The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-08 00:00:00

or the miscarriage during the present year of th►t great
question. I may not, perhaps, wholly concur in the
opinion—(laughter)—but at the same time I feel that it
is an opinion which they have a perfect right to enter-
tain if they think fit, and which if they entertain they
do better to express it. (Hear, hear.) However, gen-
tlemen, what I observe is this, that there is a great
disinclination to express any aversion to a further re-
form of parliament (hear, hear, and cheers)—and there
being a peat disinclination to express plainly that
aversion, other modes are adopted of accounting for the
failure that baa occurred. One of those modes has

been, asVhim7ssici, so al to
that I think it better to pass by that topic alto-
gether, only assuring you that if it be my fate to
take • harems part in the prosecution of that question
(" hear, hear," and cheer}--I shall honestly endeavour ti I
avoid any faults which I may have heretofore committed,
and at tie lams time while endeavouring to avoid those
faults, tidal' also endeavour to avoid any of those half-
hearted modse of speech and action—(" hear,ihear," and great
cheering}—which undoubtedly are in favour with certain
portions of the community. (Laughter, bear, hear, and
cheers.) But, gentlemen, there is another charge that has
been made, and which does not affect myself alone, but
affects the ament to which I lately belonged, and on
which I wOl certainly say one word with very great nor -
Mere". It is sometimes stated that the failure of the

her iu.i.;tii; government for
the extension of the francluae, as the Ant and
most important of the measures connected with
an improvement of the representation of the
people, was dpe to the careless, rash and hasty manner ip
which tW"Mesumre had been humid. sown, it is

always open to a political party to treat as impotent the
efforts of its opponents ; and in speaking of a government
there is no extent of d~'sparagement to which its opponents
may not with apparent fauna resort. All that I can say,
gentlemen, is this--at any rate, the members of the late
gove•ament were men who were the oldest and meet expe-
rienced public servants of the crown—(hear, hear)—and if
they really did frame a hasty and an ill-considered mea.-
Fire, it was more blameable in them than it could possibly

have been in anybody else ; but if haste and rashness are
to be measured by the ordinary tests, then I must say to
this charge against the government, that no measure which
has been introduced into parliament since the great
set of DM in relation to reform ever was prepared with
one half of the industry, care, solicitude, and patient
examination which was bestowed by the late government
upon the bill that they introduced for the reduction of the
franchise. (" Hear, hear," and cheers.) It is true, gen-
tlemen, that that hill did not contain a great multitude of
provisions. We wished to make it a simple and intelligible
measure. (Hear, hear.) I believe that in that object we
succeeded. (Hear, hear.) I believe that the epithet of
praise which yuu have bestowed upon it here in your
address, where you call it a judicious measure, is an
epithet destervea by its provisions. (Hear, hear.) It is
true that that bill has failed. Don't therefore suppose
. .

that the question is likely to remain long in abeyance.
(Cheers.) Gentlemen, in this room I shall strictly avoid all
allusion to local politico—(" Hear, hear," and laughterl—
for this reseal, if for no other, that I have long enjoyed the
privilege of the friendship of both of the gentlemen by
whom this city is represented, and from the elder of them
—the elder of the two representatives—a liberal govern-
ment has upon former important occasions received cordial
and generous support. (Hear.) Gentlemen, Salisbury, I
am happy to say, has rendered us considerable assistance in
connexion with this question. Yon have reared
the man whom Brighton has sent to parliament—(" hear,
hear," and cheers) —whom you are glad to number among
your fellow•townsmen, who is not ashamed of that title,
and whom we in the House of Commons, upon all sides
I may pregame to say, welcome as an important and valu-
able addition to the strength of the representatives of the
people. (" Hear, bear," and cheers.) There is another
gentleman immediately connected with Salisbury, whom
upon this occasion I cannot refrain from naming. I
mean Mr. Lambert. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Lambert
occupies a position in the public service of which I need
not say that it is important, and that he well discharges
its duties ; but this I will say, that he is a man of charac-
ter, a man of talents, and a man of devotion to duty that
would fit him for a higher, and yet more responsible posi-
tion. (" Hear, hear," and cheers.) I cannot bestow too high
a commendation upon the manner in which Mr. Lambert,
during the eight months he was engaged in that service,
discharged the very arduous and difficult duty of examin-
ing into the whole of the facts connected with the actual
state of the representation of the people. (Cheers.) Moat
sincerely and earnestly do I congratulate you upon reckon-
ing such a man among the citizens of Salisbury, while I
as cordially record my gratitude to him for the important
esrviessikehasrendsred to thestate. (Cheers.) New, gentle-
' men, if we look at the state of public affairs in general—if
we look especially beyond our own shores—l cannot but
entertain the hope that the stirring events which have
occurred in Europe are likely to result in the realising of
great and solid becefits for the friends of general peace
and proaperity. What we in England want to see is,
Europe tranquil, flourishing, and industrious. (Cheers.)
The days have gone by when that idle and mischievous
delusion prevailed, that the strength of each country was
to be sought in the depression of its neighbours. (Hear,
bear.) We wish to see the United Kingdom of her
Majesty strong, but we wish to see it strong in conjunc-
tion with the strength and well-being of every other state
in the civilised world ; and we wish to Noe it deriving
much of its strength, and much of its prosperity from that
beneficial intercourse of industry and trade with every
other co..ntry. which not only increases wealth by
some and salutary exchanges, but which knits together
the hearts of men in the several countries of the earth, and
helps to make those one in spirit and in feeling, whom the
providence of God Almighty has made one in race and
nature. (Cheers.) Well, gentlemen. the short and deci-
sive war we have seen goes to invest Europe, so far, with
the blessings of solid, well-defined territorial divisions, and
promises to leave the administration of states end go-
vernments in hands well suited for the task—(cheers)—
with the people of those states attached to the persons un-
der whom they are to be ruled, and the rulers themselves
competent to discharge all the duties that are conducive
to the maintainance of general peace and order. As to
ourselves, gentlemen, we can hardly my that the results
of the legislation of the year have been satisfactory. We
have got a great unsolved question in our hands; and I
think that question of such importance that I would not,
for any consideration, say one single word that would tend
to impede, or to prejudice its solution, irre-
spective of the quarter from which that solution may
come. (Laughter.) If a good, honest. effectual measure
is proposed by those now invested with the responsibilities
' of government, let us embrace it with all our hearts—
, Icheers)—and let us say nothing, and do nothing at this
time either to drive them onwards, or to drive them back-
wards. Let us leave in their own minds, and in their own
hearts, the discharge of the responsible duties which they
have courted and assumed. (Laughter.) Looking first and
foremost of all, above and beyond all, to the satisfactory
solution of the question which has assumed a magnitude
far above anything personal, far above everything connected
with the immediate interests of party, which bait become
national and imperial in the truest sense—(" hear, hear."
and cheers)—only this I will say, while there should be no
haste, and no precipitation, it is important that the solu.
tion should not be too long delayed. (Hear, heir.) There is
a sense in the minds of the people of this country that the
subject has been trifled with—lhear, bear}—and the mani-
festations, especially among the working classes of the
community within the last two or three months, have
been such that if I were to look at them with reference
simply to the promotion of the views of the late govern-
ment, I should hail them with an unqualified satisfac-
tion, for indeed they must have been amply sufficient to
convince those who persisted long after conclusive
evidence to the contrary, in the idle assertion that the
nation was indifferent to reform. (" Hear, hear," and
cheers.) Bat, gentlemen, I frankly own I am not one
of those who desire to see this country perpetually
torn by agitations and discussions upon questions of
organic change. (Hear, hear.) L think that if we
were wise—l think that if we addressed our minds to
this subject in the spirit of moderation and of justice
—in that spirit, gentlemen, I presume to say by which
the late government at least endeavoured to he guided,
and by which I am persuaded its members will strive to
be actuated hereafter—it is in our power still to affect a
satisfactory settlement of that question. (Hear, hear.)
I think, kowever, it is time to make cautious men reflect,
when separate classes are so much called upon to art in
their separate capacities,—why are we to have all this
separation between the working classes and other portions
of the community. ("Hear, hear," and bravo.) This at-
tempt to draw that broad and invidious distinction, to
cast suspicion rpm them with regard to their motives and
their competency has naturally re-acted in a vigorous, dis-
tinct, separate, intelligible reaction upon their p.rt.
(Hear, hear.) I think it is impossible but that such
must be the result—(cheers)—but happy shall I be when
the day arrives when all such separate action will come to
a close—(heer, bear)—and when we as a united commu-
nity, all classes under their several and distinctive names,
be they richer, or be they poorer, be they higher or be they
lower, shall look upon this question of the franchise as a
question of national and imperial interest far above all
narrow considerations, and shall unite in offering an e :-
tension of political privilege—an extension safe indeed,
but liberal and effectual to those who have been, and who
still are excluded, bet whose competency for the exercise
of those duties, I think none, at least of them assem-
bled in this room can doubt. (" Hear, hear," and cheers.)
Gentlemen, I trust that solution may be arrived at at
an early period. (A Voice: "By the Wet.") Our efforts
—I spear for myself and for thorns with whom I have
the honour of acting—will not be wanting. I Gan give
no pledge on their part, and I believe you will ark for
none, except this—that we shall endeavour tokeZn in
view the interests of our country and we lind
a
those interests in the manner and in the wenn in which
we have hitherto endeavoured to explain and enforce