Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-07 00:00:00

NORTHERN DAILY TIMES. •

party:. brought in another bill, but not so
_good as
the previous bill ; but that was also withdrawn.. The
Government at • the time being composed of three
sections, or', rather three factions, of politicians, allowed
the country to drift into an unnecessary and sanguinary
war, and all Reform was set aside until that was over.
In 1858 Lord Derby came into power, and a measure
was introduced, which was so far fully discussed in the
Hall, as to reader a discussion of it then unneces-
sary. Indeed, it would* be a charity to its promoters
not to discuss it. Suffice it to say the Derby Govern-
ment was turned out upon that bill, an election took
place, the present ministry was restored to power, and
the time for the fulfilment of their promises has arrived.
On that occasion Lord Derby had said of him (Mr.
Bight) that the. Queen would not have him, the
House of Commons would not have him, and the cen-
stituency would not have him ; and yet, it so happened,
that that was precisely the predicament in which Lord
Derby found himself, the people would not respond to his
call. The Home of Commons rejected him and the Queen
could not have him. (Loud laughter and cheers.) Well,
all that took place, and the present ministry bad regained
their power, and the people had now an unquestionable
right, as he had before observed, to demand from thejn
the fulfilMent of the conditions upon which they took
office at the expense of their predecessors. What their
intentions were he knew not any more than any man pre-
sent ; hut he had a right to presume that Lord J. Russell,
would not propose a bill inferior to that which he at first'
brought forward. In connection with • the bill, there
must be necessarily something like a compromise. The
measure to be brought forward would not attempt at de-
ceptiOn like that of Lord Derby ; neither did he expect it
would be so full and comprenhensive as the one which he
(Mr. Bright) had been permitted to submit last year to
several public meetings ; it would differ from that pro-
posed by Pitt seventy-five years ago, by Lord .Grey sixty
years ago, and afterwards by Lord Durham, but it would
be like the bill of
.1852. The House of Commons had
already agreed to a £lO franchise for the county, and
if the £6 rental for the borough were adopted,
it would about double the constituencies of
Manchester, Birmingham, and other large progressive
towns, but in small parish places, as they were called,
in which a new street had not been erected in the
memory of the oldest inhabitant, for the increase would
not be more than about 10 per cent. In Exeter, for
instance, where there was a considerable population, the
increase would not be more than 20 per cent., or one-fifth
more than the present. There were 184 boroughs in the
United Kingdom which returned 198 members of parlia-
ment, and they were se'sm all it was impossible to give them
an adequhte constituency. (Laughter.) There were
56 boroughs, each with a population of 5,900, returning
87 members, with an average of 324 votes in each
place. (Loud cries of " Shame. shame.") There were 1
9 boroughs in Ireland with a population of 5,000 each,
with an average number of 73 votes, and they returned ,
9 members to parliament. There were 69 boroughs '
where constituencies would be insufficient for'any proper
scale of representation. There were. 23 boroughs with
populations over 50,000, returning 42 members, and 12
boroughs over 47,000, returning 24 members. It must
be, therefore, quite clear that parliament would not be
justified in-continuing the present system of representation.
Taking the whole of the votes in. the United Kingdom,
they did not-amount to more than 1,000,000, and the
proposed measure would only increase it to l millions ;
and he was quite certain that no man, calling himself a
Reformer, could object to that increase of the con-
stituency. Mr. Disraeli, when fighting for his existence,
he meant his political existence, in the House of Commons,
told him his measure would increase the constituency
500,000, and that he was free to admit the borough fran-
chise must be dealt with, with reference to the working
classes—(hear, hear),—and that he was prepared to deal
with it accordingly. Was he not, therefore, entitled to
say, that if the present Government brought in a mea-
sure of Reform, fixing the county franchise at £lO and
the borough franchise at £6 rental, Mr. Disraeli could
not refuse to support it, from what he had said ? He
had heard him use the language which he (Mr. Bright)
had quoted; it was chronicled in Hansard, and it
would beimpossible for him , now to vote against its
distinctly pronounced opinions. Besides, why should
they not adopt that system of representation ? It was
the old franchise of the country, which in times past
enabled every householder -to return a representative.
(Cheers.) Why should they depart from the ancient
custom of England for some fanciful system which some
government who did not desire reform at all, were
anxious to impose upon them? With regard to those little
boroughs, there was no remedy for them, except such as the
surgeons employed when the patient's life was at stake,
namely, amputation. It would no doubt be an un-
pleasant remedy to some gentlemen who happen to have
large estates adjoining them, and who alone derived
benefit from their enfranchisement. In many cases the
inhabitants were losers by the franchise,- for it was a
well known fact that in many of those places, owing to
the fighting animosity and profligacy of the consti-
tu mg; the boroughs sustained great injury. Well,
then, they came to the question would
the Government propose such a bill as he had alluded
to. He replied he could not say they would ; but he
believed they would, and for the reasons already
assigned, that it was impossible to suppose that, after all
the changes that had taken place with regard, and upon
no other question than that of reform, they would come
forward with some measure unworthy of acceptance of the
people. Was it to be ail for nothing that the country
i had everywhere made such sacrifices for reformers—was
it for nothing that they had brought a gentleman from
the S.W. to propose him (Mr. Bright) in that hall at
the last election, because he was an extreme man ?
(Cheers.) 'He held it, to be impossible that the present
Government, after turning out Lord Derby and his
friends and vaulting into - their places solely upon the
question of reform, could now refuse to give a better
1 measure than tho'se whom they had replaced. Besides,
he would give a word of advice to the present Govern-
ment. Let them not forget that after the election they
were only a- dozen strong over their opponents, what
the. present Government was to do was this—first to
be right, and then nerve themselves with courage and
determination to take the responsibility of doing what was
right. There never was a Government which could more
effectually command the support of the people than the
present Government, if they would only pursue that
course. What he asked them teed° was this—propose that
which was right, and just stake their existences
upon it, and they might depend upon the issue.
The honourable gentleman then proceeded, as he said,
for the benefit of those who were not present, but might
read his observations to show that according to the mea-
sure of Reform he had been anticipating no pos,
danger could arise to any class in the come
pity or to the institution of the country. - They WG.,
not increase the constituency more than 1,000,000 a
all over 'Great Britain and Ireland, and it would
.be utterly impossible that that- increase could
I destroy or interfere with existing interests. The
hon. gentleman next noticed an attack which had been
recently made upon him by Mr. Adderley, M.P., in
; rather, unfavourable terms, and which might have been
avoided by that gentleman. The hon. gentleman, in
conclusion, said whatever his opponents might say
i against him, or those who believed politically with
him, the principle they advocated were-the fundamental
principles of the COnstitution, he could tell- them that
the battle for him wruld never be given up until they
• were fully established. .
Mr. Bright resumed his seat, after a speech of an tour
1 half, amidst loud cheering.
The meeting terminated at 10 p.m.