a very common practice in that Houfe, which, for its honour and dignity, he wifhed to be difcontinued. The members of that House were in the habit of fpeaking of one another in a fulfome ftile of compliment, in a way that might perhaps please fome by-ftanders, but which neither aided the debate, nor had the leaft tincture of fincerity in it; and the very members them-, felves who used that fort of language in the House, treated it every where elfe as empty found and trifling nonfenfe. This was a habit that was no credit to the Houfe, and he, for one, wished to see it set aside, and the language of fincerity adopted. He wifhed Gentlemen to fpeak the truth upon thefe points, as well as others, diftinaly as they felt and not to give way to an unmeaning or fhallow ftyle of compliment upon one another. With refpect to the question now before the House, he could only fay, that he really never wished to put a stop to the fair statement of the proceedings of Parlia

ment.

ment. It had long been a defire with him, that they should be accurately given to the public; and he fhould look back with pleasure on the moment of his life, in which he was aware he had been in any degree inftrumental in bringing about that defired object. But he muft again repeat, that if any notice was to be taken by the Houfe of the inaccuracy of newfpapers, this paper fhould not be the only one, while there were others, equally faulty, that were taken no notice of whatever upon this head of complaint.

Mr. Tierney faid, that the hon. Gentleman mifconceived. him very much, if he thought he had any particular enmity against the paper of which he had juft complained; quite the contrary; he had no fuch enmity; but he thought it his duty to ftate this as an unwarrantable publication, not, as it regarded what he had faid, but as it regarded what others, much more important in the eftimation of the House, said. If the hon. Gentleman could fhew him any other paper, in which there was the fame account as that, of which he was now complaining in the Times, he fhould think it his duty to bring forward that paper alfo; but this was the only one he knew of that had this account.

Mr. Wilberforce faid, that he did not think there was any other paper that had this account in it; but having looked at two papers, which he took in, and having examined them for the reafon he had ftated already, he was ready to fay, they both contained grofs mifreprefentation of what paffed in the Houfe, and although the account of which the hon. Gentleman complained was not fo accurate as it ought to be, yet it was not fo inaccurate as the first account to which it referred,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer thought it would be much better to defer this debate, as it involved a point of great importance-namely, the mode in which the matter thould be difpofed of, for on the queftion of the ftanding order there could be no difference of opinion; but on the other points many arguments ought to be urged, and when they came forward no doubt the Houfe would give to them the attention they fhould merit; but he thought that could not now be done confiftently with the convenience of the Houfe. He would obferve, however, in paffing, that if any determination was come to upon the paper now produced, the Houfe owed it to its juftice to adopt the fame with regard to others. He thought that after the long connivance of the Houfe at the publication of its proceedings, and the very grofs abuse of that connivance, in a perverfion of them in fome refpects, in every cafe

« AnteriorContinua »