The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-03-19 00:00:00

BIRTHS.

Mtreh 5, at Dresden, Saxony, lb. Counter Von
Eltiffsaus..6,ol 5.05.
8, at Cotrigh F.'s, near Bedminster ibe wife
of Mr. Het ry of • daughter.
March 12, at Waddook, the wife of Mr. Dory, of
• S.M.

March 11, aa Clyfle, mar Dorchester, the wife of
It.lward lattrh Km,l.ralay, Rag., 11 a dalgbtar,
11,6'113, at Grove ktuildnaga, INasbeetaz, ibll Wile Of
Mr. Wrlii.su IleWar, of a d.ughter.

111 4,ItRIAGISA.

Ilareh 7, al the pariah che.eh. Winfrioh, by the Env.
G. P. G. Ceo‘eret, Mr. W. Wilkinens. w•rd•r Porthnd
t'..nviet Priaon, to Mrs. Leo°, of Purtl•nd, formerly ot
NV..anth.
ld.re 7. Al St. *try's Cbtveh, Bridnort, by the
Z •. G. F. &ono Mr. Jonvida Pewee, of Portland, to
Synth %no...anew; daughter ot Mr. W. LUAU. Mason'.
Bruiport.
11er..11 .3. 4a•v's (Piked'. Donee-et. Pools, by
the Per. J. L Yr. W. H. Trete to Nun E.,
Bosh, both of Poole.
M.rao It, at Samr•eston Church, our WltnbortHl.
by the Rae. T. M. Patey, Mr. Albert Dinning, o.
Yeovil Brut,. Farm, to Diana, amend daughter 4).
the fano !leery Herren, Esq , of the Manor Farm
Zauspreaton.
DEATH&

- -
'iamb 7, At Oettistook, of consumption, the wile e 4
Mr._ Thomas Tholnert grocer.

ming, y, .12. Lutatoerne Villa., Benramaouth, ,
Ann
avid°, of late John Hay-aid, Li: 1100.
ledia Company's navy.
II nth 12. el P.olr. Ellen, daughter of Mr. G.
soul 4 'ears.
Horan 12, at B..ettishury, &nth, the. beloved oil.
of IC. Hunt, grocer, ar-d 59 years.
K 404 12. at V0r.1114111.1411, Sopiii., r. bet of th• lat.
Me. Tho i,orm se tu•ke yled ,52 1/0111,/
rah 12, suddenly, •1 hi. modems'. Or it I-pamde,
Pot m M al vitae of tho heart. Su the 67th tea.
Iva age, W 1..... °Mat, 11.1., banker, sod a ntssi•tritt•
to ios .t y of H ntit.
1 Ikutio.tio-ntr•Mar. a 54 42, Joka Periam
Latt.hrldit , iq., oldest son of Sir Job.. Hitaka
Iss: bri g.. Bart.
11.n.b 14, at Broadmayms, Margaret Willis, aged 66
yam.
March 14, al the boas* of his rea-hr.law No
Meatuoarhalure, of broaebitia, Mr. James,
On tons. sod fd,

March 15, at Torquay, the Lord Mum. said 177.-.
Maras 15, at Wombats% Mr. Ahem BSS, bOO4 sod
shoo rasher.
_ . _

ai Wiwborne John William' Bailey, Beq.,
inasager ni the Natieeal Provincial Bank.
March 16, at nibelbamopton Hall, George Junes Wood,
Be r 4 , In his 0011 year.
March 16. et Posaiiiibridge, Mr. William /Weals,
nielater earl brewer, &ewe 66.
11Wel, IT, at Wolvetoo. Doreheater, after a abort
illness, Mr. Francis Puckett, speelod, mad

IT is particularly requested that all Com.
munications be addressed to "The Editors,"
and not to any individual by name.

DORSET COUNTY EXPRESS

DORCHKEITER, TUESDAY, MARCH 19. 1967.

THE GOVERNMENT REFORM BILL
All surmises as to the intentions of the
Government in regard to Reform are now at
an end, for the country has been made ac-
quainted with the main features of the Bill
Mr. Disraeli would unfold to the House of
Commons last evening, and upon which we
are informed the Ministry have resolved to
stand or fall; with an intimation that in the
latter eventuality an appeal to the country
will be made. The basis of the Derby Reform
Bill is household rating suffrage. Every
resident householder of two years, who is
rated to the parish, will have a vote for his
borough. In the cue of compound house-
holders, they may, upon payment of the rate,
be put on the register and have their votes.
The figure of the county franchise is fixed at
£l5. The new franchises for education, the
possession of funded property to the amount
of £5O, and the holding of £3O in a savings
bank, will be as in the measure last pro-
posed by Mr. Disraeli. A second vote, in
addition to the household qualification, will
be given to everyone who pays direct taxes to
the amount of '2os. a year—not limited to the
income-tax. As to the redistribution of seats,
there will be no advance on the last proposal
of the Government. All boroughs under
7,000 population will be deprived of one mem-
ber, and the seats thus gained will be distri-
buted among new boroughs and new divisions
of counties in an equitable proportion. Such,
in brief, is the Ministerial scheme, to which
the two hundred and forty-three members to
whom Lord 'erby expounded it on Friday
afternoon gave their approval and signified
' their determination to support. The conces-
sion of household suffrage for boroughs will,
it is estimated, add twice as many voters to the
electoral roll as under Mr. nladatone's Bill, but
of course, the weighty ootinteriirise of dual voting
to be exercised by persons who besides paying
rates as householders ooutribute 20s. a year each
to the direct tit:re of the country, will greatly
modify that result. The fear which promoted
this novel compensatiou to household suffrage is
to • very large extent, we believe. grounded on
• fallacy, viz., that working men would combine
together in many boroughs and thus obtain •
predominating power, to which they are not fairly
entitled. To attain such a result there must
be complete unity of thought and action amongst
them, and it is noWrion, that there are few
bodies of working men that pull wholly together
—that they are as much subject to ditertity of
opinion as other CiSSIISS in the community. This
is abundantly seen in the operation of
the Municipal Corporations' Act. But besidts
this there is the important consideration
how oert in it is that of those on whom house-
hold suffrage would confer the franchise very
many would not exercise it. The srreivance
which more than anything else has induced the
agitation for a Reform Bill is, that • large body
cut the working classes have not had the option of
expressing their opinions in the House of
Commons so ray as that may be done through
their voting at the election of the representatives
of the places in which they dwell The con-
cession being made that which before appeared
of the greatest value would in the case of many
dwindle into insignificance. No perceptible
present benefit would suggest itself to the minds
of hundreds when called upon to vote, and It is
in the nature of things that those and those only
who know and appmniate the value of the
franchise woeld take the trouble to go to the
poll. We conclude therefore that the concession
of housels.,ld sufferage with so heavy a counter-
poise as that with which it is coupled in the
Government Bill, will provoke the relentless
opposition of the Liberal party. The Times
has given an unqualified condemnation of the
proposed dual voting, and says that the Ministry
will have to face the question whether they
will give up that part of their plan and be
content with the rest. It is, however, so
vital an element in the measure, that
we cannot think the Governmeot or
their supporters would consent to such • muti-
lation of the Bill, but will rather make an appeal
to the wooer/ on the question. This, however,
will involve • postponement of Reform for
another year, prolonging an agitation thst will
increase in bitterness, and we trust that the
scheme may be so modified that it may become
acceptable to Parliament and the country
generally, and thus the question of the repre-
sentatiou of the people be settled for at least
another generation.