The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-12 00:00:00

THE LORDS OF THE TREASURY.

The appointment of the Marquis of Lansdowne to
the post of Extra Lord of the Treasury is likely to
be again brought before the House of Commons.
It is felt by many Liberals that it is manifestly
unfair that a young lord should be a member of the
Government simply because he is wealthy, and an
opinion prevails that in time this system would ex-
clude all middle-class men from promotion.
During the last few clays a good deal of grumbling
has been expressed, and the Scotsman states that it
is proposed to frame a resolution which, while
admitting that the Government have not transgressed
any rule, shall establish one for the future that such
appointments shall not be made. In the event of
this motion being carried, it will be interesting
to notice whether the noble lord will resign his office
or receive the usual salary of a thousand a year.
THE CATTLE DISEASES DILL.

Including the four Tellers and Speaker, there were
455 members in the House of Commons when the
division was taken on Wednesday afternoon on Lord
Robert Montagu's Cattle Bill. With the minority
(197) in favuur of the bill sixteen Liberals voted,
the majority of whom are county members.
Their names are—Mr. Blake (Waterford), Mr.
Brand (Ilerts), Mr. Callan (Dundalk), lion. H. F.
Cowper (Herta), Mr. Dodson (East Sussex), Mr.
Fordyce (East Aberdeenshire), Col. Greville Nugent
(Longford),Sir John Gray (Kilkenny), Mr. M'Combie
(West Aberdeenshire), Mr. Maguire (Cork), Mr.
Nicol (Kincardineshire), Sir Patrick O'Brien
King's County),Maj or O'Reilly (Longford), Mr. Pim
il
Dublin), Mr. Stacpoole (Ennis), and Col. Sykes
Aberdeen). On the other hand, the following six
onservatives voted with the Government, only one
of whom is a county member :—Major Dickson
(Dover), Colonel Grant (Elgin), Mr. Graves (Liver-
pool), Mr. Russell Gurney (Southampton), Mr.
Mellor (Ashton-under-Lyne), and Mr. Sidebottom
(Staleybridge). Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Corry, Mr.
CI athorne Hardy, Mr. Hunt, Sir Stafford
Northcote, and Sir John Pakington were among
the most prominent Conservatives who went
into the lobby with the minority. The tellers for
the Ayes were Lord Robert Montagu and Mr.
Selwyn-Ibbetson, ;rid for the Noes. Mr. Headlam and
Mr. Norwood.

LORD STANLEY ON PERSONAL REPRESENTATION.
Lord Stanley, the Conservative son of the most
Tory of peers, on Wednesday last presided over a
meeting called by the Juridical Society to discuss
the theory of representation. If the truth could be
told, Lord Stanley would probably be classed, if not
amongst Mr. Hare's supporters, amongst the most
advanced reformers of our electoral system. His
speech clearly shewed that he was by no
means satisfied with the present electoral system.
Mr. Droop proposed single voting as a cure for the
present inequalities. He would divide the country
into districts, give each district five members, and
each elector one vote. Mr. Hare's plan was pretty
generally objected to on the ground that it was too
elaborate;
wouldorate givethe;and
roomad‘ forisability of all such arrange-
ments was called in question on the ground that
they
wire pulling. Lord
Stanley, however, did not go so far. Ile spoke,
for obvious reasons, under reserve, and tried to shew
that the present sys4.-em was not so bad as it seemed.
He pointed out that if in one place a party could not
get represented, it could be through another ; and as
for great thinkers not being returned, he objected
that great thinkers were not, as a rule, those with
whom the body of electors sympathised, and there-
fore they were not representatives. There was no
agreement, either, amongst those who advocate
change. Still, said his lordship, there are anomalies
in our present system, abuses which the single voting
plan would remedy, though that way of representing
the minority had many disadvantages. His lordship,
in concluding, pointed out that the minority plan
had not yet really been adopted by the country.
ELECTION PETITIONS.
-

second T The
B 1 Irratrour2c. (lif election,uD i
soinme%olfewtheof itemsthe
of the accounts raished by jr. Ripley,
Telegraph,publishes
who was
unseated by Mr. Baron Martin. They are certainly
most extraordinary,spent £7,000, but Mr. Ripley admits that he
repudiates. some £l,OOO more.
Perhaps the
accounts repudiated are the most
i e
interesting, b
being a set of beer, cheese,
to-
bacco—tobacco,
cheese, and beer, rung in all the
changes of which the words are capable. From the
admitted expenses, however, it appears that over a
hundred public-houses were hired for committee-
rooms ; in these refreshments
supplied on a
liberal
seem to have been
with beer, was mostgenerll scale ; bread and cheese,
while the gentlern a y supplied to the poorer men,
ell were treated to dinners,.
with. sherry, claret, and tea afterwards. Mr.
Ripley will not probablyc
give his financial agent
a carte blanche when next he. puts up for Parliament ;
or, if he does so, lie. will be wise to see that
the money is not used in expensive wines, beer, and
tobacco. They do not merely cost money, but when
given, as at Bradford, ad. lib., they are likely to be
thrown away altogether.
It is a very good thing for the member
ITfor Weat-
mirnter that he has plenty of money.' Mr. Smith
were not a very rich man he would not be able to
stand all the calls which have been
If
_ made upon him
on account of his election. he had gone • around
and paid his voters a pound a head' and has paid no
more, he would not have expended so much as
he admitted in his returns that he had spent.
And, indirectly, he has undoubtedly had to pay
a great deal more, the rumour being that double the
amount returned does not cover his actual expendi-
ture. Besides expending this littlefortune, he is
now called upon to pay for defend ing the seat he
has gained. Mr. Baron Martin has just intimated
to each side that he will make no
order as to costs,
So Mr. Smith will have to
Pay
his own—no
small sum, we may be sure. Probably the
new M.P. is satisfied• lie had to defeat intel-
lect ; he did so with money, That he has been
able to do so may be aeat
consolation . to
those who have been afraid that Poor men would be
Flo to get into Parliament ;
but to the majority of
people it will be no very pleasantnews that ideas
are not more powerful in gover •
lung than of yore.
------ _