The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-23 00:00:00

gIIE REFORM BILL.

Early on Tuesday morning Mr. DISRAELI con-
cluded his speech in the last Debate on the Reform
Bill to a crowded house, amidst long and continued
cheering, when the bill was read a third time and
passed. The Debate had lasted eight hours, and
though conducted with more than usual ability

was, Singularly enough, directed to mutual recrimi
nation, and not to the measure itself. It is not

always that people appreciate the real importance o 1
work on which they are employed, and a casual ob.

server
might doubt whether the Commons were

alive to the revolution inaugurated in the passage
of this bill, while they spent the last few hours
before it left their House in raking up forgotten
speeches, and throwing at each other's heads, paper
pellets of hustings harangues. These came back in

an unwelcome guise to their authors, but as there
were few not more or less stultified, honourable
members in every direction were fairly hit, and the
bill passed—maintaining its character as being the
mast damaging measure to the political consistency
of reputations ever discussed in that or any other
Parliament. Such a bill, the work of such a party,
is a truly marvellous piece of tergiversation. In
the face of the Tories bringing in and passing a

reduction of the franchise to Household Suffrage
political inconsistency should be silent. The Liberals
are stultified—the dwellers in the Cave are stultified,

but more than any, are the Tories stultified. The
Commons could not have wasted valuable time to
so little purpose as in endeavouring to fix the degree
of inconsistency attaching to any member or party
to this bill. The truth is that it is a pill which the
people have compelled the House to swallow much
against the inclination of all. There are few
honourable members who do not cordially detest
Reform and look upon any extension of the suffrage
as a step in the wrong direction. More especially
is this the case with the party who introduced and
passed the measure. The tendency of a Parlia-
ment is towards-usurpation, the direction it takes is
to centre the power in its own hands, and to narrow
the electors to the smallest number. The Commons'
House of England appropri4ted to itself all it could
safely take, and is now disgorging some of its un-
lawful gains under a pressure it finds irresistible.
It is a mere waste of time for the robbers to accuse
each other of doing that which none like doing, but
all feel compelled to do. The reason that the
Tories introduced and carried their bill is trans-
parent. It was conceded that a measure of Reform
must be passed. Each Ministry wrecked, was the
prelude only for a greater agitation and a larger
demand. Besides the satisfaction and comfort of
retaining office, the Government held that if they
could succeed in passing their measure they would
stop the agitation, and arrest what they considered
the downward course. If Mr. DISRAELI had brought
in a bill that satisfied his Tory backers, and de-
clared that on that measure his Government would
stand or fall, their fate would have been at once
sealed, but the artful dodger was not thus to be
caught. His is an elastic Conservatism, which has
no idea of planting its foot on a principle and
firmly adhering to the letter. Mr. DISRAELI de-
termined to be guided by the pressure he felt with-
out—to yield as little as he possibly could, yet still
to yield all absolutely necessary to secure his bill.

The skill with which he has accomplished his object
will hand him down to posterity as a wonderful Par-
liamentary-tactician. But though the history of the
measureis interesting and curious, the subject of real

importance is the extent of the revolution it will work.
The step taken by the House is a long one in the
Democratic direction, and some of the principal
speakers recognised the necessity of making a cor-
responding move in the education of the people. Mr.
LOWE said—" From the moment you entrust the
masses with power, their education becomes an ab-
solute necessity." It might be supposed from this
that Mr. LOWE advocated the simultaneous educa-
tion of the people with the extension of the fran-
chise. But he did not commit so gross a mistake,
being well aware of the necessity of commencing
instruction long before entrusting power, and
that education must precede the extension of
the franchise, if the people are to be taught how to use
it. A session only, is required to alter the laws of
England, but it takes a generation to extend educa-
tion among the masses. When the attempt is made
to bring both simultaneously into operation there
must be some danger, for though they ought to
move together, it is very patent that they do not,
and that it is necessary to give education a long
start in advance. "It is not quality, but quantity
you require," added Mr. LOWE—a statement to
which we demur. Quality is required, as well as
quantity, and indeed more. What he meant was
that every one should receive at least a little school-
ing, and in this he is right. Mr. OSBORNE observed
instead of our cry being Register, register,' hence-
forth it will be Education ! education !' for de-
pend upon it, you cannot Americanise our Franchise
without borrowing other things from that country,
and one of these things must be the education of
our people !" We have little doubt that the first
measure of the Reformed Parliament will be to ap-
point armies of inspectors and legions of school-
masters, and perhaps, to make education compulsory.
The effect, however, cannot be felt for many years
to come, while the use the newly-enfranchised will