The Express.
London, England, 1866-04-09 00:00:00

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.

(THIS DAY.)

YS cmentrrosz's Banos!) SPEECH.
Comprehensive as Friday's oration was, the
nsses searches vainly ass in the speech of Thursday for the
leading principles governing the reform proposals of the
Cabinet, for argument. to convince antagonists, or for
reasoning tore-assure doubters. Instead of such things,
which would assuredly have been pertinent to the occa-
sion, it finds a vain repetition of sentiments, which can
be shown to be essentially meaningless, some strange mis-
statement* of fact, much misapprehension, if not misrepre-
sentation, of opponents, and a complete evasion of the real
difficulties of the reform question. The issue which
be puts before the country is a false one. The
question is not whether there shall be any re-
form or none, but whether the legislature shall
commit itself to certain enfranchising clauses without

knowing the constituencies where they will be operative.
Parliament, as a deliberative and far-seeing assembly,
very naturally objects to such an abdication of its func-
tions. Those members of the House of Commons who
have expressed their intention of trusting the government
to this unparalleled extent have, with almost the single
exception of Mr. Bright, expressed their disapprobation
of the demand upon them ; but Mr. Gladstone
charges all those who remember their duty to their
country and hesitate to follow him blindly, with a dis-
like of all reform. There is no warrant for such langua3e.

It appears that it is the spectacle of the civi' war in Ame-
rica which has driven the ardent apologist of small boroughs

into profuse declarations of demiocratio belief. But surely
be might have remembered that with an unreformed con-
stitution his own country stood almost alone against armed
Europe. That the civil war should be net:emery to solve a
political problem is itself a slur on the representative sys-
tem of the States. -

The Daily News thinks that the writers who complain
that Mr. Gladstone's first speech lacked fire and earnest-
ness, will find no defect of these qualities in his second.
He has given himself the rein, and shown in his lanpage
a real enthusiasm for the principle which his
measure embodies. The assumed coldness in par-
liament of the minister, was a mistake in tactics,
and since the government h►ve allowed them elves to seem
as earnest as they always were, almost all the unfavour-
able symptoms have disappeared. His words will receive
their practical application to-morrow through the mouth
of Earl Russell, who we may be sure will tell the members
of the liberal party whom he has summoned to Downing-
street that the government ts:'l not consider their work
finished when Cey have secured the second reading of the
bill, but that the defeat of the government upon any of its
important provisions at any stage of its progress, will be
followed either by resignation or dissolution ; and no one
fancies that ministers will resign. Honest adversaries Of
the franchise bill will be unaffected by the prospect of
dissolution. They ought to rejoice in the opportunity of
giving proof of their sincerity and emphasis to their
opinions. If they believe that the national sentiment is
with them, they will welcome an appeal to it.
The Pest eritieces in en unfavourable sense the various
arguments of Mr. Gladstone's speech, the tone and tenor
of which will be regretted, it thinks, by not a few of his
best friends. The good cause of opposition must accept
his announcements with composure and confidence. It
will not fail for want of leaders. A measure forced by
politioal finesse and organised agitation—carried at the ex-
pense of the independence of the legislature and in defiance
of public opinion—would serve to undermine the founda-
tion upon which the fabric of society and the institutions
of the country are established.
The Herald describes the Amphitheatre 'peach as a mag-
nificent begging of the whole question. Before the week
is over Mr. Gladstone w:11 be reawakened to the truth that
the House of Commons in session is not a public meeting,
and that arguments held good by the thousands of Lanca-
shire must be exchanged for another set of a totally diffe-
rent character. As to what has been promised, there has
been no promise whatever of a simple suffrage bill unac-
companied by legislation upon collateral subjects. Mr.
Gladstone'' praise of the working classes does not justify a
TI. any more than it would an 81. or a V. franchise bill.
Does it vindicate the lodger clauses or the 14/. county
suffrage, or the scheme for appropriating county votes to
boroughs? It is the merest declamation, and entirely
wide of the mark.
No one can deny, the T'ekgreeple says, that the mom has
sent the government back to parliament with an extraor-
dinary increase of strength. The Reform Bill is no longer
• mere cabinet measure ; the country has written on it,
" Le Potpie le reut e' and, sooner or later, success in every
stage is sure to follow that endorsement. The Telegraph
has been surprised at the ardour and intelligence mani-
fested by the great constituencies. It did not hope for
demonstrations so general and influential as these twelve
days have witnessed ; the time was too short ; the duty
had to be left completely to the spontaneous action
of the community, and the bill, moreover, though
thoroughly good, was not of • character to provoke instan-
taneous enthusiaarn. The more credit, therefore, to the
sagacity with which city, town, and riding have compre-
hended and universally supported it. Proud of a leader whose
very name is • certain guarantee that he will persist in the
peat watt he has undertaken, let the people support him
till the triumph of his and their cause is undeniably
centred,
The Sore thinks Mr. Gladstone must now have mild too
mash for the Tiamoddok will accordingly alter Ms teelica.
When • minister makes reform only one topic of a. sposch,
he is told that he is proving himself careless about it.
When at the fit place and time he throws his whole soul