The Express.
London, England, 1867-06-04 00:00:00

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.

(THIS DAY.)

arrAL 1111D11

The salutary pause which has occurred in the
reform labours of the House of Common., the further con-
sideration of the redistribution clauses being deferred until
Monday week, will be made use of, the Times hope., by the
House of Commons and by the government in deliberating
whether the present opportunity shall not be seized for
introducing • better system of election into our repre-
sentative machinery. Our contempor.ry believes the
courage which the house has manifested in dealing with
the enfranchising clauses of the Reform Bill will not de-
sert it when the redistribution part of the scheme is
under consideration ; and the Ministry, which has been
eonsistently supported in its bold resolution to place
the franchise on • broad and permanent basis, will be
similarly supported if it manifest • similar courage and
• similar respect to permanent and conservative legisla-
tion in reconstructing the clauses affecting redistribution.
As to the two proposals rejected last night, the Times
thinks the fate of fierjeant Osailee's crude scheme will
excite little commiseration, and the effect of Captain
Hayter's suggestion would have been simply to disguise
the meagre amount of town life really contained in rural
constituencies bearing the inappropriate name of boroughs.
In refusing last night to sanction the entire disfran-
chisement of all boroughs with a population of less
than 5,000, the house, the Daily News says, de.
parted from the spirit of the act of 1832 ; and it is
hard, moreover, to reconcile the vote with that on Mr.
Icing's amendment. Mr. Disraeli claiming to have exor-
cised party spirit from the house, it cannot be supposed
that the fact that the boroughs of lens than 10,000
population return • majority of liberals, while those
of them which are below the 5,000 line return a
majority of conservatives, had anything to do with
the respective decisions of Friday and Monday.
Other opportunities, however, may arise even this
session for rzeonsidering the question, and for attaining,
by different means, substantially the same end. Mr.
Disraeli intimates that the counties must lie compensated
for the 45 sesta which have been taken from the boroughs,
so that the hope can hardly be entertained that his scheme
will be satisfactory unless he is greatly better than his
words. Her Majesty's opposition, which his so often
supplied the defects of her Majesty's government, cannot
spend the Whitsuntide vacation more wisely than in de.
vising and working out • just scheme.
The Post thinks that the committee decided well in
sparing the boroughs threatened with annihilation.
Amongst the gigantic constituencies about to be created, it
will be refreshing to see half • dozen with perhaps little
more than • thousand electors.

The Herald says the acceptance of Serjoant Gatelee's
amendment would have been a heavy blow to the bill, and
would have been, especially as proceeding from Serjeant
Gaaelee, to inflict upon the government an undeserved
mortification and affront. At the mane time it cannot but
regret that Mr. Disraeli should have opposed Mr. Dayter's
amendment, which was acceptable to very unsay on the
ministerial aide who have staunchly supported the govern-
ment against all hostile attempts.
The Standard assures its readers that the counties will
not lose anything by the matter being left in the hands of
the government instead of in those of Mr. Lsing.
The Skir is persuaded a reformed parliament will not
acquiesce in the immortality of these little boroughs
where our representative power is muddled away. Mr.
Cardwell was well justified in saying that nothing could
more seriously endanger the permanence of the present
settlement, or invite an agitation for electoral districts,
than to leave on the roll of boroughs these decaying and
insignificant towns.