The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-16 00:00:00

BRIGHTON.

A very large meeting was held on Monday night
at the Town-hall, Brighton, convened by the Mayor,
Mr. J. B. Burrows, in compliance with a requisi_
tion. The mooting was addressed, in addition to
several other speakers who denounced the Govern-
ment measure as a sham and a Conservative juggle,
by Sir George Brooke Pechell and Mr. W. Coning.
ham, the borough members, and also by Mr. J. G.
Dodson, the representative of the. Liberal interest
in the eastern division of the county. A resolution
was unanimously adopted to the effect that the
proposed measure leaves untouched the small and
corrupt nomination boroughs ; narrows instead of
extends the franchise, by destroying the most
ancient and independent of our freehold votes ; and
does not recognize the claims to the franchise of the
industrial classes, whose intelligence and skill
entitle them to a fair consideration of any change
in Government ; and requestin6 the members for the
borough and the eastern division of the county to
oppose the bill by all the means in their power.
A resolution was also adopted to the effect
that a petition against the bill should be sent to.the
House of Commons._ .

Sir G. PECIIELL, in his speech, advised the peoplo
to pour in petitions to the House of Commons. The
Government of Lord Derby had propounded a bill
for what they called a reform of the House of Com-
mons. (Laughter.) That bill deeply affected this
borough and the constituency of East Sussex, for it
totally ignored all redress to the grievances of the
working classes, who were competent not only to
possess but to exercise tho franchise. (Applause.)
He had examined the bill, and found in it quite
enough to make him sick of the whole affair; for
after disfranchising the freeholders in boroughs,
and after ignoring the working classes, he could not
find that it made any provision or protection for
the voter. (Hear.) The ballot became every day
more and more necessary, and it might be relied on
that his best endeavours would be used to obtain
that satisfaction. (Applause.) The Liberal members
must merge all their minor differences in order to
obtain one common object—(loud applause) ; those
members must also act independently—they must
not be fearful of their seats, but put confidence in
the justice of their constituencies if sent back to
them. (Hear.) If they did that it would not be long
before they put an end to that bill, which was a
delusion to the country, and not long before their
constituencies were in possession of those rights and
position which they demanded. (Hear, hear.)
W. CONINGIIAM, Esq., M.P., then came forward and
was greeted with renewed and prolonged cheering.
This having subsided, he proceeded to say,—Mr.
Mayor and gentlemen, I have great pleasure in
meeting you here this evening upon what a witty
friend of m'ne calls the scaffold—(laughter)—but
the object of our unanimity, gentlemen, is what I
may call the anti-Reform Bill brought in by the
Tory Government. It is a Reform Bill only in
name. It is to decapitate the Reform Bill. (Hear,
hear.) I hope that we appear this evening, as I
said before, upon the scaffold. (Laughter.) My
opinion of the bill was formed the very evening
that the summary of it appeared in the Times news-
paper. I attended a meeting of Liberal members
which took place that day in order to consider
what steps we should adopt before the House of
Commons; and I can only say for my part that
I expressed the most emphatic opinion that
if that summary embodied the Reform Bill
which was to be laid before the house that
evening, it should receive my most uncompromising
opposition in every shape in my power. (Cheers.)
But, gentlemen, the intentions of the Tory party
are not merely confined to the constitution. They
have commenced an attack on the English lan-
guage—(laughter)—for, after proposing to disfran-
chise the freeholders—the enlightened proprietors
of the 40s. freeholds, numbering something like
100,000 men—the leader of the House of Commons
has the effrontery to come down and say that he
does not intend to disfranchise, but only to dis-
qualify, certain voters. (Laughter and cheers.)
Sir, it is high time this Tory party, that seems to
think it has the monopoly of all the intelligence as
well as a large portion of the wealth throughout
the country, should go to school. (Laughter.)
It is very clear that they are behind the
age —(hear,, hear) --that public opinion out
of doors has made such rapid strides that
even the House of Commons, Liberal as
it is, compared to the House of Peers
(hear, hear)—is still behind and has not yet kept
pace with that public ophiion out of doors; and I
feel perfectly convinced that if the Popular element
' were fully and fairly represented in the House of
Commons, so far from conducing to the injury of
the real interests of the country—not the vested
interests, perhaps, gentlemen—(hear, hear)—it
would largely conduce to the prosperity of the
country, that you would see the Legislature of this