England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century; Great Britain -- History -- William IV, 1830-1837
"Mr. Villiers said that he was neither blessed with daughters nor
a bride-elect (laughter), but still he thought no sufficient
grounds had been shown to justify this motion. He was, however,
glad to find that every class of persons in the community was
represented in this House. There were the friends of the people,
the friends of the Church, the farmers' friends, and, now, the
friends of the ladies. (Laughter.) He thought, however, the hon.
and gallant member for Cheltenham, by his motion, proposed an
organic change. (Renewed laughter.) But it seemed to him that no
excitement existed outside of the House on the subject; he was
not aware that any petitions had been presented with reference to
it. The hon. and gallant member had said that he did not see any
harm in the measure; but would the matter end here? Might not
hon. Members have some ulterior views? (Loud laughter.) The hon.
and gallant member proposed to admit the ladies into the gallery,
but were there not places under the gallery? Were there not the
lobby and the library, and might not some hon. member push the
measure further and give them admission there, much to the
inconvenience of the House? (Hear, hear.) But even if admitted to
the gallery only, in what way, he begged to inquire, were hon.
members to exercise their privilege? They could not admit as many
ladies as gentlemen--nay, even they could not accommodate as many
ladies as there were Irish members. Was the power of granting
admissions to be vested in the Minister for the Home Department;
and, if so, might not he be charged with undue influence in
admitting ladies of a certain description? (Loud laughter.) Might
not the champion of some old lady charge him with corrupt motives
in excluding her? In short, the more the subject was considered
the more difficult it seemed. (Renewed laughter.) He hoped, if
the hon. and gallant member for Cheltenham would, if he meant to
introduce a bill upon the subject, have it circulated in all the
populous towns of the country, so that during the autumn its
effects might be ascertained. (Great laughter.) At present hon.
members were unacquainted with the complicated details of the
measure; they did not know all the bearings of the proposition,
though it had been brought forward for two sessions running;
and, therefore, he hoped that the hon. and gallant member would
consent to postpone it. (General laughter.)
"The House divided. For the motion, 139; against, 40."
The _Times_ of May 9th, quoting the _Glasgow Chronicle_, has a
paragraph headed
"ROYAL CHARLEY BACK AGAIN.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account