The Express.
London, England, 1867-03-13 00:00:00

THE POLITICAL SITE AVON.

The Timis pronounces this morning on behalf
of the system of cumulative voting, without pledging
itself to the opinion that it is practicable to carry it
through parliament. If this is not adopted the result will
be a parliament dominated over by one class of represen-
tatives and the other classes retiring, as they have retired
elsewhere, from political life. The proposed system, how-
ever, is attacked by Mr. Dudley Baxter in • letter
which our contemporary publishes to-day. He urges
that it is impossible to parcel out England in
three-membered constituencies ; and to apply the
system to all constituencies, whether returning one,
two, or three members, would produce some startling re.
sults. The boroughs and county divisions returning two
members each would, as a rule, send a member for each
side, and the course of legislation would be directed by •
few three-membered counties and the small boroughs re-
turning single representatives. At the same time, the
relative power of &ottani would be enormously in-
creased, because Scotland possesses a multitude of con-
stituencies having but one member each. This objection
the Times would meet by limiting the proposal to consti.
tuencies returning three members, and utilising the in.
evitable redistribution of seats by increasing the number
of such constituencies, either by adding a member to the
larger ones now returning two or by grouping together
neighbouring boroughs represented or unrepresented.
The Dail!! News remarks that the harmless though dog-
matic sect pretending to the title of the " thoughtful
liberals," who, after Mr. Glmlstone's resignation, to which
they had contributed their little worst, became suddenly
shy of the appellations they had appropriated, are reap-
pearing with the old designation, and in the name of
"thinking" liberalism are protesting that the weight of num-
bers must not be felt in the elections, but that there must be
systems of checks and connter-checks and counterpoises
and subsidiary aids to property to afford some sort of
guarantee against the degradation of • national suffrage
nto an instrument of national servitude. They have no
eyes to see the 80 or 00 pocket boroughs and nomination
counties in which the whole constituency is absorbed by a
single proprietor or divided between two proprietors.
These " thinking liberals" assume that in a free com-
munity, and in constituencies where the majority will
owe their enfranchisement, when they get it, to their
acknowledged independence and intelligence, • candidate
of high character and intellectual qualifications will not
exercise that practical and legitimate influence over the
votes of numbers which is less legitimately exercised
already by the proprietors of the pocket boroughs and no-
mination counties.
The Poet thinks it is not without reason that the liberals
have of late manifested a preference for Mr. Gladstone's
leadership over that of any other chieftain of the party,
The temper and moderation he has shown have been
throughout in pleasing contrast with the humour and
petulance displayed by Lord Russell, and if anything were
wanting to decide the pm ty in their choice of a leader it
would have been supplied by his lordship's latest mani-
festo in the House of Lords.

The Telegraph ay. that the liberals must, like the tones,
change their kings. It is impelled by his lordship's speech
of Monday night to return him, with the sincerest good
wishes, the very advice he once most infelicitously gave to
the liberal party ; be should " rest sad be thankful." He
may do a great service by his countenance and counsel, but
with anew man new life and new energy will come in.
When the liberal party return to power, it must not be to
find that the first Cabinet Council is a re-assembling of
old whip, with the oldest whig of all still sitting at their
head.