The Express.
London, England, 1866-02-12 00:00:00

iniasnas AND THICIR ILIFORM BILL,

Premising that Lord Rummell has resolved to stake the
existence of hie administration on the success of a bill
which shall give us 61. for 101. householders, and 151. for
501. county tenants, the Times proceeds to refer to the
scheme in various expressions of contempt. Such a bill
will be nugatory in the great boroughs, and in
smaller ooustitnencies it will be squally futile as
far as the introduction of the popular element is
concerned ; while it will aggravate other existing
evils, iecreasing the corruption which the incidental
benefits due to the existence of small boroughs are even
now insufficient to excuse. Bat if the scheme of the govern-
ment is becoming daily clearer, so also is the spirit of the
House of Commons. Such • bill as is predicted is crude,
violent, and offensive. It expresses so policy, and
government without policy is as unsafe as it is inglorious.
It expories the administration of a great kingdom to every
wind of opinion, but when the rudder is left to swing to
sad fro at its pleasure, the helmsman is apt to be tho first
to be knocked overboard. The conduct of the ministry on
reform seems to show that they are themselves conacious
they are settling down. They yaw from side to side, and
roll and plunge with every trait gust and every passing
wave ; but such things are premonitory of disaster, and we
can only hope that if there is to be a shipwreck something
valuable may be left by the way of salvage.
The Herald sees evidence of the decay of the whip and
the oozing away of the government majority in the recent
appointment of radicals to vacant offices. Their own
families show a paucity of fresh talent, and to satisfy their
inveterate craving for office tbey are condescending to one
wretched coalition after another. The official return of Mr.
Stansfeld, which is • deliberate annoyance to the Emperor
of the French, aed a painful disregard of Lord Clarendon's
known views, is particularly dwelt upon by the Herald, in
support of its arguments.
The Tekgraph would seek to drag the lagging govern-
ment and the reactionary Houses of Parliament forward
until they overtake the full measure of popular intelligence
and appreciate the just demands of the sorely-tried, patient,
and unrepresented classes. It matters very little whether
the particular bill which is about to be laid before per.
liunent contemplates • large or a anal reduction of quail.
fication ; • wide or a narrow extension of the suffrage area.
At any rate it contemplates something ; it has some aim ;
it is • step in advisees ; and, having lessened the reproach
of the injustice, that out of more than 5,000,000 of adult
Englishmen only 800,000 have any voice in the government
of their country, we shall then see our way more clearly to
redressing other injustices and anomalies which stalk be-
hind.

The Advertiser is apprehensive that reform itself will
be lost is the mistakes and conflicts of the time. Our
contemporary heard a sagioions politician, only yesterday,
predicting the probable sod of these things. " The
government," be maid, "will bring in their reform bill,
and will be beaten upon it. Earl Rumen will then
resign, and Earl Derby will be seat for. Earl Derby
will confess that be can do nothing with the present
parliament. Earl Russell will then be fetched back again,
and he will return to office, with moms modific►tion of his
cabinet, and without any reform bill. The radicals wi'l
complain, and he will answer, 'I did the best I could ; I
proposed a measure, but the home would not have it.'
And thus all things will return to the position in which
they stood, in 1860-65."