New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-03-29
EUROPE.
The New English Reform
Bill.
Details Of the Bill Explained by Dir.
Gladstone.
The Views Of Messrs. LoUo and
Bright.
The Rights Of English WOrkingmen
The New Bill Leaves -Four out Of Five
Millions Unrepresented

Chancellor OF the Exchequer introduced the Reform
BILL He commenced by touching briefly on the previous
history of the question from the tins OF MIR. Locke
Kings $40 county franchise in 1851 with the object OF
showing that the responsibility Of dealing with 1t
rested not with the Government bat with all parties
in the House of Commons. He stated that this was the
first domestic question which had been discussed in the
fr Cabinet after Lord Palnersons death and he de-
scribed the wboh had been takon TO procure
information a. 10 the state OF TIE constituencies lie
attributed the denv which had taken place ia bringing
forward the b not 10 vacilaton on the part OF TIE
Government. bad been imputed to them, Out 10 tne
tIne necessary for obtaining the returns ~ lie most
accurate and complete FORM anil be expressed strong
conviction that when the House had examined The STA
tistcs laid before them they wcUld be Of opinion tha
the time had been very yaluaby employed.
He announced that the Government. though thor
oughy sensible Of tho importance Of general review
Of the electoral system In which be included Des az
the reduction OF the franchise. redistribution OF
seats and some attempt " deal With corrupt practices
at elections had determined at the present moment 10
deal only with the most pressing Dari oil the question
the extension of the franchise. and he justified this de-
csion Nv referring to the period OF the Session which
which wouli make IL impossible even with the most
rapid pr gress TO seld the bill to ihe House OF Lords
before the middle OF July He mentioned that the ds
question, out Of which the first Reform Bill Issued occu
pied 100 nights and contended that the complete treat
nent Of this complex question WAS beyond tie handling
of ono session. lie proceeded at once to untold tie
i
in which it proposed To reduce the $50 10 Ala
OCCUPATION OF house, with or without land This. no
calculated. would odd III 900 persons-1lnost entirely
Q. the middle ciassos-to the present constituency.
lie proposed also 10 put the possessors OF copyho
and leasohods within Parliamentary borougbs IN the
Same POSITION a. freehoders he discussed next the
question of "fincy" OF. as he termed III IN special
fran ohises taking generally an unflvoabc view ot
them. but making an exception OF tie saVlngs-oanks
Franchise and ntimated that tie bal would give vote
for the place where he resided to every deposition OF %
OF two years standing. subject 10 the obligation OF max
ing an annual clsim. He showed that this would reach
some men not got IT by the tenure ara oceu'
patton Franchises though he anticipated thai the aldi
ton to III. constituency would not De large and would
De found chiefly in the county Constituencies Passing to
the borough CONTINGENCIES he DIV ded TIE persons TO be
dealt with nndoT four heGds-hss' those VINO lhbhDl1
separate houses and pay their own rates; secondly.
who iDhabit their own houses and are separately
rated but do not pay their own rates commonly called
compound householder thirdly the Inhabitants oil
portions % houses who do not pay rates separately
and fOrTthly dodgers proper.
He entered into the statistics OF the borough con
stitueneios showing that while the popula ION OF the
boroughs had Increased 70 per ceni. the nber Of
voters had only increased 70 per cent since 1892 ynd
he stated that Of tue 4sy 900 voters Ia the towns IL coo
or 20 Der cent belonged Ia the working classes lie
ackno that thus result Of the statistics hsd some
what surprised him; but in reply 10 those who were
disposed 10 feliciiate themselves upon H. he demon
srated by elaborate statistics that the working class
eencut was very uBeQuay distributed. the proportion
in co boz oughs being oIe-thrd and III 80 others not
more than ole tenth and that the proportion had been
I
were ~ per cent OF the hole body Adyerting for
moment 10 the operation Of the working class element
on the balance OF parties be drew attention. for the
com ISOLATION II the Opposition TO the Significant fuct
that the metropolitan boroughs in which there was the
smallest proportion Of working men, bad been most con-
sstent IN returning members opposed 10 CONSERVATIVE
/ views.
! Tie extensions n the borough franchise cOntem.
plated in the Eli affected two classesthOse who lived
10 houses above fl0. and those who lived IN houses
below that value With regard 10 the first, he stated
%, : M cd IN
which would add % 600 persons to the register and 1t
was proposed 60 uire that the name OF the COM
hons ehodcT whose rates paid by the land
lord she aid De placed the ratebook. whence 1t wold
pass by spontaneous process 10 the register. ana IN
Ills manner he calculated b. COO new voters would be
erected He proposed to deal with persons occupying
noriions of house (fats tor instance) ard od gers
proper In the same manDer-yi8: 10 allow them 10 be
placed on the register II they could show by an annual
claim that the premises which they occupied were OF
the annual value OF $40 lie proessed himself unable
10 give any information the numbers which ihls
proposition would add TO the constituent body but CON
jectured that they would be almost entre! oi TIE MD
die class
He next discussed the respective advantages of rem
tai aud rating bases OF the franchise arriving at the
conc that tie best basis was tie clear ANNA!
value and be stated that tie bin proposed to ascertain
this from the gross estimated rental column OF the
rate book. He showed that t6 franchise would add
PAP 900 Of the working classes TO the town constuel
ces which, added TO their present number, 4s,OOl
would give them a clear majority IN the town., and
that be believed Parliament would neither be willing
nor was called upon TO do He then announced thai
Tie Government had decided 10 propose AZ rental
suffrage which. making AL the deductions requisite
would enfranchise $4,000 worknenen, aud showed
that whereas $40 franchise eon!d not easily be at
tanned by d working man who Lad not ~ week
wages the 81 Franchise could be reached WITH 2os
weekly wages lie recapitulated some Of the prinepl
features OF the summing up the general re-
rut as on addition Of 800 200 voters 10 the constituent
BODY OF whom 200 belonged TO the working classes
ANA this he said would amcunt 10 representation OF
somewh here about two in five Of the working classes
lie mentioned that the necessity OF residence would be
abolished and that dockyard laborers would be de-
prlyed Of their votes and concluded with an eloquent
appe al 10 the House 10 make timely concession ~ the
just claims OF the working classes
Mr.. Horseman in a highly pungent and effective
speech, traced the history oil the Reform agitation
with view OF showing that the revival Of the question
sprang from Lord Russes ideas OF the necessities OF
his own position and not from any real desire for II on
the part OF the people and that 1t kept alive solely
BIZ the exertions of small and noisy party to whom
the balanced state of parties gave nndeseved prom
inence He showed that Mr.. Locke kng's Bill of sj
10 which Mr. Gladstone lad referred as the st express
sion Of the House oil Commons in favor OF Reform. was
rejected the second reading by three to one and
laid down three essentials for the satisfactory handling
of this quesfion-that il should be dealt with by q
strong Government that IL should be settled for gen
Grafton least aud that the government should have
power, If necessary TO appeal to the country by as
solution. d, ,
In treating the first point he drew sarcastic parallel
between the constitution of this and the last Ministry
and ON the second he criticized with great severity the
hand to mouth manner In wbich this bill dealt with
the subject With regard to dissolution he contended
that the people had already pronounced unequiyoeay
against Reform and that another dissolution upon THIS
issue was Impossible He attributed the sudden
ception Of this bill in time profound calm to the
tendency which Mr.. Bright had obtained over Lord
Russell and asserted that 1t had been forced BY that
conjunction on an unwilling Cabinet. He quoted sew
ers passages from speeches Of Mr. Bright contendng
that his motive in raising cry for reform was hostility
10 the Constitution. and called tbs Liberal party to
| resist the domination Of an intoerant minority.
The debate was resumed on March - by Mr.. Lowe,
who, sf.er few remarks on the importance Of the
question pointed ont that the object in revising the
franchise ought not 10 be simply the representation Of
40. 49, h.& clsss or rlacA Init tina con the