The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-05 00:00:00

THE =POEM HILL IN COMMITTEE.

The Daily Nem trusts Mr. Disraeli's suggestion, to
proceed at once to the consideration of the schedules, in
order that the bill may reach the House of Lords in time
to give to their necessary assent a decent look of free
deliberation, will he carried into effect. Nine-tenths of
the fifty or sixty proposals which stand before them on
the notice-paper are either mere protests in behalf of par-
ticular theories of representation, or private crotchets, or,
as in the case of the motions in favour of neglected bo-
roughs and districts, the homage and tribute of indepen-
dent members to the genii of their respective localities.
It is a pity that the schedules are not better worth oon-
sideting. Like the boundary arrangements, they can only
be regarded as provisional. The actual addition to the
number of represented towns made by Mr. Disraeli's
bill is only five; for against the nine boroughs which
are to be newly enfranchised the four boroughs which
•re to be wholly disfranchised must be set off. The
just apprehension which animates both sides of the
house of what may happen if they fail to pass •
reform bill this session, the disorganisation of the liberal
party, and the disappearance of conservative principles,
make Mr. Disraeli master of • rather contemptible situa-
tion. He will probably have his own way with the sche-
dules. But even he cannot imagine that such boroughs as
Honiton, Dartmouth, Thetford, and Arundel can perma-
nently keep members denied to Luton, Keighley, Barnsley,
and St. Helens.

The Tines, on the other hand, considers it, impossible
that the committee can assent to the complete proposition
of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and postpone at once
all the amendments before it. As Lord Cranborne put it,
the only proper course of proceeding is to act upon con.
sent. Each member must be allowed his right to insist
upon the discussion of any amendment he had placed upon
the notice.book, if he deems it of essenti.il importance.
It is particularly satisfactory to the rimy; that the cumu-
lative vote has been forced on the attention of parliament,
and it implores the house to consider the proposal with-
out prejudice and without impatience, for it is the only
way of reconciling democratic progress with representative
government.

The Pose is particularly pleased that Mr. Ilihbert's
clause providing that travelling expenses ►call henceforth
bo illegal in boroughs is adopted. It is very easy in
boroughs to find at a comparatively moderate expense such
polling accommodation as would render the payment of
travelling expenses needle= ; but in (*unties it is other-
wise.

The Star thinks a still better reformation than that
effected by Mr. Hibbert would have been the prohibition
of holding of election committees at public•houses. On
this point, however, the true tory character came oat, and
in spite of stout and steady fighting on the liberal side, the
good object in view was not obtained.

The Telegraph sake with regard to the cumulative vote,
if Mr. Lowe cannot publish a beautiful oration upon the
subject, and liberate his mind in that way, or send his
last sighs for 'England in the most practical form ? There
is not the smallest chance that anything can result from
this three-cornered consolation but waste of time, and the
right honour►ble gentleman ought to take a nobler revenge
upon ua than that.