The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-02 00:00:00

number.

Then follow instructions of all kinds to the com-
mittee. Mr. BENTINCK'S electoral virtue has
suffered so much from the sight of liberal corrup-

tion, that he cannot let the house go into committee
till it has pledged the committee to deodorize the
offensive constituencies. Mr. HUNT desires to
bind the committee to provide increased facili-
ties for polling at elections; Mr. KNIGHTLEY
that the committee should try the polling-
paper system. Mr. DUNCOMBE that voters
should be registered more frequently, and with
greater facility. Mr. ANDREW STEUART offers a

sort of resolution that the house will view with

favour " proposals to include classes representing
property and intelligence, in addition to such as
may be laid before it in the present bill."

The counties could not, of course, be overlooked
In addition to the motion displaying his zed
against bribery and corruption, Mr. BENTINCK
would instruct the committee to make provision
"for giving to the counties of England that share
in the representation to which they may be shown
to be entitled by population and property ;" he
would even instruct the Committee to proceed no
further with the bill till this is done. And Mr.
ROLT has a long and complicated resolution, of
which the drift is to keep the seats which are lost
to any petty borough by partial disfranchisement,
within the county in which such disfranchisement
arises. He merely proposes some decent regard to
the number of electors in the county, or in the
boroughs comprised in it. An instruction to the com-
mittee, on the solemn matter of swearing, concludes
the list on the paper. Mr. ENNIS would instruct the
committee that expediency requires that one uni-
form oath should be taken by all the members, and
that it should be an oath of " allegiance and fidelity
to the succession only."
Such is the greeting prepared for Lord JOHN
RUSSELL when he moves that his Reform Bill be
committed. A long list of amendments to be moved
in committee, await the bill there. Simple, as it is,
each important clause will doubtless be the
subject of a thoroughly Fabian debate. Mr. Dis-
RAELI evidently spoke without authority from those
who sit behind him when he intimated his own
preference for making no determined opposition to
the bill, but throwing all the responsibility of con-
sequences on its authors. Mr. BENTINCK has
already protested against submission to the dicta
of the front benches of his party, and their leader
seems to feel that he cannot afford to lead it by
his own judgment alone. The Quarterly Review
and Mr. BENTINCK would like, plainly enough,
to depose him ; "So much the worse for them,"
if they could but do it ! In this case, his in-
stinct was, we cannot doubt, the safer one for
the Tory party. He knows, and sees, better than
they do, that they are playing a hazardous game ;
it is no better than political gambling to " try it
on," how far the non-electors will put up with Tory
delays and obstructions. It is just possible that
Reform may be staved off for years ; more probable
that The " ugly rush" of Mr. HENLEY will come all
the sooner fer the unreasonable resistance. If
Conservatism will not accept such a moderate bill
as this, the people may soon show no moderation
towards Conservatism. Toryism has made a move
in the Lords, the possible results of which may
well fill it with apprehension. If, instead of being
alarmed at its success in its own house, it be em-
boldened to interfere not only with the long sup-
posed rights, but with the reform, of the other
House, it may well be that the next Reform Bill
will present an irresistible demand for the Ballot
itself.

THE MILITARY RIOT AT .HAMIL7O,V.