The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-02-26 00:00:00

Dorsctshtre.

bORVIIESTER.

A PERMISSIVE BILL THE BEST REFORM BILL.

A leetere OD this subject was delivered at the TOWS.
ball on Friday evening last, by Mr. J. Hilton, of
Brighton. The attenbante wag tolerably numerous.
The chair was occupied hy Mr. Westbrook, who, after •
few remark., intnellueed Mr. Hilton to the meeting.
Mr. Iliteere, win, was received with loud appberee,
said in the remarks which he simnel make he should
consider the Permiesive Bill for Fergiaere or rather the
principle of the Pt nir erosive Bill sureawfuly cirri it out,
Loire the reform sum). Ito, that is, the toed rambled,
of the tuanufacture for sale, and the -Au ef, intereMeting
He finely ecliceed that if sue). prinerple• were
neiverselly adopted we 'holed tle in to be the
greateet. reform that has ever been m tempterl or
accoundielsed iii this country. He we'rel hoe of all
coistrest the carrying out of tide pritivele with eerie,
preprandialo which have aliesdy been smote for nationol
ireforiu. He had no doubt the pAitiener. of the day
were greatly disappointerf thee sir Ite.orni Bill had
beeu brought forware this 'radon, and tent there is no
proeperet of any greet improvement io our reprewist-
ative "poem. Of all toe varier es improvements of
political reformers one of the chief was to withqi or
extend the lir...acids* among the people, to enalde inure
of our follow countrymen to proeees the right 11 Cltitell•
1111111 in the power of veting for their representative.
who were to make the Lie/A. T 1111•1. if 1101 a ummare
were worried out, they might expect some import-dot ro-
und., hitt thaw results wonbt i.e geed or evil, jurd iii
'rood-torn se those who would he entnated edit the
franchise 'are virtuous sod Intelligilmi, or ViCloUo •sul
igner rel. If the fretiehise wer• greatly exten trd
mre row. sad thaw woo were pit tutu poseerenun of the
trencher, were lead intelligent and lees virtuous than
threw who at preterit herd it., the (erratical result won ii
he that our country would be governed wortie than it
wee before. became three who eau,e into prieseseion of
the frenchise would use their power to their own and
the nation*" injury. On the other hand, euppoeing the
newly franchised Ironton of the annmunity to be more
intelligent, to be better informed se to the right (tiro
ciples of Government, to know enure of the history of
their country, end to know how to give their voter
mere houmtly, then they might expert a referm
their institutions. and the Governroeut, being • reflex
of the i.e ode, would be letter then it has hitherto
been. (Hear, herr.) It would be easy for them to ear
that the value if an extended franchise depeerred much
epee the inorAity and virtue of the trooper. Now the
Bill which he was preparing to them that night would
not only extern i the transit se to a very large estent,
but to testy man WllO Casud 1140 1101.10a4101l Of tile
franchise it would give the jower to use that franchiee
for his our end her his conetry's good, and such a re-
form arerld Ire permanent mot enduring. There war
*mill or subject to ohiel, he would briefly allude. Poll'
treal Moller-re hive been urging epos' the Govenituent
the nece.ity of Is atiting the taxation of our count iy—
the irecreeity of ecuriourrsitig the irationel expeirditure.
There were mere petrele who believed that all the ills
which flesh is heir to" are shoe erect •,ow ti upon them by
the Government. They told them that the ree.un why
people were .0 poor, end the reeeni why the times wire
Not better, was because the taxation of the country wive
no tremendous. He we.. Willing to admit that
the taxation was prodigious, their national ee•
expenditure being something like seventy milliuu• yeer,
a sum which it was impossible fur them to conceive.
Doubtless the taxation produced very heavy hurdeirs
mem the perede, hut he would ark whether they could
reamer, such texation? Was all the 111.11111 thrown
away? In the first pieta they had to lay the imenert
of our natioual debt, which was created for them by
their forefathers. Then they lord to pay the exeenee
of keeping up their naval end military tetehlishments.
and salt the remeinder of the nroney they purchased
the beet govenruient list exerts on the face of the earth.
They lied more security fur Me turd property. and more
real liberty than any other country with which
he had the slightest samaintance. He had been told
that other countries managed to be govenied with le-u
cost, and that Aiirenca only reel twenty million,m tor it.
government, whereas the English Government costs
seventy millions. For his own part, he would rather
pay lie quota to the seveitty reed ties Citltell of
England then be a metal, of • country whets
four millions of Ira brethren were held in
cruel and degrading slevery for no other crime than
hewing a darker skin than his own. (Applause.) It
would be • greet reform, no doubt, if sonic of our
national expenditure could be saved without 'neon.
vrnieireina the Orrvernment or leoweing the value of
our security. They had bed in times part propositions
of incomel eseenditere, one of which was front Mr.
Cobden, who thouget roma few millions might be saved.
Bet tlir reform of Mr. Cobden sinks into toreee imielefi•
canoe when compered with the reform which the Bill
he Was 1.1.01114141: would effect Mr. Ponce°, the Ikirr.l
of Teele. some few years ago. smile • .alculation of she
coat of. nett and tuber:3Eoo.llkb lie found to • tttttt int tu
lea than fifty drev en millions moonily. This was allllll4l
large OM 1 it sere plated ii s.. cfrigll,l It 1101114
require feto horses and carts, for it %vett Id weigh MOW,.
of solid gold Now if they alrilirlied this eysterin,
se. Me 1.1 Ility 'oven millirem weuld he effected, wide),
would bring ...bout all SlllOlllll. Of morrerity ir
they could have no conception. A...tiler peint upon
which he would touch was —dust political re ('risers
the praeut day sire mostly in (*your of the Ina 4.
Now whet WA/ their reeson for edeenereg a •e+tero of
voting by hellot ? It war that enters—honeet voters—
Month! be able to record their votes according to their
cuoircienie, and without fear of persecution those
under whom they are placed. It was a well•kuown
fact, that to a large extent it was the heir barrel that
was represented in the House of ChrierilOtile Threats
many who ravager/re the feet that the evil of
theorkenuesir et eltetione deter many excellent Well from
uttering themselves as candirater for seats in Parliament,
arid art if vll4lllOOl CoUlot be leereirel many 111e11 iii
brilliant talent—two who word.' shine in the House of
capelde glerione deeds, 111,.. cannot
efferd to speed two or three Browseda at an elation.
wireld then be able to come forward am' lake there seata
in Perliaorent. He was not there to chrome the pros
amid roma on the question, but he was there to tel them
that the riotous proceeditip and immoralities at elec.
lions occur chiefly. aluitert entirely. through the meditate
of Miele atiug liquors. If they could mere out their
a lien.e fur tu•king men sober, the working men of
Engleird would scorn to be tampered aith by
any WWI. however high his position ; and that
'net in proportion as they remove thie drillk
log midterm from the werking man would they.
make him inrlepeedent, and enable him 111 eireeine tilt
firmichire and all the righter of citizenship ace,,rdreg to
his own conscieirce, in s' it. of all circumstances over
which he rimy he surnmeded. Thus they would see
that their Permiseive Bill was a ...hems for referming
parliamentary elections. He then weal on to notice
the glorious ...edifice which this country made in (eying
20 Milli 411 to free the slaves of West India, hut the
permissive Bill would emeneipate 600,000 eleves mm or
own country. With regard to the reforming re our trade
mud commerce, he alluded to the abolition 11 the awn
laws, which fur 40 years had been the cameo( the people
4th...entry. All honour, he *aid, to the men by *lime
talents and perseverance such a reform was effected.
lie found that the coeentuption of grain in our Ism) for
all purpoaes amounted to about 18 millions of qmortent
earmally. The reform he was endeavouring to get
would bring at °um into the nierket 8 millions of
qr.rters of grain annoelly, which was 110111teill1,11e1 ill
nankin intoxicating liquor, which had for its effect to
Disko good men bail, and bad men worse ; to fill our
wotklionses and our gads, and make all kinds of
bunter. whi. 11 were difficult for the people to bear.
Ile would now draw their attention to local reform'.
Their town, he said, was 3rot a very large one, yet
they kept up • timber of establi.hruenta for 'their he
thought they could not well afford to pay.
The Permiseiv• Bill would be one of the greete.t loud
refonue ever attempted in this town, and he their
guidance he would explain the principle of the Bill.
It wes celled fa •• perinieeive" becense it
was fronted as to permit any town in the Kingdom
to adopt it if such town by • majority of two thirds A
its votes should easier to do so. 'lle inhabitants of any
toren rsight niat to diecues the propriety or °there're.
of coutinuing the licemes to public houses and
beer shone. They might, by • requisition to
their Mayor, desire Iriin to call a puldic
meeting upon the matter. At this novelize the
gumtree would be discuesed whether the sale of liquor
was for their interests, whether it aimed them to pay
poor•rated unueeesserily, whether it erevents trade sod
oreurnerue spreading ; and upon this being determined,
they might, by a majority of two-thirds, enahle the
chief magistrate to stop all the licenses. He found that
the town of Dorchader at the lest cense" conteined •
population of about 6,000, and from inquires. Ile had
made he did not think the population have much
Imre/real. He found they hot 40 licemed houses, and
the average receipt+ rd such houses was £lO per week.
New eupporsing £lO to be the amount taken by these
houses, then there we• spent in this town every year no
lea • suer than elotlo. After some other nacre:tine
remarks, he concluded by calling epee hi,, lieerers to
examine the roreetion for thews, Ives, end he WRY 1.111-11
that trete sal justice would prevail. A tote of
to the lecturer terminated the priwerelings.