The Express.
London, England, 1867-02-23 00:00:00

THE WEEKLY PRESS.

We cannot be 'perfectly sure, the Sabot-day Re-
rine observes, that even on Monday Mr. Disraeli will tell
us what the government intends to do. A man who has
kept • secret so long may perhaps think be can keep it •
little longer. But the probability is that he will then see
that delay would involve defeat and ruin, and will dis-
close something like a policy about reform, if not a dis-
tinct scheme of reform. The conservatives have a perilous
position to occupy and maintain, and unless they will
boldly facie reform ea a whole, fight only when they have
• chance of fighting with advantage, and resolve that if
they pass a Reform Bill they shall at least be thanked
for passing it, they can scarcely escape a great disaster.
If they accept a considerable reduction of the franchise,
I abandon such counterpoises and checks as may seem to
them clever, but would really be irritating, or frivolous, or
practically impossible, they may, the Satan/as Review is
convinced, make the future parliaments of England far
more conservative than eager reformers anticipate. Mean-
while it is • matter of great importance to the country
that Mr. Gladstone should have shown himself capable of
behaving so well at such • crisis, and his conduct in
opposition now promises well for his conduct when he
comes to hold again the reins of power.
The Examiner sees something going on between the
Carlton and the Cave. Men of the Cave have been observed
moving busily to and fro in the anti-liberal lines ; and if
their chiefs have not yet been admitted to the tory council
of war, the Examiner believes it is not far out in surmising
that their intervening views have been anxiously con-
sidered there, and that negotiations have been carried on
for some days for the purpose of devising a scheme which
might serve as the basis of an open alliance. The names of
two prominent members of the Adulhun ite section are freely
used as having undertaken to build a bridge of compro-
ini,-e over which the disheartened unbelievers in their own
prophet may escape from their present untenable position.
Should the negotiation succeed the plurality flag will be
Invited down, and that of duality hoisted instead, as a
signal of junction. Under this new-fangled ensign it is
said that the coalesced strength of office and weakness of
Adullam will venture to make a stand. But in these
d.ys of disintegration there are dissenters in the Carlton
and mutineers in the Cave ; nay, what is more curious
and comical, there is said to be a Cave in the Carlton,
and a radical-tory who threatens to out-top toryism
in the Cave. The Examiner concludes with expressing
its apprehensions lest the coming campaign should, like
the last, prove indecisive, and that it takes to be the one
thing to be deprecated, and if possible, averted.
The Spec/a/ord.:scribes the political situation as follows:
The week has been full of rumours about reform, some of
which are more or less trustworthy. The mass of
them paint to a course of procedure which may prove to
be of this kind. The Cabinet, it is said, has at last made
up its mind, and Mr. Disraeli will, on Monday, make his
resolutions definite and intelligible, by stating that her
Majesty's government intend to offer two alternative bo-
rough franchises-6/. rating, or household suffrage with
plurality of votes. By " plurality " they intend an extra
vote to everyone who pays house-tax, i.e., every 20/.
householder, a proposal which would work well in the
medium boroughs, but would revolutionise the represen-
tation in London. The liberals, on the other hand, will
reject plurality in any form based upon wealth, but will,
if household suffrage is proposed, concede the principle
of cumulative voting. The moment the discussion is done
the bill will be brought on, and the debate will
recommence ; but will not be hot, all parties being
equally decided that the question shall be got
out of the way. It is evident that the go-
vernment fear their own followers more than the