ion, was more
explicit. His object was, he said, to obtain the total defeat of the
obnoxious measure; he had voted against it on every division at the time
it was passing; he had attended meetings of the people preparatory to
resistance of its introduction into the county of Lancashire; and he had
openly declared that if it were attempted to establish its operation in
his own peaceable valley of Todmorden, it would be met with opposition,
of which he would be the leader. Lord John Russell, in reply, objected
to the inquiry; and he moved, as an amendment, "That a select committee
be appointed to inquire into the administration of the relief of the
poor, under the orders and regulations issued by the commissioners
appointed under the provisions of the poor-law amendment act." On the
second night of the debate, Colonel Sibthorp, Mr. Robinson, and other
members spoke against the measure; while Sir Robert Peel, Sir James
Graham, and the chancellor of the exchequer defended it. The latter
said, in conclusion, that the intention of government in proposing the
amendment was not to exclude any one topic of inquiry which was not
directly opposed to the principle of the bill; on which Mr. Walter
consented to withdraw his motion, and the amendment was then carried and
the committee appointed.

The committee began its inquiries immediately, and continued them almost
daily. Such, however, were the minuteness of examination to which the
witnesses were subjected, and the mass of conflicting evidence brought
forward on both sides, that the progress of the inquiry was but slow.
Mr. Harvey had been one of the members of this committee, but had
retired from it, "because it was all a delusion in its consequences,
if not in its intention." Before he retired, he adopted the course of
printing the evidence before it was reported, in a paper called the
_True Sun_, of which he was the proprietor and editor, by way of
appealing to the judgment of the public against the prepossessions of
his colleagues in the committee. This was made a question of breach of
privilege, and as such brought before the house on the 21st of April,
by Lord John Russell. The speaker had informed Mr. Harvey that it was
a violation of the privileges of the house, and the chairman of the
committee had given him due warning that unless he desisted from the
practice he should be reported. Lord John Russell, in bringing the
subject forward, pointed out the obvious injury to th