The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-01 00:00:00

TimES.—The vote on Lord Cairn 011ie fti
esentadtieoenoefa
n In esineoernittiest between
mullot
misunderstood.sbeeelltbgtheip ter
It decided
party and party ; it can in no degree affect the
pfuritnucreiplpred
e.lotmdiindanncoet
eovfenLribaeisr or C
eal
acompoanrsiesrovna Conservative
be-
tween-
d
was
aiAc ftoldlinssetshiitniaieoattuen::tt.aaiaodesrniyi
doiss)
ecehtertaoaihldtel
e
irbc and a democratic Government.
e emh the
ultimate
iostne,rri whichanoifeecondition,ll.m.l eeoil
soecofrfa questiontctihyl
ee,
the
future should be elective only, or whether it should
he elective and representative also, as it has hitherto
been. If we put an extreme case, the difference
will be at once appreheTuded.lteeicuibteorsgelvtlo)
eurl,
811(11 bbit electorsth
they
jctehoreintykuili‘oi%g.nhsdnote‘'noa ma-
jority
should be the members of the Housey
would be all of one party. If, on the other hand,
the electors separated themselves according to their
opinions into groups,itwtot
would also
number, and each each containing an e
group returned its member, the
House would be elected as before, b.l:t
represent every element of the national life. The
governing power would b the same in the One case
as in the other—viz., that of the in tjoritr—but the
character of the governing ass(Mibly.
wholly different. We do not say tint would be
boef
thesetmh,ce they
represent
hypotheticalpecsnedtlitigteaccfa scoorertsisienoogtfi dase
Governmente r
ourbe realised,p ro
tmse whichB buto
in
tqat
inrgeaeurugi Irsuenmt
Redistribution we refuse to recognise the celesai.
minorities-or take measures to secure their 're wesseno
tation. It is, however, now acknowledged that it is
desirable minorities should be represented in thnllnuse
of Commons. The sturdiest opponents of any thethocl
for securing their representation tardily confess that
it is fit they should be heard in debate and council,
but-they say they are heard now. Mr. Gladstone
.sits as the representative of the minority in. South
Lancashire, and in five out- of the eight three-
membered constituencies the minorities have secured
representation. The argument comes to this—that
the representation of minorities being desirable, iao
method should be adopted to secure it with et' r-
if we -trust to chance it will be
ss
roeeNn'sfetutsatotawllethtitoihenoihf.s
doesai
Tr
however,nin s rnet ewai 11, plea,yoeniTga yhh et
br There ausat
other arguments noticed.ersiel'
repre-
sentation of minorities will, it is said, weaken the
cerxiptircaesisitoinmeosfintvhoelyneautisooinaldwaniolgl,era.ndwtehiisn
invite
eght
thesein
insdm eobjectionnt
requiresto
llC'ahiornrsa'sisenntlhe
inne
to indheeiersaitiotehnsaetac secure eh
is ce
the
onaee tithireclan
minoritynemhn outequ
ofa l
trireae,
over-
representation of minorities. What, then, ithresult of the method? Simply
re-
presentative Assembly will express with svi perfect
exactness the national will. If the will of the
nation be clear, the majority in the Assembly will
be decisive; if it be cautious and hesitating, the
majority will be small ; if it be indecisive, the
majority may waver. In all cases, a truthful and
not a false representation of the mind of the nation
will be secured, and until some serious reason is
adduced for believing that the will of the people
should be misrepresented we shall hold this fact con-
clusive. If critical times come, as come they may,
the nation will be equal to them, and its represen-
tatives in Parliament will speak with no uncertain
voice. But let it be observed that the existence and
maintenance of a truly representative Assembly is
the best guarantee against crises, because it is
a security for the presence of the moderating
wisdom of the country in its ruling Assembly.
We are bold to say, referring to an instance
which has been much dwelt upon, that had the
House of Representatives in the United States been
in truth what it purported by its name to be, an
Assembly representing the whole people of the
States, the secession of the South would never have
been accomplished. It is an historical fact that the
Southern representatives at Washington were all
members of the most sxtreine party, composed of
men who had contrived to persuade themselves that
slavery was a Divine institution. The minority in
the South, deprived of all power, dwindled away.
The slave-owners who at the time of the Revolu-
tion deplored the existence of slavery and desired
its abolition—witness Washington himself - gra -
-
dually diminished, and, though never wholly ex
tinguished, their voices were unheard in the House
of Representatives. On the oter hand, the States
of New England—themselves happily free from
curse which their kinseien bad inherited—sentil a tor
Washington men unable, from `vat tit a sim
experience, to understand or sympathise with the
difficulties of the Bantle What was intended
by
founders of the Republic to be a ceusultative house
became the battle-field of two hostile armies, and
when the more turbulent were outnumbered they
endeavoured to abrogate the Union. Men appeal
to the experience of the States; we call them to
witness against that system of intrusting all power
'Of-election to loci' majorities which superficial ob-
servers suppose their history supports. The ex-
ample of the union is equally powerful in disposing
of -the remaining arguments against the Repre-
sentatives of Minorities. It is said that it will throw
the control of elections into the hands of managers,
and put electors under the domination of a " ticket."
Those who advance this argument cannot have
examined it. Is not the phenomenon of . the
" ticket" the consequence in the States of throwing
the whole power into the hands of a majority,
so that unless a man subjects himself wholly to the
organisation of his party he is powerless, helpless,
hopeless? Do we not, on a smaller scale, see the
same thing here when electors are bound to ac-
cept a club candidate ? The limitation of the
power of a majority, so far from aggravating
this evil, will most effectually reduce it. Voters
will know that though they may be a minority they
can return their own member, and they will be
encouraged to rebel against the thraldom of man-
agers. The idea of the Representation of Minori-
ties is, indeed, nothing more nor less than the libe-
ration of the individual from the bondage in which
he now lies ; its perfect realization is that true
democracy which enlists all forms of thought, of
intelligence, and of power in the political life of the
nation, and converts the Representative Assembly
which directs our destinies into a microcosm of the
Empire. But enough, and perhaps more than
enough, has been said in defence of the Representa-
tion of Minorities. It has been accepted with an
all but universal consensus of approval in the House
of Lords. It has been supported by a large minority
comprising au absolute majority of the independent
members of the House of Commons. We have no
desire to waste arguments in establishing what it
established, still less to celebrate any personal
triumphs. The disconcerted prophets who relied
upon the persistency of popular prejudices may be
left to their own reflections. The state of the ques-
tion of Reform is more worthy of attention
the vote
. The
Cabinet held a meeting yesterday, at which
of the House of Lords on Tuesday may be a3sumed
to have occupied their attention, and we apprehend
they can have arrived at but one conclusioe upon
it. The House of Lords by a combination of intel-
lectual power and numericalp more strikiug
even than its vast majority has accepted
Lord Cairns's Amendment. The House of Commons
would have accepted the same proposal had not the
Ministry obstinately withstood it. If the Ministry
give way, as we trust they will, they defer to
tinion of both Houses. Were they to re-
sist, he op
they would not improbably be outvoted
on a reconsideration of the question in the
House of Commons. Every reason so far re-
commends a frank acceptance of the vote of
the Lords. Indeed, we are more concerned about
the next stage. The first question to-night is
whether or not the scheme of redistribution shall be
enlarged, for Lord Grey's amendment proposing
that every borough with less than 12,000 popula-
tion shall lose one of its two members occupi •es the
very threshold of the committee's labours. There
can be little doubt that the temper of boil houses
of Parliament is strongly in favour of extending in
some way the scheme of redistribution, and Lord
Stanhope expressed the opinion felt on Conservative
as strongly as on Liberal benches, perhaps more
strongly, when be urged the Government to recon-
sider it. We earnestly hope the Ministers have de-
termined on enlarging their plans. It is the highest
wisdom, as it is the truest Conservatism, to antici-
pate future agitation by resolving now to make the
Reform Bill reasonably perfect in both its branches.
There is but one argument to be advanced against
the attempt, and that is the advanced period of the
session. This ought not to prevail. A single week
would suffice to make the present temporary plans
of redistribution commensurate with the enfranchis-
ing clauses of the bill, and the slight inconvenience
of another week's delay in the prorogation of Par-
liament is as nothing compared with the momentous
consequences involved in a fresh campaign of agita-
tion. The choice lies between a week's peaceful
deliberation now, and fierce conflict, if not serious
danger, in a near future. A few hours will reveal
to the world the decision of her Maesty'seir Mdecision
inisters.
We trust to their patriot ism that th
shall respond to the wishes and the judgment of the
nation.

EATEN OF ANTS.—An Australian paper, the
Maryborougi Advertiser, states that the neighbourhood of
Havelock has been visited, after a heavy rain, by clouds of
flying ants, which have been devoured in great numbers by
the fowls, but the insects, not being killed by the swallow-
ing, have eaten their way through the birds' crops, and
caused their death. This was not credited at first, but
post mortem examinations have shown the insects alive in
the ruptured crops, or crawling out of the dead birds
throats. The lose has been considerable.