PETITIONS ONPERMISSIVEBILL.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4743, 6 November 1872, Page 3

PETITIONS ONPERMISSIVEBILL.

To the Editor: Sir, —Your readers who remember the stir made some time since respecting the Temperance petition to the Beach of Magistrates, which stir all ends in mere noise, may be interested in reading the enclosed extracts respecting two petitions lately presented to the British House of Commons. The publicans' petition, signed by 69,000, is indignantly rejected by the House of Commons as fraudulent. The Sheffield temperance petition, with 40, OOOsignaburea, which is called in question by the publicans, is pronounced genuine and exceedingly well got up. These facts are significant, and may suggest whafc should be obvioua—that the Temperance Reformers, having no personal interest in the movement, are under no temptation to practise any fraud in getting up petitions or otherwise forwarding the movement. We could wish that the opposing party might see their interests in the true light, when they would certainly throw their influence on the side of the Permissive Bill. -I am, &c, Samuel Edger. On the Bth May, the day on which Sir W. Lawson moved the second reading of his | bill, Mr. Hadfield presented a petition from Sheffield in favour of his measure, containing 40,692 signatures. In the course of his speech against the motion, Mr. Wheelhouse endeavoured to lessen the impression produced by the mass of petitions presented, by depreciatory statements respecting the genuineness and general character of the signatures. He specially mentioned the Sheffield petition. He attacked the Secretary of the Auxiliary there, and in regard to the signatures said : —" If they were scrutinised, and the signatures carefully verified, they would be found to be not worth the paper on which they were written.'' — Mr. Mundella, on Thursday the Bth. instant, asked the honourable member for Walsall "whether, as chairman of the Select Oommittee of Public Petitions, his att ention has been called to the statement m ade in this House respecting a petition, from Sheffield presented on Bth May in favour of the Permissive Bill, and whether he co nsiders it a genuine petition." —ln reply, Mr. C. Forster, as chairman of the Select Committee on Public Petitions, said h-3 had made inquiries respecting a petition presented to the House in May last from Sheffield in favour of the Permissive Bill, and found it to be a genuine and exceedingly well signed document. The Publicans' Bogus Petition Rejected.—House of Commons, Tuesday: That famous "Bogus" Petition, got up in the Merchants' Hotel, Oldham-street, Manchester, by certain working men, so- called, in the interests of the licensed victuallers, has this afternoon been again the su'oject of severe but -well-deserved deprecation and condemnation. At the close tha Homo Secretary intimated to the Houße that he quite approved the action being t.'iken ; but that the Housa must reserve to itself the power to take up tjhe matter early in the next session, and possibly proceed to the legitimate and constitutional mode of indicating the privileges and upi holding the dignity of the Hoi ise by bringing the criminals to justice The House applauded, and there v/as ev/idently a strong feeling of disgust and res antment on both sides ; so that probably we have not yet heard the last of this matter. The discussion lasted forty minutes, and the order of the House in respect of the petition was discharged with unanimity and indignation. — B. —A Uiance iV ews.