The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-22 00:00:00

PARLL

NENTARY REFORM
MEETINGS.

GREAT MEETING AT NORWICH.

A public meeting on the subject of Parlia-
mentary Reform was held last night at Norwich,
at which there were three thousand persons present.
Lord Bury addressed the meeting, and great en-
thusiasm was manifested.

MEETING AT PORT GLASGOW.
• A meeting of the inhabitants of Port Glasgow
was held in the Town-hall, on Tuesday evening,

for the purpose of expressing their opinion on the
question of Parliamentary Itethrm ; Bailie M‘ Callum
acting chief magistrate, in the chair. The hall was
crowded by a very respectable audience.
The CHAIRMAN, on rising, was received with
much applause. On opening the proceedings he
said—The word reform had always been regarded
by the authorities of Port Glasgow as synonymous
with sedition. To have talked of reform was a
crime. It was not more than 30 Years since a

small patriotic band, consisting of some half-a-
dozen, proposed to form themselves into a society
for the purpose of promoting reform in Parlia-
ment. In those days there were no Whig
provost, no Liberal bailie in Port Glasgow--
What was the result ? The Tory authorities
of the day held a special meeting for the
purpose of putting down the seditious union.
Large numbers of special constables were
sworn in at the Council Chamber, who were
furnished with batons to break the heads of

the reformers. One independent liberal individual
refused to carry arms against the reformers, and
had a narrow escape from prison for his temerity.
He congratulated them and the country upon the
progress which the liberty of speech had made
since that period.
Mr. MALCOLM MPARLANE then addressed the

leeting on Parliamentary Reform, showing many
reasons for an alteration in the representation of
the country and the necessity for having the work-
ing classes better represented in Parliament than
they are at present, and expressed himself a$
favourable to manhood suffrage.
Mr. MATTHEW CULLEN, Glasgow, next addressed
the meeting; and warmly advocated manhood suf-
frage, and expressed a hope that the meeting would
express themselves in favour of such a measure.
Mr. CAIRD moved the first resolution, " That the
inhabitants of Port-Glasgow, in public meeting
assembled, hail with pleasure the national expres-
sion elicited since Mr. Bright's appeal b the
country on the subject of Parliamentary Reform,
and consider that we will best respond to his
appeal by stating what we believe to be just
and prudent, trusting to his political integrity
and discretion on any measure of reform that may
be introduced in the next session of parliament,
and that we approve of the principles of man-
hood suffrage with a residential qualification, as the
plainest, most just, and best adapted to the opinions•
and circumstances of the people of this country."
Mr. A. WM.= r seconded the resolution, which
was carried unanimously.
Mr. J. MBE DE moved the second resolution,
viz.:—" That to enable the electors to give a free
and unbiassed expression of their opinions, it is ne-
cessary they should have the protection of the
ballot; and, therefore, no measure of reform can be
satisfactory to the country which does not include
vote by ballot." He then- entered briefly into the
points of dispute existing on this subject, and
showed the necessity there was for protecting the
voters from influence.
Mr. W. STEWART seconded the resolution, which,
being put to the meeting, was heartily agreed to.
Mr. GLENDINNING moved the third resolution as
follows : " That we believe that septennial
Parliaments are calculated to retard rather than
advance the progress and prosperity of the nation ;
and that a shorter duration of Parliament is a mom/
and political necessity."
Mr. M‘DoNALD seconded the resolution, which
was also carried, as was another to the effect that
the foregoing resolutions be transmitted to Lord
Derby and to Mr. Bright, M.P.

MR, BRIGI/TS .REFORM BILL,

(From the jifortibq Advertiser.)

The Times is very unhappy in its opposition to
Mr. Bright's measure of Reform. It says that he
does not do justice:to certain counties, and instances
Bedfordshire and Berkshire, probably as the-first
on the alphabetical list. Let us examine those
cases. At present we have four members returned
by Bedfordshire—two for the county and two for
the borough. Mr. Bright's bill proposes to take
away one of the borough members ; and when We
consider this petty county town has only a popula-
tion of about 12,000, we may surely consider one
representative quite sufficient for it. Bedfordshire
will thus have three county representatives ; for
the member for the borough can hardly be regarded
in any other light than as an additional represen-
tative of the agricultural population. Thus Bed-
fordshire, with a total population of 124,478, has
three members, or one member for every 41,500 of
the population. Mr. Bright proposes to give the
town constituencie, which make up the vast aggre-
gate city called 11w Metropolis only one member
for every 49,000. Bedfordshire therefore, with ito
rural interests, plainly has the advantage.
Berkshire, with a population of 170,065 is to re-
tain seven members, or about one representativefor
every 25,000 inhabitants. It only loses its member
for Abingdon and one of its members for' Windsor,
and by the new arrangement will stand thus :

Members.

County population 130,949
Reading
Wallingford
Windsor

170,0'65 7
At present a borough population of about 45,000
in this county returns six representatives, which
arrangement any one can at, a glance perceive to
be absurd and unfair. We have rather some rea•
son to complain that this. and-other counties hay°
been too leniently dealt with ; and if the Whigs cl°
not support the Inca mre of Mr.Brighttheyincuran
almost certain risk of total extinction, for ever,'
one knows that the main reliance of their leaders is
placed on the smaller borough members.
The next county on the list is Buckinghamshire►
which will be left with six members for a popula•
tion of 163,723, or one member for every 27,000.
It loses two representatives for each of the small
boroughs of Marlow and Wycombe, and one of the
pair who sit for the county town. As amended it
will stand thus :

Members. ]

County population 128,860
Aylesbury
Buckingham

.. 3
.. 2
.. 1

Members.
9.

County population .... 182,665
London
Finsbury 323,772

,
'3larylelione
Tower' Hamlet-, 539,111
Westminster
Chelsea
Kensington

Members•

163,723 6
So in this county also we have a manifest aa:
v.antage and preponderance still left to the agricur
tural interest. It will be in fact almost twice a°
well represented in Parliament as the great city
constituencies by the new arrangement. We do
not mean to say that this is invariably the case
with all the agricultural counties. Every measure
must be in some respects a compromise, and what
the city constituencies lose in one direction thei
are quite entitled to gain in another. Our power
ful aristocratic interest always gets plenty of per
sons to bawl out and make a noise, whenever the
smallest apparent injustice is done to any one part
of its protected interests; but we must, in justice,
hear both sides of the question.
What most particularly concerns the inhabitants
of this metropolis in Mr. Bright's plan is the ar,i.
rangement which will be made in the counties 0
Middlesex and Surrey.
In the former, a total population of 1,886,570
will return 34 members, or one for very 55,000 0f
the population, according to the last census. At
present the numbers would give a result still more
in favour of an increased representation for the
metropolitan districts, which have largely increase.tl
in population during the last eight years. We shall
have in Middlesex,
.by Mr. Bright's arrange
ment:—

• 1,886,576 34
We may observe here that very possibly sonic
fairer arrangement of details may be made, in oract
to give the county population of Middlesex meta
members; and no Liberal would object to such ttil
arrangement, for the members for the county °f
Middlesex have almost always been good men.
The Eastern division of Surrey also, with its tow,
large metropolitan boroughs of Southwark
Lambeth, might very well afford to have two Inol
county members. By the new arrangement 111
would stand thus :