The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-12-14 00:00:00

THE RIGHT HON. ROBERT LOWE ON

REFORM.
On Wednesday night Mr. Lowe met a large body of
his constituent' at the Musiodiall, Kidderinimiter, for
the purposo of giving to them an exposition of his views
upon the present state of political affairs, and explain.
Mg Ilia course of proceedings during the Wit session of
Parliament.

_ .....____....
Mr. Lowe delivered at some length • very effective
speech, in the operas of which he made the following
observations on Reform. Having remarked that the
manifest apathy of the country on Hint subject Must be
peculiarly galling to the Derby Cabinet whioh had °out-
witted itself to a measure of Reform, he prooeeded :
I think that where reform IN moat needed is in the rep-
resentation of the counties, for the old Reform Hill un-
doubtedly did a great deal of mischief in regard to the
representation of the counties. In the drat plaoe, it
divided many of them into two, and thus ()unsorted •
constituency which, when acting together, well one
great end independent body, into two close diatriets, in
the power of one or two great landowners. That is a
scandalous abuse, which ought to be repaired, I go
further, and way that the county franchise appears to
me to be eminently unfair, for it esolutlito from a voice
In the representation of the snooty it vast deal of the
property end iiitolligenee of the country, I bold it to
ho absurd that persons who do not live in a house worth
BIM a year in a manly 'Mould he excluded from the
franchise, and therefore I supported Mr. Loehr, Kinee
tonsure for mincing the wanly franchise to t 10,
(Ohitlow) Nay, inure I have given an earnest of iny
sincerity in that mum, for by my advise the Oolonial•
othett was induced to lower the franchise of all the Aus.
Indian coloolen from a mush higher amount to NIO,
Mt was 11 mod important 111•0001.0. Of it I was 11.0
author, 01111 11141 may be tome proof to you that I 1110
not adverse from a reasonable and preolical tomisure if
reform, (Thar, liesr,) I think that those are inipyovio
mei& whieli APO 1000 emintial to the counties, There
Ic 01101110, thing wideh ought to be done. A gentleman
eleuted by one of the Impel and meet liberal eunetiliP
mites in the 4lnipluot sueseeded last session hi loaning
a MA 111101110101 01111100 iii 1111 Ali sit PIWIIIOIIOIII, 101111110'
Mg the payment of the mummy of votere in counties,
1110P1114 191110111 the wenn of 01111 Will county to
stieli an no 011111 0 moderate Meanie merely
eould stand it. That 016104_ ought to be repealed.
(Olietirs.l to iyo elk—What will Ido with those
whom the fitful ill has not inreeted with the ham
Ake= with thud who have it not now, hut who might
by tormilenee II? economy, or rod fortuile, live Iti /110
houses I wish to I)imille with the Imbed respell of
the worhing elastic of 11111 sountry. They are the
payers of an 011010116110 quantity of our 11111101. Umpired
with thi/IP Immune the Income of the 00mi 0001010110,
alirinlie Into Month& Ineignikaner. Their properly,
therefor, In ono ones Is somparallvely very large and
him w see the manner which they are nrgenlehig
thulium yes for mutual litstruelleh mid exempting them.
selves (ruin thg Influenee uf the degrading, mid once
notional, vice of Ititemperanee —when T see that the iit'
VlOlllOOl which perfeut oar uThinery Mooed All milli'.
nate with the working Mmi ae, ion hound to womb' la
loony of them the puesession a a high degree of
genus. And II I wish 10 see ittoperly anti inteillgettoe
represented, I should be vsesedlngly gird if I eatibl is.
vise any 11111111111 by which the property and Intelligence
111 the working slum (mold be repreaented, Mother
with the property and intelligenee of the other SIAM%
But don't iniatuidareland in., I tell you frankly that 1
110,11 HO lush MUM. (" (bil, 011 i" I kilOW that yell
can admit at twee, se Is proposed at Birmingham, ill
these who live In home. in wholly. any where. You 81111
have easily enough a household oulfrAge or a 111111110001
oulfrags, It is quite puitaible to du that I but if you
wore la give a household or a manhood suffrage to the
working °lamest you would not he giving rupreeentstion
to the property and intelligtines of the working classes
Oils by side with the property and intelllgtoom of the
other elating hot yea would he swamping the other
clews, anti giving the represtattation wholly end entirely
to the working 01-11110111, (tilieera, and nu, not) I agree
with Lord Maeaulay that property and intelllgettue
ought to be repremitited t hut that 1110141 noiuhiqre to NO
for as they du nut represen pro
t perty and ititelllgenee,
might nut to be allowed to swamp property and WWll-
puce. I am aware that I may be stating opinions
which may be unpopular l hut it is bettor that I 'Mould
tell you the Ample troth than that I should ettettipt to
deceive you with claptrap expressions about liberality
and all the rest of it, as I knight easily do. (Heardlear.)
If you went a representative who is prepared to swamp
and destroy the baleen*, which now resides In the mid-
die classes, and that, not for the benefit of the middle
stamen only, but of all SIMMS in the omit enmity, you must
look elsewhere, for I AM not the num. (Cheers.) I
never lid you to suppose that I would do anything of
the kind, and no power shall ever Judea' me to do it.
HON is another question. Mr. Bright has been mooed-
Ingly impressive un the subject of eleoPirial diatricte,
He thinks it an intolerable grievance indicted upon
every voter if any body else has • larger share in a mein.
ber than himself. He seems to desire that consumma•
thin described by the poet, when

" Each fair burgh nuinerloelly free,
"libel! chows It. member by the rule of three."

(A laugh.) Such a proposition may do for Mr. Bright
and those whom he represents ; but I am surprised when
I flnds rent leman like Mr. Newdegate, professing high
Tory principles, bemuse lie thinks that lie will get •
slight advantage in the counties when you come to
count the numbers of the population, joining in a cry so
utterly subversive of every principle on which the
constitution of the country, if it is to remain a mon-
archy, can be founded. In 1853 the population. repre-
'anted by each member In the House of C,oininons, had
all been equally represented, was 37,000. But in Ireland
at this moment each member represents about 74,000
persons, Just double the average of the whole kingdom.
Therefore, if we are to carry out Mr. Bright's principle
of equal electoral districta the Snit thing we must do is
to double the number of Irish member*, and instead of
105 member., give to Ireland 210. Well, are you pre-
pared for that? (Cries of "No.") Hut that ii the
principle, and let us have " Natl.° for Ireland."
(Cheers.) Mr. Bright tells us that the law looks upon
all voters is equal, as having an equal right to Menem*
in Parliament, and he thinks II a allooking thing that
places with lees than the averme population should
return members. We Cr. far below the average of
boroughs in Kidderminster, remember; and, therefor*,
of mune we must go ; and, probably, ever" borough in
Woroesterahlre Luton he eaurilieth in order to carry
members over to Ireland. Again, we have 16 members
for the inutropolle of London and ite suburb', and a
greet deal of trouble Blom gentlemen give us. Their
constituents are so near to them, and give them some!'
advice, that we never eau tell whet they will be at, and
a serious tribulation they ire (a laugh) , but, it Mr.
Bright's plan were adopted, instead of 16 membere for
the metropolis, there would be 711 What du you think
of that? And where are they to some from? It is a
proposition, in fact, for meowing the country diatriots.
Fur removing every vestige of represeutation from the
Gauntry towns, aud ouneentrating it all in the great
towns, If the people like tlthl, let them have it hut
let them understand whit it is they ere doing I for,
when they liars loot their repreasntation, whet good
will the franchise be to them? (Cheers.) I confess
that it is with very at impatience I eonstantly hear
this country referred-to foreign nations for an uaraple.
I Ur. /Auks said of this country that shivery mud be

hod anywhere, but freedom wm 'hot pearl of Mot rrl°o
of which Engion•l Intl the monopoly. ((Jfiteers.) But
Mum seemed to limn °hanged, for now
" &soh port adept dt.ow,ol Briton's port.
" And shuns the name of hingictinl train Id* Mart
" A windy potrlut If 1110 worhi Moue.
Tho friend of ivory mutiny but Ma own."
We are told, foncouth, that we ore to take on wimple
front &Mini', or fruin our trolunioa, which 1113 not two
yaws old iii oilfinvernment we, who 114" had a Hall"
of UllllllllOllO for WO yew., an to norn front the 11111011•
room Maim of Alumina we ore to learn from every•
where except from 11111 t rich repository of knowledge
01111 01141111111 the 1115tu17 of our °wintry. (A Voloo.—
" Pronto.") France has the Inestimable privilege of en•
Joying univermal suffroga and vote by bollot, and /1001011
slit 1111011 11 elate that 1111 14110 dors wrlto even In prods.
of the Uoverninent witimitt pernalision, thot no 111011
eon lio down In lila lied without being 11WIl10 thot 111141111
alliory vial) inky °tory hini II to Lambe/No, in Algiers,
or to C••yetine to die of putrid rover. Look at the
Named kingdom of (Ir)o*, whioli enjoys univoriod aut.
frogs ond vote by ballot. The no. whicsh id mode of tho
vote by bollot time Is tint the tiovernment Miami
whoni it plemos, becaum It tamper+ Wllll the ballot.
boo, and It not only Impales 1110 most oppremive tow
Mon, and informs this most cruel inlitotim upon Its sub.
Jut., but It hos arrived it this stops of depravity, that
having 0 dueiro to mime 111/011 flit/ IMIPIOOIIt provinom If
'rurkey, it snowman. system I,f mardor mill brigandage
throughout tile wintery, in order till) it may lon a
certain number of Armed anon to let loom upon Ito
neighbours wlionovor tin opportunity mins. That is
solintry governed by unlvereal suffrage. I hove nut
11111100,1 illottcro. but I hove told you piolnly who) I furl,
ond, although 1 1111 owore thot I groat deal that I have
11111 0411110 t be ameptabla tc• many of yuu,l oto mimell.
ingly grateful for the kindness with whiell you hove
Intoned to me, (Chmon.) I introit you to °pushier
well before you brook with the past of Ungloild, We
have a history, Mite it oltogother, tlio moot glorioue thot
any nation hollow WO, We hove elood manfully ond
boldly for own hinnies and for the liberties of Enron°
agolutt the greatcoat ownmeror tile world aver saw
Napoleon Mammon. I and, turning from the arta of
*OO )4) those of 1001100, WO 11100 reformed Our liiititutlona
we hove wept away Wows, we hove oarriod on the
Government iii 11110111101 ocoeptoblo to tile grout body
of the pimple, on•l, If wo aro ollowad to promod in the
name mina of 'toady 11111 linisunitting programs, we 011011
continue to do so, lid let me Nano) you to boyar°,
not to be 101 l away by plainible or ambiguous imprint.
01111111 tO 11101011) to 0 ineasurs which, if oarried out, would
hove the eat of swomping the property mill WWI.
t•f the °wintry by giving the power of reprosento•
Mon to more numbers. Iteinember that such a prupoil•
1•1011 would hove been ri•liesled by the inonortol
Elliskapsare • that is would limn Moon ropuiliolud by
Hampden, by I'7lll, by Cromwell, by Milton, by RllOllOll.
111111 by Sydney—the foundoni of cnir liberty i tint it
would have gained 110 mooptonce 11l the vigoroni mind
If ('1)1)11110 I that it would have boon repudioted ii
alumni by the plillomphiu intellect of Burke, and by
MI the l•right Int•lleots of history, beginning with Fox
and Pitt and going down to 'Pool, to Conning, and
Mmauloy. (Chinni.) 1 Inv* hoen one of the first to
soy publialy that which we oil my to oureolven. I know
till hootility that I thereby provoke, and I 0111 propored
to meet till eonsequenoes, for Mime ITS principle*
width I cannot mid dare not trill with. They lio it
the very root mid foundation 01 0111 moiety, 001 1101111111,
and our glory. I glory in the noon of an Engliehinan,
and I shell olwaya seek to derive the inepirothin of my
conduct front that pun fountoin—the generous and
noble 1111E017 of the British oonstitutlon. (The right
lion, gentleman in resuming his seat was loudly
almond.)
Votes of thank' veers then carried to the right hon,
gentleman and to the Mayor, and 1110 proomilinge were
brought to a oloso.