The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-18 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, MARCH 18, 1867.

.:.ttt '2547, s

LONDON, MONDAY, MARCH 18, 1867.

To-night the long-looked-for Reform Bill will be
actually introduced, and after so many changes, dis-
appointments, and vacillations on either side, the
House of Commons will at last have a definite and
practical measure before it. it is true that there is
no great mystery about the intentions of the Go-
vernment, but rumour has this time something sub-
stantial to work upon ; aud, thanks to 'he communi-
c ttion made by Lord DERBY to his supporters last
week, we are pretty well acquainted with the main
features of the scheme. Of course there may be
changes in the bill, as well as tnodificatiuns and ad-
ditions should it pass through committee ; but it is
founded, we believe, upon household suffrage for
boroughs, on certain conditions of residence and
ratepaying, and a rating suffrage for counties. To
these are added certain fancy franchises, as Mr.
BRIGHT disdainfully terms them, but which never-
theless may serve a useful purpose by admitting
thousands of competent persons who are now ex-
cluded from the franchise. We hear nothing about
a lodger franchise, which is not a little singular,
seeing that Lord DERBY'S Government was the
fiat to propose it in 1659 ; but possibly it is omitted

under the impression that the educational and sav-
ings-bank qualifications will supply the wants of
lodgers. Should the House be willing to add the
lodger franchise it will be easy to do so,
and the movement could hardly encounter much op-
position. The great advantage of all these extra
qualifications will be that they will enfranchise
great numbers of persons not all belonging to one
rank or position in life, who have now little chance
of obtaining a vote. When we talk about enfran-
chising the labouring classes we forget that there
are many professional men, clerks, shopmen, and
others, who are fully qualified to form an opiuiou
on political matters, and who, moreover, are called
upon to pay their share of the public expenses, more
particularly of direct taxation in war time. If
these persons are fairly enfranchised there will be
no need for apprehending, as some persons have
done, that a large addition to the constituencies
will introduce a reckless element into our foreign
policy, since those who have the majority of votes
will not be called upon to bear the brunt of war.
In the first place, such a supposition is unfounded,
because whether or no they pay actual money in the
shape of taxes the industrial classes are sure to
suffer from war, and the immense consequent in-
crease of domestic expenses. Besides Englishmen are
not, generally speaking, made of such inflammable
materials that they should be carried away without
any regard to consequences ; and however vehement
a few partisans or enthusiasts may be, the main
body is generally slow and steady in its convic-
tions. A fair representation of all classes is what
we want in compliance with the reasonable wishes
of the people, and in deference to the recognised
principles of the Constitution, not as in former
times because the abuses of our representative
system are intolerable, or that any great or wonder-
working change is likely to be effected in our policy
by the extension of the constituencies. The prin-
cipal abuse from which we now suffer is the Bribery
and Corruption at elections, and this no Govern-
ment or party has as yet the courage to deal with
manfully. Public opinion itself has not fully come
round to the Ballot, though the recent disclosures
have materially assisted the cause. There is on all
sides, however, a growing conviction that the pre-
vailing bribery and corruption are a disgrace to our
country, and when once it is admitted that reform
is indispensable there is reason to hope that griev-
ances may be redressed and remedies devised.
What sort of a reception the Government schema
will meet with is a matter for time to reveal. As
usual there have been severe censures and cynical
criticisms passed upon it by anticipation. However
unanimous the general prof essions in favour of Reform
very few really and heartily support a Reform Bill
when it comes to the point. Every one has his
own crotchets, every one his own fears and preju-
dices ; and with some there is a secret dislike to all
Reform which they are ashamed to acknowledge,
but which colours all their actions. We go on
gradually advancing in our expectations and re-
quirements, and our wants grow with our oppor-
tunities. A few years back any one who prophe-
sied that the Conservatives would accept household
suffrage would have been ridiculed for the prophecy.
Now they are actually proposing it, and yet some
Liberals are not satisfied. Every one knows that a
bill of this kind will have much more chance of
passing through Parliament with ease and rapidity
if it have Lord DE tray's aid in the Upper House ;
and therefore, though the Whigs may naturally be
unwilling to lose the opportunity for legislating on
a matter which they have been accustomed to con-
sider particularly their own, genuine Reformers
will be very unwise if they throw away the oppor-
tunity. Mr. BRIGHT has repeatedly declared him-
self in favour of household suffrage. It has but
recently received the deliberate approval of our
veteran Reformer, Lord BROUGHAM. It commends
itself to the support of Conservatives, as being based
upon a definite and permanent principle, it ad-
dresses itself to the Liberals as being the most
advanced measure of enfranchisement as yet re-
commended. It is far more in harmony with the
constitution than questions of figures or differences
of rental and rating, while there can be no doubt
that the classes whom it will enfranchise are for the
most part persons who are deeply interested in the
welfare of the country, in the prosperity of trade
and commerce, the stability of Government, the
maintenance of the national credit, and every other
question which revolution and disturbances affect.
If we get a household suffrage carried in boroughs
we shall have gained a most important point, and
we can hardly believe that the Liberal party in the
Commons will oppose a measure of so comprehen-
sive a character.

As for the determined opposition of Mr. POTTER
and his associates to everything that is proposed,
we fear it must be set down to the dread of
OTHELLo's occupation being gone, and there being
no further excuse for calling meetings, organising
processions, haying banners, and making speeches.
One thing is very certain. No Liberal who was
willing to accept a £7 franchise can reasonably or
consistently oppose household suffrage, and as the
next step beyond it would be manhood suffrage,
pur a simple, such as has resulted in the political
convulsions of America and the periodical dead-
locks of Australia, we can hardly suppose that
English Radicals will wish to extend it. Of course
Lord DERBv's Bill, when we get it, may be capable
of many improvements ; but Flo far as we at present
understand it, it is the most Liberal measure which
has for many years been placed in a definite shape
before the house of Commons and the country.

St. Patrick's Day haa passed over quietly enough,
notwithstanding some troubled anticipations. Tele-
grams from Dublin tell us that a quieter anniver-
sary was not remembered in that city ; while, up
to midnight, no intelligence of further disturbances
had been received from the country. From Cork
we learn that arrests still continue, but that the
insurgents are broken up in all directions. Satur-
day night and Sunday passed over quietly enough,
though ample preparations had been made by the
police in case of any emergency. Altogether, mat-
ters seem progressing favourably in Ireland. The
manoeuvres of the ringleaders are defeated by the
early information of the Government, and their
followers are getting disheartened by the
fruitlessness and danger of the attempts. We may
hope that this very unpleasant weather may at least
servo a useful purpose by cooling the courage of
those worthies whom an American General disre-
spectfully termed " Finnigans."
Meanwhile, ST. PATRICK'S Day was not without
its appropriate and fitting celebration, though it
was not the occasion of riot and disturbance. The
Benevolent Society of St. Patrick, established in
1784, for the education of poor children of Irish
parents, celebrated their anniversary festival
on Saturday night at Willis's Rooms.l
The Duke of CAMBRIDGE kindly took the chair
in: the unavoidable absence of the Prince,
and proved a very able and efficient advocate of
the claims of the charity. Ills Royal Highness, in
remarking on the satisfaction which it gave him to
see so many gentlemen of different opinions banded
together in the good cause, said that owing to the
difficulty of imparting religious instruction in a❑
institution combining childun of different persua-
sions, it bad been decided to devote a particular day

for the religious instruction of the children, ac-
cording to the wishes of their several parents. This
plan, as the royal duke remarked, ought to com-
mend the institution to the support of all denomina-
tions.

In speaking of the present condition of Ireland
the noble President said that it was a matter of
astonishment to him that a country having such
material natural advantages, and with a population
having such lightness of heart and vivacity of spirit
should not prosper. He was, he said, present when
her MAJESTY visited the Irish people, and was much
gratified at the warmth of the loyalty displayed.
He was one of those who thought the recurrence of
such an event would be most beneficial, and he
hoped the day was not far distant when the Prince
of WALES, or some other member of the loyal
family, would pay a lengthened visit. The evening's
entertainment was a decided success, and has, we
hoped, produced a satisfactory effect o❑ the coffers
of the charity.

Public attention will most likely be drawn to the
debate in the Legislative Body in Paris, on the
interpellation of M. TRIERS upon the foreign policy
of the Government. M. ROUHER'S speech was the
grand one of the occasion, and it is well worth while
to analyse it, for it bears reference to many things
that have taken place of late, and more or less in-
fluenced the affairs of nations, and asserted the
balance of power in Europe. After he had criticised
the course pursued by the Government during the
late war, he said that France need not fear the unity
of Italy, and had no reason to regret the changes
that had taken place in the Italian Peninsula. The
affairs of Germany naturally engaged his chief
notice, and to some of his observations thereupon
we would divert especial attention. Foremost in
significance was his remark that the " conflict in
Denmark was only a pretext for the events which
subsequently occurred." Can anything be truer
than this, or more borne out by facts ? Too surely
and certainly have all these prophecies been fulfilled,
and those politicians verified which pointed out the
meaning of the Prussian tactics. It was all cun-
ningly devised, and ingeniously executed, but the
result has been that Prussia has triumphed
at the expense of right and justice, and
that the civilised countries of Europe have
been scandalised at the spectacle of appropria-
tion, and the exhibition of tyranny which they
have witnessed. In presence of the partial reali-
sation of the unity of Germany, what is our
duty, exclaims M. ROMER, and thus emphati-
cally answers the important query, " We must be
firm and precise; there must be no compromise,
and no hesitation." Further on be becomes still
more explicit and determined, for he declares that
" if it be that France has lost a single centimetre of
her height, they must draw the sword." Although
many might not be found to speak out so strongly
as this Deputy, still no doubt he echoed the sen-
timents of many when he said he preferred the
" solemn storm of war to a morbid disquietude,
in which their strength and prosperity would
gradually be extinguished." Wo do not think
that, with LOUIS NAPOLEON at the head of affairs,
the French are in any danger of being pushed
aside from their legitimate position ; but it is,
notwithstanding, just as well to have some spirited
denunciation like this now and then, to show
intending and presumptuous powers that there are
some on the watch, and some minds prescient
enough to discover the signs of danger that are
in the distance.

M. ROUHER'S review of foreign affairs is replete
with interest, and we do not wonder that he was
received with applause. He 'ail groat stress upon
the importance of considering things in their true
light, and under their real aspect, and indignantly
denied the assertion that France had no allies.
The day," said he, " that Prussia threatens the
equilibrium of Europe, France and England will
make her comprehend that the age of ambitious
follies is past." This is not a very pleasant com-
munication for the Berlin authorities to hear ; and
the fact of its being put into circulation of itself
makes it of more consequence, because had the
powers that be deemed it undesirable they would
not have allowed it to be published. He looks to
France, indeed, as the chief obstacle against the
encroachments of Prussia ; and before long
no doubt the world will see the true
feeling of our neighbours in this matter.
No one who has paid much serious atten-
tion to the opinions of the French, as expressed in
their speeches and writings, but will believe that
the day must come when some indication will be
given to them of a more direct form. Those who
think that at present all danger of further designs
on the part of Prussia is over are very much mis-
taken, and indeed it is not in any degree probable
that that rapacious and unscrupulous Power will
cease from her work until she has gone much fur-
ther. Did not many declare that when peace was
signed with Denmark, the war was over. And what
followed? A far more considerable war broke out,
fraught with more serious consequences, and tend-
ing to more important results. So it may be again.
the affair was to abrupt in its termination last
summer to be anything but partial, and we may
depend upon it that a more complete and general
day of reckoning has yet to come. The French
have all along taken a more correct view of Prussian
policy than we in this country have done, and they
will most probably be themselves the chief actors in
the next part of the drama. Much as war is to be
deprecated, in this instance all regret must give
place to the reflection that the peace and prosperity
of Europe are seriously affected by the course pur-
sued by Prussia, who, the more she gets the more
she wants, and thus no concession serves as an
ultimatum. M. JULES FAVRE spoke next, and went
so far as to say that France could have prevented
the doings of Austria and Prussia in the Danish
war had she been so minded ; but this is open to
doubt, and it would be more correct to give Eng-
land a great share of the blame of that transac-
tion. Had the proposition made by the French
EMPEROR to Lord RUSSELL been acceded to, in all
probability the Danes would not have been dis-
possessed of their rights, and, yet further, the battle
of Sadowa would not have been fought. The de-
bate is adjourned, so that Prussia may yet hear
some more home-truths before the subject drops
for the present.
The North German Parliament still proceeds
very diligently with its labours ; and Herr BER-
LOWITZ, who was once a Saxon Minister, intro-
duced some amendments into the draught of the
Constitution, which were not of much consequence,
and relate chiefly to suggestions about the eschew-
ing of the interference of foreign Powers in the
affairs of Germany. The members of the Left are
very assiduous in their exertions, and have resolved
to propose that a committee shall sit to consider the
third article, in order that constitutional guarantees
shall figure in the " draught," so as to make the
rights of the North German people similar to those
of offer communities. One thing to which general
attention will most likely be given is the plan for
the formation of a German fleet which is now being
prepared by the Berlin Government. A more absurd
idea could not possibly be entertained, for the
Prussians are not a maritime people ; and they had
better rest content with what they are, and not seek

to distinguish themselves in spheres for which
they are not fitted. The task of completing the
draught of the Constitution will not be a
very speedy one, for as many as twelve more
amendments have been resolved upon by the
National Liberal fraction of the North German
Parliament. One suggests that the Deputies should
be remunerated, which would never answer, and
must certainly prove deleterious in the long run to
all concerned.

A spectacle of far grez ter unanimity is presented
by the Hungarians, whose work of reconstruction
is proceeding in the most prosperous manner,
and gives a fair promise of eventually rea-
lising the most favourable expectations. An
arrangement has been made between the
Austrian and the Hungarian Ministers of Finance,
which defines their different spheres of action, and
it is satisfactory to know that a complete under-
standing upon all points exists between them. The
subordinate financial authorities in Hungary have
been informed by the Austrian Minister of Finance
that in future they will be subject to the Hungarian
Minister of Finance, and this circumstance of itself
seems to indicate the approach of a better state of
things, and to herald the dawn of a national era
for Hungary, which has been too long in the hands
of foreigners.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

AMERICA.

NEW YORK, March 15, 5 p.m.

Several detachments of British troops have been
sent to the Canadian frontier, a Fenian raid having
been apprehended.
Closing prices. —Gold, 134. Sterling exchange
on London, 109. Five-twenty United States Bonds,
109} ; Illinois, 115 f ; Erie, 60.

March 16, Noon.

The Virginian Senate has offered to co-operate
with General Schofield, who commands the Vir-
ginia district, under the bill for the military go-
yernment of the South.

The Senate of Louisiana have made an appro-
priation to test the constitutionality of the military
bill.

Opening prices.—Gold, 1341. Sterling exchange
on London, 109. Five-twenty United States Bonds,
109+ ; Illinois, 115+ ; Erie, 59.
March 16, 5 p.m.

The Senate has appointed a committee to exa-
mine into the affairs of the Treasury Printing
Bureau.

The North German Lloyd's steamer Union and
the Hamburg and American Company's steamer
Hammonia arrived out yesterday.
Closing prices.—Gold, 134 k. Sterling exchange
on London, 109. Five-twenty United States Bonds,
1091; 1151 ; Erie, 59. Cotton—Middlirq
upland, 32.

BUENOS AYRES, FEB. 14.

Exchange on London, 50} to 50i ; wet salted
hides, 32} for 60 ; dry hides, 41 for 23 ; wool, 47
to 90 ; tallow, 14 ; lumber, 35 to 41.

SERVIA.

BELGRADE, March 17 (Evening).

Yesterday evening a Turkish courier arrived here
with despatches relative to the evacuation of the
Servian fortresses by the Turkish tatops.

AUSTRIA.

VIENNA, March 18.

Herren Hopat and Hasner are said to have been
appointed President and Vice-President of the
Lower House of the Reichsrath.

Admiral Tegethoff has been recalled from the
mission assigned to him of inspecting the United
States Navy, and will be appointed to a command
in the Austrian Marine.