The Express.
London, England, 1867-03-01 00:00:00

MEETING OF CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS.

A meeting of non-official conservative members
of the House of Commons was held yesterday at the Carl.
ton Club, convened by the following circular :
"We, the undersigned, holding clear and definite
opinions as to the desirability of an alteration in the fran-
chise presumed to be contemplated by the Cabinetorish to
consult the opinion of the non-official members of the con-
servative party, and desire to call by circular a meeting
of non-official members, at the Carlton Club, on Thursday,
2sth February, at 12 o'clock.
(Signed)
"J. BANKS STANHOPE. W. W. BRACH.
HENRY EDWARDS. J. E. Goner.
HOWKLL Gwric. E. HILL TREVOR.
PERCY WYNDHAM. C. F. SORTERS.
M. W. RIDLEY. IL T. Wool,.
HENNIKER•JMAJOR. H. BARNET.
J. R. (honor GORE. JOHN LAIRD.
MICHAEL BRACH. S. K. GRAVES.
H. E. SUKTRES. J. ToLLEIIACHE.
JOHN HARDY. W. GREY (Colonel)
GEORGE. BEECROPT. EDWARD O'NEILL.
.1. C. Cosnou,. W. Jou.irre.
FITZWILLIAII DICK. N. KENDALL."

In response to this circular 150 members assembled at
the time appointed, and, the chair having been taken by
Sir Matthew White Ridley, the business of the meeting was
formally opened. In the discussion which ensued (says
one account), and which soon became general, one section
declared itself in favour of substituting 5/. for 6/. rating ;
another was for household suffrage. A third section,
again, mooted the combination of household suffrage with
the principle of plurality, or, at least, duality, of votes.
The general opinion was in favour of some further con-
cession on the question of the county franchise. But Mr.
Bankes Stanhope, supported bya few, discountenanced any
coucessions. The prevailing sentiment of the meeting,
however, was that if Lord Cranhorne and General Peel
continued to oppose a conciliatory course, their resigna-
tion ought to be accepted. No definite conclusion was
reached on any one of the points brought under discus.
sion, excepting an agreement that, in the event of •
ministerial defeat, Lord Derby should be recommended to
resign, and not dissolve parliament. It was at the same time
unanimously decided to urge upon his lordship the neces-
sity of framing a bill by which the government should
stand or fall, with the understanding that, if any conces-
sion is to be wade, it must be made at once, before the
I bringing in of the bill, net in the acceptance of an
ameudment from the opposite side.
The Standar., allows most fully that the government
Lill would not enfranchise the elite of the working
class, nor even succeed as • parliamentary settlement.
The conservatives clearly cannot carry it, or any
modification of it that their party could support.
To persist would be to break up their party,
and incur both defeat and disgrace. They may then re-
sign at once ; and content themselves with acting in
opposition as a drag on the democratic tendencies of their
successors. In that case they will fall with honour, but
they sill have lost themselves with the country as states-
men. On the other hand, they may take a truly dignified
and statesmanlike course, by falling back on their original
idea, if not on its detailed application, and endeavouring to
frame a scheme fully satisfying the claims of the unen-
franchised, while calming all the apprehensions of the
actual possessors of power. Boldness is the only safe
policy. Household suffrage in the boroughs, limited
only by the unexceptional requirement of rating, and not
demanding the personal payment of rates, qualified pro-
bably by the requirement of • two years' residence, so
41 to include only the settled and respectable house.
holder., but to include all these is the only possible
basis of • satisfactory scheme. We must come to this.
If the conservatives make this offer they may reasonably
expect to make their own terms as to a lateral extension
of the franchise, the general application of the cumulative
vote, and justice to the counties. The Standard believes
that such • scheme would meet the hearty adhesion of
the conservative party, who are simply dismayed and con.
founded by the hopeless impolicy of the present proposals.
Even from the present House of Commons it might extort
approval, breaking up and disconcerting as it would the
combinations, of faction, and dividing the counsels of the
opposition. If not, it would form an excellent ground for
an appeal to the country, whose response could hardly be
other than favourable. Perseverance in offering the
present scheme would be attended, as regards the con-
servative party with discredit, disunion, national distrust,
and by the certain passage of a bill of • very different
kind.

NFVTRAL!TY Laws Comarmarorr.—A meeting of
the commissioners was held yesterday at 2, Victoria.strect,
Westminster. Present: Lord Cranworth, Lord Houghton,
Lord Cairns, Right Hon. Stephen Lushington, Sir Wil-
liam Erie; Sir R. J. Phillimore. Q.C.; Sir Round,•ll
Palmer, M.P., Q.C.; Mr. Travers Twiss, Q.C.; Mr. W. V.
Vernon Harcourt. Q.C. ; Mr. Thomas Baring. M. P. ;
Mr. W. H. Gregory, M.P.; Mr. W. E. Forster, M.P.; Mr.
C. S. A. Abbott; and Mr. F. P. Onslow, secretary to the
commission.

FRIENDLY SOCTETTER.—This morning was issued
a return of the number of societies which have deposited
their rules with the registrars of friendly societies in
England, Scotland, and Ireland respectively, under the
Act 18th and 19th Viet., c. 1;3, sec. 44, with the name and
objects of each, and when established. Since the passing
of the act 389 societies have deposited their rules with the
Registrar of Friendly Societies in England, under sec. 44,
and of this number 313 have been established for one or
more of the purposes uientioned in sec. 9. The registrar
gives extracts from the rules of several of these societies.