The Express.
London, England, 1861-04-10 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAME

T.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-(THIS DAY.)

The Seem= took the chair at 12 o'clock.

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A large number of petitions were presented from various
parte of the country in favour of the bill fur the exten.ion
of the franchise in boroughs.

THE COURTS 1/1, LAW AND EQUITY.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL pro sores that ou Thurs-
day, the 18th inst., he should rove for leave to bring
in a hill to provide fur this oroseitrition in use pLice
of all thew tattcoueDirts of sw and equity, the Courts of
Admiralty, vorce, and Bankruptcy, sod the
ultimo connected rewith ; and for the application of
eerier funds in the Court of Chancery fur dm purchase of
a site for such courts and dikes, and the erection thereof.

BOROUGH FRANCHISE BILL__ BITE-
Mr. E. BAINES, in moving the second reading of this
bill, said he was encouraged to do so by the fact that the
measure which he advocated had been recommended from
the threes, had been introduced by the government, end re-
ceived the assent of parliament and of the people of England.
He was satisfied, moreover, that in taking [MI course be
was treading in the old paths of the constitution. It might
be objected that such • measure ought to be taken
up by the government. To that he replied that the
government had taken it up, and further, that
the questioe of reform hail been already dealt with,
as be was dealing with it now, in detail. Every day's ex-
perience proved that it was practicable to deal with various
subjects in detail when you could not hope to pm any
great comprehensive measure. Such had been the
case with regard to the criminal law ; while
as regarded bankruptcy. the Attorney-Osumi had
recently prepared one measure with the hope, as be stated,
of gettrag another passed next session. By one act par-
Moment abolished the property qualification ; by another
it changed the rev: neatens system ; by another it altered
the number of polling places; by another it endeavoured
to prevent 'bribery and corruption at elections. In fact,
there were more than twenty instances extending over forty
years la which parliamentary reform had been dealt with in
asperses branches. No our would have been more de-
lighted then he would, if the government had dealt with
this erestion, though be thought it would be • dangerous
doeirme that may the executivesbould initiate great reforms,
the tendency of which "sou Id be to reduce the English House of
Comenome to the level of • French or German chamber.
(Hnit. bear.) He admitted that • tinge of unusual prosperity
had produced great apathy on this question, but prudence
required that they should not wait for • period of storm
before removing acknowledged defects. (Hear.) It was
better, as the wilds lord the member for the City of Lon.
don had ones remarked, to deal with such a question in
times cif tranquillity, and to exceed the franchisees • reward
for the good conduct of the people. In his (Mr. Baines's)
;minim the time waa now come for an immeriiite extension
of the franchise. Since the pursing of the Reform Bill
thirty years ego, there had been • rapid deve:opuient,
intellectual, moral, and commercial, in the whole commu-
nity. The right hoe. gentleman the member for Buckiag-
hanishire, is Introducing his own Reform Bill, referred to
that advance as a ground for further change. The right
honourable gentleman remarked on that occasion that
intelligence had kept pace with population and wealth.
lie (Mr. Baines) considered that an under-state.
meat of the am. The population had increased
within the last 30 pain at the rate of about 43 per cent.,
but vast as that increase wee, the spread of intelligence
among the working classes was still more remarkable. It
might be demonstrated that the 61. occupier of 1861 was at
last as well qualidsd to exercise the franchise as the 10/.
occupier of 1831. (Hear, bear.) He had always felt
that the Reform Bell might Way have been made
more liberal to the working classes. (Haar, hear.) He
proposed by this bill to extend the suffrage from actinism
of premises of the value of 10/. to occupiers of premises of
the Talmo 6/.; and in seeking to attain Ibis object,
he had copied the clauses of the government
bill of last year. He had some advantages over the
government. The returns on which their bill was pared
were questioned and they had in consequence been sent book
to those who obtained them, sad the result was that they
were now presented in as accurate • form as possible. The
present Dumber of borough voters was 442,210. The
lowering of the frasehies to N. would, it was estimated,
probably make en addition of MAIL Time there would
be • total beretogli senelitessey el 04479, showing as
increase apse die old borough emagerney 4t per cent.
There were, however, various theastiono to be taken into
account, luta* frequent ressernia, which would, he
believed, wean the actual addildka very considerably.
of the entire barengh ersetianonsy The weeideg dress
coast' tuted threelonetheef wielepopednalse.endlihe ad-
dition which be proposed to ash, emprked only enwleath
of the adult male workiugmeen in the borcoglis,
The hon. niember here entered Isis statistics to 11110 W the
advance of the country in material and general prosperity
during the last 30 years ; adding that one great result
of this was, that they had a populatioa better) fed,
better-clothed, better lodged, and better taught than the
population wee previously to all this development.
He also cited facts to dhow that there had
been • ccnsspoedisg advent* in education and
intelligence Dario( the 1444 40
_ran, he mid, the
increase la the population Irmo per cent. ; the
Mercer in the day echelon 275 per cwt.: eed the
111011.1111 in Sunday •0110111 pupils 406 per cent.
Barely, he continued, he might eddy rest his case for an
esteems of the auffeage as awe fade slope.
speaking.)