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

_PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

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-
Iham-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-
lkaim, 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,
iincludinn• 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
Iteform partv 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 the path
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
vas to he regarded as of equal importance with the
cause of reform, they ought to watch it—aristocra-
tic as it was—with some jealousy, lest it should be

used as the pretext fora 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. Ire 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 Adminis-
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. AV. JANSZN moved the first resolution :

" That this Conference desires to express its cordial
acknowledgments to Mr. Bright, M.P., for the ability with
which ho 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 in 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. BP.ISTOW, "M.P., seconded the motion, but_
reserved to himself the right of canvassing and deta-
in.- 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. Tat Lott 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
boroughs ; 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 expressed his conviction that every man of
full age, from 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 fran-
chise should be manhood and intelligence.
Mr. Sergeant PARRY 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 now had. 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
coa-Flttence that their intcrez:tt 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 lie wisht'd to state in the first place
that he was very much obliged to the gentlemen
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.eare 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 reformers throughout the kingdom.
It 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 recole
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-
troduced by the united force, and defended by the
united force and interest of a Cabinet. (Hear.)
The object of his prepaying 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 who were in favour of re-
form were looking for at son..e not very distant
period. (Cheers.) He prepared that bill with the
help of two or three friends, for whose assistance he
was exceedinglygrateful, for he 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 in doubt after the
various speeches he had made upon the subject.
(Hear.) But that bill was not brought before the
House of Commonl. The 7.;entlemen who supported
Lord Derby's Government and party were very an:li-
ons indeed that it should be brought before the
house, so that its large and, as some people thought,
itiaiarming features, might, hr cnntrasted with the
moderate propoitions of their own measure ; think-
ing that c.ert4ltt
-persons would be induced to sup-
port them under the apprehension that there was
no.point en which Parliament could act between
the bill of
_Lord Derby and the one he (Mr. Bright)
th•ouveht it best that Lord
proposed. Tie, however- "
Derby's bill should be before the Louse, era be
looked at by itself, so that they might he,
,able m
it. Ike result
pro-
perly to formt. correct opinion lie
was that he (Mr. Bright) withheld his bill, and
Lord,Derby's bill, as they knew, was destroyed and
buried, and tor it. he believed and hoped there was
no kind of resurrecting. (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