The Press.
London, England, 1858-02-13 00:00:00

THE PRESS, FEBRUARY 13,1858.

of deterioration, in the character of public men and of the
House of Commons, that it has more than once happened,
of late years, that motions have been carried, so decidedly
against the opinion of a large proportion of those who have
voted for them, that they have not scrupled in private to
express their regret at finding themselves in a
majority
At present the fault of the House of Commons is, not
that the power it gives to popular opinion, or clamour ( for
they are not always easily distinguished), is too small, but
rather that it is perhaps too great. From this cause it
sometimes happens that measures, for which there is a
momentary cry, are rashly wanted, contrary to the true
interest of the nation and the opinion of the majority of
enlightened men
A few years, though much in the life of an individual,
are little in the life of a nation ; and some delay in passing
useful measures may well be submitted to, as cheaply par.
chasing tbe advantages we obtain in return for it. Among
these advantages, the intellectual and moral training which
the nation derives from the discussion of changes in the
law which encounter serious resistance is not perhaps one
of the smallest ; but what is most important is, that such
changes can seldom be carried until after they have re-
ceived such ample deliberation, and till public opinion is
so completely settled with regard to them, that, when once
passed, they are almost invariably permanent, and more
completely effective than they could become if adopted in
a different manner. If we look back at the history of our
legislation, for many years past, we shall find that it has
been steadily progressive ; and that, although some of the
greatest improvements in our laws have not been
achieved without years of arduous struggle, yet, when
once accomplished, they have been secure against all at-
tempts to repeal them, and have commanded the complete
obedience of the nation.
In the New Quarterly these opinions appear
in a somewhat more advanced stage :

This popular interference with the action of Parlia-
ment has been one of the most marked features of
democratic progress during the last few years. Resist-
ance to the Sabbatarian movement and the Temperance
movement came from outside the walls of Parliament.
The Crimean Commission and the Chelsea Inquiry, not
to say the war itself, were the result of external pressure—
in the shape of public meetings, and leading articles ex-
pressive of the popular will. And, to go back to a stronger
instance than all of them, what would have been the
fate of the corn laws had the country really been
governed by the House of Commons? But, did this ex-
ternal influence only make itself felt on great and extraor-
dinary emergencies, the regular efficiency of Parliament
would be but little impaired. But its presence is percep-
tible in every debate and every division in the house, in
the wearisome long speeches of " independent members,"
in the anomalous character of the division list, in the re-

criminations of party-leaders and followers. Party can no
longer be held together when a member can no longer
justify his vote by pleading that he voted with his party.
Yet such is the case with the greater part of our popular
constituencies. The most insignificant question cannot
come on for discussion but what the Millborcugh Gazette
or the l'arnley Independent immediately fall foul of their
honoured representative, and demand loudly that the
member for so important and enlightened a constituency
shall be " above party considerations." It is clear that
the majority of members will never bring themselves to
disregard these admonitions ; and the consequence is that
a vacillating and piecemeal legislation has inevitably sup-
planted all broad and philosophic and statesmanlike
thecries of government. No Minister can be certain that
a sufficient number of members will stand by him to carry
through any great or comprehensive measure. At every
turn of the debate the people demand to " have a finger in
the pie," and the representatives must humour their caprice,
till at last the whole measure is given up in despair, or
turned out such a thing of shreds and patches as may
well cover our statute-book with ridicule. These observe•
tions, therefore, lead us to conclude that the authority of
the people over Government, which was formerly mediate
and indirect, is gradually becoming direct and immediate.
And that the enfranchised classes, instead of intrusting
their interests to the care of a deputation, are beginning
to undertake them in person.

If the opinions expressed in the earlier pages of this
article be correct, simple extension of the suffrage would
rather aggravate than diminish the incapacity of Parlia-
ment to deal with the questions of the day. We assume
that incapacity to be acknowledged. But if it is not, at all
events there must he some deficiency in its working to
make reform needful; and we are quite confident that,
whatever that may be, it would not he removed by any
further progress in the direction of 1832. Otr House of
Commons, as at present constituted, instead of not being
sufficiently democratic for the work of the country, is, we
are positive, too much so.

The same writer accounts for the present con-
dition of the House of Commons in the fol-
lowing manner :

It will appear, we think, on very slight reflection, that,
since the Reform Bill of 1882, the House of Commons
has occupied an entirely new, if not an anomalous and
contradictory, position in the country. The original
functions of that house were, as we all know, confined to
pecuniary disbursements. And down to a late period it
continued to be its primary and most important office to
watch over the Englishman's rights to tai himself
But from the moment when power departed from the
Crown, the two Houses of Parliament shared between them
an almost irresponsible authority The Houses
of Lords and Commons were, fur all practical purposes,
one body, holding their own resolutely against both Crown
and people, and compensating for a burdensome monopoly
of power at home by the splendid success of their foreign