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

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few minutes returned a verdict of "Wilful murder"
against the prisoner George Britten, who was for-
mally committed for trial at next Somerset assizes.

AN AMERICAN OPINION ON THE
ENGLISH REFORM BILL.

The Springfield Republican, writing on the Eng.
lisp Reform Bill, observes that nothing in the way
of turning back and crossing over in one's own path,
ever witnessed in America, can compare with the
history of the Reform Suffrage Movement in the
British Parliament (luring last year. A year ago
the Liberals were in power—Russell leading in the
House of Lords, and Gladstone in the Commons ;
and they set about extending the right of suffrage
and re-distributing the seats. The Liberals were
hardly agreed on the reform to be granted, their
opinions ranging from universal suffrage to a
fractional addition to the franchise, and all
conceded that some concession must and ought to
be made to the people. Gladstone set to work to
compromise the various opinions, proposing the least
that could be offered without keeping the promise
to the ear and breaking it to the hope. This Mr.
Bright and the Radicals accepted on the sound
principle of English statesmanship of taking what
could be got, and the prospects of the Ministry
seemed quite cheering. But the Tories were strong
and stalwart against any extension of suffrage.
Derby led them in the Peers and Disraeli in
the Commons. After a struggle the Tories
triumphed* by the help of a fragment of Con-
servative-Liberals. Mr. Gladstone, conscious of
a strong cause, confident that his defeat was but for
a day, and after a brief interlude of Tory Govern-
ment that he and his friends would come back to
power stronger than ever to drive recusants from
place, with his opponents weakened by an exhibi-
tion of their incompetence, followed the English
fashion, and threw up his portfolio. Derby and
Disraeli formed a Ministry as leaders in Parliament.
The Liberals turned to the people—" If you are in
earnest for Reform," they cried, " sas so, and let us
see the Tories meet the question." The people moved.
Reform meetings were frequent and crowded. The
penny press wrote ; the Liberal orators shouted, and
the cause grew apace. Household suffrage, that is
the giving of the ballot to men who own or rent
houses of a certain value had been all dreamed of,
was now rapidly lost sight of, and manhood suf-
frage was the cry. The " outs" rubbed their hands
in glee ; the " ins" grew paler at the prospects, and
all the aristocracy trembled. Mr. Disraeli had to
meet the storm, backed by a party that believed in
nothing, and wished to give nothing ; confronted
by a party that had no faith in his sincerity, alai
sought to make hi:ri his bill was intricate and
confused, seemingly generous in terms, but
niggardly in reality. Ills friends had no heart,
his opponents no faith in it. 113 controlled his
backers by showing that reform mud be granted,
the popular wave was coming on, to ride it is to con-
trol it, to fail is to grant more.
" Thus Disraeli coaxed and cajoled his friends.
For his opponents he had grace and tact, courage,
and force ; they offered amendments—he would
yield them ; they sought to destroy his bill—ho
would defy them. Step by step he carried his
measure along, yielding more and more of reform,
at the instance of the Liberals, who hoped thus to
break him down with his own party, but always failing
in this through his power to keep his followers in
training, and combine enough votes from both sides
until the measure was complete,
to carry his points,
and he still the leader of the Commons. And be-
hold, the measure of reform is fuller than Mr. Glad-
stone broke down on the year before, richer than
the Liberals had dared to expect from even their
own party
"The extension of the suffrage under the bill thus
rent in a borough or /50 in a county. By the perfected is enormous. Now a voter must pay £lO
Disraeli bill, every man can vote who pays poor
rates—taxes for the support of the paupers—or
a year for lodgings. Substantially, it gives the suf-
frage to all householders, and only floating farm
labourers and tramps are really excluded. It will
more than double the number of voters in the king-
dom ; whereas they have bean a million and a
quarter, now they will number two and a half or
three millions. This is an enormous stride towards
Republicanism, and the history of the means by
which it has been effected is, we believe, without
parallel in political annals.
" Lord Palmerston never did a piece of work so
dexterously, that was at the same time of so momen-
tous importance, as this. Mr. Disraeli takes rank
at once as the great politician, the great parliamen-
tarian of the age. Our Congress never saw his
equal, our politicians never conceived of such riding
the storm, and making the whirlwind serve their
own glory and power. It is the finest illustiation
ever given of that quality or habit of English states-
manship which, resisting a policy or a principle so
long as is possible, but finding that public opinion
demands it and will have it, turns about, gracefully
accepts the measure or policy, and weaves it a
diadem into its own crown. Peel and Palmerston
have given us conspicuous instances of this facility
of change from the leader of the Opposition to the
leadership of a reform ; but Disraeli, not only in the
great character and consequence of the measure in-
volved, but by the surprising adroitness and ability
with which he has carried it against questioning
friend and contending foe, has surpassed them
all."