The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-04 00:00:00

PABLIAMINTART REFORM.

MEETING AT NORWICH.
A great meeting in favour of parliamentary re-
form was held in St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich, on
Titeeday evening. The spacious hall was we'll filled,
and the platform was crowded. Mr. Osborn
WSpringfield, of the firm of Springfield, Son, and
itari'row was called to the chair.
The CHAIRMAN said the object of the meeting
as to show Lord Palmerston and tl:e government
abet the people were wide awake to the importa,uce
of parliamentary reform, and that they were pre-
pared to support an honest and proper measure of
reform if it was brought forward. Their object
was also to show Lord Palmerston and the
men that no sham would pass current—(hear,
govern-
hear)—and that the people expecte,d, alF=lo lwraseforcmx.,-
not a mere "delusion and anare•ttendance in the
tremely glad to see such a
body of the meeting, and rohrgebserve on the plat-
form that moral weight whuicatli°sotraitiliorn—aandgalTheeitfirg
walhwiaihis ii(era'l3-eeliteove6d7iwt oauldh edlop
fortci sthhoewptehoaptlenoo-f
no-
thing but real reform would
this country. (Cheers.)
e J. H. TILLETT
moved the first resolution :
M
That this meeting declares its satisfaction at the
promise given by Lord Palmerston that the govern-
ment will this session propose an adequate measure
of parliamentary reform, and expresses its earliest
hope that the government, in determining on the
provisions of the promised measure, will be duly
mindful of the rights of the numerous class who are
yet un-enfranchised ; and, therefore, that it will
include a real and substantial extension of the
franChise, that electors will have the much-needed
protection of the ballot, and that
inominationstricts and
boroughs will give place to important districts
towns at present unrepresented in
Mr. Tillett observed that he remembered_P
isaliament."
when in
the days of his childhood some of playmates_
they
had some sweet things to give away would say
to him, Open your mouth and shut your
eyes, and see what I will send you." Anxious to
have the sweet things, he opened his mouth and-
shat his eyes, and a bard crust would be put in, or
something not even so agreeable as that. So, when
again they repeated the formula to him, he said,
" No, I will open my mouth with pleasure, but I
will keep my eyes open at the same time."
(Laughter.) This was precisely what Lord Palmer-
ston was doing to John Bull. He said, "John,
open your mouth and shut your eyes, and see what
I will send you." (Laughter.) John should reply,
"No, thank you my lord; I'll open my mouth wide
enough, but I'll keep my eyes open too." If Lord
Palmerston had some sweet thing to give the people
—something really acceptable—let them keep their
eyes open, and they would theu be able to appre-
ciate his goodness. (Laughter.) With this simple
illustration to explain his meaning, he thought it
was very proper that the people should show the
Government that they were wide awake ; that they
were quite willing to accept any good thing that
might be proposed, but that they did not mean to
be imposed upon, for they were not children to be
sported and trifled with. He knew that he was
looked upon as an extreme man. Well, in point
of principle he was an extreme mai, but in point of
action he was opposed to any revolutionary or
violent measures. (Rear, hear.) When he said
he was an extreme man iu point of principle, he
meant to say that every honest, intelligent and in-
dustrious man should be a freeman, and have all the
rights which appertain to freemen ; and he should
never be content till this principle was embodied in
the legislation of, the country. He considered,
moreover, that every vote given to a man ought to
have such accompaniments as would make it really a
Tots ; and that, therefore, every elector should be
protected by the ballot. he believed also that every
elector in Norfolk, Norwich, or elsewhere should
have as nearly as possible an equal power in his vote
with other electors in other parts of the kingdom.
An elector of Thetford had now 39 times the power
in regard to the creation of a member of Parlia-
ment as an elector of West Norfolk, 26 times the
power of an elector of Norwich, and 117 times the
power of an elector of the great borough of the
Tower Hamlet. This was a monstrous anomaly;
and he, therefore, advocated the 'rarest possible
approximation to an equal division of electoral
power. These might be extreme opinions, but he
was content to take what he could get as an instal- ,
meat of them ; and he thought this should b 3 the "
course of all true reformers. Everything in nature
was gradual ; and he believed by a gradual exten-
sion of popular rights, by the power of the people
becoming day by day stronger and stronger, that
the institutions of the country would ultimately
become democratic, and that the people would rise
to the glorious realisation of the ideal of all govern-
caents---the government of all by all, and for the
good of all. (Sear.) Then all questions of class
legislation would be utterly lost sight of ; every
man would stand as a man, with the rights of man
given him by the constitution of the land, and all
the interests of the nation would be promoted by
the laws resulting from the action of the legislature,
The important question of legislating for India
would come before the next session of Parliament ;
the legislature would be called upon to prescribe
fur 150,000_,000 of men in the east; and he con-
sidered that before we assumed to govern other
people we ought to show to the world that we knew
how to govern ourselves. (Hear, hear.) Let the
Ethish constitution be purged of the anomalies
which were a disgrace to it; let the working classe=,
who produced the wealth of the country, be recog-
nised as voting members of the commonwealth ;
and we should then be fully prepared to do justice
to the millions of the far Eist. (Cheers.)
Sir W. FOSTER, Bart., briefly seconded the reso-
lution, and expre. sed his opinion that Lord Pal-
merston would bring forward a measure which
would be acceptable to the reformers of England.
Mr. SCHNEIDER, M.P. (who was present with his
colleague, Lord Bury, M.P.), next addressed the
meeting, and was received with loud cheers. The
hon. gentleman said he still continued to hold the
opinions which he stated to the constituency when
he was a candidate for the representation of the city
in March last ; and he trusted that he might be per-
mitted to express those opinions for the benefit of
his constituents in another place. He stated in
March that he was in favour of an eaten-ion of the
franchise, andhe further stated in plain business-like
language, which no one could misunderstand, that
the measure which he proposed to his own mind was
a 5/s. franchise for cities and boroughs, and a 101.
franchise for counties. These opinions he still con-
tinued to hold ; but at the same time he felt, as a
man of business—and he was sure they would agree
Rita him, that, in being prepared to carry out these
opinions to the fullest extent, he should still not
neglect the interests of his constituents, if he took a
less extended measure proposed by the government
as an instalment—and an instalment only—of their
just rights. In supporting the measure which he
trusted Lord Palmerston would bring in, he should
only support it if it was a real and substantial mea-
sure of reform. If it was not a substantial measure,
be should be prepared to record his vote against it.
At the same time, if it was a substantial measure, he
would take it, if he could get no better, as an in-
stairnent of the rights to which the people were
justly entitled. He wished he could add that the
government would go in every case to the extent
to which he was prepared to follow any man who
would, lead. Upon one point he feared Lord Pal-
merston was not prepared to go to the full extent,
anu he mentioned the matter because he knew that
the question of church rates was one which those
present had much at heart. He was prepared to go
for the entire and absolute abolition of church
rates. They were promoting by t',eir cheers the
cause -which they had at heart, and declaring their
opinion that church rates ought to be totally
abolished, and that they called upon the Govern-
-merit to introduce ameasure for that purpose.
(Cheers.) u
-port oneminit point he feared he should have
_toms oppose the
riT
lee
ti toh •
the
nair):dti I
bot to the
p re
pn
aerwe
dßteo-
-13in—he iefer
that; the Governmeat He fo.lrc,l
bring forward the b.allwototil
would He
of their Reform
Bill, and he censideredmtehaseetTe most form an essen-
tial element of that
or the lasllot he
whoever might itbt:ingoye forward in the
would vote,
Government did not
Hoose of Commons, and if the Chou
bring it forward the question s
which he would oppose them. At the sanionete- upon,
a man of business, if he could not get all he wanted -lie would take what he could get ; and he tniste-d-
-,by their encouraging him and producing an elfect
upon the Government that they might by degrees
obtain all they desired and all that was requisite to
aasure them that fair proportion of the franchise to
which they were justly entitled. He would just
drew one fine distinction as an illust ration. He was
in favour.of a 5/. franchise for cities and boroughs,
but if Lord Palmerston proposed a 61. franchise he
wonid accept it rather than vote against the bill.
He felt that in pursuing this course he should be
acting in accordance with their wishes, doing what
his convictions assured hirn was right, and carrying
out to the fullest extent those pledges and pro-
mizes which be made in presenting himself as a
candidate for their suffrages. Although many
matters of great importance would occupy the next
session of Parliament, still Lord Palmerston was a
man who, though old in years, was juvenile in ac-
tion. ; he bad the power of bearing an immense
weight upon his shoulders; he had energy, deter-
mination, and a firm and united party round him,
and he could apply himself to the question of re-
form as well as to the question of India, in the same
session of Parliament. It was seldom that one
could find a wan who had the energy, courage,
coolness, and perseverance, which Lord Palmer-
ton displayed in carrying measures which he had
honestly at heart; and nothing much