The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-20 00:00:00

THE NEW AMENDMENT IN THE RZTORII BILL.

The Times quotes the fall of the compound
householder as an instance of the energy of the House of
Commons, and the sudden influence of the independent
member. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is quite right
in saying that had it been proposed at the outset of the
session that compound householding should be abolished
the proposal would probably have been defeated,
but the last month bas produced a remarkable
conversion. No one knows better than Mr. Bright how
very different this is from what Mr. Sandford calls
"household suffrage pure and simple." The conditions
of residence and of payment of full rates will, according to
his estimate, exclude about one-half of the householders
inhabiting houses below IW. annual v.due who ►re in other
respects eligible for the franchise. Mr. Gathorne Hardy,
who is sufficiently experienced in the practice of rating,
has acknowledged that this is a tolerably accurate state-
meet. As to the practice of compounding, it obtains in
but a minority of our parishes and fails to give satis-
faction even in those where it has been adopted.
With regard to the mode of its abolition, the Times
would have Mr. Hodgkinson's proviso adopted, be-
lieving that the obstacles to an entirely separate bill
would be found to thicken. If the determination of par.
'lament be effectually expressed, however informally, the
rest must follow, and, in Mr. Henley's language, "every-
thing can afterwards be made smooth with half the
trouble."

Mr. Poulett Scrape writes to the Times, with the object
of showing that his proposal to absolve from the burden of
rate-paying, and therefore from the privilege incidental to
it, all householders inhabiting houses rated below 44.,
would affect but very little, if at all, the rates of other
ratepayers. The Times, which continues to regard Mr.
Scrope's suggestion with favour, add, that the principle of
his proposal is sanctioned by the exemption of the lowest
rink of receivers of income from the incidence of the in-
come-tax.

The declaration which will be made from the Treasury
Bench to-day cannot, the Post thinks, be doubtful. It
will either be that Mr. Hodgkinson's proposal will be ac-
oepted and passed into law as soon as possible, or Mr.
Poulett Scrope's plan may be taken as a compromise. In
the first place we shall have gained a household suffrage
such as till a very short time ago would have been scouted
by every tory on the government benches ; la the l►tter,
the settlement would be almost identical with Mr. Glad-
stone's last proposal of a M. franchise.

The Standard has changed its opinion upon the merits
of Mr. Hodgkinson's amendment. To-day it says that,
after all, the amendment is not antagonistic but ancillary
to the principle of the bill. It is confident, however, that
the House of Commons will be freely willing to press for-
ward with the bill, and rely upon the Chancellor of the
Exchequer's pledge to deal with the question with all
passible promptitude. Mr. Gladstone, the Standard
thinks, is self-muzzled for the rest of the session by the
engagement into which he entered on Friday.
If Mr. Disraeli, the Tetryrank says, will to-night be
frank, generous, and straightforward, the main difficulty of
reform is at an end. A franchise based on payment of
rates, side by side with a law abolishing all vicarious pay-
ment, is household suffrage. Bet reformers must not re-
lax the attitude of watchfulness till they get deeds as well
as words from the government.
It is clear to the Star that the only conceivable effect of
the small distinction which now exists between Mr. Dis-
raeli's principle and that of pure and simple household
suffrage will be to create unnecessary confusion, incon-
venience, and, probably, discord in several localities.
To one condition, at any rate, the House of Commons must
hold firm ; it must know how the government intend to
embody this new change in a legislative enactment before
we proceed with this part of the Reform Bill. Mr.
Disraeli's suggestion that the Reform Bill should go on
exactly as if no understanding on the subject of compound
occupiers bad been arrived at is entirely unworthy of
serious consideration.

IN TOPICR.

The Daily News discusses the system of education in
Scotland apropos of the report of the Scotch Education
Commissioners. The object of the latter body in framing
a national system for Scotland has been to adopt every
part of the existing system which could be adopted, but to
insist that those wheels and schoolmasters who are incor-
porate with the national system shall be thoroughly effi-
cient. The regulations under which the denominational
whorl' will be placed are such, that if the management is
denominational they will be used for strictly national pur-
poses. It is not very probable that any managers will con-
tinue for any length of time to maintain schools over
which they can exercise so little control, and the inevi-
table result will be that they will transfer them to the
management of the ratepayers. It is assumed, moreover,
that many new schools will be required, which will in the
first instance be managed by the town councils in burghs,
and by a school committee appointed by the ratepayers.
Fur the future no school—if the recommendations of the
report are adopted—connected specifically with any reli-
gious denomination will be recognised as a public school,
or entitled to any pecuniary aid from the Treasury, or from
any public fund raised by local assessment. In short, in
Scotland the denominational system will be arrested.

The Tian regrets that the inquiries of the railway com-
missioners were limited by the order of reference so as to
prevent them from investigating and reporting on the
questions of railway finance. The various points urged by
the commissioners against the acquisition of railways by
the state, are ►dopted very emphatically by the Tillie".
Insisting that the Fenian prisonera are thoroughly de-
serving of death, the Standard nevertheless thinks they
had better not be turned into martyrs, and so in mercy
to ourselves, and not to them, we must not hang them.
Thus we may add one more rankling insult to the long list
of injuries of which Fenianism is the product, and the very
apt expression.

The Telegraph appeals to the police to repress the worst
of the excesses which usually characterise the return from
the Derby. It is a notable fact that many who make
themselves conspicuous by bad conduct are, technically
speaking, gentlemen ; and almost every year some of the
chief offenders are officers of the army. A more sensible
UM of mounted police might render the journey back aa
pleasant as the journey down.

We have authority to contradict the statement
that their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales
and the Duke of Edinburgh were present at the
races at Chantilly yesterday (Sunday).
ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY, REGENT'R-PARE, —At
a inserting of this society, held last Saturday, Professor
Robert Bentley in the chair, the following were proposed
and elected fellows of the society. The Be.. H. Waco,
Edward Newman, the Rev. J. J. Evans, Samson Cops
stake, Miss Squire, Mrs. Skinner, W. H. Reynolbi, the
Hon. Mrs. John Ashley, Mrs. A. S. Pigeon, J. E. A.
Owynne, Madame Sharps Smith.