Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-03-24
THURSDAY, MARCH "a. 1859.
Enc New Parliamentary Reform BIN.

Late arrivals from Liverpool bring intellI-
pence Of the introduction into Parliament by
the Ministry of the long expected reform
bill.
The House of Commons consists of 656
members, of which 253 are from the counties
and 4O5 from boroughs or towns. The reform
bill of 1882, the passage of which shook the
KINGDOM to it's centre, did not increase the
nuu1ber of members. It's great feature was
the qualification of voters in the boroughs
entitled to be represented in Parliament,
which was the payment of rent OF 500 or
upward, or the possession of property to the
same amount. AS three-ffths Of the MEM
bers of the House of Commons thus consist
q I of the members from boroughs, and three
fths of the qualified voters in the boroughs
were persons who rented tenements at from
$40 10 500. il resulted that the entire COM
mand of the House, and through it, of the
country. rested in that class of voters, a
majority of whom were small traders or shop
keepers, or persons whom they Influenced.
This 9lO or $50 clause, as it was called,
the saracious advocates of reform regarded
as ''securing the constitution on Democratic
ba.sis.r The effect of it unquestionably was,
to take the government entirely out of the
hands of the arlstocracy and place 1t III pos
session of the small traders. The British
historian, ALLISON, who was vehemently
opposed to the bill, remarks that, Great
Britain, if not nation of shop-keepers, as
had been said by the elder Napoleon, had at
least. ever since the passage of the bill, "deen
q ,uernm By the shop-kePers."
This result however, was not calculated
upon by the distinguished statesman, EARL
GKEY, who, the lifelong friend OF Parllamen-
tary reform, at the head of the government,
carried the measure through in spite Of
obstacles of the most formidable character.
He was prepared, as he said in the memorable
speech made by him in the beginning OF the
struggle to 'stand or fall by his order" and
vet he cxcrted all his influence to carry
through measure which politically nullified
that order. and substituted that OF small
traders in its room. He said and really be-
lieyed il was 1.-The most aristOcratic measure
Q yer brought forward in Parliament" but II
hal a directly contrary tendency to what ne
intended, and ere long precipitated himself
from mower and his "order' from the dominant
position Il had so long held in English society.
He was, of course, not ignorant of the prepon-
derating strength which the boroughs would
derive from the bill, but he was deluded In re-
gard To the influence which he confidently
believed the aristocracy would be able
habiuaIly to exeacise over these boroughs.
In the counties, the reform law of 1882
left the forty-shilling free hold qualification
n it had previously existed, and extended
the franchise to house holds paying $50
mt, and to renters paying rent OF 5000.
The new bill recently introduced provides
for the exercise of the elective franchise by
all possessors of freehold estates of the yearly
value of $40 over and about all membranes
by all possessors of copy-hold estates, OF
life estates, and of thirty year lease-hoid
estates in lands of the yearly value OF SO
by all tenants of lands of the yearly value oil
s5O-by all possessed of yearly income
from government annuities or government
stocks Of not less than $50-by all who have
an income of 500 from pensions, and by all
who shall have deposit to the amount oil
$500 in any savings bank.
A striking feature in the new bill is what
are termed the education qualilcations,w which
confer the right of suffrage on all graduates
of the Universities, all ordained priests and
deacons of the English Church, all minister's
of other religious denominations in charge OF
any chapel place or of worship, all barristers
and sergeants at law, all certified attorneys
and solicitors, all members of the medical
profession, and all schoolmasters holding
certificates from the Council of Education.
1t is estimated that under the provisions OF
the bill the Increase in the number OF voters
will be 100000.
One prime defect in this bill, as in the bill
OF 1882, islthat it leaves labor unrepresented.
This omission may possibly occasion the defeat
of the BILL Ii is manifest that sooner or
later the laboring classes viii be directly
represented in Parliament.