The Express.
London, England, 1848-03-28 00:00:00

ELECTION COMMITTEES.—YESTERDAY. tenant, a tenant. proprietor too, the. most ark—....a
SLIOO --Counsel having concluded their arguments and recalcitrant disciple that socialism or agr..;i;:
of France we do nut very well know ; but this.,
o the point of qualification, the committee resolved that ism could undertake to convert. What will roam
riot duly elected, and that
least, may be known, that it will never become alb;
after M. Louts BLANC'S heart, doctrine, or design.
We are glad to see that M. TMERS has paslnld
thlnoehnelPect-atrlionckwB""aa null and
in favour of " In Amtlle," and that he deprecator.
overthrow of the foundations of society. His aim
is a meet courageous one—too bold, indeed. And%
admiration "of England for the last two holed
years" is not the fittest language for a Freottio
dienoe. It was that which discredited the fe
and depopularised LAFAYETTE. And we see it tu
already driven the hitherto moderate National is
adopt the ultra-democratic idea of a peasant lei*
tare as well as operative praetorians.
There are, however, or there may be, such thi.o
as both monarchies and republics not founded on tit
affection or predominance of any particular du,•
high or low, with too little to bestow, in the way of
favour, to tempt support, or consequent envy, Tim
interested parties, and consequently entitled to the km„
port of all, simply from their securing all the geodeA
of government—peace, security, decorum, and plbh,
morals. Notwithstanding all that we have said, thr
are still hopes that the French may fall at ]set into
this simplest of systems, if not from preference, air
dom, and direct forethought, at least from the knon
sibility of making any other system work. And et
certainly think M. Louis BLANC'S scheme as hopeir
as that of Lou IN l'itutTres, whose idea it very moot
resembles, with the mere substitution of lower fc,
middle class, and paid operatives for salaried placeum

GENERAL COMMITTEE OF ELECTIONS.
The committee sat yesterday, and struck the
following committees ..—BoomtN—Memrs. 0. A. fismilton
(chairman), J. H. Foley, F. French, R. Trevor, and Sir E.
FtiMeT.--Latcsarratt and CIIILTENHAY were also on the
list, but were t ostponed until Thursday next, in order to
await the decisionof the houseon the Etectioei Recognisance,
Bill.
-

We had hoped that the Health of Towns Bic:;
would at last pass without any serious oppoieot•
but the determination of government to preserve the
obnoxious provisions of the bill, to which. attenlice
has already been drawn, ie raising such determined
hostility in the provinces, that the efficiency of the
whole measure is threatened in the changes now ie.
sisted upon and in the exemptions claimed. Red
the promoters of the bill shown a conciliatory ereiej,,
by altering, more in form than in substance, the et,
noxious powers of the central board, it would hue
been allowed to pass without difficulty. Now, Me.
ever, that Manchester, Bolton, and, in fact, all the
large towns of Lancashire, have claimed to
be altogether exempted from its operation, the ole
position assumes a formidable aspect. We do not
fear that Lord MORPETH need yield to this com
bined force, but we fear that his delay in acceding to
public
more
t h
aopiniondesirable.
'fcompelhebill,himpasstedo relinquish
elisauget
mutilated condition as to have cut off from its Nem
tion all the principal towns of Lancashire, would
scarcely be worth having at all. The local acts of
these towns,although in most cases recently obtained,
are wholly insufficient for the execution of extended
measures of sanitary improvements. It is palate
natural that they should to retain their civic
powers intact, but in no cue do they strenuously r►
act communication with a central executive teml.
It is against the detailed interference of that bard
that all the hostility manifests itself.
The knowledge of self-government acquired
throughout the country by a constant attention to the
execution of municipal powers, is probably one of
the principal reasons why this country remains vis
controlled, at a time when all Europe is disturbed by
great political events. In other countries, theme"
tive is mainly central, and the functions of civic
powers are more nominal than real. There is is
education for the people in the art of self-go.
yernment, no guarantee of peace in the pran•
I eel knowledge acquired by habitually work
ing the machinery of a collected population
It has therefore always been a wise object of tie
legislature to encourage the taste for local gores.
went, and only to retain so much power in the hands
of the central authority as would suffice to Minable
the former to exertion, or to check those abase
which might occasionally ensue. This modified rev
tralisatio a of power has never been ohjected to
Town councils, for example, cannot make bye-lave,
without their being approved of by the Secretary
of State, yet notwithstanding this restrietim
power, the responsibility of the measures reds wit
the local authority. Under the new poor law, hn
centralisation was carried to excess, and instead
being merely a superintending power, the Lands
board became wholly executive and responsible.
the abuses perpetrated by local boards were non
heaped upon the central authority, which filially we
crushed under the opprobrium that it was not,! colt u
foresee must have ensued. This should have acted e
a warning to the framers of the Health of TOWN 1311
and induced them to avoid the risk of throwing too
much responsibility on the general board appointed by
it. As it now steeds, the local boards may
throw off the odium of every unpopular toes
sure on the central authority, which mot
inevitably sink under the pressure of acts for
which it becameunneeessarily responsible. Merrell
contained in Lord ;Amur:nes hill include almost sE
those, except mere matters of police, which ton
councils and local authorities are accustomed to eve
cisc. The removal of the responsibility fur their jag
execution from the town to a central board, deem.
tive as it must be of our present principles of self-
government and reliance, would of itself be a gnu
political evil, without reference to the more immediate
objects of the bill itself.
We have already expressed our belief that the hi,
has been framed with all honesty of purpose
and that the proposed powers of the germa
board have been conceived with a single view to th
efficiency of the measure, and without any conceded
attempt to grasp at central power. The argumin
for the necessity of granting these extended pOWeri 5
to us the strongest proof that they are not wanted:j
the extent proposed in the bill. It is stated,
justice, that the Health of Towns Comas
stun have shown that there was a great and culpshi
neglect in the manner in which the powers investi
in corporations for the improvement of towns
been carried into operation, and it is argued that tt.
activity of the last few years is a consequence c:
the exposure of this negligence. The commis
sion which produced this good moral effect was or:
of inquiry, and not of execution, so that the
improved execution of the local measures wasp.
viously due to a feeling of public responsibility, and
not to compulsion. It is precisely this effect which
we desire to see the general board exercise. Let the
local boards be responsible to their constituencies lad
to public opinion, and not be the mere servants of the
general board. The latter, at the same time, by the:
superintending inspectors, and by their annual re
ports, could expose abuses and the negligent as
of power, and would be enabled, in esteem
cases, under some clause, to take legal ateP
to enforce the provisions of the act. This individua
responsibility to the public would certainly be a mite
and probably a more powerful check to abuse the
the absolute power over detail now claimed for th
central board.
The nature of the measures included in the Heal:
of Towns Bill requires the cordial co-operation of th
put lie about to be benefited by them. Their dislike o
even indifference to them will render their Millie
certain. The law may, compel the owner of ,
house to build a drain or to construct yet
tilators, but it cannot force him to use thee
melees he is convinced of their advantage•
is the full discussion of the measures by. the lots
authorities that will best advance public opinion as t,
the necessity of the proposed improvements, and
the
knowledge is much more likely to be acquired on te
spot than when urged by a distant and uninterestet
body. Although it is often advisable for the leggy
tore to act upon its own perception of rights eve'
when it is in advance of public opinion, it is wise', it
matters involving private feeling and comforts, eatill'
to delay an improvement until the opinion of the!'
for whose benefit it is intended has been iustructeda.
perceive its utility, than to insist upon a forced ad'
practically useless acquiescence. This must often, he e. .
ever, be the fate of measures forced by the genets
upon the local authority. The very jealoasY ilk
rally resultinglri from the continued interference of
a
general will often retard, instead of prewar:
the measures which may originate with it.
Lord MORPETH has another week to consider
lr
bill now before the house, and in the amended copy,
which he has promised to present
general to the couinutterui
we trust to see the powers of the
fort
ttel he
sso f
int
at h aisblee
variouss done,opbre
dn owxe ocsou fearsra,n thedLbmi lmmi prominent t meetala I 1
I

GENERAL LYING-IN HOSPITAL, YORK-ROAD.—At
a meeting of the governors of this institution held yeiterday.
the Earl of Shaftesbury was elected president, in the :owl
of the late Duke of Northumberland.