The Express.
London, England, 1866-03-13 00:00:00

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e number of
n the metro-
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rge ins=
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lie there ern-
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,pro Polite"
e basin or We
would never
oohing) to 64,

the same time. to Imes nembeno of IW. hews-
-s•oo.uasafraeshieed. We meet hem) ein theta • real
Not wishiog to change the rens of elms to
elaarti it el had gem into asonmittee we should Dave bad
• with regard to the 61. resell The ben
la the eatiret was that made by Lord Russell
the alone et the disease/oe, after the debates fa
Some of Common had shown the impedes/am of the
ridarrangements. On June 4, 1960, the noble
It they would propos any measures ter vetoing
ne
:AWN by making et a rating instead of • rental triu-
emss by immaning the amount of the rental, or by admit-
Notre who were specially qualified to exercise the
tine
8..„,),,,e by their knowledge or by their property, any
[rumbles
should be fairly considered in committee.
Tbe 'able lord added that the government were not so
eompitiely wedded to the franchise then bail put forward
the, they would not treat upon the subject, and further, If
the. Woe should choose to adopt such • proposition, it
wont be fcr the government to consider whether the bill
could thereby be rendered mom valuable, whether it
wee a bill cskolated to strengthen the institutions of
the pastry, and whether they wonld be justified is adopt-
lig nth • proposition. It was in oar view essential, as
we" declared by a motion in this house in 1859, that any
meaeue for the enfranchisement of towns must be one for
ottrochisement downwards, but now fans brought before
ai prove that by some provisions of the present law large
Damen; of persons, householders paying rent amounting
to "'efficient presumptive qualificatioe, are not is posses-
00n of the franchise. It is impossible to overlook their
dens, and we find it our duty to 'consider their case, and
to entertain the claims of those who. possessing 3W. hold-
ing" are yet unenfranchised, as well as the ease of en.
frarehisement downwards. The first question is, what are
the defects of the law f There are two ; one of those I
nes already glanced at, the other I will now mention.
By the present kw a man falfilliog various other con-
dition', with respect to time, aceopatioe, and residence,
sad being rated, cannot be brought ea the register unless
te hem paid the Queen's taxes sad the local rates made
ice a certain date. This clause is commonly called the
ste-payieg clause. They do not osU it the tax-paying
yeas, end oertsinly so far as tbe Queen's taxes are con-
toned. I think the local authorities have been extremely
essiderate, and have not given any great trouble end
lowan*, to voters. (Laughter.) But as far as the
see-paying clause has been concerned there has been a
peat obstacle, and a great practical grievance bas
Neu felt. It has bees supposed sometimes that
in local authorities did not, for perticulsr pur-
rs**, apply for the payment of the notes until the date
6,1 posed when the vote could be secured, while in other
eees—don't let us conceal from ourselves the fact—that the
yam Waning to the two parties, or at any rate • portion
althea, bars had their taxespaid by the political agents
" the interest of the respective candidates. One local
totleman who has kindly gent up this information from
ne own plane hes judiciously wished it to be understood
Mt his
rtilicommunication was to be considered ansfidential.
aetet ) There ate certain boroughs where the
ar is overlooked on both sides. The operation of the
be has been unjust and unequal. sad this is a *louse
shish we propose to do away with altogether. (Cheers.)
me=t* do aw ly with the rating alarms altogether.
I do not overstate the case when I say there
▪ set less tins 6,000 or 7,000, and probably more, whose
ates are babitualy and ordinarily collected from the land-
•rd by an arrangement with the parish officers, and who,
iberefOre, are disfranchised upon the rating clause, without
or fault of their own. We propose, therefore, to abolish
ens clauses, and we expect—for the victims of these
sum are almost always esteem belonging to that class '
she come under the general designation of working men—
totamit not less than 25,000 persons to the constituencies
shoes the line of 101. occupiers. I now come to the
question of compound householders. Whet we think
*Land right is that the compound householders
hold be treated exactly like the rate-raying
ionseleolders. If the teat of their broom is of melt
I seals that in the judgment of ths legislature they are
Menlo persons to be enfranchised, it is perfectly certain
es an economical truth that the rotes of those haulm.
MO paid in the first instance by the landlords, are
ninately and truly paid by the occupiers, and it can make
Is difference to us, and does not justify us in drawing any
fie of distinction between their being charged by the land-
ed is hie rent and their being paid directly by the hones-
bolder. (Hear, hear.) At prdseot the law is defective.
It is defective in this respect, that the name of the com-
puted householder does not commonly appear on the rate
Wok. Fee the purpose of rating it ought so to appear, and
as ameedmett which we shall propose on the law of
Ming, we shall provide that the name of the compound-
ig homeholder, as well as the rated householder, shall
wear in the book, from which, just like the name of the
istepayiag householder, it will pass to the list of voters
✓ithout imposing trouble or burden of any kind on the
householder himself, and being on the list of voters it will
Is subject to the scrutiny of the revising barrister as it
mold if it were the name of the ratepayieg householder •
and unless there be reason to object to it, the name will'
main on the list in the rate-hook and will stand in the I
miner. Therefore an effective enfranchisement will be
pm to the compound householder, whereas up to the pre-
cut time their enfranchisement has been almost purely
speculative. I say almost purely speculative, bo-
om there are certain cases—take that of the
metropolis for instance, and that is by far the
most importast place in the consideration of this
nestion—you may say without fear of contradiction
that it is not done in one are in 50, and when it is done it
is Mioanse the local agent thinks it worth while to find out
tie ntmes and prefer the claims for them, and hawing dose
this, to put the names on the list of voters,. This is sot
the way in which we want to have it considered. Thera
bra let it be understood that the compound householder
sill be put upon the list of voters without the necessity
of referring a claim, but he will come upon it by
the game spontaneous process as that by which
the ream who pays the rates of a howls now finds his
temente. Then conies the third class to which I for-
steely alluded ; a ease of persons, also numerous in the me-
tropolie, who inhabit fiats or portions of houses, and who,
although they have a separate access, are not made the sub-
jects of separate rates. With regard to these we can do
noting but leave them where they are. At present, if
they ma show that the value of the apartments they inhabit
is of the clear annual Talus of 101., and if they can
pt than rated, which I believe they are entid
tied b sate, although there are legal difficulties ebb& lel
het fonn an insuperable obstacle, they might by • Mr
nutrias process bring themselves upon the list of voters.
Of come under our bill it is obvious there will be no metes-
sty for a man getting himself rated before having his name
Plead es the register, and consequently we get rid of that
demi,. The public officer does not know, and cannot
lad est, who those people are. Hs knows the value of
We biding of the compound householder, because for rating
mans it is necessary that the public authority should
knovi the value of the house, but he does not know, and
mutt know, the rent paid to the landlord, including rates
bytenon who occupies a portion of a home. But to the
?tely-ver under such circumstances we must still leave the
each of claim. If he can show that his rooms are of the
elarninnal nine of 10/., independently of his furniture.
he ti' be released from all necessity of being rated and
ran them tome on the register, but he must come on it
eget the Necessity of renewing his claim from year
fe Mr. The compound householders will give an addl-
e' of 311,000 persons to the constituencies, nearly
theleole of this number being in the metropolis. I think
ore estimate is pretty accurate, because we have LIO'
gad from the different parishes the number of compound
Igo, the rates of which are paid by the landlords. I
engem the house then far an estimate of the emend.
feat of what I call those who are above the line, amount-
ref 10 60,000 ; namely, 25,000 by the abolition of the rate-
Peng clauses, and 35,000 by the new provisions of the law
e feud to compound houses. f have, then, spoken of
tat elms sometimes called holders of tenements, but
elm we propose to treat as lodgers, and I now come to
to enraging question which is commonly called the
alter franchise. We propose to admit lodgers properly so
2.ll6l—that is to say, persons who hold rooms as inmates
0 other people's houses. We propose to plaice them exactly
till same footing es those who hold what an called tone-
'get/ or apartments. These two classes we shall treat
elelwr, as we have treated together the ratepaying boom-
k4fer and the compound householder, and the provision
It Wake is this, that if they can show that the rooms they
Maki are of the clear mutual value of 101., of tonne
without taking into consideration their rates or taxes withal
else of their furniture, they will be entitled upon claim
Soo year to year to be placed upon the list of voters, the
teditioa of time being the same in all oases. I now refer
io what was called the lodger franchise in the bill of 1859. It
rn proposed by the last government that any person paying
a year, or Be. a week, for rooms furnished or unfur-
teed should be entitled on claim, subject to certain for.
teligee, to have his name placed on the register. We
mink there are insuperable difficulties in attempting to
tote any franchise resting on a rent paid for furnished
tertments. In the first place, the clear annual value of
emu was a thing which is continually estimated from day
t day in every town in the country ; it is cialuble of being
taught to some definite staodard. The money paid for
L use of furniture which consists of moveable comma-
:tin would be a totally novel and. I mast say, an incon-
venient basis for a franchise. But if the case is defective
Idle regard to furniture alone, much more so is it when we
raider what is the meaning of 201. paid for furnished
'renal!, bemuse in many cases not only do the rooms in-
!lda the furniture, but the furniture includes various other
nee—sack ss more or lees personal service, sometimes
..1214g cooking, and very commonly theme of the kitchen
re. In point of fact, it is a basis on which it would
jgPresible to found • franchise. I hope the
genßlemen opposite will not think that I am
hot'vre'leg too freely the pro mai in his bill of 1859 ; I am
erne:king it more fully than I have done our own bill
1850. I wish the homes to understand, because I know
tat peat interest is excited by this lodger franchise, that
.„,P
reggee to deal with it in a manner which we think
till leelude every case, and mots than every boos fide ease
gat could bete been included in the bill of 1859, for if a
rare pa 201. a year for furnished lod,rings, if his rooms
ire Or the clear annual value of 101., subject to the broad
omditine of residence, he should be put on the register. I
an
give no information, and I believe the right hon.
nutlet,'" could give none in 1859, as to the number of
'negate who would be enfranchised under the title of
"'Wel ; but my firm belief, in the first plane, is that it
'ill be a mull number ; and, in the second place, my firm
data
a that this is a middle-class rather than a lower
"O. enfranchhement. The operation of the proviso re-
,
iubi°4 'llium to be made from year to year is one that
must be burdensome to the working man, but the edu-
-4444 Meer clocks and men of business, who are habituated