Breach of Privilege Author:John Bull Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITI0N The old English chronicler, Mr. Joseph Miller, relates an anecdote of a man who, whenever he wished to make anything' very public... more », told it to his wife as a secret. My constitutional respect for the two Houses of Parliament calls upon me to believe that a similar motive actuated them in referring the public and universally important subject of the present Commercial Distress to Secret Committees, although I am aware that there are some people who do not scruple to say that the object was to " Burke the question." The phrase is rather modern to my ears, but I believe it means that the money capitalists, by whom the ministers are supposed to be guided, expected thereby to delude the operatives — rather a dangerous game in these times! The same hope seems to animate them still, although the operative classes of almost the whole of Europe have risen up in insurrection, as we were warned they would do, if restrictions by which Industry has been sacrificed to Capital were not removed. But notwithstanding the above-mentioned feeling for the Houses, I confess that I have not the same respect for what is called " Privilege of Parliament." The unconstitutional attempts of the late and present Prime ministers to set privilege above the laws have not tended to raise it in public estimation. It is perhaps this which has emboldened me to defy the Serjeant-at-Arms, and to publish my evidence without consent of the Committee ; feeling confident that the more publicity and the less secrecy — the more candour and the less mystery — there is connected with this important subject, the better. J. B. April, i848. EVIDENCE. Mr. Bull called in and examined. Q. Have you been long acquainted with the mercantile business of this country ? 4. A great man...« less