The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-29 00:00:00

THE WEEKLY PRESS.

Assuming that Mr. Bright neglects to see much
that ought to be seen, the Spectator proceeds to remark
that in this he is but the sign, the omen, of the political
system which he wishes to inaugurate, which would no
doubt achieve very great objects which we now leave un-
attempted, but which would, like himself, simply ignore
any modifying influence from the finer shades of political
discrimination. Ur. Bright's proposal to get rid of bribery
by rendering it numerically difficult by add-1 numbers,
and mechanically difficult by means of secret
voting, is, in the opinion of the Spectator, even if succour
ful, only a proposal to admit, in such places as these, hosts
of persons with no political principles, in order that the
comparatively few who have none at present may lose
the'r market. That, our contemporary submits, is not a
statesmanlike proposal. The only way in which it would
be easy to get at the real wishes of the quiet average citi.
rens of small boroughs in such masses as to secure a good
representation, is by throwing them the counties by
county suffrage not under 20/. of annual rental. By
that means you will get at the ',dependent small
borough citizens, in great numbers, and they will not
be swampecl by the class of labourers directly under the
influence of the farmer or the landowner. The needful

.......
working-class impulse to our legislation v.:11 srrely not Le
given by flooding the count'," with a new host of the
class of voters who have disgraced Yarmouth and Lan-
caster, but by going down as low as household suffrage in
in the places which, as Mr. Bright pr. udly says, " know
not bribery "—those Manchesters and Birmingham. of
England which are ignorant of bribe"' not merely because
the working people are too numerous for the briber, but
because they are too proud and independent a class to
furnish bribees.

The Examiner, which was on the side of the Con-
federates throughout the American war, sides now with Mr.
Johnson. None can doubt, it says, that the newly emanci-
pated people of colour will have hard times of it in many
ways. They have had hard times of it enough in Jamaica and
elsewhere, in spite of all the disinterested intervention on
their behalf by British authority. But there is great
force in the consideration urged in Mr. Beecher's letter,
that their condition must be inevitably worsened so long
as they are made the pretext and the plea for keeping their
late masters and future employers out of the enjoyment of
eivtl rights. No real good can be done, the Examiner
believes, to the negro " by the infliction of injustice on the
white man."
In the late case of a mistake on the past of the grand
jury, the Examiner cannot see by what authority Mr,
Payne quashed the eon% :ction. The indictment was bad,

but, after com:ction and sentence it is surely too late for
the judge to discover the badness of the indictment. If
it be within his competency to reverse all that has been
done, be may, upon simple averment of a mistake, order
the release of a prisoner. The Examiner questions
whether the judge can revoke his own passed sentence,
still more, whether he can render null and void the ver-
dict of the jury, in the summary fashion alluded to.
The Saturday Rerim regards the recent French circulars
as marking a highly important point in the history of the
French silence. It shows that through ostentatious
repetition of our resolve not, under any circumstances, to
resort to mates ill influence we have ceased to be respected
as a !erne of moral influence. It is denied that England
' has any duties in Europe. It is presumed that she cares
not at all for principles, and for customers a great deab It
is impossible to believe that this is more than a temporary
state of national feeling. By the time the new Foreign-
offices are completed, perhaps we shall have found some
nobler puyose for them than being a colossal shrine fur
the god of grey shirting*.
According to the Saturday Review the late Mr. Feargus
O'Connor becomes respectable in comparison with the pre-
sent leaders of the reform agitation, although it will not do
simply to laugh " at the dripping and humid fools and
fanatics of Campfield." Under existing circumstances it
becomes imperative on all patriots to say that they do not
identify freedom with universal suffrage, and that they are
not prepared to hand over this country and its destinies to
those classes which have the least education, the least
intelligence, and the meatiest results of civilisation.
Mr. Baines and Mr. Bass decline to recommend uni-
versal suffrage, and, not liking universal suffrage,
they will not attend meetings held to agitate
and terrorise for it. This is their view of personal honour.
Mr. Bright estimates political duty differently. He thinks
it honourable and becoming to egg on to the verge of rebel-
lion those with whom he has perhaps no sympathy at all.
In other words, he does not disdain to use the working-
man for ends which he has not the candour to avow.
Commenting on the Canadian extradition case, the
Saturday Review rays it is at least clear that the High
Constable has wilfully defied the authority of the highest
court in the colony. Upon Lord Munch will devolve the
more embarrassing duty of investigating to what extent
the colonial law-officers were privy to this extraordinary
conspiracy. We have seen that grave suspicion attaches
to the Solicitor General, and to the legal partners of the
Attorney-General. It is absolutely necessary for Lord
Monk's own honour that he should institute the most
stringent inquiry into the particulars of the nefarious
imposition which must have been practised on him, and
visit the authors of it with immediate dismissal from
office, and with every possible mark of disgrace. When
the act itself has been undone, and the persona concerned
in it punished, it will be time enough to consider what
fresh lessons are to be learnt from the whole transaction
as to the principles of an Extradition Treaty.
The Econeetist says the whole history of Overend,
Gurney, and Co. is one of warning at every point. It is
a plain warning against an hereditary business, coming
as it did mainly by accidents of relationship and descent