The Express.
London, England, 1867-11-12 00:00:00

THE REPRESENTATION OP MANCHENTER.

The following address of Mr. Jacob Bright has
been circulated by post to every elector in the constituency :
:entleinen,--A melancholy event, which 1 have learned
with deep regret, in common I am sure with every man of
every political party in Manchester, baa causal a vacancy
in the representation of your city. At the request of
the liberal p,rty, I offer myself se a candidate for the
seat thus rendered vacant. As I was before you at the
last election, my °visions upon political questions are
k:town to the constituency. I rejoice th►t, owing to
the great exertions of the people, household suffrage in
the boroughs of England is at length obtained, but
regret that this change is accompanied by a vexatious
interference with the ratep.ying system of the country,
by which increased charges will have to be borne by num-
bers of men in the humbler ranks of live. The work of
reform is yet only half accomplished. We must have the
ballot, without which there can be neither fieedoin nor
order at our elections, and a thorough redistribution of
seats, so that national questions may be de►lt with in a
national wine. The county fianchise must be recon-
sidered, for who can reconcile the wholesale exclusion of
the people in the counties with their wholesale isdruission
in the towns! Manchester, in common with a few other
places, is, after this election, to he made the victim of an
intolerable arrangement. We asked for, and obtained, an
additional member, but we are denied the power to vote
for him. I should not object to a division of the city, as
is proposed for Glasgow, so that in each division the
majority might return the members as heretofore. I am
in favour of m system of national education, to bo sup-
ported by local rates, under local administration ; and I
wouldgive a cordial support to the bill introduced into
parliament last session by the ItightHon.A. Austin Eruct,
as tending in that direction. I would also free the great
Universities of Oxford and Cambridge from tests and re-
strictions, and make them, in the true sense of the term,
national institutions. The general system of licensing
must be brought under the consideration of parliament.
In my opinion, the public-houses and the beerhousea should
be subjected to the same restrictions and have the same
privileges ; and in order to remove the dissatisfaction
which is felt at the present mode of granting licenca,
I would give a power of veto to the ratepayers.
The clahn of the trades' unions for legal protection for
their funds ought to be granted. The legislature should
remove at once, so far as it has the power, the causes of
disaffection in Ireland. It can dead with the church, it
can modify her educational institutions, and it can give to
the cultivators of the soil fall security for the fruits of
their industry, without which prosperity is impossible.
There should be no delay in reforming the representation
of Ireland, for in no country that I am acquainted with is
le presentation so complete a mockery. Holding, ea
I do, the conduct of the Tory party for the last two years
to be wholly indefensible, I yet think that it is *good thing
for the country that the two great parties in the state
hays entered into earnest competition to do the people's
work. With this marked change in the political arena,
and with a reformed parliament, I am sanguine that many
important measures, which the best minds in the commu-
nity have long felt to be necessary, will now be obtained.
Were I sent to parliament as your representative,
I should give a conscientious support to all
such measures, in accordance with the views
which I have often expressed amongst you. Electors of
Manchester ! If it be, as lam assured, at your desire that
I enter upon a contest for the representation of this great
city, give me an earnest and generous support. Let there
be no uncertain issue to the struggle. Genuine liberal
principles have had many • triumph here. It is in your
power to make them triumph now.—l um, gentlemen,
faithfully yours, Jaeou Emu HT.

The Manehroger Examiner says there appears to be &dis-
position on the part of the conservatives to secede from
their old compact with a section of the liberals, for
whereas the coalition heretofore has been for the purpose
of returning a liberal, if possible, unconnected with the
supporters of Messrs. Barley and Bright, influen-
tilti members of the party are now resolved that
any candidate for whom they will vote shall be
a conservative. Even with the prospect of being beaten
in their first essay, they will still prefer to enter a
contest for one of their own party, in order to convince
their late allies that co-operation for the future is not to
be had upon the same terms as previously. Apparently
they have not yet been able to obtain or agree upon a can-
didate. Mr. 11. R. Callender, jun., was waited upon by a
deputitien, and declined the honour proposed to him.
Another deputation has sought an interview with Mr.
Alderman Bennett, to present a requisition to that gentle-
man, but the result is not announced. Mr. J. P. Brown-
Westhead, ex-111.P. for York, and Mr. Mitchell Henry,
who unsuccessfully contested Woodstock at the last
election, are the two prospective candidates whose names
Lave been chiefly talked of in liberal circles, apart from
the actual candidature of Mr. Bright.