The Express.
London, England, 1859-02-02 00:00:00

NZ ROUPELL AND TSB ILEO7I7RB OP
LAMBETH.

Lut evening a meeting of electors of Lambeth,
*monied by Mr.-Houpell, in pursuance of a promise given
by hire at his election to meet his coestituenta annually, was
held at the Horne, Kennington, the long room of which was
crowded ; Mr. °Rove wee called to the chair.
Mr. Rocritt on presenting himself was loudly chewed.
He maid he believed there was en earnest ooevio-
tion that the Ume had arrived whoa the absurd and
mischievous anomalies of our representative system must
be swept away. (Clews.) If the peewit government
brought in a reform bill he thought Its characteristic would
be iegannity rather than reaHty. (Hear, hear.) It was pos.
ribls to hems a talons bill which at first sight was
strikingly liberal, bat which would give them a
BOOM of COOMIOOII reatekaltir opposed to Um
principle. and teenage the people. For instance, he
thought it possible that the government, instead of
disfranchising small boroughs would simply extend their
limits into the surrounding counties, and thus remove the
objection to their bele( too small. By a dexterous juggle of
We kind, the little liberality existing in them boroughs
would be completely extinguished by an invoice of the
rural element. The Ira sessmial of an honest bill to amend
the representation wee ea extension of the franchise, and the
question was, on what principle that extension was to take
pose ? Now, he was not stating his Individual opinion ; he
would give vote. to lodge's ; but, looking at this question as
a statesman he would a•/, he content with the franchise
offered by Mr. Bright." Cheers, and No.") ll* was not
there so a disciple of Mr. right. Hs should say that the
meet moderate franchise with which they should he contest
was thereto-paying franchise; that wee to city, thatevery per-
son occupying premise. rated to the poor should have a vote.
(Hear, hear.) And 'farther, that the occupier. of premises
whose landlords paid the rates should also have a vote.
The effect of this would be to double the constituencies.

Make the mention without having a
pound for it. When he drat became their member he found
that there were mazy artisans and others who were not on
the list of voters though they were entitled to be on, and he
established a registration °Moe, and though it had not Leen
in meration more than nine months they had succeeded in
siding to the register between 3,000 and 4,000 electors.
About the same number had been disallowed in consernmes
of the rate-paying clauses. Now what was tram of this
wee true of any other borough. Although it was
admitted that the present House of Commons did not
teeny represent the people, ho thought it was well that they
should refresh their memories with one or two facts. He
found that under the existing order of Wags there were about
60 small boroughs whose talked constituencies did not
amount to 12 per oent. of the electors of Lambeth. These
60 small borough. returned upwards of 90 member to par-
liament; the boroughof Lambeth returned only two. (Shame.)
Again, one thirty-sixth part of the adult male population of
the United Kingdom returned just one half of the Home of
Commons. Was it jest to the tin millions of men who had
no votes to tell them they must obey the laws, but they
were unfit to have a voice in the eclection of the men who
were to make those laws. The answer was that po-
pulation had nothing to do with this question. Then
what did *fleet It P Did property ? He found that the bo-
rough of Lambeth paid 200,0001. a year in direct tame, while
69 boroughs possersing an equal conditnency in the
earnests paid only the sameamount. Teen a reform bill,
to be satisfactory to the people, mud not only contain pro-
visions for • large extension of the franchise and a more
equal distribution of the mate, but it meet also contain pro-
vision. to enable the voter to exercise hie franchise without
fear of the consequences. If he wanted a fresh argument
in favour of the ballot, he should find it in the malignant op-
potation offend to it in the House of Commons by those
member who owed their scat. to the tyranny mamma by
the owners of property In small boroughs. He did
not know whether any of them had ever seen a
little book called " Dud's Parliamentary Companion."
but it wee In the hands of every member, and
was ref,arded as an authority. It began with the letter A,
and be Mond that In reference to Arundel it said " the Duke
of Norfolk has considerable influence." In reference to
Bury St. Edmund.," The Duke of Grafton and the Merge'.
of Bristol are represented to have considerable inflames
here;' is reference to Esniskillen the observation Wm.
" Lord Enniskillen has paramount inflneuce is this town."
And there wen similar statements in reference to many other
boroughs. Were not them atatements unanswerable arpt-
meats in favour of the ballot ? With regard to the reform
bill it appeared there were three if not four Richmond. in the
field. Lord Derby was to bring one in, Lord removers:l&
would probably be anxious to outbid him, and Lord John
Russell would probably he anxious to regain the lamina ha
had lost. Them were three noblemen; but there was ism
thee person moving In this matter. John Bright had pledged
himself to introduce what he considered • just masenee.
Now, be (Mr. Respell) was not there to pledge himself to
any particular measure, but he would support the bill which
went furthest in the right direction ; and the man who had
moat communication with his fellow .countrymen and was
beet acquainted with their wishes was John Bright.
(Cheers.) He had indicated his opinion, but he was not
one of Rime who, because he could not get all
be wanted, would take nothing at all. Half •
loaf was better than no bread. But reform might
not be the garden of the ensuing union. A dark
cloud had appeared in the political horizon. and although in'
the lest week or toe the atmosphere had become brighter,
they could not yet declare whether the storm had pawed
sway. Ramie was burning to be revenged on Alinebin ;
Frame required employment for her hundreds of thennands
of bayonets; Italy was one huge tinder-box, rernrille or*
a spark to set it in a blaze. The Emperor of hinge MN in
alliance with England. (Cries of " More shells, iler am")
lie had the fullest confidence in as &limes with Me Tama
penile, but he had none is an entente with the Enneser of
the French. (Loud cheers.) He could have no oaabdanise
in a can who had perjured himself and overthrown the ms-
natation he had sworn to maintain. Our policy was in •
dignified neutrality, and in being well prepared for war, IS
order that we might ensure the blessings of peace. In tien-
diatom the teas. member declared his resdumes to answer
any earstion that might osput to him.
Mr. WHITIARIL asked if the hon. member would eels
for the educational qualification P
Mr. Rot moat. topped that he would not; and in answer
to farther irasetlems, be said he would not give a rent In
respect of deposits in savings beaks, and he would sot amp
poet • Pfofail to pep neembne of parliament.