Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-11-20 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

The: Lilo\i,ing is tbe. tubleess adopted by the
committee of l!iiiiametitary R: forme, composed
partly of menal;e.s of i,he 1-IJ-n3z" of Commons,
whose proceedings hate been fra:n time to time
reported.:—._

To THE PEOPLE OF GREII7 BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

Countrymtn,—Her Majeiq's gorerament hare
lei you to expect that they will lay before parliament,
next session; a bill for -the rcforrn of tife'House of Com-
m msi In that announcement pin. heard the echo of the
datermina•ion you.svowei nt the late ge ter.Al election. It
bids .you spe.k ag3in, and wi!li more precision. That
that.Romiso -m4y.-n3t be. y. it .bah.-)yes you to nuke
the sense iu whin'., you will accept it.

Y.,¢ se, k arliamentary reform in ord>r t insure
ministerial tesponsibility. No tneisare failing of this
mould answer your object. Have you.a right to anticipate
that with this end in view. government wit ,spontaneously
offer Whit you will-be silisfitd to receive. 'lt disposed to
help you, they will.be glad of your instructions—if indis-
posed, it were well to let them lc.ow your demands. Its
any case you are called upon to say what will content you,
or.your silence• will surely be construed Into a lacks f
inureut in the subject. - . •
The existing machinery for the constitutional expreisiet
of public opinion is inadequate, and to a large extent un-
trustsverthy. The constituent body is needluesly resrieted.
oinsiierable p ,rt.ir,ns of it are exylsed to thu disturbing;
action of illicit irtuences. A large inlarity of members
is returned by a swill minority of electors. The !egg
term of Parliaments is too long to insure the responsibility
of repr. sentatives to the reuresented. 'these are the main.
defects of the pre..srit system. Too results are class logis-
latir:n, bad administration, financial exravaqatice, and
-foreign policy. al vays beyond yotir control, and often
opposed to .your wishes.
A.reform bill--that .will retelAy thcle defects will no
doubt sati.sfy you. More anxious flr a substantially true
represenntation of your .wants and interests than for a
theoretically perfect one, you will not reject a machinery,
which promiecs to do your work because it is not scienti-
fically exact: But while, on the one hand, you forbear to
demand whet, in the present state of public opinion, is
plainly unattainable, hew ere, on the other, lest,
presuminv on your inaction, the government should
force opal yen a deceptive and inadequate meastre.
Should you permit yonrseives to be defrauded of the ad.
vintage whic'a the passing opportunity offers you, n
(patter of a century may elapse before yen are favoured
with another.

Fallow-countrytnen,—We, whose names are hereunto
subscribed, discla.itning all right or desire to dictate, but
anxious to elicit a definite expressioa of your will, and
waiving abstracr, rights, recommend you to insist up m the
features of p aliamentary reform, as
calculated to unite in support of them the largest number
o' voic r, as' capable of being attained by resolute and
uni.ed efforts, and as promisin7, if adopted, ro secure a
real and effective representation of your political
interests:—

1. The extension of the borough franchise in England
and Wales to every male person of fail age, and not
suj act to, any legal incapacity, who sh .11 occupy as owner
or tenant in part or whole, any premises within the borough
which are rated to the relief of the NM-.
2. '1 he extension of the county franchise in England
and Wales to-all £lO occupiers at least; and the rcsiusi-
lation, as far Ls possible, of the franchise in Scotland
and Irelard to those of England and Wales
3. Protection to the voter by the ballot on a plan sirs:tilts
to that adopted in the Australian c donies.
4. A. reappaintment of seats, that shall snake such as
approach to an equalisation cf comtitnencies as shall give
in the Tjei:ed Kingdom a maj.,rity of members to a
majr)rity of e!ectore.
5. Ahlition of property qualifications for members.
6. The c tlli ig of a new parliament every three y-.ars.
Fellow-c nantrymen,—lf this broad outline of parliamee-
tory reforms meet your view—if, in your julginent, it is
adapted to the occ tsion—if it comprehends as much as volt
can hope to get, and as littla as you could be satisfied to
accept—it is for you to say so, cud to say so in time. This
business is yours, and if you wish it done you must do it
yourselves. o.r our part we are rea,ly to aid you, as best
we may, in placinr, this sketch of reform, properly filled
upon the- g-ta_tute.b7c9k of the realm.
We have stated it will be remembered, rn the authority

of the Leader, that a six day's conference is shortly to be
held, end that the great cities and manufacturing counties
of England are electing their delegates, who will meet a
large number of plliticiaus and those who have enga;led itt
the above movement—the assemblage including some
twenty members of parliament.
The rinses urges in mild term-, the postponement cf
electorial reform to another session. Oar eotemporary:
thinks it is plain, upon tilt slightest estimate we can form
of the copiousness of these three subjects—the reorgsm-
isatinn of India and the retrospective discusseon of the
rantinv, the bank charter and the necessary episodes, and.
the Reform 13;11-0at they cann)t all of them be discussed
in one session, and therefore whichever car give wav
must give way. " Parliamentary reform happens to he
the acc,modating one of the three in point of time;• it is
not positively necessary next year ; it is therefore the
subject to give way."
The Morning Post ventures npin a sketch of the
ministerial programme. The Post concludes that the Bank
Charter Act will be raf ;rred to a new committee which sat
last session, and the, after a brief discos ion, parliament
' will turn to the consideration of India, confining the dis-
cussions before Caristai,:s, however, to the graceful task as
expresEi ,g the debt of gratitude which England owes to
the two Lawrcnces, Havelock, Neil, Nicholson, Wilson.
Van Cortland, and to every British officer and soldier
serving in India, The Post does net expect to hear any-
thing about a reform bill in the royal speech, and-specifiea
es the domestics questions to be considered—the measures
for resignation of title which have been prepared during
the recess ; the Attorney-General's plan for the establish-
ment of a seperate department of justice; the complicated
condition of join!-stock company law; the confusion of
our statutes; and the herding together of the poors
classes in unwholesome dwellings.