The Express.
London, England, 1866-03-14 00:00:00

THE REFORM BILL.-LAST NIGHTS DEBATE.

The Times is ready to widen the basis of the oon-
stitniion by the admission of the working man, and to ap-

prove the particular scheme of entreaohisemeat moors-
useadad by the government, if it be made part of a
mem* disposimg of the reform question ; but if
anything can be deduced from the ambiguous men-
teems of Yr. Glsdstone a supplement of the
bill by others is is the highest degree problematical.
And we are wimps we:rested in eying that he does not
biamelf desire it Assuming it to be oafish' that the re-
dieteibetion of seats meet follow a redaction of the fru-
chime, the Amu proem& to argue that the persist pro-
posals would increase oorruption in the small boroughs,
sad bawl them over to the conservatives ; that

it would make the unequal distribution of pa:

Wiest power only more painfully apparent, and would
increase the difficulty of entering the House of Commons
axeept by profuse expenditure or profuse democratic
pledges. The question of distribution is apparently left
by the governmeat bill to be settled snider less favoureble
auspices, when the 1101111(1110IIi elated by the aggravated
aaranalies of the time will brie; about ma electoral redistri-
bution in whisk smith that is useful will perish. The and

of the gearliew, ea Yr. Bright truly rasa it in 1869, le
left out, sad elthargi the Wi of NW novereineet wee, es e
natter of amnia mad a !rot the. lea .fight, the Time

°moot believe at its futon eerier will be prosperous,
mime some distinct pledge he gives that a supplernestary
bill for the redistribution of seats shall be at oast tiro-
dead end vigorously premed formed.
Greeting to Mr. Lowe sad Mr. Horemaa the pommies
of qualities this elevate end adore the wont of eanam, the
Doily News proceeds to argue that, wintered to Its logical
curicharicsa. Mr. Lowe's theory of legislation, ae pat foe-
ward lane mesing, is, if not the destructios el the repro-
esslative system altogether, at leen, se opined to the re-
presestative system In general as to any bill for the enem-
ies of the savage to partioular. He was not eismed to
est le hie own musts some elegant extracts
from the annular Prophetic speeches of Mr. Choker,
Sir R. Ives and flf• 0. Wetherell, and to
borrow, without aohnowledgmest hogs a speech of Cea-
sing which Lord Remelt quotes la his praises, the asses
and almost the very words of his peroration, in which he
rejects the glory of passing a Batmen Bill, and claims the
honour of resisting It. And this was the risme Yr. Lowe,
be it remembered, who, as Mr. Fawostt and Mr. Bright
etterwarde reminded him, had voted for Lord
Reneall's resolution which threw out Mr. Diereelee
Reform Bill I. 1869, and who in that same
year, in his sadism to his skiers, annowicied the
prm:aratio• of a Reform Bill which, if not eatidadery to
no. of extreme opinions, should be adequate to the ex-
peetatiose el the great body of the people. lir. Lowe, re-
preeeatieg a bagough with 174 eleceare, muss of whom are
working mem, is throwing stows from a elms house, or
rather from a Lobbies/ea conservatory, when he
attain the " turbulent majorities" d large towns.
The home probably never enjoyed a performance
more thoroughly than the piiiiiment which lir.
Lowe and Mr. Herman received last evening
from Mr. Bright. The oomparieos of the two maloonteete
of Stroud and alas to the &etch terrier, who was so co-
vered with hair that lb was torpssible to tell which wee
head and which wee and the allusion to the "Botany
Bay views" of politica of W. Lowe and his "Australian
gone .gue," the member fog Salisbury, will be long rehm®.
bored and preserved among the (Wicks of parliamentary
warfare. Hr. Frivrostee reoeption by the whole home was

worthy of a great and generous sasembly, and though he
spoke as became en uneocopromisieg liberal, friends and foes
joined heads and voioes when, at the close, be streak a
chord of human kindness and thanked all alike for their
liminess and sympathy. _ _

The adjourned dabeie has only tended to eooftrm the
impression of the Post that the government ball le dis-
tasteful to the house. The absence of petitions and the
latitude allowed to eandida• es at the recent elections,
show that the oonntry wants no reform, and if it did the
present bill would de nothing more than let In a elas•
electors particularly oral Pa uourrpticm, Ed thereby
TMUY MOWN the *specie of parlianutnisey elections
without ensuring a more feithf al representation of those
who bad been set remained.

The Herald, in Battering terms, repents the various
arguments of Mr. Lowe, which appear to it itrefrapble.
The dolmens silence of the Treasury bench daring the
debates is a•other sign that the whig party is decaying.
Mr. Fawcett vulgarised the debate by speaking to
his oonstituecoy instead of to the House of Commons, and
Mr. Bright's argument was for uoiversal suffrage or
nothing. It is almost • satire to speculate upon the ultimate
disappearance of the bill, for that it will even become law.
if we Judge only from the speeches of its admirers, is not
among the real expectations of the r: lies! p ,rty or of the
ministers by whom radicalism is hoodwinked.
The Advertiser tells sincere reformers that they mutt
insist on a redistribution of seats now, or they are likely
•ever to pt it. If it is allowed to pees by now, there will
be little probability of reviving the question—neither
whip sax tories liking it—in 1868 or 1869.
The Telegraph devotes throe leading articles to Monday's
and last night's debates. Mr. Lowe it regards as Wagging
henceforth, wherever he may sit, to the tory party. His
oration, as an attack upon reform, constantly lost its par-
liamentary force by the indecency of its pommel amities,
and so was • failure. The only distinction between him
and the tories is that the latter fear the people bat do not
bate them. Betides the character of the government me•-
snre we mast compare, the Tekgropla says, the Mamie
of the men from whom it receives opposition or support.
On the one els, we ham a set of captious empires, who
are nothing if not critic►l ; on the other, • ministry of tried
experience sad worth, bent upon (dreg a great
public question that has disquieted the country
for years, that will continue to disquiet it until it
recline • settlement at the halide of such sister-
men as the Chancellor of the Eachequer, and
that never would be settled if the affairs of the
country were committed to the sore of those, who
while styling themselves liberals, are among his bitterest
assaUants.
The Star aye the debate of last eight will go far to re-
deem the reputation of the new Home of Commons which
on the previous night bad been so grossly trilled with. The
President of the Poor-law Board showed all the heartiness,
readiness, and effertivesess of a parliamentary veteran, and
placed the strong points of the reform cam to a thoroughly
statesmanlike mason. before the boess. The adhesion of
the youngest eon of the great Sir B. Peel to liberal pried-
pies, and the ability with which be expressed his view.,
was a eatable incident in the debate, as was the admirable
speech of Mr. Arland. Mr. Lowe may for • season pm for
an orator and a @sesames among these who einfeand
cynicism with odour and mistake impertinesee for epi-
gram. But the passing of • substantial measure of reform
will compel him to adopt a new and quite different poli-
tical line, or doom him to political extinction.