The Express.
London, England, 1861-03-14 00:00:00

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ZOIDON, THURSDAY, MARCH 14.

Ma. Loma Ktso's Bill to extend the County
Franchise has been defeated on the motion for its
second reading by 28 votes. Although, after the
abundant excuses which have been made for the
wholesale betrayal of promises by professed Libe-
rals, we cannot pretend to be surprised, we
shall not dissemble our regret at this result.
But if a Bill like that of Mr. Loess Kieo was not
to pass this session, the next best thing that could
happen was that it should be brought forward and
force on some definition of the present relations of
political parties. In this respect the discussion of
yesterday will do immense service. There are
certain facts which underlie the prevailing con-
fusion and paralysis of what is still called
the " Liberal Party," which were yesterday
placed in the light of day. It is for
the interest of the public that all masks
should be torn from the faces of those who will
not voluntarily lay them aside. Therefore we
are glad that Lord Jolts Russau. went yesterday
straight to the heart of the matter and laid bare
the cankerworm which has eaten away the strength
of the Government, conaidered as • body of men
who took office to carry a measure of Reform.
The fact is the seats on the Ministerial side of the
House are occupied by a considerable number of
gentlemen who are detained there by nothing
but hustings convenience, or personal pretlilec
Lions, and who in all honour and conscience ought
to go over to Mr. DMAILII. If nothing else is
done this session, at least those gentlemen must
be effectually deprived of the means of deceiving
any Liberal constituency again. At any price the
organised hypocrisy must be broken up.
The " previous question" by which Mr. Liwes
Kiso's Bill was disposed of yesterday was moved
by • " Liberal" member, and the division list,
issued this morning, shows that other repre-
sentatives of Liberal constituencies who would
not have • 101. County Franchise Bill at the
hands of Lord Der unless he would also lower
the electoral qualification in boroughs, now reject
the same prop sal on its own merits. The tenses
commonly given for this apostasy is, that the country
is indifferent. But the very plea marks the insin-
cerity of the speaker. It is one which no man can
honestly urge who obtained his seat by professions
of seal for reform, professions which he is prepared
to renew at the next election as the surest means
of obtaining support. Against genuine conversions
and plain avowals of changed opinion we have not
a word of reproach to utter. There are men like
Mr. IlLare, of Edinburgh, with • few others, who
counting the cost, have openly renounced the
opinions of • life. It is in vain to point out
their honourable conduct as an example to time-
servers and trimmers. Only the action of their
constituents will bring double-dealers to rowan.
Lord Jules Ressau. has laid his finger on
the political mischief which is extending itself in
the country, and which threatens consequences
infinitely more disastrous than over were to be
apprehended from the old Toryism that was
wrestled with and defeated thirty years ago.
He said :—" The more this question has bean
" discussed, there has been, se I conceive,
" less and less of favour shown to the desire of
" amending the Constitution, and I may say that
" the opposition to it has not been, like the oppo-
" &hien that was made to the Reform Bill, and to
" reform before that bill was introduced, an oppoai-
" tion from a special class interested in • monopoly
" which existed before the Reform Bill ; but the
" opposition that has been made to reform recently
" has been an opposition particularly of the middle
" classes of the country. In the discussion on the
" Reform Bill we never disguised that the object
"of it was to transfer the power to the middle
" classes. It has had that effect. We may say
" it would be wise in the middle classes to share
" the power with the working men, but there is no
" doubt the; in point of fact, for the two or three
" years last pest, and especially last year, it has
" been evident that the middle classes fear •
" great admission of the working classes into the
" number of those who hold the franchise, and
" that the opposition to the Bill of last year was
" far more from the middle classes than it was
" from the House of Lords, or any portion of the
" richer classes of the country."
We thank Lord Joss Ressau. for having the
courage to say words so much needed as these.
As long as we see gentlemen who are eminently
representative men of the middle class, men
who have numerous and intimate relations with
the working classes, standing up in the House'
of Commons, and urging the extension of the
franchise to the industrious population, it will not
be necessary to defend the middle classes against
too general an application of the imputation which
Lord JOHN RUK14111.04 words imply. But the
danger is real. The monopoly abolished in 1832
was bad, but many things combined to make it
tolerable. It was old, and the habits et the
nation bad been formed to it. It was that
of • small class, broadly distinguished from the
mass of the people. It was softened by Mea-
ner% and it succeeded in commanding • considera-
ble amount of respect. We forbear to contrast
with it the monopoly of which some of our middle-
class politicians aro dreaming. But we may learn
something from the experience of • neighbouring
nation of the consequences of establishing the inte-
rests and claims of a bourgeoisie, in opposition to
those of the mass of the people. Shut the door
of the Constitution against the artisan class ; they
will not the less grow up into • power formidable
in numbers awl mi telligernee ; and when • power
seine, the hand to Ilse it will not he wanting. It
has been so in Franco ; it ninat never be so in Old
England. Wo are, we have been, and we must
be a Nation.