The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-08 00:00:00

WHITSUNTIDE RECESS.
In reply to an HON. MEMBER,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
usual course would be followed, viz., the house would atits
rising on Friday adjourn until the Thursday following.
THE DERBY DAY.

matter.

An HON. MEMBER asked whether it was intended
to adjourn over the Derby Day ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said such an
arrangement was effected by private arrangement.

THE REDISTRIBTION OF SEATS BILL.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. having

moved that the orders of the day be postponed until after
the notice of motion relative to the Redistribution of Seats
Bill and the amendment of the Representation of the People
in Scotland and Ireland, said—l rise, sir, to ask leave to
introduce a bill for the Redistribution of Seats; and though
my duty will not, I hope, require me to detain the house
for any great length of time, yet I will commence by point-
ing out that I shall have to advert to three subjects seve-
rally. The first will be to the redistribution of seats pro-
perly so-called ; the second will be as to certain questions
appertaining to the provisions most fit and convenient to
be made with regard to the boundaries of Parliamentary
boroughs ; and the third will be with respect to that ques-
tion of procedure upon those bills on which so much has
been said, and so much interest is felt. Now, with regard
to the redistribution of seats, I will say a word in the com-
mencement as to the principles on which it should proceed.
And I must state, on behalf of my colleagues and on my
own behalf, that we have never seen any room for doubt
or entertained any desire for innovation in regard to those
principles. There is, indeed, in detail an almost boundless
number of questions that may b 2 raised in disposing of the
subject of the redistribution of seats, and there may be a
fair difference of opinion, also, as to the scale on which
those principles should be applied. The process is a double
one : first of all, there is the process of disfranchisement ;
and secondly, the process of enfranchisement. And I do not
think, as to one or the other, there has ever been developed
in this house, or among the various Governments that
have dealt with the subject, any serious difference of opinion
as to the principles on which these two processes should
be conducted. In every case in which there has been an
attempt to bring about a redistribution of seats, namely,
in 1854, 1859, and 18G0, the seats which it was necessary
to obtain have been obtained, not by extinguishing, but
by limiting the representation of small boroughs. Now,
with respect to these small boroughs, it is well we should
understand in what view and in what sense we propose
to deal with them. There is an impression too widely
spread, perhaps, in the superficial opinion of the public,
that by the extinction or restraint of the representation of
small boroughs which may be attemlted in a Redistribu-
tion of Seats Bill, we may attain the invaluable purpose of
putting an end to corruption at Parliamentary elections.
Now, no person who has ever been cognisant of this sub-
ject in a responsible capacity has dreamt of carrying the
process of redistribution of seats and the extinction or re-
straint of the representation of small boroughs to a point
which would make it in any way effectual for the purpose
of putting a stop to Parliamentary corruption. When we
speak of small boroughs, there is no precise definition of
the term. We may, however, be generally understood to