The Express.
London, England, 1867-04-26 00:00:00

THE MEMBERS FOR MAIDSTONE AND THEIR
CONSTITUENTS.

•
Last night a crowded meeting of electors and
nomelactors was held at the Corn Eschew, Maidstone, to
hear addresses from the members for the borough, Messrs.
Lee and Whatman, and take into consideration the present
position of the reform question.
Mr. Let, M.P., who was well received, said—All parties
were agreed that this country was much indebted to
Mr. Gladstone for his financial measures, which had
been beneficial not only to trade and commerce, but to
all classes of the community. The last budget was a spe-
cimen of the skill of the present Chancellor of the Etch°. I
quer, who found himself with a surplus of over
three millions, which resulted from the policy
of Mr. Gladstone; but he dared not devote it
to the reduction of taxation, as he well knew
that he would have the advocates of malt tax repeal
down upon him. With regard to the reform question, he
had certainly always regretted that Mr. Gladstone should
have thought fit to now on the partial defeat of his bill 1
last year, hereto' the bill might after all have been made
acceptable. The present Reform Bill was in every respect
a sham, as it was not what it professed to be. The bat
of household suffrage had been held out to catch the ad-
vanced reformers, but the tories well knew that it was not
intended to be a reality. He was himself a strong advo-
rate for household suffrage pure and simple, and when
he went back to the house he would do his best to make
the government abandon the absurd conditions and re-
striations with which they had clogged the bill, in order
to prevent the enfranchisement of any ommitierahle asar,
ber of the working classes. The reform question was
really becoming a great bugbear, and it impeded the pro-
gress of useful and necessary legislation. He hoped
they would be able to pass some sort of a reform bill
this year, even if it was a bad one, and had to be amended
another time. The present bill certainly could not pass
without considerable alteration. If it did the
agitation would immediately recommence with much
greater force. The rating qualification was most unjust.
He maintained that rates were simply a debt, and no man
ought to be deprived of • vote because he owed a debt.
Rates were • transaction between the householder and the
parish authorities, and ought not to be considered by the
imperial power in connection with the franchise. There
must be a good measure of reform if the country willed it,
and he believed that the liberals in the House of Com=
if united, could easily carry such • measure. Hs
the rumour was not correct that Mr. Gladstone would de-
cline the leadership of the liberal party. He was quite
estiefied with Mr. Gladstone as a leader, and the liberals
might easily place the government in a fix by removing
the obnoxious clauses from the bill.

Mr. WHATNAII, M.P., referred to his votes in parlia-
ment, and urged the importance of unity in the liberal
ranks, in order to secure the pawing of a good reform bill.
A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the pro-
ceedings.

MR. E. POTTER, M.P., AND HIS CONSTITU-
ENTS.

On Wednesday night Mr. Potter, the liberal
member for Carlisle, addressed a crowded meeting in the
Athenteum in that city, on the present position of the
liberal party. He said he had invited them there that
night not merely for the purpose of talking about the
merits of the Reform Bill now before parliament, but
to consider a much larger question, namely, the present
position of the liberal party in the House of Commons.
He spoke at some length with reference to the object
which induced him to attend the meeting which took
place in the Tea-room of the house, stating he dissented
very much from the views of the majority of the
honourable members who attended that meeting, and
that at the meeting be gave expression to the opinion
that it would be a better course to send a deputation to
Mr. Gladstone. He thought such a course as they pro-
pd was disrespectful to the great leader of their party,
Mr. Gladstone, and he proposed that they should again
confer with Mr. Gladstone. He moved an amendment to
that effect, but only three hands were held up in favour
of it. He very much regretted the course events bad
since taken. He remarked on the composition of the pre-
sent House of Commons, which he thought had been
elected by a more prolific expenditure than any previous
parliament since the passing of the Reform Bill in 1832 ;
and he referred his hearers to the recent exposures of
bribery and corruption by the election committees. He
was of opinion that they were but a specimen of the
larger towns. He read a summary which he bad taken
some time ago from a tory paper, showing the enormous
amount which had been spent at the last election, and he
was certain that an honest measure of reform could not
be obtained from a house so returned. He regretted
the overthrow of Mr. Gladstone's bill last year, and
thought it would have been to Mr. Gladstone's benefit if
he had on the occasion of that defeat appealed to the
country. He was certain that all working men were
satisfied with that measure, and great credit was due to
the working men of Carlisle for the sentiment which
they gave expression to with respect to that measure.
He very much deplored the present position of the
liberal party, but be would not say one word against
any one of his own party who had gone into the lobby
with the tortes, because he believed they thought that
they would get household suffrage. The following reso-
lutions were then put and carried :—" That this meeting
expresses its approval of the course pursued by Mr. Potter
with respect to the late division in the House of Com-
mons on the government Bill of Reform. That this meet-
ing is of Jpimon that the unanimous efforts of all liberals
should be directed towards the accomplishment of a full,
honest, and unequivocal measureof Parliamentary Reform,
which character the present bill does not merit ; and this
meeting looks with regret on the failure of Mr. Gladstone's
initiatory attempt to remedy a serious defect in that bill,
and on the circumstances that led to that failure. This
meeting would farther earnestly request him, as the
leader of the liberal party, not to relax his efforts; and at
the same time would strongly urge all liberal members to
rally to his support in the amendment of the government
bill, or, if necessary, its rejection. That the chairman be
requested to forward a copy of the foregoing resolutions to
Mr. Gladstone."

The tory Lord Chancellor has (says the Leeds
Erpres.) been scattering his favours lavishly upon the
country gentry of Lancashire. Since September about
one hundred names have been added to the commission of
the peace for the county palatine ; and of course they
were not all " Churchward," but thaw, of substantial
men, carefully selected by a feeling of gratitude for past
party 'enlace.
OsvErar. PALACI. ONE SittEETNO DAT.—
THUS/MAT, APRIL 25.—Admissions on payment, 3,930;
ditto by season tickets, 1,784 ; total visitors, 5,714.