WORCESTER DISFRANCHISED.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12731, 18 February 1907, Page 7

WORCESTER DISFRANCHISED.

LONDON, February 15. The Hciifo of Commons, by 192 to I'M, rejected Sir A. F. Aciand-Hood's motion for a writ for an ejection for Woreceter. The Government did not resist tho motion. Sir A. F. Aclund-Hood later on, addrct&ing tho National Society of Conservative Aleuts, described tho House of Commons' d«isbvii an an inconceivably dirty trick. Uy the rejection 01 tlio motion, Worcester is practically di.-draiidiieci i-/.----at least another year. L'l'hw matter cajno before the llou.se of Cuuiiuuiu. on Aoviinoir lTtli, win 11 Sir A. At-land-llced nuvid tliat, a writ' bo issued tor tho ekctivii of a ikw member lor the bort-i.'&h of Worcester Ln tbo room of Mr O. tl. \Villi.uiL->on. whoso election ~iad been titdaud vo.d. lio ir.awitaintd thai iko linding ot ill. Election Connuifcs.cn. thai, tlio constituency ,-us a whole was not cor nipt, showed that thero waa no causu Jjt withholding a writ fioin a city which liad btnai represented in Parliament for intuny centuries, lhe commission imported Ui it there wero GOO men prepared to sell their votes, but had scheduled SX), of whom oniy 2d bud been refu&rd certificates of indemnity. Thero were in Worci st; r Sll2 elet-tors, ami it would bo unfair that 7'.)il r<*spectable persons should sutler tor the misconduct of 90 men, for which they could not bo held reeporsible. Tho Attorney-General, in moving an amoudment that the writ should not bo i&sucd during the patent stt6ion, said that, in the opinion of tho Government, it was necessary that the issue of the writ should be suspended for a considerable poricd. It was o&----.sontial that ho, as Attorney-General, shoukl examine the report of tlie Commission with a view to tho prosecution of all persons who had rendered themselves obnoxious to the law, a.nd tlv> purging of tho electoral lists of the persons incriminated. The motion invited tlio Houoo to ignore all that had taken place, amd to i*ne a new writ, in spite of the fact that ail th§ elements remained' untouched, that the law remained unvindticatod, and that nothing had been done to remove the evil complained) of. The 500 who constituted the corrupt element gave the Opposition a majority of 189 at the last election, rtwl their allegiance, which waa then purchased by an appeal to motives of grocd, might now be obtained by an appeal to motives of resentment. Tlio amendment was carried by a large majority.]