The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-03 00:00:00

THE REFORM LEAGUE BANQUE?.

At a meeting of the Council of the Reform
League, held last evening, at Adelphi-terrace, Mr.
E. Beales in the chair, a long discussion took place
upon the question of holding a banquet in celebra-
tion of the passing of the Reform Act. Mr. Lucraft
reported thatithe Agricultural Hall could not be pro-
cured for the purpose, as it was undergoing repairs.
Mr. Brisk moved that the banquet be postponed
until July 23, 1868, theanniversary of the falling of
Hyde-park railings, as a fitting place could not be
had for the banquet. Mr. Odger said the postpone-
ment of the banquet ought to be placed upon higher
grounds than the want of a building in which to
hold it. He found by the newspapers that the land-
lords were taking advantage of the clauses of the
Reform Act to raise the rents of their tenants, and,
therefore, if men had to pay 25 or 30 per cent. extra
for their premises in order to obtain the suffrage,
there was really more occasion for sorrow than re-
joicing over the Reform Bill of 1867. Moreover,
it showed that Mr. Gladstone was right in advocat-
ing a small, rather than a large measure of Reform,
seeing that the landlords formed a class ever ready
to take advantage of the clause of an act of
Parliament to advance their own interests. The
Chairman observed that he held in his hand the
report or recommendation of the executive of the
League on the matter, and it was decidedly against
any celebration of the passing of the Reform Act
being held, on account of the general dissatisfaction
expressed throughout the country at the ratepaying
clauses. The report, among other things, stated
that every hour assured the committee that the act
will bring no reform at all, and that it will be worthy
of condemnation instead of celebration. A lengthened
discussion ensued, and eventually the following re-
solution, drawn up by Mr. Beales, was agreed to:—
" That, having heard the statement of the execu-
tive committee recommending the postponement of
the proposed banquet, and considering the com-
plaints now being made in various quarters of the
probably very injurious working of the Reform Act
through the householder franchises being connected
with ratepaying conditions, against which this
League always protested, and which are being made
the means of causing that franchise to be a cruel
burden instead of a benefit to a large mass of tenants
and occupiers, this council recommends the dele-
gates to be convened for the purpose of postponing
for the present the celebration of the passing of the
act, and to assist the council in devoting its active
efforts to obtain the repeal of the obnoxious rate-
paying clauses, which are being used as a contriv-
ance to enable the landlords of small properties to
raise their rents, and which are, in fact, the work of
a class desirous of preventing any measure of Re-
form—which they only adopted through compulsion
and insincerely—from being a real means of enlarg-
ing the franchise for the benefit of the working
classes and the great mass of the people. At the
same time, this council repeats its conviction that no
measure of reform can be satisfactory to the people
which does not embody the fundamental principles
of the League—residential registered manhood suf-
frage and the ballot." It was then agreed that a
delegates' meeting should be called to consider the
foregoing resolution, and the council adjourned.

THE OUTRAGE IN BLOGIISBURY.—During the
whole of Tuesday night and yesterday, up to about four
o'clock, Id 'Donnell, the man shot in Bloomsbury, con-
tinued to improve. With the change in the weather, how-
ever, in the afternoon, depressing symptoms appeared, and
the official report at 11 o'clock last night was " Not quite
so well." Some additional evidence has been obtained by
Sergeants Langley and Palmer, of the Scotland-yard de-
tective force, but its exact nature must not at present bo
disclosed. The public may, however, be assured that the
facts ascertained will not only have a most important bear
ing on the outrage committed on Sunday morning, but
will tend to unravel the ramifications of a widespread
plot. The Home Secretary has offered £lOO reward to the
person who shall give such information as will lead to the
discovery of the man who shot M'Donnell, the conditional
pardon also being promised to any informant not boingthe
actual committer of the act.