The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-28 00:00:00

THE RSTOSM' BILL AND THE AMENDMENTS.

If ministers have ever fancied that their troubles
would be over when the second reading of the bills was
accomplished, they must, thinks the Times, be now un-
deceived. Some of the amendments with which the notice-
book bristles are probably mere feints ; but Capt. Hayter,
who bears a name justly honoured among the Whigs,
sounds by his motion a distinct note of disapprobation.
It is not very clear whether his amendment signifies that
both bills must be postponed on accosed of the faults of
the Redistribution Bill, but the Times is persuaded he is
mistaken if he thinks the house would prefer to pass the
Franchise Bill and let the other wait. Having enlarged
on the sins of omission and of commission which distinguish
the liedistributiun Bill, the Times concludes by saying that
if the session be too far advanced to recast the govern-
ment scheme, we ought frankly to acknowledge as
much and make up our minda to the consequences,
but that it would certainly not be too late even now if the
good sense of all parties were brought to bear upon the
subject. It is manifestly the duty of parliament to make
the best possible settlement of reform now that we have
gone so far.
The Daily News looks upon only two of the amend.
meets with which the order book is crowded, that of Mr.
Bouvorie relating to the method of procedure, and that of
Captain Hayter, as germane to the occasion. To the first,
which refers the two bills to the same committee, the
government will probably assent and the motion will have
thus lost its hostile character. Captain Hayter's is of a
different kind, though like that of Lord Grosvenor, it
comes nominally from the ministerial side. Both of these
lesser puppets are pulled by Mr. Disraeli, Capt. Hayter's
amendment being little else than an extract from the right
hon. gentlemen's last speech ; but, in social influence, the
descent is great from the heir of the wealthiest of whig
peers to the son of an old whig whip. The hereditary
relations of the gallant member for Wells to his party
give something of a ludicrous character to his apoetacy. In
view of this desertion, even Mr. Brand might excuse the
exclamation, " Oh for one hour of Sir William Hayter !'s
Captain llaytcr's amendment is even more distinctly than
Lord Grosvenor's • declaration of want of confidence in
the government. The scheme, no doubt, admits of amend-
ment in detail ; and if it is allowed to go into committee,
will probably receive it. These improvements it is the
object of those to prevent who pronounce it unfit to form
even the basis of a satisfactory measure. Mr. Disraeli
will, doubtless, find Grosvenors and Hayters to do his
work in committee, and to harass ministers and weary the
house and the country by every art of obstruction. But
the government, we trust and believe, will persist to the
end ; and the nation will know with whom will rest the
responsibility should the question of reform be indefinitely
adjourned.
Calculating the chances of Captain Hayter's success, the
Herald contends that no one of the objections to the Fran-
chise Bill has been diminished in force by the production
of the Redistribution Bill, and that no one of the mem-
bers who voted against that bill and in favour of Lord
Grosvenor's amendment has been converted into • sup-
porter of the government reform scheme. Captain Hay-
ter's amendment would, therefore, it may be as-
sumed, obtain • very fair majority if it were
pressed to a vote. It would muster in its rapport the 313
votes given for Lord Grosvenor's amendment, and pro-
bably at least twenty more given them in favour of the
second reading. Ant the adoption of the amendment
would be fatal not only to the bills but to the government.
It would convey a much more severe censure upon the
government than the acceptance of Earl Groavenor's
amendment by the house would have done. The

conclude. that as the government must with-
draw their bills in the course of a few days or give
up their offices, they will adopt the former course and
only hopes they will do it at once.
The Sim anticipates • proposal to alter the figures of
the borough and county franchise, in the hope that by a
resolute show of determination they may induce the go-
vernment to yield rather than risk • defeat. All such
hope' will be found to be delusive. The figures in the bill
are the essence of the measure. The whole scope of en-
franchisement I. one of figures, and to suppose that •
government would gravely resolve upon • 71. or • 14/.
franchise without being prepared to stand or fall by it
would be to argue them weak indeed. The Star has no
fear on its part of the power of the opposition to carry any
alteration against the government.