The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-04 00:00:00

S
T H. E

duce Lord Palmerston to carry out a reform bill as
for the people to tell kim that they required it of
him, that they would support him in it, and that
mthie,yhtwhearevedheteeernmaindeoduthot.lianavteheit.miAnaltshoofugsshomtheeraes
to the propriety of holdin the mting, it could
ph
re e peopless thei or f England to as-
nevehrledo.bagneythhcraranm
sem dforextsentiments hon-
estly, fairly, and with moderation, as they were
expressed in the resolution proposed—a resolution
in which no true reformer could fail to go heart and
soul, and which he should have most heartfelt plea-
sure in supporting in his place iu the house in the
ensuing session. (The lion. member resumed his
seat amidst loud cheers.)
Lord BURY, M.P., who experienced an equally
cordial reception, said he could not better state his
sentiments on the present occasion than by refer-
ring to his previous addresses. He had told them
that he was in favour of an extensive measure of
reform, and by that he meant that he considers d
there was a large unenfranehised class in the corn-
ia mincle I the franchise,
that he wished to extend the franchise to this class,
and take in, in different and collateral branches,
many who had not now a vote. He stated, also,
that, for the protection of the voters thus created,
he considered that the ballot would be necessary ;
that it would be the only protection that could be
afforded to the voter ; that it was a mockery to give
a vote, and not to protect it ; and that, therefore,
he would unhesitatingly vote for the ballot.
(Cheers.) With regard to a more equal division
of electoral districts, he thought, as Mr. Tillett
had very ably demonstrated, that some places
enjoyed a very undue share of the represen-
tation. He considered that electoral districts
ought to be much more equalised, and that this
could be best accomplished by doing away with
the system of rotten boroughs which had hitherto
existed. (Hear.) With regard to church rates, he
feared, from the terms of the deputation which
lately waited upon Lord Palmerston, and from the
terms of his lordship's reply, that no measure origi-
nating with the Government would be presented to
the House of Commons next session ; but he be-
lieved the subject was in able and experienced
hands, and that it would be brought to a satisfac-
tory conclusion. For his own part, ho should have
much pleasure in exercising the trust reposed in
him as one of their representatives, by voting for
the total and unconditional abolition of church
rates. (Cheers.) In regard to the Reform B 11, they
must remember that union was strength, and that
the foundation of all society was mutual concession
for the mutual good. The more they could unite
all classes of the community in demanding reform,
the more pressure they could bring to hear upon
the Government the better reform they would
have. The pressure to which he referred was nume-
rical pressure after all. No one section could make
any definite impression on the Government, but all
must unite. He would get the nearest possible
approach to his opinions he could, but if any sec-
tion arose in the House of Commons, as they some-
times did with impracticable suggestions, he thought
they would merely obstruct the question, retard
the efforts of those who had reform, as Vie had,
really at heart, and perhaps drive them into the
anomalous position of voting with the tories. This
was a position in which he thought the repreienta•
ti ves of Norwich should never be, and whsle he was
one of those representatives he would never occupy
it. After a few further observations, the noble
lord retired amid much applause.
The resolution, on being put, was carried unani-
mously.

Mr. J. J. COLMAN, in an able address, moved
that a petition to Parliament, founded on the reso-
lution, should be signed by the chairman on behalf
of the meeting, that the city members be requested
to present it, and also to transmit a copy of the
resolution to Lord Palmerston.
Mr. C. N. BOLINGBROKE seconded the resolu-
tion, which was carried unanimously.
Mr. BUNTING moved the thanks of the meeting
to Lord Bury and Mr. Schneider for their attend-
ance.

The IRev. J. CROMPTON seconded the proposi-
tion, which was cordially agreed to, and suitably
acknowledged.

MEETING AT BIRMINGHAM.

A meeting in furtherance of the reform move-
meet was held in the Town-hall, Birmingham, on
‘, Tuesday night. About 4,000 persons were present.
The MA.YOR (John Ratcliffe, Esq.) presided ; the
meeting having been convened by his worship
upon a requisition presented to him.
After some letters expressive of regret at being
being unable to attend had been read by Mr. J.
S. Wright,
Mr GEORGE EDMONDS, the clerk of the -peat?,
read the following letter from Mr. J. Bright, M.P. :
" Rochdale, Feb. 1.
"My dear Sir,—Although I am unable to be
upon your platform to-morrow, be a3sured that I
shall be with you in spirit, and that I wish every
succeos to your reform movement. May I intrude
on you wi h a few lines ou the great topic you are
about to discuss

" I observe in the first paragraph of your circu-
lar you ask the aid of your townsmen in the endea-
vour to obtain an ' extension of the suffrage.'
Afterwards you insert the propositions of the Lon-
don committee, which I am very glad to see yuu
have adopted ; but you are probably looking to
" the extension of tue suffrage' as the main point
and principal demand of the new agitation. I am
as much fur this extension as you cau ba, and there-
fore I can, without suspicion as to my wishes with
regard to it, the more frankly warn you of a danger
which I see before us.

" Twenty-liva years ago the Tory party, and th•
Whigs almost as much so, were gre atiy afraid of an
extension of the suffrage ; now very few persons of
any intelligence, even among the Conservatives, are
afraid of it. The propositions made some time ago
by the Governments of Lord J. Russell and Lord
Aberdeen showed clearly that the franchise is no
longer the dread of the aristocratic and ruling
classes ; an' it is not unlikely that L :rd Palmer-
ston, if he produce a Reform Bill, will go a long
way in the direction in which we wish to go, so far
as the franchise is concerned.

We can easily understand this. The franchise
itself gives no real power unless accompanied by
the right, on the part of all the possessors of it, to
elect ;something like an equal number of represen-
tatives. I could easily frame a bill which would
give ' universal suffrage in its widest sense, an'i
wilich would confirm more strongly than ever
the supremacy of the English oligarchy over the
English people. If your great city, with its great
constituency, is only to send two men to Parl a-
meat, while an equal population and property in
some othcs part or parts of the kingdom is to send
20 men to Parliament, then, I say, your franchise
is of little avail. The man who can merely shout
at the hustings or contribute to the show of hands,
is, in reality, in almost as good a position as the
man who votes, if the value of votes is rendered so
unequal, or is nearly destroyed, by the unequal
distribution of representativJs among the whole
body of electors.
" Tha Government and the Parliament, even the
House of Lord, will consent to a large increase of
electors, and men who have not considered the sub-
ject fully will imaLine they have gained much by
the concave

' Lord J. Russell, in his many speeches on a
further measure of reform, generally, if not always,
confines himself to an extension of the franchise,'
and his last bill, although it would have added
largely to the number of electors throughout the
kingdom, would have done absolutely nothing to
lessen the power of the order to which he belongs,
or to increase that of the nation as distinguished
from its privileged and aristocratic class.

, -
" It is not a matter of opinion, or of doubt, that
I am discussing ; it is a question of fact and of
arithmetic, and therefore I wish to urge it strongly
upon your attention. The contest in the question
rif reform will bl on the distribution of the seat.
Ain the great norough of the Tower klainkts, with
its half a million of population, be content to return
only two members t . Parliament ? Will Finsbury,
Marylebone, Lambeth, and the other London
boroughs ? Will Glasgow and Manchester, and
Liverpool, and Birmingham, and the other leading
cities of the United Kingdom, be content to dwarf
themselves, politically, to the size of boroughs
whose whole pop ulati n would sc.ircely people one
of their inferior streets ? Sh ill it be admitted that
the_ more men come together, the more they ara in-
dustriou3, skilful, intelligen' and pow,,rful in every
other respect, the les, shall b'e their influence in the
Government of their country ? This is the great
questtiooncioanmduiethrt%stlwvietlii.
,t.he people of Birming-
ham
" Any Reform Bill which is worth a moment's
hou:_;ht, or the smallest effort to car, y it, must at
clic)iunblg
aeon
l.thean.r
least double, and it
tupot to do much more than
actliltetdhosigtranet_tof . the metropolitan
irleteoPfUrescllo ctrtics of the United
horoug'hs,
Atimii3eri.ca and BA-
gium and Sardinia comprehendcso
tion. A year ago, I was in the cit of,GTIoPIe, acinudesi
found that it returned seven' r 3 resyesevnen,abtiv.es to the
Sardinian_ Parliament at TurinP
it fair
hire, calcula'.ed according to the populationeng
various cities and districts of the Sardinian of
-Ll':
dom. In this country, throughout Grea rkiitnaru.
and Ireland, you will find that property reateed to
the relief of the poor follows very closely
of population; and the only just principle of rep
sentation is that of industry, property, intelligence,
and population of the country should be as nearly
as may be equally represented wherever they are to
Ibe found. lam not erguing for any matematical
precision in this matter, but for such a change as
NIIALI really give the HOMO of Commons to the na-