The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-16 00:00:00

Parliament, you will find in all these boroughs some
ten, or twelve, or thirty, or fifty persons who will
form themselves into an active committee, and who
will take care that this question, if it should be
momentarily left where it now is, shall never remain
there longer than the period of a general election.
(Cheers.) I should say that in all those boroughs,
and in all the boroughs of Scotland, and in all the
boroughs of Ireland, there will be this distinct ques-
tion put to every candidate—" Are you willing to
vote, and to vote steadily and constantly—for that
is a very important thing now—(a laugh)—are you
willing to vote in favour of making the franchise
proposed or pretended to be given by the act of 1867
a real extension of the franchise to all the boroughs
of the kingdom ?" and whatever may be thiechirac-
'ter of the candidate, whatever his pretensions, what-
ever his past services, whatever his politics, Ishould
advise all the constituencies in these boroughs not
to stultify themselves and the electoral rights of
their countrymen by returning any man to Par-
liament, under any circumstances, who is not
willing to accept that pledge. (Cheers.) Now, there
have been two or three allusions to the views of
what are termed the middle class—of the present
electoral class—upon this matter. I met a gentle-
man this morning who said to me that the shop-
keepers were very tired of the agitation, which they
fancy—what two or three newspapers tell them—
disturbs their business. Well, no doubt but that great
processions going up Regent-street do not stop much
to buy jewellery —(alaugh)—but upon a motive, and
for something infinitely better for the people than all
the jewellery in the world. (Loud cheers,) But Ido
not believe that the majority or that any great
number of the shopkeepers of London are of this
opinion. (Hear, hear.) There are many causes
that affect the state of trade now, as everybody
knows, not in London alone, but in all parts of the
country. IVhat the shopkeepers of London should
do is this, to bring their minds to the examination
of this question, and what is desired on the part of
the people, what has been promised by Parliament
and by the Government; what the Parliament and
the Government are about to offer, seeing that what
is about to be offered is not that which has been
promised, or what the people have a right to expect
—they should shake hands with Mr. Wilson in
Manchester, with Mr. Beales, in London, and
should take the cause which their fathers took five-
and- thirty years ago, when they came out like men,
and like men demanded from an adverse Govern-
ment their just rights, and their just rights, up to
the light of that time, were conceded to them.
(Cheers.) There has been reference made to cer-
tain members of Parliament by wh )se defection the
present momentary cloud has comes over this ques-
tion. I shall not speak of them with any feeling
of anger. I shall speak of them only with a
deep—l might say with an itsexpressible—
sorrow. They, by their feebleness and by their
combination with the real opponents of
reform, have transferred the management and
the completion of this bill to the hands of a states-
man who during 20 years has led a great party in
opposition to every proposal from our side of the
house for any improvement in our legislation and
in our administration. They have done this fur-
ther—they have, by so greatly elating him, and by
weakening the Parliamentary power of Mr. Glad-
stone—they have given to the Chancellor of the
Exchequer that spirit which he has manifested for
some weeks past, and which does not allow him to
lose a single opportunity of venting a sneer or piss-
ing an insult upon the leader of the Liberal party.
(Hear, hear.) This, I know well, was not intended
to be the result of the action of those members; but
the Chancellor of the Exchequer is a man
who does not change countenance very much,
as those of you know who have seen him
—(a laugh) ; but like most other men—and like
most horses—he cannot stand more than a certain
quantity of corn—(great laughter)—and, elated as
he is now by a temporary success, he is not judicious
enough to sustain himself, and he taunts some men
I who are his opponents is this matter, and eminently
Mr. Gladstone, in a manner which I have never be-
, fore seen on the Treasury bench since I have been
in Parliament. (Loud cheers.) We are, I admit,
under a momentary disappointment. But I, if 1
i could get from ii,v soul the grief with whicb T has
seen men who up to tins time have been so just and
so firm, depart, as I believe, from the policy of their
past lives, if I could get from it nr Er At it from mn
I do not think I should feel very much dismayed or
grieved at the present aspect of the question. There
can be no manner of doubt that the great cause of
Reform has marched on with stately and rapid steps
during the last year and a half. From the moment
when Earl Russel came into power, with Mr. Glad-
stone as his leader in the House of Commons—
(cheers)—from that moment this question took
another start. We found ourselves surrounded by
a host of friends from that hour till now ; and
whatever may have been the temporary calamities
of the struggle, still we see that the march has
continued—the great question grows—and no man
but has the confident belief that nothing but a just
and generous settlement will ultimately be arrived
at. (Cheers.) Oh, let us bear in mind—let us not
forget now, any more than we did in past years,
how great and noble is the cause for which we
strive ! (Cheers.) You see how it thrives beyond
the Atlantic. (Cheers.) You see how it thrives
in almost all the countries of Europe. (Cheers.)
You see how it has grown here within the time to
which I have referred. I say, let us not only not
despond, but let us take greater courage to go on.
(Cheers.) • It is a great cause for which we fight,
it is for the enfranchisement of a great people, and
the tribunal to which we have to appeal, and which
must filially test this question, is the. incorruptible
conscience of the British nation.
The hon. gentleman sat down amidst enthusi-
astic cheering.

Mr. J. B. aorta, of Manchester, seconded the re-
solution, and in the course.of his speech observed
that when Mr. Disraeli had inscribed " household
suffrage" on his banner, he had written underneath
it, in invisible ink, that nobody should get it, and
now feeling himself likely after all to be beaten he
was beginning to use bad language like an ill-con-
ducted school-boy. (Laughter.) Mr. Disraeli had
accused the deputation on Saturday of sedition, but
be was the last person in the world in whose mouth
such a charge should be found, for the letter was on
record in which the right hon. gentleman, when a
candidate years ago for the parish of Marylebone,
concluded a very beautiful letter by saying—,4 Re-
member, my forte is sedition." (Great laughter and
cheering.) The speaker concluded by promising
that the National Reform" Union would hold a great
many more meetings yet.
Mr. BEALES, in supporting the resolution, said he
was perfectly willing to co-operate with his Man-
chester friends who composed the National Reform
Union, in adopting measures against the Govern-
ment Reform Bill, but in so doing he was not to be
understood as iu the slightest degree abandoning the
position which the Reform League had taken up
with respect to Reform. lie would continue to ad-
vocate residential registered manhood suffrage,
which, he believed, was the only satisfactory settle-
ment of this question. lie added that those who
assisted to defeat the Government measure would
have to introduce a more liberal measure.

The resolution was then put by the Chairman,
and carried unanimously.
Mr. POPE moved, " That this meeting, having no
hope of any frank and free concessio❑ of equal elec-
toral rights from those who have always been the
avowed enemies of Reform, calls upon the Liberal
members of the House of Commons, if the bill of
the Government arrives at a third reading without
the amendments indicated.in the last resolution, to
reject it altogether, and remit the quesiion to the
people." (Cheers.)
Mr. WARBURTON seconded the resolution, which
was also put and carried.
There were loud cries for Mr. Mill, but the chair-
man intimated that he would address another meet-
ing which was to be held next week.
On the motion of Mr. Mason Jones, a vote of
thanks was given to the chairman, and the pro-
ceedings terminated.

The other day, at the Central Criminal Court, a
prisoner was on trial, and at its conclusion was told that
the jury had found him. guilty. "Exactly," replied th•
culprit, " tlaat'6 just ray conviction."