The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-04-17 00:00:00

THE REFOR.II BILL

A Public Meeting was held in tb•Townhall, Bridport,
on Wednesday evening. is pursuance of a requisition to
the kayo, signed by Noe-l.et.qi of the Bortnigh, to
take into oonsideratiou the Government Reform BilL
There teas a fair attendance.

The litton (T. Cahn, Esq.), took the chat, end said
on opening the prossWings, that be had received an
address signed by non-eleotors requesting him to call •
public meeting to smolder the Reform Bill, and he bad
waded to their regent, as it would give them an op.
portanity of expressier their views on it, the subject
bang of greet interest just now to the eountry. The
requisition had limo agreed by 114 names and be had
bees informed by the pentane who promoted it, that
they *add have got • great limey more, but he sup-
posed they bad not the ties* to do so. The requisition
to him was to mil • misting and also preside at it, and,
as chief magistrate of the town, be oonsidered it suit-
able he should do no, whatever his private views might
be. In *indoor perhaps he might to say 'hat be did
net feel sufficiently interested in the Bill to have come
there as a private individual to promote it, but be eat
there as Mayor to bold • belems of keels, with an
even habil. In conaullon be quoted the words" may
that aide win which is really right"--(applanes).
Mr. Wieners Men mad a latter from Mr. Mitchell,
and remarked that be did not know why be hail been
naked to do so export that the writing was very difficult
to make out. it stated that Me. Mitchell was unable
to attend the meeting, hut that from the lira he had
given the Bill hie alone and unqualified supper I, and
hie opiate° in its lave& bad Seen esulinned by the
oppositioa smarm/lag from • set of wily aristocrats who
"ranted to monopolise the whole power of the coantry.
Hs also read a latter front Mr. Hodgson, the other
member for the borough, who said he was unable to
attend the meeting, but he considered the Bill a good
and honest one and it should have his warm and cordial
support. Mr. Westlake stated that the Hon. Mr.
Portman had also been written to bet no answer had
been reesivert. [l4. H. H. Oox : I suppose he Is "a wily
aristocrat
(Loighter).)
Mr. BaLlealisr roes to propose the first redolence, apt
"aid be whited it bad fallen to the lot of some one ass
to do an. He shouldn't innate to insult any of them
by Gahm them if they)me• what the Bill proposed to
do. He Wily dibrid the an, end said it was to
suppert it the Deform Committee (for there wan one in
the town) had salad then* bother that bight I it pro-
posed to an'ourehise 400,000 of their folio...countrymen
who had no voice in tile government of the country.
They thought the Bill • good instalment and took it am
such, it we. net all they wished, they desired the
franchise in rosettes to be reduced to £lO. the same as
Lord Derby's Bill proposed, and he hoped the Caesarea
-
tine would, as Mr. Bright bad 'morseled, move an
mmodmenl in committee to that effect—Heaghter.)
The measure yes boort sad sulastintial as it would give
great many • safe in the country who bed nom now.
They, the working-as had been fpr • long time a
o
5h,4.0.k for the Merino parties of the country, and
wished now to show that they were in earnest in the
matter as wall aa the Government. This Bill had to
encounter opposition of no ordinary nature ; • man's
worst foes were those of his own house, and many of
the profeseed friends of Reform were strongbe oplho-
nente of It; Mhe Mass who had protested to
all their life.thoe, now add it went too far or
not fee enough some persons said they were
drunken and some venaL Iliere was one party riid the
working amass were indifferent and apathetic on the
subject, which ream • proof that the measure was not
wanted ; bet these so speaking fated to read the lemons
of history. He naked did they whit to see the steam of
IMO or HMO repeated in our elay ? Did they wish to see
mobs parading our streede and going about the eountry
breaking maehinery or destroying property? He be-
lieved there was • sines feeling al loyalty in the work-
' logoLasees now, more than ever it wan; not because
they were sousesh better off than formerly, as oa the
contrary, there was a great deal of poverty, but there
was more intelligeues now and more leoreing which
they blew bow to see. In IMO there was a profligate
Court and corrupt Parliament, now the virtuous
example of the Queen mused a greater amount of
loyalty. It was bemuse the working ammo had more
knowledge now that they were so quiet, it was not
apathy; sad he thought Ifr. Lowe and those acting
with him, might thank their stars that the state of the
country wee so different from what it was formerly,
and that they could therefore without molestation go
from one end of the country to the other. There was
another opposition to the Bill, that of the Conserve-
tires, which he considered an booed gee, though some
of them might Mink it could not be so, but be believed
It well, and the, wen prepared to battle with them
Ho believed the Conirervaiyee had a memos and
regard for the coustitotioa whirler caused them to aM
thus; bet they themselves had the sane—they only
wished to improve IL La Ile working amen
stir therneams, and show that they were in
earnest to get their politina right% and that they
had the sense to use them. There was an amendment
to be moved in Committee by Mr. Darby Griffith giving
• plurality of voter, be thought they bad better give
up the Bill sitogerther, than have that. The amend.
mint proposed thous who routed at LI • year to hese
ose vote, those at Bit three votes ared so on; they could
=sine the West of seat • Illismilr• as that. Mr.
• boa In the lad few day. at Liverpool Oren
mum very good remona, he thought, for the 818, and
shown that the amount of the property of the working
classes was mesh greater than the amount they shared
In the representation of the soustry. They powered
• properness of th:scrty In the ecnintry of 113 to
every CT. end yet had ciee-seventh part of the re-
presentation. Was • fair state of Miley 1—(no,
no). They paid taxes awl should be allowed • share in
the repremataliee. He did not think any one could
put his hand In his pocket fee mosey without his &
what be was gang to do with ft—(applimmeti
laughter). He thee moved the resolstkm---" That this
meeting esi:approval of the itsfome Bill now
haute Pat as a eabetsallel, basest, and valuable
I.llolbirare: and its determination to support the
Government, preneestieg it to a smessaal Wee.*
Mr. Wismar", in seemding the rem/Mice, said he
bad no idea wins he entered the room that be should
he inked to take pert In the not
prepaid with any speech. He sCriiii.are thoughts,..
many parties In end old of Perliament had so reg
&demand Reform that there woad have bees no
opposition to the Bill ;bet as there Well he thought
meetings of this kind in support of It Medd be tell
sad biked meek pismire In see‘dim the remissible
-- -

Mr. H. N. Cox good up is ti• body a .s•Mog
to propose aa oneudeemazd swab laughter um
lb. Olaintaa wbo be wee ail=
b. seeldiet ass who Is ins. bib( 1411 its
Mt. Out le ems on tie *atom igb be
Oss Owl bid bard thso feett Ibiloph
silsilleal ea weak se 6•40 give "as

to it • fair hearing. He could only pay if the propane
had as much ability as an haadioroftwinan its he bad as
an orator be would have been io • 110 house before this
—great norms, hisses, ant cries of" nothing pertional"
which lasted mine little time ; at Wirth Mr. ftalinbutp
stated it wee Hie wish of the committee that the meet-
ing shoal.' bear hot sides and quiet was reitored )
Mr. Cog then said he had not intended to maks me
of any remark that Ina MT.-naive to Mr. 8 ilisbery
what ho meant to say eu that • man who mold speak
so well as be ou,iht to have the fraaehise. With
regurd to the bill being an honest ales, be did
not think it wee. Other towns in the neighbourhood.
such ea Yeovil, Chard, Crewkerne, &a., bad not the
franchise at all, and they ought to be enfranchised be-
fore the frombine was lowered at Brilport. What
greeter right had a pereoo at Bridport who rented at £7
per year to have the franchise than one at Chard and
the other towns who paid £10? He considered the
Bill was not jest or politic, and it did not deems' the
oupport of the emptyv at all I,m Derby'. Mill was •
very good one —(Iood Kum) Mr. Con said he motet
going to be pot down; they had heard Mr. Salisbury,
now let them hoar him. That 8.11 was Meted Memos
' It did not go far shouts by the very peruns who imp-
'
I ported this Bill. WI., didn't they MPG*, thi" on° now
for 11.0 same reason? If the Bill was serried there
would be an election and • new Parliament, and Lord
Hassell v ould carry ont his saylne, " rut and be thank
fel," and they might depend they would not get any
re-distribution of seat& He wished the country would
reqiiire • aomplete messure—(a voice "How about
Lord iNirinw)—Lord Derby was not before them then—
(laughter.) Be had no doubt that Lord Derby's Bill
amended would be math better than this one—(a voice:
What Bill would you support r Mn. Con : A good
deal better me tbaa thie. _ .

Kr. Tinintineau got up in the middle of the room to
noond Kr. Con's motioni and great letighter was again
oeueloned by the Quitman's asking who he was. He
briefly wooded the amendment.
Mr. CLINKER, of Yeovil, nee to support the resolo•
lion, and said it appeared to him that Mr. Cox's
remarks related more to personal matters, and the
difference between • Liberal and Conservative Govern-
ment, than to the quantal before the meeting. He
did in his opening remarks allude to it, and Uses ran off
to • Bill which was aot before them. He alluded to
Yeovil aud other towns not being represented, and
could not au why they should not be; natter did they
see any reason why they should not, but he questioned
whether Kr. Cox aad his party wished to see it. He
believed those present would wish them to be repre-
sented. l'he Bill was not a model Bill, and he thought
It would be jest end advisable to go beyond it, bat
" bolt-a-loaf was better than no bread." The question
now was a peonies', not • theoretical one, end was,
bow en& they oould get, not what they wished to
have. The reetilatioa deelared the Bill • !substantial
one. There were en or six raillione of grown-up men
in this kingdom of whit* mires &million had votes, and
out of that they most reckon on double and treble votes.
He exported time went souse now In that roma who had
them. He tboaet Kr. Cox for one had. Anse
deduediag these double, and trebles, there were only
over 800,000 elikriofl out of Ine or air millions of
firOgrii-op win. Why should there not be more than
one in six who voted? It was en anomaly that requiml
esplanation. Therefore, be 'mid, this measure was sub.
eleatial, because it would add half • million votes to the
miner. He time went in to contend that this Bill
was holiest as far as it wout. Tbepeopisitpropisedto
give power to, it would give power to. It would be
valuable, basun it would gives larger number of the
working 'lame • share in die legislature of the coentry.
He did not agree with Mr. Lowe that good government
was good representation. It was a bad theory, for there
were despotic Ooverinuota which •are good, but it
maid not be wild that the representation was good.
He believed that there were persons who could transact
his (the *psalms's) bunnies with greater advantege than
be could himself, but that was no reason why he should
give it op—(ebeers and laughter). An opposition was
raised to the Bill now boonse it ded not provide for •
YeilistribuUta of seats. Why, the Co lave poxty
did not wish for the re-dietributioo of sesta till now.
Lord Rowell had promised that the present Paliemeot
should consider the question therefore, the argument
about its being unfair to leave She rrdiatribiniox of
seats to • new Parliament quite fell to the ground.
Some of those proms were electors at Bridport, and
others hoped to be and he would thern dieting/41r that
they must he prophred to leap into the golf, for it wee
quite canon they would lose use or both of their
Members, for there would only be one representative
to about 60,000 iohabituts, and here they had oaly
about 8,000 inhabAuta. with two repruea•
Wive.. Could there be a doubt that these
little toot's were returning a for larger
proportion of members to Parliament then they ought
to do? They wen rotten, sad depend upon it, no Bill
would overlook them. In Bridport. there were, he
believed, about 500 electors, shout 300 of whom voted
for the Liberals, and the remainder for the Consort's.
tives, es that the 300 who returned the Liberals, had
two representative' in Parliament. We. this fair, in
proportion to those large plums who were either uo•
renominated, or represented only in a limited degree?
The Bill wee • good instalment, although ho did not feel
very entliusiutio about it. If it swept away Bridport,
and about 50 other rotten boroughs, he should perhaps,
be • little more entbustaatio in the matter.

The ameadeneat woe voted for by six while
about sixty held op their heeds for the onginaf resole-
lion, which was consequently declared earned.
Mr. MALI proposed "That this meeting (Wily em-
bees. this opportunity of fantasias their unstated
eoelldeoos in the honourable members of the borouilt in
relation to the quastim of Reform now before Polls.
mint." He hear fly supported the Bill, arid adviaed
the nnneleet,vs. when they int the fraeohise, to exareies
Ii rightly, and thus show that they inte. what
framoisemaot me.ot —(ebeen).
Yr. Wawa amended the resolution, which was carried
withcut dissent.

The Rev. C. Piece proposed "Theta petition in
favour of the Bill be presented to the House of Com-
mons, and that it be entrusted to the mire of T. A.
Mitchell. E.q." He contenAted that it was • fallacy to
esy them Gen* Das no Oil for Reform because there we,
DO noisy demoostration. and deetrustion. He approved
the Bill as • good instalment, and Baia they bad only to
he persistent to gm what they wanted. He thought the
feet of a man poeses.ing the mind of Mr. Glivistone
taking the subject in his heeds was • great proof of its
vedettes— (thinni). He pared • high eulogies on the
working men of this country, and elluded to what was
being done at Working Ilen's Institutes all over the
land. The working men of this country had as me. b
Interest in its welfare u those in a better position in
society, ills own experience wee—end he had often
occasion to co-operate with the working clause of the
community, that they were aa intelligent, and well-
deserving a larger share In the represeetation of the
country— ((Amore).
Mr. Mount eennided the proposition.
ILAMIZIT. in proposing • vote of thanks to the
Mayor foe pomading, send Fort bad been considered
• Liberal borough, end the conuoittee bad waited upon
the principal EINO of that party, but contrary to tWr
expeektiOne they held but, &Mouth, of course, they
bed • right to their *pinions. Bet it nethood dashiki
whether they were worthy the name of Liberals.
Mr. POWILL seconded the vote of thanks.

lb. Hga Flointeat--- be -wished to make •
Vu remarks, otter he hod beset so distloAly shalleaged.
His asteeedente were se well knees to diem all, that
WI need not tell them that be Ira& sail ewer 'sod been, a
consisteali Befarseer, end the slaty dillerseee that
existed between the Reform Committee and himself
was, as to the means and assured Reform. His Ides
of Reform was an eatendon, sad sot • lowering only of
the franobiso, and. therefore he amid WA agree with the
first proposition that it was a just, and wise, and sound
Hill now before Parliament (dimmet.) The =aware
wee onoalinfookory, aid be cloak, sot support it. He
°bleated altogether that. metal should be the test mar
whether • man was entitled to vote. The Rill did not
so to: enoustb—(oh, oh, and • voles : "We suet bare
overfilling.") He 000sidered this was ad, half a Bill,
sod if they only waited patiently sad illtaliifioatil they
would get a wiser sad better Reform Ball, and ems that
went as far aa they wanted to go. His &dries to them
was to go on as they had boas goiag is. smirching all
the diamiesiem they amid, and they would get a better
Reform Bill than scald be expected of the hasty measure
that was now before these.

BALIII3I7IT, ha re 7, mid that whoever WY sot
for them was ageheet there..

Th. Cam"Nur twisty riesinied thaaks.