The Express.
London, England, 1848-06-01 00:00:00

suffrage, roes by bra 4 triemlal parliaments, and equal electoral 1
districts.
Mr. BELTON second. el Shia resolution.
Mr. M'Evii.v was of opinion that they were embarked in
an excellent cause ; but whilst that was the case, he could
not lend himself to the exaggerated statements charging
Lord John Rumen with dishonesty. (Loud cries of " uh.")
Mr. J. BeLL thought that Lord J. Russell was himself
not opposed to progressive reform ; hut the fact was, that the
noble lora was so opened by the tories, that he was unable
to carry any c .mprehensive measure of reform. (Oh oh )
Ile would appeal to the hon. member for Macclesfield (Mr
Williams), and ask him whether he did not believe that the
present prime minister was disposed to carry out reform if he
felt that he could emery such measures?
Mr. WILLIAMS, M.P., said that, as an independent mem-
ber of parliament, he regretted very much to see Lord .1.
Russell relying for support on the bitterest enemies of the
peqple, the tories. He was sorry to see him relying for sup-
port on those parties who, when any mra.ura was brought
forward for the benefit of the people, howled jibe a lot of
wolves about to lose th• it prey. (Hear.) Lord J. Russell
and his government, instead of relying on the body of true re-
formers, who were ready on all proper occasions to give their
assistance, threw themselves into the arms of those who only
supported the government to serve their own selfish ends,
and who, at the first opp ertunity, would leave them in the
lurch, in order that they (the teenier) might step into Mail
plates. (Hear.)
Mr. JOSEPH could not congratulate either Mr. Bell or
Mr. M'Evily on their defence of the prime minister. They
had talked of his being an advocate for progressive reforms
There,were two sorts of progression—the one the pewee:anon
of a snail, and the other the progression of a horse. He
certainly believed the progressive reform of Lord J. Russell,
if left to himself, would belong to the species of the snail.
(Cheers and laughter.) He would ask what measures of re-
form had ever emanated from a minister es about being force
by the people 1 The fact was that the noble lord the mem-
ber for L radon had, in making hie late declaration, quite
mistaken his position Tue noble lord had assumed that be.
cause:the middle and a large body of the working cleans hat
shown their loyalty and affectien to the crown on the 10th
of April last, they had equal affectieen for and accorded
in all the conduct of the government If thot was ti.c
opinion of the noble lord, he begg.d to tell him that he was
never more mistaken in his lite. (Hear, and cheers.) After
declaring that the middle classes in this country had no
sympathy with the peace-br.akers of Ireland, one of whom
had met the just reward of his conduct, Mr. Joseph said
they were, however, determined to secure their own rights
ley moral and legitimate means. (Cheers.)
Several other gen.lemen addressed the meeting, and the
resolution having been carried nein. con., thanks were voted
to the chairman, and the meeting separated.

WF.ST LONDON REFORM ASSOCIATION.—Leet night ,
a large meeting of the inhabitants of Chelsea, Kensington,
Hammersmith, and Fulham, was held at 'he Wellesley Arm., •
Kit-eft street, Chelsea, in support of the local association
formed for obtaining an extension of the suffrage, triennial
parliaments, vote by %ABA, a repeal of the window tax, a
reform of the income tax, an efficient measure of sanitary
reform, a reform of the existing laws relating to the relief of
the poor, a proper application of the funds known to exist in
this country for charitable purposes, and the formation into
a borough of the above parishes. The chair was taken by
Mr. F. Oaken. He said he had just heard that the special
constables had be. n called out, hut, for his own part, he bc.-
Hared there was not the slightest cause for alarm. If there
were any real apprehensions for the security of the publ c
peace, the hest way to calm all fi ars would he by granting those
reforms which were now twins called for by all classes of the
community. The declaration of Lord J. Russell, that neither
the middle nor the working classes required any extension of
the stiffrav was most extraordinary. He vas cot more auto
nishcd at the untruth of this statement of the premier, than
at the circumstance that that assertion was supposed to pass
uncontradicted. It was now the duty of the mickle cla-ses
of England to give the moat distinct denial to the declaration
that the people were satisfied with their present represents
tion. A proof that the people of that district, at least, were
not content, was to he f and in the , xistence of this sass
ciation.—Mr. B mar ouggested that the association should
now merge with the " National Reform League." This
movement was already joined by the oldest reformers and
only reqnired the cooperation of the people to be completely
aucceestul.—Mr. Wickham informed the meeting that the
whole machinery of the anti-corn law league would soon
again come into operation. Mr. Bright informed him yes-
' terday that the old leaders of the league were elming to
London ; that they were going to take Drury-lane Theatre
for their meetings, and they would act in all respects upon
the former model. (Cheers.) Some further business having
I been disposed of, the meeting separated.

WOLVERUAMPTON.—A meeting, convened by, work-
men, was held at Wolverhampton on Tuesday evening, for
the purpose of forming a branch league to co operate with
the Reform League established in the metropolis, under the
auspices of Messrs. liume and Cobden.

NORTH CHESHIRE ELECTION.
The nomination of candidates for the northern
division of Cheshire, to supply the vacancy in the representa-
tion caused by the elevation of the Hon. Mr. Stanley to the
peerage, took place, at Knutsford, yesterday morning.
There was a vast concourse of people collected to take part
in the ceremony, including, besides the tenantry of the tory
squire., who came up on horseback and in omnibuses, •
great number of persons from the manufacturing districts of
the county, who had come by railway—probably not less
than 3,000 to 4,000. The nomination took place in front of
the sessions-house, and the adherents of the two candidates
came up in procession, headed by bands of mu•ic. H.
Brooke, Esq., the high sheriff, having opened the pro-

ceeldrii4P. W Mr. . Tattoo, of W ittersham, proposed, as the candi-
date in the conservative interest, Mr. G. C. Legh, of High
Legh.—Mr. W. Sidebottom, of Mottram, seconded the nomi-
nation.
Me. J. Cheetham, of Mottram, proposed, as the candidate
in the liberal interest, Mr. F. D. E. Astley, and entered at
great length into the circumstances under which Mr. Astley
had withdrawn at the late election, to save the expense of a
contest, the tones being parties to the compact, so far as the
friends of Mr. Egerton, the present sitting member, were
concerned ; and he contended that all those friends of Mr.
Egerton who supported him on that occasion were bound by
the contract, and notes the party of Mr. Legh now attempted
to construe it—those five or six gentlemen only whose names
were signed to the document.—Mr. C. Ilindley, M.P., se-
conded the nomination of Mr. Miley.
Mr. GEO. CORNWALL LEON said his honourable opponent
Mr. Cheetham, in a somewhat discursive speech, had re-
' ,erred to one or two topics on which it would be necessary to
follow him. He had spoken of a compact having been
entered into at the last election, but he must remind him
that other parties on that occasion gave a pledge as well as
Mr. Astley and hie party. He (Mr. Legh) was there
as well as Mr. Cheetham, and said he did not think
l it right to force the county into a contest, yet that he
i had received so di spontaneous offers of support, that
on the very first vacancy he should again come
forward and offer himself for the county. He now remem-
bered that pledge, and, whetever might be the opinion of
gentlemen on the other side, be was determined to give the
electors an opportunity of saying what their decision should
be. If it was against him, he should cheerfully submit ;if
it was in his favour, he should be proud of the honour con-
ferred upon him. He thought the proposer of Mr. Astley
had put that gentleman in an awkward position by referring
to the compromise at the last election. Either Mr Astley
felt that it was the wish of this constituency that he should I
represent it, or he did not. If he thought they did
not wish it, it was a matter of prudence in
him to retire from the contest ; but if, on the
other hand, he thought he should win, then surely he
did not treat the constituency with that respect which he
ought to have done. But he (Mr. Legh) had yet to learn
that any gentlemen or representatives of parties had a right
to meet in some little alehouse by the way-side, and decide,
not only who was to be the member on that occasion, but
who was to be its representative at a future election.
He had yet to learn that he was to be precluded front the
honour of asking their suffrages, because some little knot of
gentlemen met and determined that Mr. Astley could not
stand a chance then, and should be on that account allowed
to walk over the course on a future occasion. He denied
that any party had a right thus to disfranchise the electors
of any place. If ever there was a time when the consti-
tuency should claim the right of exercising their free choice
it was the present. If they looked around they saw convul-
sion and anarchy among the people of other countries ; they
saw thrones crumbling into dust; they saw power pros-
trated in the governments, while it wan dominant in the
street ; and he did not think this was the time to moot
those organic changes which the gentlemen on the other
side came there to take their stand upon. (A voice: " Oh,
no, it's never the time," and laughter.) He agreed in the
expression that while the thrones of other countries were
shaken or thrown down, the institutions of England re-
mained unscathed. But why was that? Not because of
this revolutionary spirit which these gentlemen would stir
abroad, but because every class of society, from the highest
to the lowest, felt a firm attachment to the constitution of
this country. It was for that reason we stood a bright exam-
ple for the world ; it was because here in this country all
men stood equal in the eye of the law. (Cries of "No, no.")
The people of this country knew that they had a right to
redress for their grievances., and that they could obtain
it by constitutional means. They knew they bad
power to obtain it by parliamentary legislation.
and they would not condescend to use that physical
force which they heard so much about in these days. (A
voice, " Who talks of physical force ?") He was not afraid
to avow himself a strong and firm supporter of the esta-
blished church—(laughter and groan.)—as well as of the
other institutions of the country, yet he was as willing as any
man to reform those abuses which could be proved to exist,
he having shown that by his support whilst in parliament of
all those measures which were brought forward to ame-
liorate the condition of his fellow-countrymen; and ha
instanced amongst others the financial and free-
trade measures of Sir Robert Peel. The other
point which be had promised to notice in the speech
of Mr. Cheetham, was that relative to economy and
retrenchment. Now he (Mr. Legh) was as firm an advocate
for just retrenchments as any man, but he was not for the
niggardly paring down of some paltry clerk's salary, nor for
such an economy as would render inefficient the services of
our army and navy. (Groans and disapprobation.) As tar
as the franchise was concerned, he was walling also to state
hie opinion in answer to the cry for his send.
menus upon that question. He was willing to allow that. II
the progress of aivilisation and the intelligens* of the
country it was competent for any gentleman 611111 VMS ti
time to moot that question, and he was ready to stsgethse '
any 'proposition for the extension of the suffrage whisk awe
'tutors the 110.11 e of Commons should have his hose* ete.
I se;esstios. 01. laugh.) Ile vomit aot glee pietipe