The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-03-08 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-YONDAY.

PARLIAMENTARY REPOILV.
The CHANCIU.I.OII of the Excillutunit rose to more
for leave to bring iu • Bill to amend the Laws relating
to the Representation of the People in England and
Wales, and to facilitate the &glaciation and Voting of

Electors. After adverting to the importance of •
question involving the principle upon which the diatri•
bution of power in the community depended, lllli to the
favourtble circumstances under which the question was
brought forward fur discussion, compared with those
attending the measure of 1.832. he remarked that the
latter meeaure was necessarily experinientel, and that
it was not surprising some mistakes should have
been committed, and that, in the course of
time, errors should be discovered which ought
to be corrected, and deficiencies that ought to be
supplied. Mr. Disraeli proceeded to discuss the ques-
tion of the franchise, first in boroughs, then in counties
It was propoaed, he said, not to alter the limit of the
borough franchise, but to introduce into boroughs •
new kind of franchise, founded upon personal property,
and to give • vote to peeweea having property to the
anemia of £lO a year in the Fund+, Bank Stock. and
East India Stock; a person having 1:130 in a 'Laving*.
bank would, under the Bill, be an elector for the borough
in which be resided, as well as the recipients of pensions
in the naval, military, and civil services amounting to
COI a year. Dwellers in a portion of • house whose
aggregate rent was .t.N) a year would likewise have •
vote. The suffrage would els, be conferred upon gradu-
etes of the Universities, ministers of religion members
of the legal profession, and of the medical body, and
certain schoolmasters. In considering the county fran•
chine, lie reviewed the controversy respecting the
Chandos clause in the Act of 18:12. To terminate the
heartburnings arising from it, and to restore the county
conatituancy to its natural state, and bring about a
general content and aympathy between the different por-
tions of the constituent body, the Government pro-
posed to recognize the principle of identity of suffrage
hetween the counties and the towns. They propoeed
that Boundary Commissioners shonld visit the boroughs
in England, re-arrange them, and adapt them to the
altered circumstances of the times ; their appointment ,
would be delegated to the Enclosures Commies is.
The effect of giving to counties • I.:10 franchise would
be, according to the estimates of the Geverninent, to add
, to the county constituency 200,000. Having laid before
the House the character of the proposed electorial body,
' lie next proceeded to state how it was proposed they
Ishould be registered, and how they were to vote. Over-
seers of parishes would be required to furnish • list of
owners as well as occupiers, which would be a self-acting
; register. It was proposed that the number of polling.
I places should be greatly increased, that every parish
, having 2110 electers should be a polling-place ; that every
I voter should vote in the place where lie resided, and
that those who liked it might vote by polling-papers
, instead id going to the hustings. precautions being pro.
vided against fraud and personation. A complete repre-
, aentation, he proceeded to observe. did not depend upon
I the electoral body; it also depended upon whether the
different interests of the country were adequately repre-
sented. Disctriling the principle of population, and
, accepting as a truth that the function of the 110:150 was
to represent, not the voice of • numerical majority or
the influence of • predominant property, but time various
interests' of the country, the Government had felt it
to he their duty to see whether there were interests not
represented, and whether the genera representation or
the country could be matured and completed; and they
gisTdi i reWtwadodtofourutrtilinbecars.htioretlanie
dWtwesot
tollindgdloef
, sex ; and that the following towns should be represen-
ted :—Hartlepool, Birkenhead, West liroinwhich and
' Weilneshury, Burnley and Staleybridge, Croydon, and
IGravesend. Assuming that, in the opinion of the
House, its numbers ought not to be increased, means
I must be found for the representation of these interests,
and threw means had been found before in angular cit..
cumstances. and in the same constitutional spirit. He
promised that • schedule of places now sending two
members to Parliament which it was intended should
I hereafter return only one each should be laid before the
House; but the 11 \MCI being loudly called for,
Mr. Disraeli, with a graceful manifestation of reluc-
, tance, read the list.
, Mr. liArren opposed the nsotion. He considered the
, scheme unfair and unjust to the people of Scotland, and
! not calculated to meet the fair claims of the country ;
and lie -ea a resolution, as an amendment. " That
it is expedient to consider the laws relating to the
, npresentation of the people in England and Wales, and
I Scotland and Ireland, not separately, but in one
j measure." • . . .

Cursory remarks were made by several members upon
the llovernment measure, objections were raised, and
various explanations were sought; the amenduient was
generally opposed, and ultimately withdrawn.
Mr. Fox protested against the Bill, because it did
not remedy a glaring defect in the Reform Act of 1832,
by providing for the emancipation of the working
classes.
Lord J. RUSSELL said there were two points in Mr.
Disraeli's statement which had filled him with very
great apprehension. The first was what lie understood
I to say regarding Is eeliolders in towns, amounting to
90,000 or 100,600, that they were no longer to vote for
the county. So far from this title to vote being an evil
requiring a remedy, it was • very great advantage. The
other point vu a serious omission—namely, that little
or nothing was said for the working classes. Unless
more satisfaction was meant to be given to the country,
it would be better not to change the representation at
all.
Mr. Roeurce observed that • change of the repre-
sentation w.is only justifiable when it led to • better
state of things. His objection to the Bill was that it
would lead to • worse state. It would mast give one
iota of power to the working classes ; it was a measure
of didranchiseinent, not of enfranchisement, amid it
would he opposed in every stage.
Mr. BRIGHT said this Bill was prorosed in obedience
to the call of the great body of the unenfranchised, yet
all the working classes, toiling and paying taxes, if they
were outcasts in 1832, must be outcasts still. The new
franchises were, lie said, absurd ; they seemed intended
merely to make it appear that something was given.
He insisted upon the tlimmaatumfaction that would be
created by the withdrawal of their county vote from
occupiers in towns. It would have been better, he
thought, if Mr. Disraeli had adhered to the ancient
maxims of his party, or to have adopted a measure of
his °memento, then to have introduced a Bill which
must create anger and disgust throughout the country,
which would disturb everything and settle nothing.
Mr. DiteummoN D professed not to understand the Bill.
He understomxl, he said, the Bill of 1832, which was an
I act of vengeance on the part of the Whip against those
who bad kept them out of power. He understood Mr.
I Bright's measure, and knew how to meet him ; but lie
I did not know how to meet this Bill.
Lord PALM 1211:4ToN observed that it would be better
to wait and see the Bill, before its details, which bad
been imperfectly explained, wore dismilsed.
After a few words from Mr. Cmmossi.tv,
Mr. J.tmieu, said, in his opinion, the Bill would not be
satisfactory to the country.
Mr. BENT' NCR, not being prepared to give an opinion
upon the Bill, adverted to the speeches of Mr. Bright;
the only conclusion lie could draw from them, lie said,
was that his views were thou of a leveller and • coinmunist.
After some further debate, the CHANCELLOR of the
EICHINUER made a general reply to questions, and
repelled succeasful,y some of the objections of Lord J.
Russell and Mr. Bright.
Leave was then given to introduce the Bill, the
rwt.xeld reading of which was fixed for tlist day three
weeks.
(hi the motion of the SOLICITOR•GENERAL, the Title
to Lauded Estates Bill and the Registry of Landed
Estates Bill were read a second time.
The Report of the Committee of Supply was brought
up and agreed to.
The Medical Act (1858) Amendment Bill passed
through committee.
Other Bills were advanced a stage, and, after some
further business, the House adjourned at half-past 11
o'clock.