The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-12 00:00:00

" What becomes of the principle of rating if you are going
to let in a lodger clause ?" He assumes the fact, and then
argues upon it. (Hear, hear.) But there is an enormous
difference between the two. The right hon. gentleman in
his bill last year admitted tenants at £7 and lodgers at £lO.
You might as well object that a man who has monoy in
the savings bank may not be rated. (Hear, hear.) It is a
large and open question whether there should be a lodger
franchise, which he (➢lr. Henley) would be glad to have
argued. But if you want it, it is not the likeliest way to
got it to say we cannot admit it without overthrowing
every principle of the bill. The hon. member for Tralee
(The O'Donoghue) has used strong language ; but the an-
swer to that was given last year by the right hon. gentle-
man the member for South Lancashire, when he said that,
with regard to this question of reform, neither side of the
house had said much to the other. When a Liberal Go-
vernment, a powerful majority, sat in this house, the lion.
member never raised his voice to compel them to deal with

question. (flear,ht,ar.) Th© members on that side of

the house were all reformers at the hustings—(lAughter)
but that was not the Case on this side of the house. (Hear,

hear.) He (sir Henley) held it to be right that there should
be an outtrgement of the franchise, and ho would not have
opposed the bill of last year if he had not thought it a
bad bill, and had not hell a strong opinion that this

question cannot be settled by a fixed arbitrary line.
(Cheers.) The right hon. gentlemln has not explained
why a man rented at .£4 is fit for the franchise, while a
man rented at Li is not fit. If you i;anuot get an answer.
you must go ou step by step, until what is called the re-
siduum is admitted without restriction. The right hon.
gentleman, speaking of the admission of 200,000 persons,
said, " They won't hurt you." That is a curious
way of reckoning such things. (A laugh.) If they ate good,
admit them all; but if they are not, admit none. (Hear,
hear.) The fair test of fitness and unfitness is bearing the
burdens of citizenship. If a man wants to exercise the pri-
vileges, let him bear the burdens of citizenship. (Cheers.)
The people will fairly understand this principle. (Hear.)
It may be that there will be a greater wish to obtain the
privileges of civilisation in some places than in others. If
that be so in some places, a greater number will avail them-
selves of the facility for obtaining them ; but it is no proof
that the offer is not a fair• one. (Cheers.) The question of

the length of residence was fairly open to discussion, but
ho could not venture to think that it ought to bo altogether
done away with. (Cheers.)
Lord CRANBORNE commenced by expressing his re-
gret that the moderate bill of last year had not been
accepted, for, though ho would have been sitting on a
different side, the prospects of the British Constitution
would be brighter. Without reverting to the argument,
ho urged last year as to the change in the balance of power,
he objected to this bill because it would not allay agitation
or secure repose, which ought to be the first object of
passing a Reform Bill. Another objection was that the
composition of the constituencies would be intrusted tO
the caprice of the local authorities—they would be con-
tinually varying, subject to be increased at the changing
will of a vestry, or by the corrupt expenditure of rich
candidates or active political societies, and these great
floodings of the constituencies would always take place at
seasons of political excitement. Taken as a whole, he
preferred Mr. Gladstone's to Mr. Disraeli's scheme, and
should therefore support the amendment.
Mr. ROEBUCK moved the adjournment of the debate,
and after some caustic remarks from Mr. Erie apropos of
the threatened dissolution, and a short conversation on the
propriety of postponing the motion for adjourning over
the Easter recess until it was apparent whether the debate
would conclude to-night, the Chairman was ordered to re-
port progress.
Some other orders were forwarded a stage, and the
house adjourned at 10 minutes Fat 1 o'clock.