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

BILL.

The Duke of MARLBOROUGH gave notice that ho
should move that this bill 138 read that day three mouths.
VACCINATION BILL.
This bill was committed and passed.
REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE BILL.
_ .

The E+rl of SEIAFTESBCTRY, ou the resumption of
the debate on this important question, said it was
not pleasant to speak upon a question which
one would most probably not be able to alter.
He was, however, always glad when a great measure was
introduced into that house to hear that it was to bo of
vital consequence to the interests of the people. But he
had heard no such sentiments from the noble earl oppo-
site, he had only said that this bill, and he quote :1 his
lordship's words, " Was so Conservative in its mea-
sures as to leave no ground of apprehension." Ho
had trusted that others who would conic after, members
of the Government, would say something more in favour
of the bill; but it seemed to him that their only argu-
ments seemed to bo that of setttng bill against bill, Cabinet
against, and Minister against Minister. This bill had
come to them from the other house without a division, and
successful in almost every clause, and as this was the last
opportunity of expressing their opinion on it, lie should
trouble them with the few remarks he was about to make.
He should have wished the bill to have been passed upon
a principle which should induce the working men to en-
deavour to gain the benefit of the franchise by increased
industry and sobriety. He had always himself been a
Radical, and should be so till the end of his days, but his
great object was to advance the condition to the slightest
degree of the working man. He should like to see
the working man, from the condition even of
a sweep, raise himself by honest industry to be
Primo Minister. With regard to this measure,
however, ho could not approve of a bill which would
suddenly ;give to the residuum of society what ought to
belong to the honest, hard-working man. They must
prepare the way before they introduced such extreme
measures—make the people fit to receive it in ac
cordance with the condition of the people.
Why when we can go down stairs should
we jump out of window. He quite agreed with the
noble duke, the President of the Council, this
was not a final measure. It was onl y a rest-
ing-place by the way, but ho (the noble earl)
considered that it was nut a happy resting-place. There
could be no finality except in death. The house-
hold suffrage was not a resting place, even in the
sense of repose. The measure goes a great way in-
deed, but the arguments went Much further. The
Chancellor of the Exchequer had made a declaration
that every man of mature age, untainted by crime, had a
moral right to the suffrage. (Dissent.) Well, he had un-
derstood so—he might have erred ; at all events, they had
instilled into the minds of the people that the franchise
was a right and not a trust. (Dissent.) But he knew that
that impression had gone abroad amongst the people. He
had heard one friend say that the object of going
so low was to satisfy all classes. They had, by
making the vote a right established universal
suffrage. By the lodger franchise they had given a vote
to a man who had no opportunity of exercising the duty of
a citizen. He paid no rates m taxes, he did not serve
on juries, nor did in any way perform the func-
tions of a citizen. (Hear, hear.) He would show
them that in one district which he knew where there were
144 houses, which now returned 15 voters, would, under
the new bill, supply 97.
The Earl of DERBY was understood to say that most
of them paid £lO of rent.
The Earl of S HA.F rESBURY said that he was coming
to that, but that affected married men only. The Reform
League had said unless you reduced the franchise to 2s Gd.
you would exclude the whole of the young men unmarried
in certain districts, but if they reduced it for those who
would not pay more, they would reduce it fur those who
cannot. It was certain they would never know the amount
or number of persons who, when the registers were opened,
would claim the suffrage. They would find that by this
lodger franchise they had almost come to universal
suffrage. It had been promised on both sides of
the house that no preponderating class should
bo allowed, bit now there was the greatest apprehen-
sion that the democratic class would now preponderate
Ho considered that the suffrage which they were about to
give would act in the most dangerous way against old
established institutions. It would act against the
Church of England he believed. Ho considered that
those who would then prevail would be antagonistic to the
Church of England. Ho knew what was the feeling iu
their own House, but what would happen when their was
that democratic pressure exercised he could pretty well
imagine. 'Were we not living in a time when nothing
was taken as granted, everything must be traced to
its first principle. Every man now wished to rise to a
higher position, and that would exclude them from the
Legislature. He did not think they should go off by
violence, but with the elegant softness of a dis-
solving view. There was a strange feeling growing up,
and he would read them an extraordinary paragraph from
the Times' Correspondent in America. It stated that Mr.
Wade, president of the United States' Senate, had been on
a tour to Kansas, and there he said that he found that,
since the question of slavery Lad been dis-
posed of, that those of labour and capital should
now occupy public attention, and he said that
as far as the distribution of property was concerned
that it was not right that one man should
labour and another should not. They would hat e
a society formed soon for the redistribution of property.
If this feeling was rising iu the United States, why should
it not spring up hero ?
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

lIOUSE OF COMMONS.—This DAY.
The SPEAKER took the chair at 12 o'clock.
ROYAL PARKS BILL.
This bill passed through committee pro forma in order
that it might be reprinted as amended.
THE TORNADO.

On the motion for going into committee of supply,
Mr. GREGORY called the attention of the house to the
case of the Tornado vessel, which had been seized by the
Spanish Government uu the ground that she was engaged
in contraband trading with Chili, with which country
Spain was at war. Ho contended that the Tornado
was to all intents a Chilian ship-of-war. The noble
lord the Secretary of Foreign Affairs had on 'a
former occasion stated that it was possible that the
Tornado was destined for the Chilian Government,
that she was carrying Chilian officers, and that
therefore the owners had infringed the Foreign En-
listment Act, and had forfeited all right to call upon her
Majesty for protection. Every document that had been
presented to Parliament since that statement, he con-
tended, had fully proved that she was a Chilian vessel-of-
war, aid that under such circumstances the Spanish
Government might have condemned her as contraband,
and might have d-etainod the crew until the termination of
hostilities. _

A long debate ensued, in which the ATTORNEY-GENERAL
and Mr. B. COCHRANE took part, the latter hon. gentleman
contending that the action of the Spanish Government
was totally unjustifiable, and that even if it was other-
wise nothing could justify the conduct of the Spaniards
' towards the crew of the Tornado, who were kept in prison
for several months, and therefore Spain ought to be called
on to make ample compensation for the wrong that had
been committed. The hon. gentleman hoped his noble
friend would strongly demand adequate compensation from
the Spaniards to cover the loss of the ship, and compensa-
tion to the officers and crew.
Sir J. COLLIER thought nothing could justify the
conduct of the Spanish Government towards the crew of the
Tornado, even supposing the capture of the vessel was legal,
and he expressed a strong hope that the Government
would insist on an indemnity from Spain for the captain
and crow.
Mr. SELWYN thought the matter might safely be left
in the hands of tho Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
M. WYLD said whatever might be the result of the
debate, after the discussion that had taken place he felt
certain substantial justice would be done to the captain
and craw, who had been subjected to the most. barbarous
cruelty by the Spanish Government. He also was certain
that it the noble lord made aforinal demand ou the Spanish
Government the vessel would be given up without the
formality of a now trial being gone through.
Lord STANLEY said he was glad to have it uin siolimios
power to set right an opinion that had prevailed an
s.
quarters that menace had been used towards the p
Government to obtain the release of the ship Q.u..eent,s.y.ing
c-
toria. Here again it was said there WasGibraltar.Tfuliiere
in Spain with respect to the possession of
was also a British feeling iu the matter, nd he did not
think there was any likelihood, iu the preosaLa.nt state of pub-
ld bo given up.
lie feeling, that that British possession
It had been asked why the Govern.metnaldeeid.
To that he
not prevent
the Tornado sailing in the lirstheins
Government d id
had simply to say that
to t prevent it. It had
not possess the power uacy in the law for
also been said therowasaihricteq
subject the Government
enforcing neutrality, but on that
had done all in its power, as at the commencement of the
sessio With whole subject had been taken into considera-
tion. respect to the matter more par.tfcularly. before
the house, it divid?d. itself into three poi ttons, viz., t e
legality and jurisdictioii of the capture, the treatment of
the crew, and the justice of the subsequent pruceediugs.
With respect to the first, he did not think that any blame
attached to the Spanish Government. If they thought the
vessel was infringing the laws of neutrality, they were
justified in seizing the ship, but if they were wrong in their
suspicions, then they would have to pay for the loss and
inconvenience occasioned. With respect to the treatment
of the crew, it was impossible to deny that there had been
undue and unnecessary harshness exercised by
le to
Spanish Government. He did all that was possib
hasten on their trial and their ultimate release, and he
was glad he had succeeded, otherwise a feeling would
have sprung up in this country which it would have been
most difficult to allay. With respect to the questio

of indemnity, that must ultimately turn upon the charac-
ter of the vessel, which would have to be proved at the
next tthl. With respect to the procedure in the Spanish
Courts, he did not approve of the system in existence
in Spain, of hearing the charge, returning a verdict, and
then giving the person charged an appeal. It was not
in his opinion the same as giving the accused a hearing
and than returning a verdict. That, he felt, was the right
of every man—(hear, hear)—and such a right had been
claimed. (Hear, hear.) it had been said that we ought
to have at once demanded the return of the ship, but sub-
stantial justice would be done by going to a new trial,
and what the Government proposed, therefore, to do was
to await the decision of the trial, but it was also the
duty of the owners of the vessel to watch their own
case. (Hear, hear.)
The subject then dropped.
INDUSTRIAL AND PROVIDENT SOCIETIES BILL
This bill was read a third time and passed.
The sitting was then suspend,. d.