The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-08 00:00:00

TABL TAMENTABY BEFOR3L

Yesterday afternoon a meeting of gentlemen in
favour of Parliamentary Reform, convened by a
Reform Committee sitting in King-street, Cheap-
side, was held at the Guildhall Coffee-house, Gres-
ham- street, Mr. William Hargreaves acting as
chairman, to confer together as to the course to
be taken in the present position of the- question.
Mr. Bright, M.P., was present and spoke at some
length on the subject, and so were also Lord Teyn-
ham, Mr. Clay, Mr. Kershaw, M.P., Mr. Bristow,
M.P., Mr. Samuel Morley, Mr. Cox. late M.P. for
Finsbury, Mr. Sergeant Parry, Mr. Alderman
• Grubb, Mr. W. C. Sleigh, barrister, Dr. Challice,
Mr. P. A. Taylor, the Rev. H. Richard, Mr. W.
Janson, the Rev. R. Everest, Mr. Sefford Allen,
Mr. E. Whitehurst, Mr. G. Dawson, Mr. Passmore
-Edwards, Mr. Edward S. Pryce, and many more,
including deputations from the provinces. It was
intended that the meeting should be similar in cha-
racter to the one which was convened by the same
committee last year, not, as the circular concerning
it stated, of the nature of a political demonstration,
but simply for deliberation and counsel, and it was
limited to those who had received invitations to

attend.
The CHAIRMAN reminded the meeting that at the
last conference, held that time 12 months, a Tory
Government was in power, and the course of the
Reform party was then clear enough. The Reform
Bill of that Government, which conceded more than
was expected from them, was still far short of
-what the country anticipated, and was eventually
scouted, as it deserved to be. The course of action
at present open to this conference was more difficult,
for they had now to deal with a Whig-Radical-
Conservative Government, on whom earnest Re-
formers must look with suspicion, and he was
anxious that something should be elicited at the
present meeting not exactly ..in accordance
with the Conservative element of that Government..
They knew that the present Prime Minister had
never been friendly to reform, and the old Whigs
were, to say the least, lukewarm upon the subject.
(Hear.) Within the next month the Government
would decide upon the Bill they intended to pro-
pose, and the amount of concession to be
made to the just demands of the people
would depend very much upon the degree of pres-
sure that might be exerted from without. (Hear.)
Some false scents had been thrown across enth z!th
of Reformers. He looked with some apprehension
upon the Rifle Corps Movement. He did not, how-
ever, wish to disparage that movement ; but if
it
was to be regarded as of equal importance with the.
cause of reform, they ought to watch it—aristocra-
tic as it was—with sonic jealousy, lest it should be
used as the pretext for a false cry that nobody
wanted reform. (Hear, hear.) His own feeling was
that the middle classes were placed in a most de-
grading position, more so than the working classes,
who as a body were deprived of their political
rights. `Their views and feelings were neutralised
by the influence of landowners and monopolists,
and upon Reformers devolved the duty of bringing
about a satisfactory state of things. He did not
doubt the country would accept a really honest in-:
stalment of reform. The Reform Committee had
nothing to do with any particular Government.
They would accept instalments from any Adminiss
tration, but their exertions would not cease until a
thorough measure of reform was obtained as the
best means for securing the economical and efficient
government of the country. (Cheers.)
Mr. W. JANSEN moved the first resolution
"That this Conference desires to express its cordial
acknowledgments to Mr. Bright, M.P., for the ability with
which he has urged the question of Parliamentary reform
on the attention of the country, and for the care and Labour
he has bestowed, at the request of a preceding Conference,
in the preparation of a Bill, which ia its main provisions, as
set forth by him, appears eminently adapted to meet the
wishes of the great body of earnest Reformers throughout
the kingdom."
Mr. Bristow, M.P., seconded the motion, but
reserved to himself the right of canvassing and deal-,
ing with Mr. Bright's bill in such a manner as he
should deem best whenever it might be prepounded
in the House of Commons. He. was . a strenuous
advocate of .the ballot, believing that, without that
protection, no extension of the franchise would cor-
rect the abuses of our Parliamentary system, and
that it would be worse than useless to extend the
suffrage to the humbler classes of the community:
He therefore urged the Reform party to make the
concession of the ballot the sine qua non of their
acceptance of the Government measure. (Hear.).
He also advised them to adopt the tactics. of the
Whigs and Tories with the view to bring Liberal
members up to " the scratch" by a " whip" when
their votes were required.
The resolution was carried unanimously.
Mr. P. A. TAYLon then moved,—
" That, in the judgment of this Conference, no measure
will be regarded as a settlement. which does not include a
large extension of the suffrage both in counties and in.
boroughg ; an equitable redistribution of seats in proportion;
to* the population and property of the constituencies ; an
assimilation of electoral laws for England, Scotland, and
• Ireland; the repeal of the Septennial Act; and such pro-
tection. to the voter, by means of the ballot, as may arrest
that corruption and intimidation which have been so fear-
fully prevalent in the late election, and which threaten to
undermine the political institutions of the country."
He held that the object of the meeting was to give
• nationality to the Government and representation
of the people, and he recommended them to culti-
vate the good wishes of the working classes by rais-
ing a distinctive standard, such as manhood 'suf-
frage. '(Cheers )
Lord TEYNIIAM Seconded the motion, and' in
doing so exnreseed his conviction that everyman of
full age, front the highest to the lowest, against
whom no charge of disqualification was brought and
subtantiated, should be entitled to vote, and that
the only qualifications for the exercise of the fran7
chise should be manhood and intelligence.
Mr. Sergeant Per.r.Y supported the resolution,
believing that it embodied the principles on which
a Reform Bill ought to proceed—a bill•which
would give to the working classes a greater share
of political power than they, novehad. and one
which he believed was now attainable. One of the
.
greatest safeguards against bribery and corruption
was the largeness of a constituency, as was exem-
plified by the metropolitan 'constituencies, where
bribery was almost unknown, or only existed to an
extent which had little or no influence on the re-
sult of the elections. The subject of Parliamen-
tary reform was now quite ripe for legislation, and
in the hands of Mr. Bright the people would have
confidence that their interestt were safe.
Mr. CLAY, M.P., also spoke briefly to the Motion,
giving it a conditional support.
Mr. BRIGHT, who on rising to speak was loudly
cheered, said he wished to state in the first place
that he was very much obliged to the gentlemee.
who had supported the first resolution, because he
felt that the course he had taken might be open to
some little misrepresentation, and, with those who
never looked charitably on what anybody did, pos-
sibly to a little suspicion. The resolution •referred
to the care and labour which, at the request of a
preceding conference, he had bestowed upon the
preparation of a bill upon the subject of reform,
which, in its main provisions, appeared to him
eminently adapted to meet the wishes of the great
body of earnest refoimers throughout the kingdom.
If was more than a year since that conference was
held, and he had not from that day to this referred
to what was said at it ; but, speaking from recol-
lection, he believed that he had not failed to point
out his knowledge and his appreciation of the
difficulties of the task to which he was requested
• to devote himself. (Hear, hear.) He stated then,
he believed; as he had stated since more than once,
that it was not in the nature of things that a non-
. official member of the House of Commons should be
able to pass through that house a satisfactory and
a comprehensive measure on a great public ques-
tion like this—(hear)—and that it would be
necessary that the bill, to succeed, should be in-
- trodueed by the united force, and defended by the
united force and interest of a Cabinet. (Hear.)
The object of his preparing the bill with a view to
submit it to the house was, not so much that he ex-
pected to be able to pass it, as to lay before the
house and the country something which should in-
dicate to Parliament and to the Government the sort
of measure which those 'why were in favour of re-
form were looking for at some not very distant
period. (Cheers.) lie prepared that bill with the
help of two or three friends, for whose assistance he
was exceedingly grateful, for ho never should have
been able to accomplish it if left to himself ; and he
Stated to the country as explicitly as he could • its
main features, and thought there was no point of
any importance which was left doubtin " after the
various speeches he had made upon the subject'
(Hear.) But that bill was not brought before the.
House of Commons. The gentlemen who supported
'Lord Derby's Covernment and party were very
mini-
tms indeed that it should be breurht before the
house, so that its large and, as some people thought,
its alarming features, might be centraAed with tat:
moderate propositions of their own measure ; think-
in' that cert2in persons would be ind:leed to sup-
po7-te heal under the apprehension that there was
Ile pOillt on which Parliament could act between
the bill of Lord "Derby and the one he (Mr. Bright)
psei,esed, lie, hoes-veer, thought it ;rust that Lord
should be before the •house, and be
looked et be itself, so that they might be able pro-
perly for form a correct opinion upon it. The result
_was that he (Mr. Bright) Withheld• his, bill, and
Lord Derby's bill, as-they knew, was destroyed and
• • buried, and for it he believed and hoped there was
no kind of resurrection. (Hear. hear.) Then came
the question whether his bill should come on, to
which he believed there was an allusion in the re-
port which had been read. He went down to the
house on the night the diSsolution was announced.
He intended to give notice for the introduction of