The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-04 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF COMMONS—YESTERDAY.
The SPEAKER took the chair at 12 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were considered and ordered to be
read a third time : Bishop's Castle Railway (Chirbury to
Minsterley), Peterborough, Wisbeach, and Sutton Railway,
Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway, and Sevenoake, Maid-
stone, and Tunbridge Railway.
BOROUGH FRANCHISE EXTENSION BILL.

A number of petitions having been presented in favour
of this bill,
Mr. BAINES rose to move the second reading of his
bill, the object of which was to reduce the borough quali-
fication of voters to £6. He said he felt he should not be
asking the house in vain for its indulgence, whilst he
urged it to redress an acknowledged wrong pressing
on the great majority of the people; an acknowledged
wrong because the defective state of the representation had
been acknowledged by the highest authority. Five times
they had been reminded from the throne that such was the
condition of the representation ; four Prime Ministers of
the Crown had brought in bills, but without success, and
the house had passed the second reading of a measure
without a division, and yet that objectionable state of things
still remained. He had not been anxious to bring
forward the measure, because he felt there were others
more capable than himself, and he should have been
glad had the Government taken up the subject. He should
have been exceedingly gratified had the right hon. gentle-
man, whose sentiments in that bouse had done him so much
honour, and which had called forth the gratitude of the
people, had been induced to deal with the matter ; but such
not being the case, he had felt it incumbent upon himself
to attempt to remedy the anomaly. It had been stated as
an objection against the measure that the last session of a
Parliament, which had but twelve months to run before it
died a natural death, was not the time to proceed with such
a bill ; but ho felt that of all times it was the most oppor-
tune, because it would enable its being carried into effect by
the new voters created by it. His bill had been copied from
that brought forward by Lord John Russell, but it related
only to the borough franchise. Although a bill had been
brought forward by the hon. member for East Surrey to
extend the county franchise by lowering the qualification
to £lO, it was not such as to meet tie great want, viz., an
extension of the borough franchise, so as to admit the great
body of the working class to the exercise of that right to
which they were entitled. The noble lord below him
(Lord Elcho) had given notice of his intention to move the
previous question, as he strongly objected to any lowering
of the existing qualification. He was glad it was so, be-
cause there would be a full discussion of the whole
matter, and thus the great want would receive the
attention which its merits really demanded. He
thought it would be unwise to postpone passing a
bill such as that now before them, because if they did so
he was well assured that in a short time such a moderate
demand would not satisfy the immense body now excluded
from the representation, and a strong, and perhaps irre-
sistible, demand would be made upon them for manhood
or universal suffrage. Hisbill only extended to England and
Wales, and his observations, therefore, only applied to that
part of the kingdom. The upper classes, he contended,
were well represented in that house, but the working class,
as a class, were nearly entirely unrepresented. Some hon.
membersmight represent a few, but they were so scattered
that he contended he was right in his observations. It was
expected that the working class would be loyal, obedient,
well affected, and obeyers of the law, but had they any
hand in making those laws they were expected to obey ?
Certainly not. Again, it was urged as an objection against
the measure that a lowering of the elective franchise
would lower the status of the Legislature, but he re-
garded such an objection as a complete fallacy, and one for
which there was not the slightest ground. The foremost
men in the country would always deem it an honour to
have a seat in that house—(hear, hear)—and those, he felt
assured, would be the persons from whom its members
would be selected. Suppose there should happen to be an
election of a working man, he thought the addition of
several intelligent and virtuous working men to seats in
that house would be of the greatest advantage. They would
bo enabled to give very valuable information—valuable
to the body to which they belonged, and of which many of
the members now knew nothing, and more than likely
those working men might learn something beneficial to
themselves and to the class to which they belonged. He
looked upon it as a vain fancy if for one moment it was
imagined that an adventurer would be elected to a seat in
that house ; on the contrary, he contended that wherever
there was a large constituency there invariably the
most celebrated men that had over adorned the
Legislature had been selected. The hon. gentleman then
quoted a variety of statistics to show the great progress
the country had made the last few years, and concluded by
saying that the bill he had the honour to propose would
give an additional 241,000 voters, excluding the Metro-
politan boroughs, or about 32 per cent. to the existing
number ; and he felt that the concession would not cost
the exchequer a single farthing, bat would increase and
strengthen one of the most valuable institutions of the
constitution.

Mr. BAZLEY seconded the motion.
Lord ELCHO moved the previous question. He con-
tended that the apathy which was exhibited in the coun-
try when the subject was last under discussion still
existed, in proof of which he asked the hon. member who
had moved the second reading of the bill whether he saw
a single working man standing at the door as he entered
the house. The apathy he alluded to existed both in
and out of the house, and therefore he hoped the Govern-
ment would not take the matter under their care at
the present moment. It was said that the working class
was not represented in that house, but that he denied, be-
cause he was of opinion that they were represented, and
that in no insignificant way. When a member was elected
to a seat in that house, he did not consider that he repre-
sented any particular class, but the whole of the
persons comprised in that constituency. (Hear, hear.),
With respect to the working man beinganxious
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of the elective franchise would he not make the effort ?
Yet although most of them could do it if they pleased,
they preferred, in many instances, remainingit.H
juste outside
the qualification rather than coming within greatly
objected to the bill brought forward by the hon. member,
which, although it gave a vote to the owner of a .£6 house,
refused it to the clerk or other person who paid double and
treble that amount merely because he was a lodger. (Hear.)
He objected to the lowering of the qualification, because it
would lead to universal suffrage, to which he had the most
insurmountable objection. The ground upon which the
hon. member brought forward the bill would not hold
water, and therefore he moved, in effect, its rejection.
Mr. A. BLACK seconded the amendment, on the ground
that the bill would have the effect of discouraging provi-
dence amongst the working classes.
Mr. LEATHAM said he had no doubt that the Govern-
ment ought to have carried this measure, but because Go-
vernment had failed in its duty that was no reason why
members who had pledged themselves to refcrm should
violate their promises.
Mr. LOWE said that this matter should be considered

quite irrespective of private rights, because i
up f they admit-
ted the principle, it would inevitably lead to universal
suffrage. It was not right to elevate the working classes
to debase the means by which they were to be raised.
Australia the franchise had been made so easy that the
people would not pick it out of a gutter. In Victoria there
was a double qualification—that of property and that of
representation. Some discovered that ls. should be paid
for registration, and that circumstance disfranchised half
the population. He believed there were very few of the
working classes who could not obtain the franchise if they
wished it, and he therefore thought the bill unnecessary,
especially as it would satisfy nobody.
[The LORD ADVOCATE then rose to address the house,
but was met with loud cries of " Osborn, Osborn." T'ho
right hon. gentleman maintained his position at the table
for some time, but at length resumed his seat, andl
Mr. B. OSBORN rose and said ho thought Caat, after
the time that had been occupied in the debate, some mem-
ber of the Government would have risen to reply to the
right hon. gentleman (Mr. Lowe). He should like to
know whether they could wonder at the apathy without
when they saw the way in which the matter was
treated in that house. (Hear, hear.) There was ono thing,
however, that could not have escaped observation, and that
was the civil war that had broken out on that side of the
house—(hear, and laughter)--and which had been artfully
promoted by the silence of hon. gentlemen opposite. (Hear,
hear, and laughter.) The measure brought forward by
the hon. member for Leeds had been called revolutionary,
but he believed his hon. friend to be the most innocent
revolutionist ever heard of. He should like to know upon
what ground the present Government entered office
Why, an amendment of the representation. (Hear, heP.r.)
He could not understand how a measure could be called
revolutionary which had been four times alluded to in the
speech from the throne. (Hear, hear.) What haai become
of the great compact which was entered into at the danc-
ing academy. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) What had
become of the great compact which had elicited such
extraordinaay cheering at Willis's Rooms. Ho should very
much like to know. Why, there was the Lord Chancellor,
who, when 'he was in this house, made the strongest
speech he ever heaid in favour of reform 'and the
ballot, but, since he had been upon the woolsack,
he had not made the slightest allusion to the subject, whilo,
the great Reform Minister, who was now in the °that'
house, he too had quietly let the subject down. (Hear,
hesegreat
his hon.
yheenarti.revolutionaryjeetp f
LtedWathseitsub
friend the member for Leeds moved in the matter he was
n 0 whenye t immediatelyt
called revolutionary. The Liberals had pursued a dog-in-
a-manger policy—they would not bring in a measure of
reform themselves, nor permit hon. gentlemen on the other
side. (Hear, hear.) As there was no other course open,
he should adopt the present measure, however frag-
mentary, and give his vote in favour of the second reading.
Mr. GREGORY moved the adjournment of the debate,
Mr. AYRTON said it was most desirable that time
should be allowed the members of the Government to ex-
press their opinions on this question—(laughter)—and for
these reasons he thoughtthe debate ought to be adjourned.
Sir G. GREY said a member of the Government had
risen to address the house, but there being a disinclina-
tion to hear him, ho advised his hon. friend (the Lord
Advocate) not to throw away his speech. As there were
several hon. members who, he believed, wished to address
the house, he would offer no objection to the adjournment.
Mr. BAINES asked if the Government would give a
night upon which the debate might be resumed ?
Sir G. GREY said, in the absence of his noble friend
at the head of the Government, he could give no promise
as to any particular day.

Mr. DlSRAELlthought the house had a right to require
from the Government a day for the resumption of this im-
portant debate. He thought there ought to be a distinct
promise given on the part of the Government on this great
and important question. He thought it most disreputable
that the debate should close without a clear expression of
opinion on the part of her Majesty's Government. (Hear.)
The motion for the adjournment of the debate was then
agreed to.

[A noisy discussion then ensued as to whether the debate
should be adjourned until either Monday or Friday. The
discussion was carried on until a quarter to six, when the
debate went over, in accordance with the standing order
of the house.l

The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and
the house adjourned.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

NEWMARKET RACES—Tins DAY.
(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
PLATE OF 100 SOVS.

Lytham
Warrior

1

Six ran.

LATEST BETTING.
1,000 GUINEAS.
2to 1 agst Gardovisure (taken)
sto 2 agst Siberia (taken)

10 to 1 agst La Fortune (taken)
10 to 1 agst White Duck (taken)

LADVEnTISEMENT.]

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