The Express.
London, England, 1860-05-01 00:00:00

es the second readies, in the hope of improving It in can-
natter If it should be thought right to exclude from the •
franchise all those who were not acquainted with political
tha would exclude very mein who were of •
higher older than the working claims ; and as to bribery
sad eereption, it should be remembered that it wan not
confined to the working claw, for without bribers amongst
the higher classes there could he no bribed among the lower.
The boo. member for Nerfoni appierml to he not only not
satisfied with the exceedingly sloe progress the bill had
mete, but thought they ought to ma e no progress in it at
all until they hail recognised the claims of the rural clis-
tnets. He (Mr. Clay) hail no desire to depreciate the in• i
telligence of the population of the rural districts ; but the
boo. member should remember that in drawing a compari-
son between property and population he included in his cal-
ciliation mans large unrepresented towns, which if the
liberal party Itch their wish would all be represented. For j
hi. own part he w:s not prepared to quarrel with • bill
which added from 1,800 to 2,000 to the constituency be .
reorc-enteil, and for that if for so other reason be would
give the meosure his cordial support. It was said that the
pe.ple erneapathetic in reference to the question of re-
form.
but it must he borne in mind that in this country
greet a lutir.4 agitation had always been co-existent with
perods of distress and famine. At present no such calamity
afflicted the country, and to that muse, coupled with the
fart that reliance was placed upon the performance of the
promise which the leading Matemien of the country had
niaile to amend the representation of the people, he attri-
holed the nehtference which existed upon the subject. The
right hoe. member for Hertfordshire not only objected to
the present 1011, but to any refers bill at all at this 'parti-
cular moment. He (Mr. (:lay), on the contrary, believed
that they must have a reform bill, and he entreated the
house to deal with the question upon the present bill in
such • manner as would prevent future ilisointeut. He
certainly did not concur with honourable mem-
bers opposite in believing that the effect of
the bill would be to swamp the intelligence of the
country by its uneducated numbers, but at the same time
be thought it cleerahle to introduce a lodger franchise,
which would add a clam of voters decidedly superior to the
run of voters, i Hear, hear.)
w )117. MILLS treated that boa, member. on the mi-
Material side of the house would disabuse themselves of the
impression that the prolongation of the debate was en-
tirely attributable to the factious opposition of the con-
servative party. On perusing a report of the speeches
already made up to that evening, sines the debate mm-
be found that there had been altogether 43
speeches, of which le had been made by hon.
gentlemen on that side of the house, and 25 by
bon. esmiliera oppoute. Laughter.) Without attempting
to my how many sperches hail been delivered in (airier of
the bill and how many against it, he found that 12 con-
tained something in it. favour, 29 were altogether against
it, and two ..nly --the speeches of the how. memberslor Pon-
tefract said Tiverton could he said to support it. He re-
that the conservative party hail not taken the course
iss reference to the pretest bill which was taken by hx
members oppoote last year in refersoce to the trill of the
late government. If they had 1101111 so they would free tees
accord at once of making the tnerunt the stalkill:rigor
glad
party. Thos. had mato the time when thopras at
Mee which had leen kept rip not by the people est el
but by parties in the house, should come to as ad,
and the time had cone- when dames who had hitherto not
bad the franchise should have it With regard to the
course that should he adpted, all be mold say was that if
they meld by possibility extract from this material • good
mmenre el reform, he for one was inclintsl to do so, but if
the hal abroad till he should give his decided negative to
the third neibui: of the bill.
Mr. LOCKE !Southwark) said he was anxious to way •
few words, bemuse he believed that with the reeplica of •
short speech from the hon. sod honed arinber far Nary
-
Maim so metropolitan member had addrimed the house is
this debate. He behoved that or of theresers why the
metropolitan menders hail been so inch adverted to was
that tray of them were returned by the warldag dimes.
'They had boon 4811041711:011 as • den ohms who could
sit be properly teased as legislators, and there
W bean • companies rids throughout the debate between
the wistrepolitan inssaben, who ware the representatives of
the worms clear and the member who eprenested
▪ cortitsiseine He peaa.d that had bees done to
show that the object of thi bill was a bad object, and that
the very wont thing the bill could do was to woke all the
inmehers like the metropolitan members. Now for his own
part he rale wished that mice of the members of the beer
were like the metropolitan members. If they could have •
large net, and could include within it any le menden that
it fell upon, he thought the metropolitan roombers would
not at all mind the comparison. It was charged upon them
that they did mot contain all the description of talent which
was required in a legislator, but they would and amcwg
them men high in poition, and who in their intellect woad
well compare with others. They boated that they had
among them the 'wads lord the member for the Cry
of Loftloa ; they lonated that they had arms them
gamest!' and admirals, and mss who had received the
favour of their sovereign. They bed than an holl
harrier who, when everybody elm ouro seer=
is the Crimea, showed bow onritsight be retreat,
and ride a railway by which the wee
adhe was made a hermit for dose sruribsd.
mdg
naistion the risme of eminsnl min who had reperoieedd
esestitusec:r. He might speak of Mr. Tierney and Air
Lobar Wren, and Mr. Brougham, the brother of Lord
Brosibass, and others. Bat they were told that small
met the beet members. Why the members for
hs might be extended to hundreds, while the
itan member. only numbered le. Same of these
mall en were in the hands of patrons, and it was said
the entrees selected members who would be of the greatest
marries to the tountrv. He looked upon the patron of •
borough in the sense light sa he looked upon the patron of,
linnets° selected a person for the living not because he was
• good divine, lot because he was a relation or a friend.
It would be a great shame if among the representatives ofr
these small boroughs, which returned ao large a part of the
house, there were not • fair proportion of men who distin-
guished themselves ; but it ill became them to cut amne-
sia. upon the metropolitan members, merely because thaw
were returned by a clam who be hoped would soon rani
• large majority of representative. (Haar, hear.) It had
been maid that the hill received little or no support from
lim• irtlemen on the niiniaterel Me of the house; but
y the same thing might have bees alleged against the
bill of the late government. With the exceptiou of the
member for 'ambridgr, there was not one of the indepen-
dent supporters of Lord Derby's government who spoke
that did not express more or less disapproval
of the reform bill brought in by the right bon. gentleman
the member for Bucks. It seemed to he a sort of law that
whatever kind of reform tall might be brought in it most
be opposed. Indeed it was not human nature to suppose
it could be otherwise; but what the house had to look to
were the main features of the measure that was sub-
mitted to them ; and it was precisely became the
main feature of the Derby bill, namely, the non-
extensim of the fran.lim is boroughs, was dinar,-
proved of, that the hill was thrown out. (Hear, hear.)
In reply to the hon. and livened member for Sheffield the
noble lord, if he )Mr. lock--; reinimilered right, stated that
he should recommend a id. franchise in boroughs—Omar,
bear) —and that being explained to the house hum mem-
ber were matisfied ; whilst out of the house the feeling
that prevailed was not apathy, but a reliance upon the pre.
miss of the noble lord. (Hear, hear.) The noble kali pre-
=lead loathing more ; whilst upon this question it
non-extension of the borough franchise—that the division
was taken upon the bill of the Late government. The
right boisourelde gentleman the member for Bucks
did not in the former debate ex roe the mine
objection to the extensiou of the borough (=clime
as was taken by some lion. gentlemen oppeite us the pre-
sent °ma'am. The opinion expressed by the right hon.
gentleman on that occasion was undoubtedly in favour .4
the 6/. borough franchise. But what way the objection
taken tow! Why, that it would swamp the constituency.
Now, perhaps, loin. gentlemen opposite might object to his
(Mr. Lecke .) constituency, and say it could not be worse.
(" Haar, hour," (non the oppeition.) He did not supra
they meant anvthinx persoual to himself —(hear, hear) ;
then it must to that tho) objected to them became they WO.
sired of the working clx... Well, the 6!. franchise would
make little or no change in the character of his constituency.
It had been mail that in the large metropolitan
mach Marylelose, Tower Hamlet., and Fiera=
were no ele•tins, for not a pouter or a half of the voters
cared to vote At all. Hut that was mit the cam in the
berough of Southwark. At the last election there were
Kenn ele-tors itti the register, sod the number pond
was 7,17.2, which left 3,434. From that remainder must
he deducted the ouni er of persous who bad left I
their reed. Ome who were dead, thine who kept post-
Mlle., or who Mere employed in the customs, those who were
doers to the iegister two or three times, mil others. TM
per cent. of the registered minder' or 1. O, mum be fie-
&al.l soogat from the 3,454, and that would ;
lease ouly 2..04 who did sot vote. In inch •
population ... Southwark it was ;writable that ninny persons
would be away from home, soil considering all that, he •
thought this wu a pilling quite equal to that of aa7 other
large town or borough in the country. Therefore it must
wit le mid that tiie winking dames of the metropolis, or
id soutlisr..rk at all events, acre not alive to the import-
owe of exereising the auffrage when it wile given to them. '
(Hear, hear i This deposed of me of the strongest
ohjectmea which had hem raised to the eaten-
eon of the sueraze to hrge masses of tne popula-
lion in borou.rlis. In the City of Loodou also, • very
large propirtion of the electors had always been pollel
Now. he (Mr. locke) did not wen to say that he entirely
&wove' of this 1011. His. constituents desired that there
should le a I..lger friliolow, nail he spool with them. ,
Hine id the working coo n who lived in loclgin.:. were of •'
very superior and intelligent err- awn who did not chores
•
to lonises themselves with a here, helium of its I
lot who were primps earnios their
, oft:, or even rif. • week, as anglasers, or in different ,
trades requiring great le/amity and Writ. What could '
he theduegm of retreating the franchise to such mos as I
thew! It was said that they would combine together. '
Why, pseple id PVI•TV WOW cambiae together for
their own oatmeal. The landed piwprisern of this country ,
had can treat to‘etbi r. snit hating a majority in that home,
in lel% they imposed the torn laws, and 'maintained them,
(Mould is prove that a veer Wiliness was made to the
consummates try the balldues to peoodel. He was snaoms that"ral-irl shou7. goht
tato committee a....'. a. primible. They WWII all agreed
or se esseseem of the suffrage ; sod in emunithse gentle.
ra• n oppeate :night resume any fairy handier they
plasm& 1 He.r, Is,ar. I I owl they wt.., to do es? Had I
the onj is.; dr,i; wish for any rehire, bill at all? ("K..,

li