The Press.
London, England, 1854-02-18 00:00:00

FEBRUARY 18, 1854

which is laid down in the Municipal Act, but to leave out,
as not possessing in a sufficient degree that independence
which would entitle them to vote, all persons rated below
(IL a year. We propose to take all above 61. on the condi•
tion that they possess the municipal form of residence—
that is, a term of about two years and a half before they
are entitled to be placed on the register, and about two
veers and ten months before they can exercise the right of
voting. By this plan you would obtain such an extension
of the franchise as would include a large number of work-
ing men, and which would not preclude those who are most
remarkable for the steadiness of their conduct, or for the
skill and ability with which they carry on their trade, and
who are in einsequence enabled to live in houses of a
better character than those which are occupied by the great
mass of their fellow-workmen. (Expressions of dissent.)
There is one change, however, which we propose to make,
both with respect to this new franchise and the existing ten-
pound franchise in towns. According to the old doctrine of
representation, persons paying scot and lot ' were persons
who had the right of voting. That payment afterwards
came to the payment of a poor rate in modern time, and
was always insisted upon before the voter could go to the
poll. This provision was retained in the Reform Bill for
the purpose of ascertaining the solvency and sufficiency of
the new class of voters which were then created. But con-
sidering that the proposed franchise will apply only to a
person rated at 10/. value, or at 6!. a year, or who must re-
side a considerable time in the district, it appears to us that
it is no longer necessary to keep in force that check of the
payment of rates and taxes which has hitherto been ap-
plied. ( Cheers from the Ministerial side.) There is another
change we propose with respect to the registration of elec-
tors. Much trouble and many conflicting decisions have
attended the examination of the lists of registered elec-
tors ; but we propose that the list of registered electors
once made should be final. What we propose, therefore, is,
that the ten•pound franchise which now exists—that is, of
10!. value—shall be preserved exactly as it is, with the two
changes—that with respect to the building on land not
being a dwelling-house of the value of W. a year, and that
the payment of rates and taxes is no longer to be insisted
upon. There will still exist in fact the ten-pound franchise,
with the relaxation I have mentioned ' • and we propose to
add to this the other franchise which Ihave stated, founded
on the six-pound rating."

Lord J. Russell then announced his intention of pro-
posing two further incidental changes in the present
system. First, the freemen electors in boroughs
were to be disfranchised, after the expiration of ex-
isting interests, on account of the reiterated corn
plaints of bribery and corruption among them.
Secondly, the statute of Anne was to be repealed
which compelled every member who took office to
vacate his seat. For this enactment he declared the
Whigs were not responsible. It had been passed in
consequence of an impression among Tory members
that Parliament would be rendered more independent
of the Crown by the absence of placemen from its
benches. Recapitulating his scheme, Lord J. Rus-
sell gave the names of the various places and districts
whose representation would be affected by the
bill. The list of boroughs totally disfranchised in-
cluded

"Andover, returning 2 members ; Arundel, 1; Ashburton,
1; Calne, 1 ; Dartmouth, 1; Evesham, 2; Harwich, 2;
Honiton, 2 ; Rnaresborough, 2 ; Lyme Regis, 1 ; Marl-
borough, 2 ; Midhurat, 1 ; Northallerton, 1; Reigate, 1 ;
Richmond (Yorkshire), 2; Thetford,2; Totnes,2 ; Wells,
2 ; Wilton, I.—Total, 19 boroughs, returning 29 mem-
bers."

The boroughs that would lose one of their two repre-
sentatives were :

" Bodmin, Bridgnorth, Bridport, Buckingham, Chi-
chester, Chippenham, Cirencester, Cockermouth, Devizes,
Dorchester, Guildford, Hertford, Huntingdon, Leominster,
Lewes, Ludlow, Lymington, Lichfield, Mahlon, Melton,
Marlow (Great), Newport ( Isle of Wight), Peterborough,
Poole, Ripon, Stamford, Tamworth, Tavistock, Tewkes-
bury, Tiverton, Weymouth, Windsor, Wycombe ( Chipping).
—Total, 33 members."
Four seats being already vacant, this made an
aggregate of 06 members to be supplied. The
counties where additional representatives were to be
returned comprised

" Bedford ; Chester, southern division ; ditto, northern ;
Cornwall, western ; ditto, eastern; Derby, northern ; ditto,
southern ; Devon, southern ; ditto, northern ; Durham,
northern ; ditto, southern ; Essex, southern ; ditto,
northern ; Gloucester, western ; Kent, western ; ditto, east-
; Lancaster, northern ; Lincoln, parts of Lindsey ;
ditto, parts of Kesteven and Holland ; Middlesex ; Mon-
mouth ; Norfolk, western ; ditto, eastern ; Stafford, north-
ern ; ditto, southern ; Somerset, western : ditto, eastern ;
Salop, northern, Southampton, northern ; Suffolk, eastern ;
ditto, western ; Surrey, eastern ; Sussex, eastern ; War-
wick, northern : Worcester. eastern ; York, East Riding :
ditto, north. Wales :—Cilumorgan, 1. Additional mem.
berg, 3H."

The West Riding of Yorkshire and southern divi-
sion of Lancashire formed an exceptional list., and,
being divided into two districts, returned six members
each. Additional number of members, eight. Among
the boroughs the following additions were to be
made :

" Birmingham , Bristol ( city ), Bradford ( Yorkshire ),
Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester (city), Sheffield, Wolver-
hampton, which now returned 2 members, to return 3 ;
Salford, which returns 1, to return in future '2 members ;
Birkenhead, Burnley, and Staleybridge, now unrepre-
sented, to return 1 member each ; and the united districts
of Kensington and Chelsea, 2. Total, lit members."

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