The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-23 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—MOIVDAY, JULY 22.
IN the Hoene of LOillni yesterday, the Earl of
DISHY moved the second reading of the Repre-
sentation of the People Bill. He said if he had
been about to move a bill which was to cause so
great a revolution as that which was caused by the
great measure of 1832, he should indeed feel some
trepidation. At that time large towns like Man- '
cheater and Birmingham were unrepresented, and
the system of rotten boroughs was rife. It was true
that at that time the government was supported by
the tide of public feeling, which, assisted by the
revolutionary feeling abroad, broke down all ob-
stacles. But though to a certain extent that popular •
enthusiasm lent support to the government of the
day, yet, on the other hand, it prevented that calm
deliberation which ought to have been given to
such a question. He did not think that under
this bill they would have a House of Com-
mons which would more faithfully represent
the people than that house had done since
1832. It might be asked, why, then, make
a change 1 And to that he answered because it
was desirable notonly that there should be a faith-
ful representation of the people, but that the
classes represented should think so. The noble
earl then reviewed the reform agitation of the last
15 years, and the several bills brought in during '
that period, and with reference to the bill of last
year, said it was felt that the measure was brought
forward prematurely in a new parliament and in
a dictatorial manner, and that if the late Chancellor
el the Exchequer had known how to consult the
prejudices and the feelings of the House of Com-
mons he would have passed that measure. He had
en two previous occasions endeavoured to carry on
the government with a minority in the House of
Commons, and had failed, and when under-
taking the office of first minister of
the crown for the third time he determined
that he would not again be a mere stopgap till it
suited the convenience of the liberals to take office
again, but that he would endeavour to settle this
question which had agitated the public mind for so
long a period. And in order to effect this object
the government determined to take the House of
Commons into their confidence. They first pro-
posed a series of resolutions; but the House of
Commons would not accept them, and they then
determined to bring in a bill, and, considering
there was no other stand-point below the 10/. line,
they based the borough franchise on the occupation
of a house, conditionally on the payment of rates.
They were desirous of accompanying this with
other qualifications, such as the payment of a
certain amount of taxes, and the possession
of a certain amount in the savings banks,
but of these the House of Commons disapproved.
They also proposed certain restrictions, but
these were also disapproved of. The fran-
chise, however, was limited to the occupiers of
dwellings, and did not, as did the Reform Act of
1832, include the occupants of warehouses, shops,
or buildings. The present borough constituency
comprised 452,000 persons ; by the bill it was esti-
mated that 387,000 occupiers of houses below
101. in value would be added to the constituencies ;
but of these three-fifths resided in 37 large
boroughs. He then referred to the lodger fran-
chise, and said be did not for a moment question
that many lodgers were of high social position,
and he approved of the franchise under the re-
strictions unposed by the bill. He then passed to
the county franchise, and stated that the 12/. occu-
pation franchise would add 171,000 to the consti-
tuency. Then, passing on to the question of re-
distribution of seats, he said the principle they
went upon was not wholly to disfranchise any
borough, but to take the second member from
boroughs with a population under 7,000. The
House of Commons went further. It took the
second member from boroughs with a population
under 10,000, and these with seven seats taken from
four boroughs where bribery had prevailed, gave
them 45 seats for disposal. Of these 25 were
given to counties, 15 to new boroughs, four to four
Lrge boroughs, which will in future each return
three members, and the remaining member to the
London University. The noble earl then adverted
to the amendment of Earl Grey, which he said ap-
peared to him to be quite incomprehensible and
utterly useless for any practical purpose, and he
appealed to the noble earl whether it was consistent
with the respect he and this house owed to the
House of Commons to stigmatise the measure as
not calculated to promote the object in view, and
then to alter it in committee and send it dcwn
again to that house. In conclusion, the noble
earl said he believed the bill was at once large,
extensive, and conservative, and would for a long
time settle the question of reform and prevent
agitation.
Earl GRIT said it was necessary, before they
went into committee, that they should fully un-
derstand the character of the measure. The bill,
he considered, was in no way calculated to settle
the reform question. Hie object was not to defeat
the bill, dangerous as he considered it, but to
amend it in committee ; and so far from this course
being an insult to the House of Commons, he
believed that three-fourths of that assembly would
agree with him. The noble earl then proceeded to
minute adverse criticisms of the provisions of the
bill, which he contended were of a most democratic
character, but his voice could scarcely be heard,
and towards the close he exhibited signs of great
physical weakness. He concluded by moving an
amendment to the effect that the bill would not
effect a permanent settlement of the question, but
that the house, recognising the urgent necessity for
the passing of a bill to amend the representation,
would not refuse a second reading of the bill, in
the hope that it might be amended in its future
stages. . . .

Lord RAVEN:MO/MI thought the noble earl
might well have taken the opinion of their lord-
ships on the first or on the second part of his
amendment, but not on both together, for they
were inconsistent. He supported the bill thinking
that it would settle the question for a long time,
but he must say that he feared it would increase the
expense of elections and increase bribery.
The Earl of MORLEY expressed his surprise at
this being called a conservative measure, and said
he saw nothing conservative in it, except that the
lower class of voters being the least intelligent
would probably be the most conservative. He
regretted that the moderate bill of last year was
rejected.

Lord STRATFORD DE REDCL/FIE considered the
amendment inappropriate to the occasion, and that
it cast a censure on the other branch of the legis-
lature. There was a necessity for passing the bill
which no statesman could overlook.

The Duke of RUTLAND could not give a cordial
support to this measure. He thought they should
have waited till the commission on trades unions
had concluded their labours, and that education
was not sufficiently extended for such a measure.
He thought, however, that if they gave up the DK
franchise there was no safe resting place till they
got to household suffrage. But this bill was a
totally distinct bill from the one that was proposed.
One by one all the safeguards had been abandoned.
He hoped their lordships would send the bill back
to the House of Commons decently clothed, with
the securities that formerly guarded it.
Lord CAMPERDOWN supported the bill, but
predicted that the compounder would rise like a
phrenix from his ashes.

The Earl of CAKNARVON complained that they
were called upon to legislate without any informa-
tion whatever as to the effects of the measure. A
wholesale transfer of power from one class to
another was a revolution, and that he considered
would be the effect of this bill. And it was a re-
volution that was brought about without enthu-
siasm, and at the desire of nobody butithe occu-
piers of the Treasury bench. Ho refused to stul-
tify himself, and say that such a measure as this
was a conservative measure. If, after opposing
such a bill as that of last year, the conservative
party were to support such a measure as this, he
was ready to put ashes on his head and acknow-
ledge that the whole action of the party to which
be had thought it a honour to belong was nothing
but a mere organised hypocrisy.
Lord Baavetrastr thanked the government for

dealing with the question as they had done. He
defended the measure as one which was likely to
settle the question.
Earl thr.atrvitta thought the government had
been actuated in this measure by a desire to do
harm to their political adversaries. He was not
alarmed at the reduction of the franchise which
was proposed. He should have been glad if what
had been called the residuum had been ex-
cluded ; but he did not participate in the fears
which had been expressed, and so far as regarded
the franchise lie gave the bill his support. But
with regard to the redistribution scheme, which
was almost universally condemned, he asked
government if they thought it would last three
years ; and he put it to them whether it would
not have been better to have offered a more ex-
tensive measure now. If they would agree to a
redistribution scheme which would be calculated to
meet the just demands of the country, the peers
on the opposition side of the house would support
them.
The Duke of MARLROROCOH defended the
measure, which he said had the unanimous support
of all the members of the government. The times
had been onerous, and the government had acted
advisedly and conscientiously in introducing the
bill.
On the motion of the Earl of SHArrasseav the
debate was then adjourned till this day, and one or
two bills having been advanced a stage, the house
adjourned at a quarter to 1 o'clock.

HOME OF 0011:11ONS.—MONDAY, JULY 22.
IN the HOUSE of COMMONS, the CHANCELLOR of
the Bxensurza made &statement as to the course
of business during the remainder of the session.
There were, he said, 50 government orders on the
paper, and of these the government proposed not
to proceed with nine—namely, the Murder Law
Amendment Bill, the Writs Registration (Scotland)
Bill, the Tenants' Improvement (Ireland) Bill, the
Land Improvement and Leasing (Ireland) Bill, the
Admiralty Jurisdiction Bill, the Petit Juries (Ire-
land) Bill, the Intestates' Widows and Children
Bill, the Sea Fisheries Bill, and the (Moe
of Judge in the Court of Admiralty Bill.
There would remain 41 measures, and of these 11
were from the Lords, which they should not press
unduly. He added that this day he proposed to
take a morning sitting, to give an opportunity for
the discussion of the case of the Tornado.

The Representation of the People (Scotland)
Bill was read a second time on the motion of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer without any dis-
cussion, apparently to the great surprise of the
house.

Mr. G. HARDY moved the second reading of the
Royal Parka Bill. The bill enacted that the same
protection should be given to the royal parks in
London that was now extended to similar places in
the provinces, so that they should not be used for
political or religious purposes, and that to hold
any meeting in them without the permission of the
crown should be puishable as a misdemeanour with
fine or imprisonment, and that the Commissioner
of Works should lay down by-laws, the breach of
which would be visited by a small pecuniary fine.

Mr. NEATZ considered the bill inadequate to its
object, and held that it was not expedient to deal
with the subject of public meetings in the metro-
polis with reference only to the royal parks.

Mr. P. A. TAYLOR condemned the bill on the
ground that it waa an attempt by a aide wind to
create a)iewstatutable offencethat was not required
by the necessities of thecase. He moved the re-
jection of the bill.
Mr. NRWDECIATZ suggested that the better way
would be to prohibit all public meetings within
three miles of the houses of parliament.
The bill was further opposed by Mr. MILL as an
attempt by a aidewind to take away the right of
public meeting, and by Mr. ()TWAY ; and supported
by Mr. KKK and Mr. J. HARDY' the latter of
hadwhom was called to order, and to apologise
for saying that Mr. Taylor was returned by the
refuse of the constituency he represented.
The second reading was carried by 181 to 84.
The house then went in committee of, supply,
and a number of votes in the civil service estimates
were taken.

Some other business was disposed of, and the
house adjourned at five minutes to 2 o'clock.

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, JULY 23, 1867.

SHARE LISTS.-{THIS DAY.)

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171