The Express.
London, England, 1861-11-19 00:00:00

REFORM CONFERENCE AT LEEDS.

LEEDS, MOND►Y NIGHT.

The meeting of reformers from all parts of the
country commenced this forenoon, in the Town-hall. There
were about 200 delegates present. A few members of par-
liament were present, but the most interesting gathering
will be toenorrow (Tuesday) evening, for which a consider-
able array of parliamentary talent has been promised.
Mr. FOINIT, the load preeident, briefly opened the pro-
ceedings by bidding the delegates welcome, and declaring that
working men were not so indifferent to the cause of reform
&shad been represented.
. . .

Moan Hicks, Derry, and Cloward were appointed secre-
taries. The business oomml►tee was chosen, consisting of
Yarn. Hicks, Bustles, Diary, Cowes, Cooper, Hanson,
Alderman Baldwin Walker, Alderman Brown, kc.

The committee haring retired for the despatch of
bushaom _ _ _

Mr. ittriar read letters of apology for non•attendaoee
from the Earl of Carlisle, Earl Russell, Lord Louden•
borough, Sir J. V. B. Johnstone, M.P., Mr. Bright, M.P.,
Earl de Grey and Ripoo, Mr. Handel Coeburn, of Bristol ;
D. It'Leren, of Edinburgh ; Mr. Tillott, of Norwich ; Mr.
Steasfeld, M.P., Sir C. Wood, M.P., Mom C. W.
Fitswilliam, Mr. G. Hadfield, ILP., Mr. Row:dell
Palmer, Sobrftor•Ceneral ; Mr. Brown, M.P., Mr. Vyner,

M.P., Mr. Greenwood. M.P., Mr. W. Aldsin, Mr.
Clay, M.P., Mr. Cobden. M.P., Mr. fichwaun, Mr.
Westined. M.P., utd Mr. Whitehnrst, vice-ohairman of the
Ballot Beatty.

The letter from Eerl Russell was aa follows :
" Foreign-office, Oct. 29.
"Sir,—Lord Rumen he. desired me to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of the 19th iust., thanking him for
his answer to your previous communicate c, and expressing
a hope that he would give a further reply, shownig how
far the proposed reform conference proceedings met with
his sympathy ; and in reply 1 em to my that his opinions on
the subject of parliamentary reform are already well known
awl do nut require to be repeated. But he is convinced
that any expression of the wishes of the working men ought
to be entirely swami:mous, and not to be elicited by any
outward encouregennut from ministers of the crown.—l
have, Ice."
Mr. Cobden excused himself on the ground of ite
being necessary for him to abstain front addressing public
meetings for some time to come, with a view to avoid the
recurrence of the bronchial attack from which he has been
lately suffering.
Mr. J. Bright wrote :

" Rochdale, Nov. 4.

" Dear Sir,—l am glad to hear of your progress in the
arrangements for the reform conference. It is unfortunately,
however, fixed for • time when it will be most leconvenimit,
if out indeed quite impossible, for me to be present at it.
"I have engagements for the whole of the week, beginning
ow the 18th inst., and particularly for the MTh and 19th
inst.--engagementa which are so depending one upon another
that I cannot well pet them by.
" I do not think it important that I should be with you.
No one will doubt that shall willingly give any assistance
in my power to further the object you are seeking to pro-
mote, and it will give me great pleasure to bear that you
have as inStiestkil gathering, and that the movement you
are eanmenciag is taken up with spirit by the population
of the country, and especially by the people of Yorkshire
and Lancashire.
" Wisbiog you all the success you can desire, and thank.
ing you for your labours in the good caure, I am, he.,
Joss Bawirr."

Mr. °sows Wttson, of Manchester, then delivered
what may be considered the inaugural address. He said
the reproach had often gone forth that no effort was made
to meld the working classes in obtaining an extension of
the fraachise. He would not discuss that point, but say
that brag ago he bed made up his mind that untie

the working classes themselves cilfered to aid and co.
operate with those who were anxious to promote, their
interests and seresse, it would be in Tea to
carry on any agitation on the question of reform.
Self-dependence was the basis of action in this We, and the
moment the people felt their self-dependence in this ques-
tion, that moment they were on the way to obtain that
which was justly their right. The working BMA 91 Leeds,
he rejoiced to say, had cast away all that reproach, so far
as they were concerned. The question they were met to
consider bad engaged a great deal of attention already, and
the present state of the representation of this country was
what no MU could support in his conscience. Os making a
division of the people into voters and non-yours they pre-
sented two very great inequalities. M present the
votimpower of the country was 1,221,000, 9.30,000 being
io England, 10,000 in Ireland, sad 170,000 is Scotland.
If each of these voters represented a family of Me there
would be six millions who would be directly or indirectly
interested in the election of members, but taking the popu-
lation of the United Kingdom in 1861, exclusive of the Isle of
Man and the Channel Islands, at 29,000,000, there would re-
main 23,500,000 unaccounted tor, who had se mom connexion
with, and were DO more recognised in the election of par-
Rimester" mpreasneatives than a foreigner. Of those, at
least six or seven millions were grown-up people, who had
no right of voting, and who coropried aixceventhe of the
rising young men of the country. But the present distribu.
tion of electoral districts he eonaidseed of still more import-
ance. In Theifted,a plate of 4,000 psep/e, two members were
• returned by 216 voters, and each of those members had as
much power In parliament as Ir. }WOOS, who repre-
sented levee or, eight thawed vitiate. He might
be told this was an extreme case, but he
found 34 meenbere mewed by 3,947 voters in 12 towns,
whereas 12 other constithentifies, with a population of
' 205,970, only returned the sumo amber of members. He
would advise the advocates of a redistribution of seats not
to case for one moment from their exertions. The omuiti-
tuentiee most injured by the existing date of things were
Lancashire and the West Riding. These two coun-
ties returned 45 memben, although their population
was equal to that of eightese counties which sent 167
members to parliament. It might be said population
should not be taken into account, but he maintained that
property and population went together, and that in the two
cases be alluded to they were synonymous. (Applause.)
He than gave some statistics showing the disproportionate
number of representatives of Lancashire and the West
Biding, considering the inciter of population. and asked
if, in the face of such facts, reformers were peeped to
endorse the present arrangement of electoral districts ?
Was it not time to declare aloud that all such inequalities
should cease? What right bad decaying tower to the
lame electoral influence as energetic ones! and would
thriving and strong coestitnencies submit any
longer to be linked to dead bodies ? During
the forty year•that the Reform Bill bad been in operation
the population had increased as nothing in comparison with
the increase in the mental and moral improvement of the
people. He did not say all working men were educated ;
the barons signed Magna Cbarta with a cross ; but a man
might have good principles in him without being educated.
He had taken great interest in the well-being of working
men, and be knew they were qualified to vote, beams they
were industrious sad moral, loyal and vitriolic. He
considered that mutual intolerance had hitherto been the
great obstruction to the cause of reform, but he appealed to
all for co-operation, as far as they could go, ha carrying
out those principles which bad been enunciated by great
oonstitutiosal authorities of former ages. (Cheers.)

The meeting was subsequantly addressed by Mr. Makes,
of Leeds ; Mr. Robot Cooper, of Manchester; Alderman
Baldwin, of Birmingham ; Mr. H. L Dodds, of Hull.; Mr.
Stokes, of Manchester; Mr. Whitehead, of Bradford; Mr.
Hobson, of Manchester ; Kr. Smith, of York ; Mr. Walker,
of Dewsbury ; Mr. Hickok of Liverpool ; Mr. G. Cowan, of
Newcastle ; Mr. W. R. Forster, M.P. ; Mr. John Nona, of
Oldham ; Mr. James Heywood, of Manchester ; Mr. J. R.
Cooper, of Manchester ; Mr. Shepherd, of Rochdale.

. .
The great feature of th► discussion was, whether the
coefereuce should express opinioes is favour of manhood
suffrage, universal suffrage, household suffrage, or ► six
pound franchise, coupled with vote by ballot, triennial or
annual parliameets, and equal electoral districts. The
majority of the speakers appeared to hold nearly the whole
of those principles, but many of them counselled that the
conference should support • measure of parliamentary
reform of a less exteusive character.

Mr. HAMS expressed his opinion that the day for passing
a great and oomprehensi Fe measure of parliamentary reform
had passed away, but he thought reform was still to be
bad by bit and bit. The first object was to get the franchise
lowered, and then other things would follow. He thought
at prase' there was no chance of obtaining household
suffrage. He had just asked Mr. Forster bow many mem-
bers he thought in the lament House of Commons would
vote for household suffrage. He replied, perhaps fifteen.
He (Mr. Helped said would there not be twenty-five, and
Mr. Forster mid certainly not. A six-pound franchise
would humane the borough constituencies BO per cent. In

conclusion be expressed Ms willingness to bring foserard
again his bill of last session, if it were considered desirable,
kle counselled that the ii.enabers of the conference should
sink their individual differences, but retain their own opi-
nions—uniting in declaring themselves in favour of such a
measure as was likely to obtain the assent of the legislature.

Mr. MAI/110ta, M.P., said that his opinion was that in the
present House of Commons there was not so strong a feel-
ing i ismer of household suffrage and vote by ballot as
there was in the parliasneut elected in 1852. He instanced
the question of church rates, too, as tested by what had
taken place is the late session, as one on which the feeling
of the Howse of Commons was not so liberal as formerly.
He said he had lately been at Birmingham and Liverpool,
and at both places be found, even among professing liberals,
that there was not that affection for further parliamentary
reform. People thought reformers such as Hr. Bright were
going too far. In cossalusion, he advised that there
should be a naked effort to procure • reform bill, but
that nothing should be done to compromise principle. He
expressed himself is favour of a six pound franchise for both
counties and boroughs. There would be no inconsistency
in uniting to support such a bill as that brought in by Mr.
Banns, and at the same time for individuals to petition par-
liament for manhood suffrage, for such conduct would help
on such a bill. He would do all in his power, both in and
out of parliament, to get an efficient reform bill enacted.

Mr. basil, of lloltoo ; Mr. Willis, of Ackworth ; Mr,
Plane., of Liverpool ; Alderman Pocking, of Salford ; Mr.
W. Chadwick, of Arksey ; Mr. Snowdon, of Halifax ; Mr.
Robson, of Leeds; and Mr. Fleming, of Leer* addressed
the meetiag is suressitua.
Is reply to Mr. 00WA.V,

&r. Barnes said that be meant • 61. metal, and not •
61. rating. in his bill ; for the latter would be equivalent
to an 84 rental, and a 61. rental was what Lord John
Russell proposed in his last bill.

The CHAIRMAN said—lf nothing was done which would
exislnde the co-operation of certain reform associations,
the object of the conference would be half accomplished.
He recommended that after that another conference should
be held before the meeting of parliament, and
then delegates should be authorised to operate
in London. The question should be put directly
to the government whether they intended bringing
(onward a Reform Bill or not this minion? If a negative
answer was returned, then steps should be taken for bring-
ing forward an independent measure.

Mr. Belem, M.P., Mr. Berries, M.P., Mr. Forster. M.P.,
Mr. Smith, at York, Mr. Dodwin, of Hu'Lend Mr. Hobson
were added to the business committee, who were instructed
to bring in 'definite proposition on the subject of Reform.
The first day's sitting of the Conference terminated at
7.10 p.m.

Tat LATE LORD DUDLEY STUAHT.A meeting
of the Polish Historical Society waa held yesterday at
Sussex Chambers, llu•e•street, St. Jsmolet, to com-
memorate the wreath amiiversory of the death of this de.
parted champion of the cane of Poland. In the shunts
from Loudon of the president and rice-president of the so-
ciety the chair we. occupied by Major °Wind, wbo, re-
: calling the great savior rendered by the Use whims= to
Poland, deplored his loss, at this time of the maikstatioas
of rational life in all parts of that oottaUy when his pone-
, veriog efforts to detmed the right. of Poland before the
public option of England would, no doubt, have proved of
I national muleteers in obtainiu4 them, and expressed a hope
that others, no les. zealous Meads of the muse, will not
neglect. Colossi Wiereemaki sad neural other gentlemen
spoke to the Name effect, when the meeting separated, after
a rote at Chaska to the chairman.