The Express.
London, England, 1859-01-20 00:00:00

SLEETING AT GLOUCESTER.

GLOUCESTER, Wenrritsnaw.
A large public meeting was held here last night,
convened by the Mayor, in compliance with a requisition
" for the purpose of exprtesing its sentiments on the aubjeci
of Parliamentary Reform.', About 2,000 persons were tee-
seat, and the chair was taken by Mr. Alderman Reaps, la
the abeenm of the Mayor.
Among the bitten of apology from persons invited to
attend were communications from Sir Maurice Berkeley, late
M.P. for Gloucester, and Sir R. Carden, one of the sitting
members. The former said that as he was neither an elector

nor an Inhabitant of Gloucester, and as he no longer repro-
Panted the city in parliament, he had no right to attend
the meeting, and therefore he declined the invitation;
but he would be plain with them u to his opi-
nion on the anl.ject they were met to consider.
He was opposed to unlearnt roffrage and equal electoral dis-
tricts, and he adhered firmly to the propene constitution of
Crown, Lord., and Commons, and would not lend himself to
undermine the one or the other, but he would have the
honest voter protected by the ballot. (Cheerm.) lie added
that "it was worse than melees to punish the voter, while
these who tempted him were permitted to creeps." Sir R.
Carden excreted Dime& on the ground of inability
to leave London. He said he had been returned for
Gloucester at the heed of the poll at the last election on con-
wreathe principles; but in advocating those pincipke be
never considered he was debarred from advocating M0R11137011
of real progress. He was prepared to give his best secedes
to any proposal for altering the present state of thing', and
would support any alteration calculated to effect solid Im-
provement.
Mr. Odes, berries; of the Oxford circuit, wheat some
length in moving the first resolution es follows : " That the
additional intelligence of the age and the ineremeed deve-
lopment of the resources of the country mines the pegging of
the Reform Bill of 1832 imperatively demand an extension of
the franchise and a re-distribution of seats in the Ileums of
Common*"
Mr. Jattrau 81110N8, her Majesty's Impactor of
schools, seconded the resolution. He objected to the quad-
destine of property and rating (as proposed by Mr. Bright),
sad advocated an extension of the franchise to the intelligence
of the utile. He especially supported an education fran-
chise, and besides giving it to the learned potassium, dee.,
be would confer it upon every roan (not a convicted felon)
who parsed an examination in reading, writing, and the Scat
four rules of arithmetic.

Mr. Po wt tr., banister, of the Oxford circuit, supported
the resolution, end maintained that working men gene-
rally were sufficiently educated to be competent to vote.
Mr. °awns, who described himself as a working man,
moved the following amendment .—" That this meeting Is
of opinion that, in order to do justice to ell parties, the
forthcoming measure of reform ought to be based on the prin•
ciples of household suffrage, vote by ballot, equal electoral
dishier', and triennial parilarosora." (Loud cheep.)
Mr. iffinuiran, another working man, seconded the recto.
letion. - .

•-••—
Tee CPI itIIMAN declared the original resolution to be
curried. _ _ _

Mr. R. H. CARTER, bEnteter, OINTd CIITUIt, next moved,
" That, in order to nimble the electors of the United Sing•
don to give a full, free, end unbiassed asyndeton of their
tirnion, it is nnenary they *boobd have the protection of the
ballot, and nu manure of reform will be satisfactory which
shell not include the ballot."

Mr. ELLts secondad the resolution, whkh wu also cu-
rled.

• A
petition to parliament, embodying the reeoluttone, WY
then adopted, to be °artiste to Mr. Prioe, M.P., for pm-
euntatton.