The Express.
London, England, 1867-03-12 00:00:00

EARL RERRELL AND THE REFORM QL ESTION.

The Times deals with Earl Runic speech with
Its usual severity when his lordship is concerned. It was
irritating ; it carped at trifles ; it was mean, paltry, and in
a very email way egotistic ; but the gravest objection of
all is—that it showed an incurable unwillingness to review
the preconceptions of another generation ; a clinging to
old schemes of reform, the utility of which has passed
away ; a hesitation to acknowledge that new circumstances
must be dealt with and new difficulties faced by new prin-
ciples of action.

In another article, treating humorously of the ad-
dresses to their constituents of Sir J. fitskington and Sir
Stafford Northcote, the Times assures the constituents of
these gentlemen that the Reform Bill, which has in-
fluenced the Addresses so much, will not be stunted or
mitigated by delay. It has grown year by year. It has
theivat by the rejected bills, and emerged with bigger
proportions from its long submergence under Lord Pal-
merston. It has made a monstrous growth upon last
year, throwing out loaders and lateral shoots. It will be
taller and larger next year if not now finally disposed of,
and the longer the conservatives wait the more agonising
will be Sir Stafford Northcote's confessions and exculpa-
tion,.

While ministers keep the secret as to the nature of their
bill, the country, the Daily Hews remarks, is unanimous
in insisting that the question be settled, and that it is a
subject which will not brook say further delay. The sug-
gestion of another adjournment on Monday next cannot
for a moment be admitted. The session is already too far
gone for permitting it. As it is, if a reform bill is not
carried this session by the conservatives, it will be too late
for a new government to take office and mature and exe-
cute a reform policy. The House of Commons will then
fall still lower in public estimation, the existing general
want of confidence will increase, and diffuse itself, extend-
ing to all our public relations at home, and impairing our
confidence in dealing with foreign states, and in the fer-
ment of opinion that may succeed there is scarcely a
political evil that may not be apprehended,
The Herald protests against Lord Ruciell's criticisms as
premature, unjustifiable, and unfair. It further de-
nounces the cumulative principle and urges with much
emphasis the superiority of plural voting, which it states
is to be proposed in the government scheme.
The Standard compares Lord Russell to Justice Shallow.
If the middle classes are swamped by household suffrage
no one will be so responsible for it as Lord Russell him-
self. But household suffrage with the checks and cor-
rectives with which Lord Derby guards and supplements
it may preserve to those classes their preponderating in-
Huenee.

The Star would be sorry if it should prove that Earl
Russell has inadvertently encouraged the utterly false sup-
position that any of the liberal leaders are inclined to
falter in the course of enfranchisement to which they
have committed, not only themselves, but happily also
their opponents.

/8 TOPIC&

The Titan taunts some of the writers who have been
so eager that martial law should be proclaimed in Ireland,
with the fact that they were among the must constant
denouncers of the government in Jamaica. The Times
then shows that what is known as martial law is simply
illegal, and that if a government, for the safety of the
country, violates the laws, and does not obtain an act of
indemnity, every member of it, and all those who have
obeyed it, will be legally as much liable for what they
have done as if they were private persona. There is no
such case of extreme danger in Ireland. The ordinary
processes of law may not be rapid enough to satisfy the
impatience of some hasty partisans, but the convictions
obtained and the punishments inflicted will have a far
better moral effect than if several scores of half-starved
vagabonds were tried and sentenced by military officers.
In the latter awe there would most certainly be some
frightful mistakes, such SI are made whenever soldiers,
heated with conflict, are called upon to decide judicially
on the guilt of their prisoners.

The kandard insists that what is taking place in Ire-
land is an invasion by a foreign enemy, and not n civil
war, and that the punishment to be inflicted upon the
leaders in this audacious outrage must be of a kind to
di.courage American citizens for further asap in this
kind of ambition. They are pirates, robbers, and mur•
derers, and it would be a blind and cruel mercy which
should hesitate to visit them with the punishment due to
the worst sort of criminals.

The weakness of western policy in the East, says the
Doily News, is in leaving to Russia the sole protectorate
over the Christian populations, and a consequent com-
manding influence in the Levant, after waging a two
years' war to paralyse Russian power in the Black Sea.
Russian statesmanship has probably taken the measure of
the courage and consistency of the Western Powers. After
the memorable experience of the moral intervention of
France and England on behalf of Poland, Prince Gortcha-
koti can hardly be expected to abandon Russian policy in
deference to powers that have the will but not the pur-
pose to arrest it.

The Time, aces in the facility with which the Metro-
politan Poor Bill bee palmed through committee, both a
tribute to Mr. Rudy, and striking evidence of the pro.
found diasatisfaction with which the present system has