The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-21 00:00:00

were discarded in order that the bill might go forward,
like the car of Juggernaut, crushing the principles of its

supporters under its wheels. (Laughter and cheers.) On
the Liberal side there had been a weariness of the question
and a longing for a settlement, a dread of a dissolution,
and a dread of the new classes of voters ; and on the Con-
servative side there was an impatience of the programme
the Liberals had laid down—that they alone should be per-
petually bringing in Reform Bills and enjoying office as a
consequence—which in a party view was not intelligible.
Next he went on to discuss what the effect of the bill
would be, remarking on the complete contempt which had
been shown for statistics this year, predicting that it would
at least double the present borough constituency, and as-
serting that its only aim was to admit as many as possible,
so that they were of the poorest and most ignorant
classes, and that it would transfer the entire power to
the present non-electors and to the 4 lass of unskilled
labourer?. At present these classes had no politics at all,
and when they took up with politics they would be of a
Socialist character, and they would support the men who
promised them a redistribution of the good things of this
life. The first result of their reign would be the substitution
of direct taxes on the rich for the indirect taxes on spirits,
tea, sugar, tobacco, and other luxuries of the poor, and
among other consequences of the bill which Mr. Lowe
shadowed forth were a graduated income-tax, a repu•lia-
tion of the national debt, an inconvertible currency, a social
contest between the upper and middle and the lower
classes, in which the victory would follow political
strength, an attack on the House of Lords, and a law
restricting the hours of labour to eight a day. Possibly

it might be expected that these consequences would be
averted by lavish corruption, but he warned those who
contemplated the purchase of a democratic constituency
that they would have to swallow the shibboleth—the
whole roll of democratic pledges to boot. Of the effects
on the composition of the house Mr. Lowe drew a gloomy
picture, repeating his argument of last year, that the house
is not a mere legislative assembly, but, in the last resort,
the executive of the country ; and he concluded with a
powerful denunciation of a scheme which, though it only
carried out the old oligarchical idea of an alliance with de-
mo3racy, would cast an indelible stigma on the Conserva-
tives, and would ruin not only the present parties fu the
State, but the State itself.

Mr. HENLEY replied that most of Mr. Lowe's arguments
applied to the present constituency just as much as that to
be created, and, therefore, to all representative institutions,
and asserted that the scheme of Government was the
most Conservative proposal that could be made, as well as
the safest and most honest. It was not a question which
the Government bad any option in taking up, since, for
the last 14 years, it had been recommended in successive
Queen's Speeches, without provoking any opposition from
either party or from any leading politician ; and the Go-
vernment bad to consider whether they would attempt

to settle it, or would allow "the pot to boil over," with
what consequences it was impossible to predict. Having
once determined to settle it, there was no ground on which
they could hope to find firm footing but that which they
had chosen, and though its working might be expected
with some anxiety, there was every prospect of its being
as permanent a settlement as could be obtained.
Sir R. KNIGHTLEY made some strong observations
on the new aspect of affairs,and argued that, so far from
Mr. Disraeli having been playing with his party, he had
been groping for a policy all along.
Mr. HUBBARD, speaking from the same quarter of the
house, insisted that the proposal was a degradation of the
suffrage, aud expressed a hope that it would be qualified
by Mr. Scrope's amendment.
Mr. NEWDEGATE and Mr. B. COCHRANE defended the
support given by the Conservative party to this "scheme,
and Mr. Cochrane laid the primary responsibility for it on
the Liberal party, who had so long played with the qties-
tion and encouraged public meetings out of doors. The
Conservative party had obeyed a necessity stronger than
themselves, aud he anticipated that the effects of the bill
would be advantageous to the country.
Mr. B. HOPE protested against the degradation of the
franchise, and found fault.with the representatives of the
landed interest, who had not been sufficiently forward to
defend the boroughs.
After some observations from Mr. Scourfield, who,
though dissatisfied with the clause as amended, had too
much confidence in the good sense of the people to share
in Mr. Lowe's gloomy views; from Mr. Schreiber, who
stronly condemned the lodger franchise ; and from Mr. P.
Scrope, who argued, in favour of his amendment, that it
would cure all the evils Mr. Lowe had apprehended, and
would keep out the (-‘ residiuurn."
Clause 3 was declared to be agreed to, amid considerable

cheering.