The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-10-05 00:00:00

SIR C. DILKE on CLASS LEGISLATION.

On Monday night Sir Charles Dilke, Bart., M. P.,
delivered a lecture in the Glasgow City Hall on Class
Legislation. The Halt is capable of accommodating
about '3,0U0 persons, but it was not more than half full,
this being partly explained, however, by the fact that
the night was very wet. The chair was occupied by
Mr. D1113C611 Cameron who explained that the pre.
sidency of the meeting had been offered to two of their
Pailiamentary representatives, but Mr. Anderson was
in America, and Mr. Dalglish declined the honour.
Having been briefly introduced,

Sir C'harles Mike began by bringing forward some samples
of class legialatiem from the doings tn Parliament this year.
So
t xsmple, be said, could be more forcible than that of the
Birmingham Sewage 11111 of 1572. That bill was rejected in
the intereat 1 Individuals and against the interest of the
State. Ile aid not mean to say that private interests directly
weigi ed with the msjurity on that VI:C.1011 ; but while a
few might have voted out of party feeling, and not a few by
following fi1,14 mulaubterty the larger portion of tho.e
who formed the majority voted out of a landowner.' fee:ilea
of sympaihy with landowners whose land it proposed to take
for public purposes.
THE LAW COSTS OH GOVERNOR EYRE.
Another startling instance of the abuses of our pull.-
mentarY system wan to be ftirni in the vote of £4,000 for the
law r sts of Governor Eyre, Verb 'pa a hundred people in
Parlisruent, but cart:dilly not ten, he should think, outille
of
Parliawent, looked at the vote as Its, lying any-
thing but approval of the conduct of Governor Eyre. The
delta ce fowl which had been raised had more that, covered
the expenses to whin Governor Eire had been put, and there
was no absolute *understanding that the expenses incurred by
• colonial governor In defending himself against a suit shonld
I eborne by others thim himself and his own friends. The
only defence that c mid be really made was that the pre-
sent tiovernment— a Liberal Ministry, chittly composed
of mentions who, u individuals, disapprove the Conduct of
Governor Eyre—considered themselves bound by the pro-
nivel given by their Conservative predecessors. Now, it was
almost utoundlog proposltmn that a Ministry of one party,
und .4 one set of principles, who ousted their predecessors
130 the underatsmding that they considered the policy of
those predecessors wholly wrong, should, as soon as they
mime into ,411ce, feel themselves under a compuleiou to adapt
and make their own the promises of thole predecessors. 11
such a principle was to prevail, it seemed clear to him that
It was fur less by party than by class that we are governed.

EXTRAVAt4Nt I: AND W.taTE IN PARLIAMENT.
Sir charles next spoke on the Indifference to extravagance
and waste shown by Parliament—a P.aliament in which
the poor are never heard—remarking that, with an
inconietax pressing heavily upon the industry of the
middle chases, aud with the mass of tile people un.
able to provide themselves with the necessaries of
healthy existence, and wh. paid by taxes on tiie. food
for tile maintenance of the administration, one might
have thought that those did good service to the coun-
try ',h. called public attention to the necessity of a
more stringent examination of the way in which public
money is expended. lie could name to them offices which
were pure sinecures, and to which fresh appointments hod
toren made whine • 3eor, with a public statement to Par-
liament that there wtre dutits to perform, and a private
admission that such was not the case. None but a Govern-
ment too fine for its work would retain its pension system,
under which former Wide servants still were able to per-
form their duties and retire at an early age, and for a
quarter of a century, or htlf • century, continue to draw
large annual payments, for which no work was done or due.