The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-08 00:00:00

PUBLIC DINNEIt TO MR. Sit ARNIAN

CRAWFORD.

The constituents of Mr. Sharman Crawford, M.l'.,
at Rochdale, gave a public dinner to the hot. gentleman on
Friday evening at the Public Hall. It is understood that
Mr. Crawford retires into private life on the dissolution of
the present parliament, aid the electors were desirous of
taking an early opportunity before the connexion was dis-
solved to testify the feelings of respect and confidence they
bore him, and invited him to meet them for that purpose at
Easter, but the delicate state of Mr. Crawford's health ren-
dered it necessary to postpone the intended honour. There
was a large, respectable, and indeed very full, attendance of
the liberal constituency present. Mr. CHADWICK, an old
and unswerving liberal, and a magistrate of the county,
I resided.
Mr. CRAWFORD, in responding to the toast of his
health, dwelt at some length upon the responsibilities de-
volving upon a member of the legislature for an empire
involving such vast territories as that of Great Britain and
her colonies, but did not address the compuny at great
length, having already justified his parliamentary conduct
to them in an elaborate speech on the previous evening.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed the health of
Mr. BRIGHT, who, in returning thanks, took occasion to
draw attention to the necessity which exi,ts for the adop-
tion of regularity and method in the electoral system, com-
bined with exteasion. The more we got of democratic insti-
tutions, the more it was essential that the people should know
that the well working of those institutions must depend upon
their own intelligeuce and their own virtue. (Loud cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN then proposed "Success to the Mem-
bers of the late Anti-Corn-law League."
Mr. COBDEN, M.P., then addressed the meeting, and
was received with prolonged cheering. Having borne tes-
timony to the independence end disinterestedness displayed
by Mr. Crawford us a public man, he proceeded as follows:
What is the first and fundamental evil in your representa-
tive system? What is it that impairs the very. source of
independence and of honesty in the representative ? It is
the way in which elections take place in this country. You
return your members for this borough free of expense, in
fact without expense, without solicitation, without a perso-
nal canvass. Is that the mode in which elections are gene-
rally carried on iu this country ? No. The first considera-
tion with many conetitueuces is, how they shall find a
member who will bear to be fleeced ; that is, " how much
shall we be able to sell ourselves fur this time r" The
prize differs very considerably. St. Albano sold itself for
' 2,4001. That is its figure, and I think it very dear at the
price. ("Hear, hear," and much laughter.) But there are
parliamentary agents in London—Mr. Coppock made uo se-
cret of it—parliamentary agents who have a regular tariff
of price ; they know exactly how much it will cost to be
returned for the boroughs on a list, beginning with Abing-
don and ending with Yarmouth. (A laugh.) And I should
cot exclude tither of those two boroughs from the list of
those who have had tariff (Renewed laughter.) 'there
must be a large sum paid to gorge these leeches in the
shape of—sometimes from Scotland, they aro professional
men who fasten on a constituency—four or five lawyers, if
there happen tube four or five boroughs grouped together ;
or there may be some " Waggetts " (I think they call them
at St. Albans), and he manages, after gorging half the con-
stituency, to have a little balance left over unpaid to some
score of venial voters in the borough, probably for drink
supplied ; and the consequence of this is, that when the
next election arrives them: parties come to get their money
paid, and they say, " Cannot you find a customer who will
pay off the old arrears r" And accordingly lie tries to find
a man who will not only pay the cost of his own bribery,
but also pay the old score of the man Vlll,l
ran away at the Let election without paying his
lot. (Great laughter.) Well, having gut his return
is that way, there conic other claims upon him. lie is
in very many Cowl expected to subscribe to the annual
races. " The member's cup" must be run for : "itis a
Very Old custom, sir," they tell the member, " and I ,utsura
you, Mr. So-and-So, it would be exceedingly injurious to
your parliamentary influence here if you did not subscribe
for " the member s cup." (Much laughter.) So he ::rust
support the races. Theu th,re is a race ball—(laughter)
—which he will have to contribute to ; or perhaps he will
bV expected to take a few tickets—(continutal laughter) fur
distribution among his friends in the borough. Besides this,
which is a pure waste of money, there aro other claims
made upon these members, which they really ought never
to be expected to pay. They are importuned, ale, per-
haps, to subscribe to charities in the borough—(laughter),
or if' there is a subscription got up in winter to supply
clothing or coals to the poor the members arc called ou
first ; individuals, if they have any cause of want or ne-
cessity, arising from arty source, come to the member as
though his puree was that of Fortunatus, and had no bot-
tom. (" Hear," and laughter.) Now then, I will
tell you the result of all this, and 1 will tell
you without wearying you with details, because
your imagination will carry it out ; thu result is,
that it first of all leaves the representation of the country to
rich men—very rich men—because, unless such reef have
a large balance at their banker's, or souse land which they
can mortgage, they cannot stand for these venial boroughs.
(Ikar, hear.) But it does more,—it places the man who
goes to parliament on such terms in thin pre Zicainent :
lie says, " I have been sacrificing the money of my family
—I have been trenching on my future income, mortgaging
my estates ; I must see what I can get out of the minister for
supporting him—l must see that I don't lone by this." i
(Hear, hear.) They make merchandise of you mmedi-
ately, and having bought you, they naturally go to sell
you. (Applause and laughter.) Then I tell you how it
operates in the tactics of parliament. Sometime, you will
see reports in the papers of a crisis in the government iu
London—" a ministerial crisis" is the phrase—and you will
find there is some question to come before the house on
which the government expects to be in a minority. There
is known to be a minority in the house of those
who are bound by their convictions to vote in opposition to
some measure on which the government has s eked its
reputation, and it is expected therefore that they will resign.
I will tell you what these tactics are. The government
tells their whipper-in to send out a circular to all their
usual supporters to come and see them in Duwning.strect.
The members go down there. It is a large room, where the
minister of the day gets on a chair and addresses his friends
and supporters, and tells them that he feels it is his duty to
persevere in the course he has undertaken, and he should
regret exceedingly if, for want of support, he should find
that he was no longer able to conduct the affairs of govern-
went, and he should be obliged to resign, so that lie was
determined to stand or fall by the measure he had propmed.
Well, then, no sooner are we dismissed then the whisper
goes round that " the minister intends to appeal to the
country!" Very well, now, what do you think are the
first feelings which come across the mind of a man who has
been fleeced at St. Albans, or Yarmouth, or Abingdon ?
Why, for all the world it is as though some one stood over
him with a bludgeon, and preparing to demand his money
or his life :—" Two thousand five hundred pounds, or
vote for the ministry !" (Loud cheers and laughter.)
And out of sheer apprehension, in downright dread of this
enormons fine that will be entailed upon him if he goes
down for re-election, in order to escape this present
of 2,5001., or whatever the amount of his election
may have cost him the year before, he doubles up and
packs up his conscience, and votes against his convic-
tions, to keep the ministry in power. (Loud cheers.)
After some further remarks on these topics, he went
on to say—l think there is very great danger in Mr.
Disraeli's scheme fur taking the taxes off people who formerly
had the bread tax, and patting them on the shoulders of those
who got it taken off. Last session Mr. Disraeli got within
fourteen or fifteen of a majority in the House of Commons
for transferring the taxes from the holders of land to those
who arc landless and live by their industry. Ilow is that
to be prevented in future ? By the people who are to pay
the taxes arming themselves well political power to protect
themselves. I think you have more than a theoretical in-
terest in the new reform bill; my opinion is, that if you
don't have an alteration in the franchise, sad a re-distribu-
tion of electoral power, you will see a scheme launched by
Mr. Disraeli, which has a largo support, not only on hie
side of the house, but in the hearts of many of our side of
the house too, and not a hard fight made against it by those
who ought to take a lead in resisting him in his plan. You
will find that unless you can re-cast our electoral system, so
as to put more power iu the hands of the people, you will
very likely have an alteration is the taxes of the country
not very much toour interest; and strangely enough,
while you are thinking of getting rid of some taxes, and
that this system of indirect taxation will be still more
abated, that you will get rid of some of these custom-house
and excise taxes, and transfer some of it to real property--
whilst you have these vague ideas in your mind, that party
which is mainly composed of the territorial aristocracy and
their dependents, are all thinking, in an opposite direction,
how they shall put on more taxes. Because if they want to
relieve themselves from the poor-rates, the income and pro-
perty taxes, and any other rates put upon property, it can only
be done by laying it on somebody else ; only by taking.off
local taxes and putting them on the Consolidated Fund—that
is, putting them on articles which you consume. Because
they make no offer to reduce the taxation of all : they have
no sympathy with that. You never heard the champion of
the protectionist party talk about reducing expenditure, so
'that the whole community may save in taxation for the
benefit of all. Whatever the move may he, you don't dud
advocates of economy among that claw. You aro the people
NM that this reform measure be carried out successfully,
NI
a genetical means of preventing your being subjected to
as endue share of taxation. (Great cheering.)
Mr. Tanana LIVESEr afterwards responded to the toast
et "The liberal electors :" and the proceedings soon after-
wards closed. _

„
OTRASBURG AND VIENNA RAILWAY.—The follow-
ing is the state of the railway lines between Strasburg and
Vienna. Between those places, the lines front to
Carbiruhe, from Stuttgard to Ulm, and from Augsburg to
Munich arc open. Pieces of line remain unfinished between
Carlsruhe and Studgard, and between Ulm and Augsburg.
These portions will be completed by DM, at which period
the whole distance from Strasburg to Munich will be open
to the public. As to the remaining portion, that between
Munich and Vienna, a convention has just been concluded
between Austria and Bavaria for the completion of the line
between Munich and Salsbury. From that place the
Austrian line will be taken over the Tyrolean Alps to
Bruck-sur-la-Mur, where it meets the great lino from
Vienna to Trieste. When the line from Kohl to Munich
and to Salzburg shall have been terminated, the comma.
nication will be established between the two extreme points.

DEPARTURE OF THE ROYAL MAIL STEAMER
EDROPA.—On Saturday forenoon, at half-past 10, the
British and North American royal snail steam-ship Europa,
Capt. Lott, left the Merseyy. for New York direct, with an
average complement of passengers for the season, a full
cargo, and the usual malls for the United States and the
British provinces.

stn *sitetitsence.

EQUITY COURTS.—SATURDAT.
The Lord Chancellor did not s.t on Saturday. A n'Alee
ow, post ,d the hall door simply stadia; that his lortl.hip
won uot Out day.

_
BlPOlit Ise LOW. leerier or Alif..lll.
]{a
The court one 0-copied the whole day in hearing the ar-
gument for the reliondenta in this ease. The reply was re-
served for Monday (this day). The rubor the caw and the
question in dispute are detailed in the Express of Satur-
day last.

Bernie Vies-CMIANCI.I.I...It PAVERS.
Ili THIS T111:11TO WILL.
The testator, by his will, gave to his executois in trust
the residue of his estate to be converted into money, and to
be b^ Id by them in trust for the children of his (the testa-
tor's) brother. Ode of such children in the lifetime of the
testator committed a barglary, and was convicted awl sen-
tenced to neath. That sentence was commuted to trans-
' unction for life, and he was accordingly transported as a
toottot to V.tu Di,inun'e Land, and so continued at the
death of the testator. Afterwards the convict received a
conditional pardon, with leave to reside anywhere within
the bowie Seas.
The executors under the testator's will, having realised
the assets, paid the share of tho convict nephew into court,
under the Trustee Act of 1840.
The Attorre y•General, on behalf of the Queen, petitioned
the court that the amount of the share of the convict
nephew in the residue might be paid out to such person
as her 11.,jesty might by sign_ manual appoint for the
1,41u.'e
Ait. for the Attorney-General, in support of the
petition, submitted that the conviction operated as a for-
feiture, and that the subsequent pardon could nut divest the
right et the crown.
Mr. M. A. Slice appeared for the executors.
The lice-Chancellor made the order as prayed.
Yates.ltit ' Tits %T.
Kr. Russell and Mr. Rhine eppeared in support of a pi ti-
ling' which involeed the I onstruition of a will by which a
very large fortune seas dispoed of.
Mr. M dins and Mr. Collins were heard for the re-
sponder....
'the cm? occupied a considerable portion of the day, and
the court on /long postponed hearing Mr. Russell in reply
till Monde,
The cowl disposed of a large number of petitions, hut
pose weft of any public interest.

P.arnal Von-ensonn.som ru 11 Komeutiun.
(MINIM T. MOOlllll---StIT TO AOMINITTIII: THE E-TATII
or Mo. ilomoytu. . .

TM, was a petition by the representatives of Mr. Mel-
lack, the ex' eutor of the late Mr. John llolditch, the well-
known carriage manufacturer, that a sum of 3,000/. :night
be allowed out of the meets of the testator, Mt. llo:i'Atli, on
the ground that that .M 0 had been laid nut by Mr. MAMA,
upon eert.io mines in Merionethshire, under a power in the
tostatee'ii will. The mine., in which Mr. llolditch had •
leasehold inter-.t, were Ineifically bequeathed by him to
the self of Mr. Matlack for life, and then to Mr. Matlack
for lif.. and then to their child. The petitioner repre-
genteel that the payment of the 3,00 W. was made in dis-
charge ut a liability on the testator's estate. The respond-
ents alleged th it the money we, laid out under a clause
in the will, whereby the testator authorised any sum of
mane), al it exceeding 5,1,001., to he advanced es part of a
ga.4 if 20,0001. which he had given to Mr.. Matlack and'
her children, fur the purpose of working and improving tha
mines. 'flue respondents relied chiefly an two notices given
by Mr. Matlack is his life time, addressed to himself and his,
en-eitecutin, requesting that two Rums of 1,000. each should
be advanced wider this clause is the sill for the improve-
ment of the mines.
Mr. Stuart and Mr. Bhebbeare appeared for the peti-
tioners; Mr. Mahn!, Mr. Daniel, and Mr. Briggs for other
partite an the mine interest; and Mr. Roll and Mr. Lenin
fee the respondents.
The Vice-Chancellor went through the facts of the ease
with great minuteness, and e11...R01l his opinion that there
em not sufhei..nt evidence before the court to enable him
to come to any deci-ion, sail thi reface directed a reference
to the Master to mike further Inquiries.