The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-06 00:00:00

OU It CONTEMPORARIES.

(THIS DAY.)

The Tires is reconciled to the rejection of Mr.
Duwe's proposal to adopt the cumulative vote by the fact
that with the single exception of Mr. Shaw Lefevre, the
younger members who spoke, to whatever party or section
of a party they belonged, spoke in support of the proposal.
The magnitude of the minority yesterday is an earnest of
a future majority.
In other articles the Times treats of the ceremonies at
Rome, the Privy Council system of education, and our
military administration.
To the Daily News it seems that the cumulative
voting would increase the worst evils of our present elec-
toral system. To be chosen by the cumulative vote would
usually be the sign of a purchased election.
The Daily News observes that the infamous Miramon
and the bloodthirsty Marquez, who have suffered the
doom of traitors to their country, are the very men
whose outrages and atrocities the original expedition of the
three powers was sent out to punish. Against the govern.
ment of Juarez, as distinguished from that of his prede-
cessors, the European powers had not • grievance to
allege. It is very much the fashion with English
society to have two weights and two measures
for their political judgments. A monarchy may slaughter
scores of rebels in cold blood, as Austria did in
'4B-'49, in Hungary, in Italy ; as Prussia did in
Baden ; as the Second Empire did in December,
But a republican government may not even defend
itself against invasion and overthrow by a foreign army,
and while no quarter is given to its soldiers is bound to
pardon all who are taken in arms against it on pain of
being branded as a government of sassasins. Indian half-
breds in what was a Spanish colony are expected to be as
humane as a Narvaez ! Inasmuch as we did not recall our
envoy from Mexico on account of the executions which
took place pursuant to the decree of October, 186.5, it
would follow that we saw no great objection to them. If
an American adventurer had gone to Hungary, waged war
against the Austrian government, and ul,imately bees
taken and executed, should we have recalled our ambas-
sador from Vienna

The Paid is opposed to the cumulative vote under the
circumstances proposed by Mr. Lowe. If the system of
three-cornered constituencies be good, it should be univer-
sally applied.
Referring to the law as to members of parliament who
have been declared bankrupt, the Post reminds its readers
of what took place in the case of the hon. member who
formerly oat for Greenwich. On the 15th of June, 185 ft,
a eopy of the record of adjudication of bankruptcy against
Mr. John Townsend, a member, which bad been ordered
and presented, was read by the clerk•at the table. The
acts applying to such persons were also read, and a mem-
ber having moved " that the said Mr. John Townsend
do withdraw from this house until this bankruptcy
shall have been superseded or annulled, or until his credi-
tors proving their debts shall have been paid or satisfied
to the full amount of their debts ;" and it having been
noticed further that Mr. Townsend had since his bank-
ruptcy voted in several divisions, it was ordered that the
said Mr. Townsend do withdraw, which he did accordingly
and that " the votes given by him since his adjudication
of bankruptcy be disallowed.* This precedent the Post
presumes will be followed in the case of Sir Morton Peto,
a case of misfortune which the public cannot fail to view
with respect and sympathy.
The Ifrrald approves of the vote of the majority in the
case of Mr. Lowe's proposition, but is very angry that Mr.
Bright should be on its side. The Standard, on the
other hand, says the rejection of the clause was undoubt-
edly rather a radical than a conservative triumph, and its
loss must be accepted as another sacrifice to an unreason-
ing prejudice ag.iinst novelty. The replies which were
made to Mr. Disraeli, the Standard thinks, were con-
clusive.

The Telegraph pays a tribute to Mr. Disraeli for standing
his ground so manfully throughout the discussion.
The Star chiefly addresses itself to answering Mr. Mill.

THE WEEKLY PRESS.

The Examiner, having from first to last denounced
the buccaneering plot against Mexico, is glad at Maxi-
niilian's fall, though it laments his death. Still it were
mere hypocrisy to blink the fact which will outweigh in his-
tory's judgment all parallels and analogies, the terrible fact,
that just a year and a half ago, in October,lB6s,Maximilian
issued a decree, whereby he declared that, from and after
its date, he would execute as a criminal any man who was
found in arms against him. Under that decree five gallant
gen'lemen, Generals Arteaga and Salazar, with three of
their staff holding the rank of colonel in the republican
army, were taken prisoners and put to death by order of
the alien Emperor. Is it not written, " they that take the
sword shall perish by the sword!" A fearful thing is this
poetic retribution, but a thing which it can serve no
honest or pious purpose to deny or to ignore. Let us put
the ass to ourselves. What would be our feelings, what
our words—may we not add, what our acts and deeds— if
a French or German adventurer, of high descent, were to
land in Munster with a foreign army, and fortifying his-
s -If in a few southern towns near the coast, were recog-
nised there as King by half the governments of Europe,
and, after months or years of bloodshed and exaction,
were he to fall into our hands!

Will the bill get through ? says the Erasaiaer. If at
the end of July the House of Lords should refuse to enter
upon • deliberate consideration of the measure, not
brought up to them till then, upon the ground that the
legislative days of the year are primed, and that their
duties as sportsmen must not be neglected because the
duties of others as statesmen have been ill-performed, the
reproach of factious frustration will inevitably be laid at
the door of those who have wasted the time that might
have been saved, ministers will have a fair excuse for ad-
journing the measure until February next, when the whole
discussion will have to begin again. The day is (sat ap-
proaching when it will behove sincere and thoughtful men
to show that they can stand together, and insist on the
completion of the work now so nearly done.
The Speetoror trusts now that the anti-corruption dames
and the cumulative vote are lost, that the liberals will
abstain, as Mr. Gladstone does, from further opposition.
There is nothing worth having to be get, for, as we have
explained elsewhere, to force a dissolution would be
suicidal, ►nd petty amendments only enable the tories to
say that the liberals fear enfranchisement. If serious
opposition ceases, as it probably will, the bill ought to
reach the third reading next week, and pass the house on
the Monday following. The Spectator would warn both
sides, en passant, to look sharply to the clause fixing the
time for registration. If they try to give themselves
another year's enjoyment of their seats, there will be a
cry from the new constituencies against laws passed by a
"sentenced parliament" such as they will not care to
face. Cannot they see that the year will be all in favour
of new men?

Speculating on the effect which the fate of Maximilian
will have upon France, the Spedator says the belief in the
Emperor, still almost immovable among the peasantry, will
be sadly shaken, and that strange Nemesis which follows
the unjustifiable use of power will, we believe, hurry him
on to enterprises yet more dangerous than the one which
has so conspicuously failed. What Moscow was to the
First Empire, Mexico may yet prove to the Second.

The whole scheme of conservative belief, the Saturday
Rerine says, is shaken to the foundation. Things which a
short time ago were accounted very diefrlful are now
spoken of as tho most natural and innocent things in the
world. Men like Mr. Bright, who were deemed a pest to
decent society, are now flattered and courted, and hold
themselves out successfully as the kind patrons of the
government. There is scarcely any political opinion held
so etedfastly in England that we cannot now easily con-
ceive it fading away, and there is no man of anything like
real intellectual force whose career we can anticipate.
Changes in the relations of the governed to their
governor., in the relations of the poor and the rich,
in the relations of the church to the state and
to modern thought changes that a short tin.e
ago seemed quite chimerical—now float before every.
one as entering the range, not only of possibility, but
of a not very remote probability. The effect of all this
has been to relax in sonic slight measure the pressure for
a Reform Bill. The house goes bungling sad dawdling or,
not only because it has broken loose front ita leaders, but
also because, as the discussion of details proceeds, it secs
difficulties where everything owe seemed smooth, and it is
not kept up quite as much as it was to the pninful t al: of
setting rid of these difficulties by boldly cutting the knots
it is sure to find. The progress of the bill has cense-
quentlf been rather slow, and the chief cause of wonder is
that it has not been slower, and that so much has been