The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-03-06 00:00:00

because there is little or no noise 1113,10 about it—
because it is not borne into the House with the

force of a great political a4itatioa.

lu our

opinion the opposite conditions of calmness of
mind—the entire absence of anything like strong
feeling of political partizanship, are emihently
favourable to the patient, fair, and candid con-
sideration which so important a change in the
representation of the people seems pre-eminently
to claim. Indeed, it may be contended that the
sort of apathy which is said, disparagingly, to
exist with respect to Reform, arises, not only
from the conviction in the mind of the country
as to the well-understood necessity of such a
measure, but from a comprehensive and sure
knowledge of what the principles themselves
must consist—foremost of which stands the
, extension of the franchise.

In this and other features the present Bill is
identical with the measure of Lord Joittes pre-
decessors in office ; in others, indeed, it differs
materially, but only in the extension of the liberal
principle—the still greater extension of the suf-
frage. Lord DERBY'S Cabinet proposed to give a
£lO household franchise in counties and towns, and
ruin lodging franchise ; and sundry other fran-
chises which have been justly denominated"fancy."
Lord J. ItUtiSELL dislodged the Derby Govern.
went by a vote censuring the Conservative plan
—especially on the ground that it did not lower
the town franchise so as to include a just pro-
portion of the working classes. This being the
situation of the question, the country is very
well prepared for the EIO county franchise and
the Di borough franchise, with the abolition, at
the same time, of the lodger, the income-tax, the
saving's-bank, the professional, and all the other
" fancy franchises "—which formed only a most
complicated machine, and one that would never
work in a satisfactory manner. nor without
creating endleas jealousies and discontent. Lord
JOHN'S Bill must therefore be regarded as steer-
ing a tolerably even course between the objec-
tions discovered in his own previous propositions
and those of Lord DERBY. Lord JOHN'S original
proposition of disfranchising 50 boroughs, to-
gether with the 40s. freeholders, he himself
found to be of too sweeping a nature. But it is
quite clear that his Lordship retains but little
real affection for any of these as eligible to be
represented in the British House of COIIIIIIOII3 ;
but then 50 boroughs with their existing mem-
bers are still a formidable body to deal with,
and as they cannot be made very easily to
acquiesce—in these times of progress and the
avowedly just extension of the electoral power—
they would no doubt demur to their own
political annihilation, and, in case of such a
thing being seriously threatened, might be f d
capable of joining forces with any party in the
state who would be disposed to come to their
rescue, and might thus suctanal in overturning
the Ministry.
The new Bill still proposes to take one seat
from each of twenty-five boroughs now returning
two members, the population of which does not
exceed seven thousand persons ; and the seats
so obtained are to be transferral—fifteen to
large counties, and ten to large towns. We are
of opinion that the proposition is a just and
reasonable one, and that it will be found in
every way, beneficial in its operation. of
course, we are not ignorant that our own
loyal and ancient town of Dorchester is
on the list of the twenty-five lxiroughs
which are to be shorn of their honours ;
but we are still of opinion that our town will
forfeit no substantial political good by the
change. Certainly, the abstraction of one HMO-
her from two is a very different thing to a
confiscation of both the seats; but as we stand
now, our own position is really no worse than
it would be were Lord Jon N's total disfrauchise-
meld of small boroughs actually in force. To oblige
two gentlemen—both very excellent men in
their way—one is allowed to come in upon the
strength of his political principles, the other
upon the strength of his property—the politics
of both being opposed one to the other, and the
votes of each, on all great questions, being
mutually antagonistic. The voice of our repre-
sentatives, therefore, being constantly neu-
tralized, Dorchester, as an embodiment of a
political principle, is simply a nonentity,
boasting not of a feather's weight in the leading
decisions of the great council of the country.
Now, our position in the electoral body can not
only suffer no harm by the proposed lopping off
of a useless member, but we shall have the plea-
sure of looking upon our ourselves as endowed
with some vitality, as the result of this judicious
application of the pruning knife. Political
opinion in Dorchester will then be something re-
cognizable—it will be as a healthy tree, newly
invigorated by judicious treatment, which may
reasonably be expected, hereafter, to bear good
fruit. We shall be once more invested with the
honour of giving force and effect to our electo-
ral privileges—a power which has long been
placed beyond the reach of our good old town.
Let us hope that the electors of Dorchester-6
should the Bill pass—will make such good use
of this happy change in our situation, as to prove
how wrong it would have been to deprive us of
the franchise, as proposed by Lord Jous.
'Want', in 1854, and to show how determined
we are to have a voice which shall be heard in
the House of Commons for the improvement
of the laws and the advancement of the best
interests of the country.

DOICHISTIR PITcHILD COHN MARKET, Saturday.
—Our market continues to be well supplied with
wheat. The demand to-day was languid. To effect
sales of second qualities a reduction of from Is. to 2s.
per quarter had to he submitted to. but farmers did
not press sales. Barley and oats still in demand for
seed at full rates. There was more doing in seeds;
cloven and rye greases Sr. more plentiful than was
anticipated, prices irregular.