The Express.
London, England, 1861-01-22 00:00:00

ENFRANCHISEMENT OF CHELSEA.

Last night a meeting of the inhabitants of Chel-
sea and the surrounding districts was held at the Vestry-
hall for the purpose of promoting the incorporation of Chet
sea and Kensington Asa parliamentary borough. The chair
was taken by Dr. DIPLOCK. The meeting was numerously
attended.

After a few introductory remarks from the chairman in
explanation of the object for which the meeting was called,
Mr. FINCH proposed the first resolution, to the effect that
en the eve of another session of parliament it was desirable
that the inhabitants of Chelsea and Kensington should
assert the paramount claims they had, on the ground
of population, assessment, and intelligence, to direct repre-
sentation in the House of Commons. He believed that
was the tenth public meeting which they bad held in that
district alone on this subject; and as far as he could learn,
the claims of Chelsea and the surrounding district to be re-
presented in parliament had never been disputed. With
a population of 75,000 in Chelsea alone, and with property
mewed to the property tax of 267,597 f., how could that
claim be disputed! There were 17 boroughs returning 27
members to parliament whose limited populations did not
amount to that of Chelsea, and there was a very mach
larger number of boroughs whose assessment (lid not reach
' that of Chelsea, but which returned 34 members to parlia-
ment. On the basis of population, therefore, they lied a
right to 27 members, and on the I:taxis of propm4y to 34
members for Chelsea. (" Hear, hear," and laughter.) It
had been amid that they were to have no great measure of
reform. It wee, therefore, the more necessary for them to
demand thal amount of partial reform to which they were
entitled. (Hoer, hear.)
Mr. ARCIIBUTT, in seconding the resolution, said he
believed they had held more than ten meetings on this sub-
ject, but they would hold ten and twenty meetings more
till they obtained their just right of representation—a
right which had been admitted in bills which had been
brought before parliament by the government itself.
Indeed their claim was so just and irresistible in itself that
it could not be long postponed. There were two members
for the county of MidiDesex, but the interests of that
county were so diversified and vast that those members
throneless admitted that they could not adequately repre-
sent them. They bad in Chelsea and Kensington
and the surrounding adjuncts a population of something like
150,000 ; they were moreover an intelligent population,
and fully capable of tending able men to repreeent,theru
I and the national interests in the House of Commons. It
was probable that reform would no longer be treated as
whole but in a piecemeal and fragmentary way. It was,
i therefore, the proper time for them to step forward and
claim their rights. There were, ho believed, four mambas
in the House of Commons Irma than the constitution
and surelyChelees was justly entitled to two of the
seats which the disfranchised boroughs were deprived of,
in consequence of their corruption. (Hear, hear.)

The resolution having been put was adopted unanimously.
Mr. ToneEMI M'CULLAOIII, is moving the next ramie
ties, said that if he read aright the feelings of the meeting,
tb.y seeded no words to convince themselves that they were
entitled, on the most solid grounds, to prefer their claim for
two minnbers to represent them in parliament. it would be
wade of time to discuss that point soy further, because they
were agreed as to what they wanted. The only question
which mined, therefore, was as to the best mode of
attaining the end they bad is view. The committee, in his
opinion, bed wisely determined to ask for a separate bill for
the enfranchisement of Chelsea and Kensington instead of
waiting for what now seemed a hopeless affair —• general
meows of reform. The committee having me long Loped
against hope were now in a condition to appreciate the de-
sire of either of the great parties in the state to bring in a
general measure of reform ; but they did not think that
their rights were therefore to lapse, or that they could not
point out a way to the object at which they aimed. (Hear,
hear.) Let government, if there was to lie no general toes-
sure of reform, revert to the old ways of the imastihition—
let them take the advice of Mr. Gladstone, who expressed
regret that grieviunies in the way of the distribution of
seats had been allowed to accumulate, and that the
*,n of dealing with those which lost their claim
to be represented had been loot sight of. (Hear, beer.)
The committee bad drawn up the outline of a measure
which had been framed upon good, known and recognised
lents, because all they dld ROM to ask parliament to
d some of those treasures which they kept locked
m ermastking like the dog in the manger, for nine years,
Wof of some their surplus capital to their bill.
(Heare,g=.) In 1852 he bad himself been asked by Mr.
Gladstone not to vote for dealing with the disfranchised
ma kof St. Albano and Sudbury,. en the plausible state
mend that a much more liberal and comprehensive measure
of reform would be introduced. He and others voted in
faith on the strength of that representatiou ;
catd in mitigation of his vote on that occasion,
he must say that if the distribution of seats
had gone as was then intended} neither Chelsea nor the
great towns would have come in for them, but the West
Riding and South Lancashire, which Mr. Disraeli said were
better entitled to them. It did not turn out so ill after all
that they had voted with Mr. Gladstone on that occasion ;
but looking back attar nine years he could not conceive may-
thing more indefensible than that four seats should have
been kept unfilled, and that no attempt should have been
made to give them to the people to whom they belonged.
(Hear, hear.) No man would argue that they should have
remained unfilled so low. Then came the question who
were best entitled to have these four seats. It bad been
said that this was no party question, and if he was not able
to maintain the right of Chelsea and Kensington to
two of them apart from all such considerations,
be desired to urge no right at all. He had his own opinion
as to the wishes of the inhabitants, but whether they were
tinged with conservatism or were in favour of progress, that
did not in the least alter the position of Chelsea. The fact
was they were the largest town community in England by
• great deal, that they were the wealthiest town coasts-
tummy by a great dad and be believed he might say that
they were the most intelligent constituency by • great deal
that had no direct representatives in the House of CODI.
mans. (Hear, hear.) If it might be said that this was a
sectional view, and that he had no right to exclude the
counties, he answered that they limited their claim to the
two seats of which St. Albans was deprived. (Hear, bear.)
Let the counties, if they co:luseehodw their right to the
two vacant seats for Sudbury. Hear, hear.) Al the time
of the Reform Bill they en( 22 towns by giving
them two members eath, sod he was prepared to show that
out of these 22 towns 15 of them did not then possess any-
thing like the population or rateable property which
Chelsea and Kensington possessed. And that of these 2-2
towns half of them did not own that population or property
which the inhabitants of this district possessed. (Hear,
bear.) Some of them did not passers 30.000 inhabitants, or
one-fifth of the rateable property of these two localities.
If 28 years ago they established the principle that no town
of 26,000 inhabitants should be without two members in the
leeslature, the argument in favour of these districts,
which at the last census had a population of 100,000,
was four times as strong as that under which
they gave two members to the other towns of
England. The act of 18. n was not intended to
be binding fur all time, and es the empire bad expanded
trade had doubled, and railroads and other sources et
wealth had increased since that act peened. The case was
much stronger now than it was even thee. Without wish-
ing to make soy invidious distinctions, he stated as • mere
historical fact that the progress of their civilisa-
tion sad wealth had been marked by the growth
of their towns ; that in proportion as the towns expanded
the taxation to the state bad increased, and that as new
towns had risen up, they were enfranchised so as to keep
them well with the state and yoked to the whole empire.
(Hear, bear., If that were so, why should an exception be
made in the cue of Chelsea and Kensington, which were
entitled on every ground to be directly represented? Indeed
theonly excuse for an argument which had been put for.
ward was that they were contiguous to other large districts
which were represented. But was it their fault that they
bad turned Beds into streets and squares, or that they
were situated on the margin of the Thames! (Hear,
hear.) It had been said is various quarters,
and by a friend of his during the recess,
that parliament had enough of metropolitan
members, and that they were something of a bore is the
House of Commove. Mr. Baas, indeed, totted up the num-
ber of times that metropolitan members had spoken, and he
contrasted them with the mutes and the semi-mutes of the
house. (Laughter.) But he denied Mr. Bass's figures in
toto—he denied the premises, and he denied the conclusion.
There were 14 members for metropolitan boroughs, and Mr.
Haws mid they spoke one-ninth of the entire
speeches which Hansard recorded as being deli-
vered in the House of Coramous. But Mr. Bess
forgot that these gentlemen represented an enormous
mass of population and interests—(hmar. hear)—
that as regarded population they constituted me-ninth of
the whole kingdom, and as regarded wealth and interests
be believed he should be under the mark if he said that
they represented fully one-fourth. (Hear, bear.) But if
Mane and Kensington were enfranchised he believed that
they would send representatives to parliament who would
not abuse their privilege by speaking for the mere purpose
of speaking, but who would exercise severity of judgmeutand
determination of purpose in looking after the interests of
the borough and of the nation. (Cheers.) He should now
conclude by moving the following resolution That this
meeting sanctions and adopts the bill proposed by the com-
mittee for traoderring to this district the seats formerly pos-
sessed by the borough of St. Albans, which have now been
vacant for the space of nine years, and request and empower
the committee to take such steps as they may think advi-
sable in promoting such bill at the earliest possible period of
the mince, to be withdrawn only in the event of govern.
meet dealing with the question of the franchise, and • re-
distribution of seats in a large and comprehensive manner."
Mr. WlLanfit seconded the resolution, which had been so
ably supported by Mr. Ill'Cullagh, that he felt it to be un-
amemary to add a stogie word to enforce it All he would