The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-01 00:00:00

•••••••••
thought the idea of a constituency in England should be.
this—it should be numerous enough to be mdependent,
select enough to be responsible—(cheers)--au the
constituency her Majesty's Ministers believe will laving ea
by the measure I propose to the house to-night.
laid before the house the character of the elective body, it
becomes me to state how we propose it shall be registered,
and how it may vote. (Hear, hear.) Tahe housee difference
Itawtre
that, under the present system, there_
is
method of registration in counties and boroughs.
In coun-
ties the list;
an elector makes his own. claim to be placedon e
s
in boroughs the list i made out by a public officer. It is
well known that great difficulty attends the county regis-
tration • nothing proves it more the fact that, not-
withstanding; the the increase in the population and wealth of
registration is a decaying one.
the country, the comitY
(Hear, hear.) _
This must always be the case if you surround
it with every obstacle. We propose to amend that system
entirely—we propose, in fact, that there shall be a self-
acting registry ; the overseer in every parish will make out
a list of owners as well as occupiers. Ibelieve there will be
no difficulty whatever in doing it, and clauses will be found
in the bill to ensure its complete accomplishment. If any
one is omitted from the list, whether owner or occupier, he
may make his claim, and in a supplementary list his name
will be inserted and sent to the clerk of the peace and the
revising barrister. That is the great change we propose
with regard to registration. There are other regulations of
considerable importance, but I have still other points to
allude to, and, though the house has treated me with great
indulgence, I feel I must not dwell much on this head.
(Hear, hear.) Now, being registered, how is the elector to
vote ? We wish to put an end to all those horrible
scandals that have of late years been discussed
in the house, and the bitter feelings and controver-
sies raised by the question—Are the travelling expenses of
electors to be paid by the candidates ? (Cheers.) Is there
no mode of terminating for ever what may be a scandal,
and is always a controversy. (Hear, hear.) When we are
reconstructing the constituent body of the country, and
completing its representation in this house, is it not the
fitting occasion to make an effort, lot merely to improve the
registration, but to ensure the registered vote being given in
the simplest and safest manner we can devise? (Cheers.) We
purpose, in the first place, that the number of polling places
throughout the country shall be greatly increased. (Hear.)
We propose that in every parish containing 200 electors
there shall be a polling place. (Hear, hear.) If a parish
does not contain 200 electors, then it will form one of a
group reaching that number, which will have a polling
place. Every man who votes will vote at the place where
he resides, wherever his qualification may be. To effect
that object there will not only be a qualific,ation register,
but a residence register. (Hear, hear.) It may be sal
these additional polling places ill be a great exii_ee 'to'cl
candidates ; but the bill provides that candidates Shall not
bear the expense of them. (Cheers.) If left to the candi-
date the expense would be very heavy ; if left to the country
it will be very little. Where there is a petty session there
is generally a police-station, or a room thatmaaya be hired,
hen.
,
and there are provisions in the bill which will satisfy
gentlemen that this
can be effected in a reasonably cheap
manner. If a man chooses to vote as he always has voted,
he may go to the polling place of his district and do so ;
but we propose also to allow the elector to vote, though he
may not choose to go to the poll, that he may vote by what
are called polling papers. (Hear, hear.) This is not an
experiment, or a thing adopted for the first time; there is
nothing empirical about it. For many years the people of
this country have been familiar with it; in the election of
Poor Law guardians the votes are taken by voting papers ;
the Metropolis Act, recently passed by the house, provides
that the elections under it may be taken by voting papers.
What is the result of giving this supplementary power to a
constituency ? Why it renders the expression of public
opinion more complete than under the existing system. Of
the constituent body under the Poor Law Act 90 per cent.
records its votes ; but, in the great electoral body of Eng-
land called on to elect the representatives of the British
people, and form this famous House of Parliament, that
affects the opinion of the world, and possesses the confidence
of the most toiling millions that were ever eongrgated in a
nation—how is that high privilege treated ? Not more
than 50 or 60 per cent. of that constituency records its votes
in the performance of that solemn duty. (Hear, hear.) But
it may be said voting by polling papers:maylead to persona-
tion; as if there was no personation now I In the history
of man there never was any improvement proposed which
the interests and passions of some would not distort; we
believe the electors can vote by polling papers without
personation, and in an honest and satisfactory manner.
Sir, I shall always go myself to the hustings--(a laugh)—
but if a man wishes to vote for his member by a polling
paper instead of going to the hustings, I see no objection to
his being allowed to do to. All he will have to do is to
write to the public officer and ask for a leolling paper, the
form of which will be found in the schedule of this bill. A
polling paper will be sent to him by the public officer in a
registered letter, and therefore you will have evidence of its
transmission. Ple will sign this paper in the presence of
two witnesses, one of whom must be a householder, and
then return it to the public officer, also in a registered letter.
Thus we shall have evidence of its transmission both way!;
and the polling paper will be opened before proper authori-
ties, and the man's vote will be duly recorded. I believe a
vote given by this instrumentality may be honestly and pro •
perly given, and that there will be no more deception or per-
sonation practised under this machinery than under the
open system which at present prevails. But lest there
should be any personation, we provide against it by making
it a misdemeanour under this bill. I have now placed
before the house—much more briefly than I ought, perhaps,
to have done, but they will pardon me if, in consequence of
the largeness of the theme, I may omit some of the details
which will be found in the bill—l have now placed before
you the leading features of what we propose to do with the
registration of the constituent body, and the method in
which their votes shall be taken. I have next to touch
upon a certainly not less important part of my subject. In
attempting to deal with the question popularly designated
Parliamentary Reform, her Majesty's Government have
endeavoured, as far as their intelligence could guide them,
to offer a proposition to the house which, consistently with
their conception of the principles upon which the English
constitution is founded, should secure for the country a
complete representation. One of our first considerations
was, of course, the electoral. ibody, upon which I have
treated at such length. But a complete representation does
not depend merely upon the electoral body, however varied
you may make its elements, however homogeneous its
character. It also depends upon whether, in your
system, the different interests of the country are ade-
quately represented. Now, discarding for ever that prin-
ciple of property upon which it has been my duty to
make some remarks, accepting it as a truth that the func-
tion of this house is to represent not the views of a nume-
rical majority—not merely the gross influence of a predomi-
nant property, but the varied interests of the country, we
have felt that on this occasion it was incumbent on us dili-
gently and even curiously to investigate the whole of Eng-
land and see whether there were interests not represented
in this house whose views we should wish to be heard
here, andwhether the general representation of the country
could be matured and completed. In undertaking this
office it must not be supposed that we have been animated
by a feeling that we would only do that which the hard
necessity of the case required. Had we been so influenced
it is possible we might have brought forward a measure
that would have served the purpose of the moment, and
yet left seeds behind us which might have germinated in
future troubles, controversies, and anxieties. We have
been sincerely desirous to adapt the scheme of 1832 to the
England of 1859, and to induce the house to come to a
general settlement, whether as regards the exercise of the
franchise or of the direct representation in this house of the
various interests of the community, which should take this
question for a long period out of the agitating thoughts of
men. We have sought to offer to the country, in the hope
that it will meet with its calm and serious approval, what
we believe to be a just and—l will not say a final, but—
conclusive settlement. Finality, sir, is not the language
of politics. (Cheers.) But it is our duty to propose an
arrangement which, as far as the circumstances of the age
in which we live can influence our opinion, will be a con-
clusive settlement. And we have laid it down as our task
to consider, without any respect to persons, what we
honestly think are the interests in the country that are not
represented, but which we should at this moment counsel
the house to add to their numbers. I venture to divide
this branch of the subject into the cases where there is a
want of representation and those where a representation
exists, but not an adequate one. We find both .of these
circumstances characteristic of the West Riding of York-
shire and South Lancashire. There there are distinct inte-
rests which are not represented in this house, and some
also which are very inadequately represented. I mean by
the term inadequately represented, to say that there are
several distinct interests, while the present members are
returned to this house by the predominant interest; the
other
d iuterests, which are considerable enough to challenge
claiman our consideration, being virtually unrepresented.'
-We propose, therefore, to add to the representation of the'
'West • '
members. Riding of Yorkshire four Here I will not
speak of population o
to offer or property, because we are not about
a proposition to the house formed merely upon
population or property. In the West Riding we find great
territory 70 miles in length, which weeri a
'We find another great divisionis
purely'
cultural.
of them important enough studded with towns, none
enough to be re
re: or having_ distinctive interests,
a wonderfurhive
of
yet in their aggregate constitut-
ingstill another portion of the
eUBNtvry
West Riding
energy ; and there is
blended and varied interests. We propose,
where there. are
add four members to the West propose, therefore, to
Riding of Yorkshire, and to
divide it not according to a mathematical arrangement as
to population, but according to its separate
interests.
principle of division will be in accordance This
with the local
demarcations of wapentakes. (Hear, hear.)
If property
be the test, the property here is identical ; for, hdwever
Varied is the number of their population, the property of
the wardentakes is as follows :—We propose that there
should be a West Yorkshire with a population of 472,000 and
a property of £963,000. That is the division in which you
Sid Keighley, Dewsbury, and a score of towns which you
cannot summon here, but which, if you adopt these prin--
eiplea for your constituent body, would be voting for county
members, and therefore they ought to vote with the dis-
tinct interest with which they are connected. We propose
that there shall be a North-west Yorkshire with a popu-
lation of 129,000, and a South Yorkshire with ones of
2252000. We propose these divisions; instead of an endless
division and subdivision without names, which is little in
harmony with our habits, and because these are the namee
which are used in the locality. With regard to the property'
of these divisions, varying as they do in interest and popu-
lation, its amount is almost identical in each. In one of
them the assessment to the county rates is £963,000,
in
another £809,000, and in the third £BOB,OOO. We props°
to add two members to South Lancashire--that is to
say, we propose to distribute the county of Lancashire
into three divisions. One will be the hundred o f
West Derby, and one the hundred of Salford. These'
divisions are the same as those proposed by the noble )
lord the member for London,except that of al
hundreds of North Lancashire
was inserted in West Derby
in his bill, and it now remains
This • with North Lanc'Whil_e
will be an addition of six to the
number of coun r
3nembers. The
add two ro re is another county to which we prop *se to
we erabers—that is the county of Middlesex, apropose to divide. • •bich
Kensington
and By dividing Middlesex the claim \a of
other suburban lielsea and Hammersmith, and a hund red
urged in this house,districts, the claims of which have be 'on
will
part of South Middlesex, while
provided for. They will for 113,
the other portion of the county,
while the distinctive interests c.
also be represented in this tY'the northern division, wiL
tions that we propose to house.make These are all the addi-
counties—eight members. tia the Tesentation. of the
the attention of the house to tleiOlasewi; my duty to call
they possess distinct interests which:laces which, because
Rented in this house, ought, in our e. •• are not duly repro-
represented here. The first place W'hic7lll, to be distinctly '
ought to be represented in the House of '110.„11r
town of Hartlepool and its immediate distric-ions 8 tut
(Hear.;
There is no place in England more distinguish., )
energy of its inhabitants, its rapid progress, and the
c
by the
of its industry. (Hear.) In North Durham there are feu ;
great towns which are represented, and there are two count. ;
members ; in South Durham there are two county member
and no town which is represented. I will not dwell on th se
population of Hartlepool ; I will not rest the granting of
member on that basis, though the population is very con -
sidorable, upwards of 30,000 ; but I rest it upon the rapi d
(ley, 'Opulent of its consjderahle Unjustly, and the very Ac t