THE POOR LAW AMENDMENT BILL. 



a delay which might, in fact, have occasioned the postponement of remedial 

 measures ( ! ) so far as they are to be promoted by this report, until the 

 following year. Such a delay appeared to us a greater evil than the imper- 

 fections and inaccuracies to which the course which we have adopted must 

 expose us" 



The history of this affair, as it here stands before us, affords a novel 

 and encouraging insight into the system of legislation about to be in- 

 troduced amongst us. The parliament of the United Kingdom find 

 themselves called upon to legislate upon a subject vitally affecting 

 the wealth, the happiness, and the morals of the country. Upon a 

 subject so vast in its importance, and necessarily so complex in its 

 details, they feel diffident of coming to decision without previously 

 obtaining a comprehensive view of the case. A commission is ap- 

 pointed for the purpose of collecting evidence, and " making a full 

 inquiry." So far as collecting evidence goes, the commissioners suc- 

 ceed to admiration; but when it comes to examining and making 

 " full inquiry" into the value and import of that evidence, they confess 

 themselves incompetent to the task. Their hearts misgive them when 

 they see the accumulating bales of " too, too solid" paper; and though 

 they are morally certain that a good half of it is utterly valueless, 

 they will not even trust themselves to the task of making the se- 

 lection. In despair they pack it all off to the printers, promising them- 

 selves the pleasure of reading it when in a more tangible shape. But, 

 alas ! the printer is no conjuror, and though he has done a pretty 

 decent share of work in his time, he is not a match for the poor law 

 commissioners. Well, the said commissioners, finding the session 

 coming on, set to work reading like Trojans, in proofs, bit by bit, 

 unpaged, and incorrect any how they can get it they read it ; and 

 then when the time comes that they should " fructify " unto the world, 

 and they all the time have not perhaps read a quarter of their evi- 

 dence, nor had time to digest a quarter of what they had read, hey 

 presto ! a report is drawn up full of " inaccuracies and imperfections" 

 by their own confession, and a bill is framed upon that report, and l 

 now in course of being hurried through the House of Commons by 

 that stuttering, stumbling sage of senatorial excellence, Lord Althorp ! 

 In vain do the poor members of that house appeal to his lordship's 

 good sense, (is it any wonder they appeal to that in vain ?) and 

 remind his lordship that they have not read a word of the evidence 

 upon which they are called upon to decide. In vain they remind 

 his lordship that they have scarcely seen the report on that evidence 

 by the commissions whom they had appointed. In vain do they hint 

 their diffidence of legislating upon a question so important about 

 which they know nothing. Lord Althorp is a man of too much 

 muscle to be moved by such arguments. He tells the house that a 

 vast and most valuable body of evidence has been collected upon.the 

 subject true nobody had been able to read it, but that did not sig- 

 nify ; he assures them that they are every whit as well informed and 

 as competent to judge upon the question as he is himself. This was a 

 flattering and consolatory assurance for the House of Commons, and 

 it was most signally verified by the speech which the noble leader of 

 the house muttered we use that word as the one most appropriate to 



M.M. No. 102. 4 C 



