Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-05-24
RUTLAND HERALD.
FRIDAY, MAY is, 1866.
y,.~r.ss i'm the Old World - Hope
for the New.

u
IN England and Wales, Mr.. Gladstone
K one Of the ablest and most Sasacious
statesmen In Europe and is the present
English Chancellor of the EXchequer.-
The bin introduced extends the right of
voting for member OF Parliament tor a
county to every person OF full age, and
subiect to no legal disability who has
for twelve months occupied premises OF
the yearly value OF ga and upward
The qualifications for voting for men,
her of Parliament for a borough are still
lower. For such member any person can
vote who has for year occupied premi-
SEES OF the yearly value of 81; or who
has for six months occupied lodgings,
being part o, Il dwelling. house, the year
" rent OF the lodgings unfinished being
not less than elO; or who has for two
years had balance OF $50 deposited in
any savings bank. Votes must be reg
istered.
This is q great step forward in parlia-
mentary reform, and in the progress Of
civil liberty. The present county roqut-
site is $50, which the bill reduces to
Gl4 giving an addition of 1900 to the
county voters. The other changes pro-
posed by the bill would add 100000 to
the entire voting population, making
the aggregate of $4,000 for counties,
and 514,0 900 for towns. The provisions
of the bill do not, however, apply to
Ireland or Scotland.
This reform bill has had a severe trial
in the House OF Commons, where it
passed to second reading by only five
majority, whereas the ministerial party
had some 60 majority at the opening Of
the session. The London Times claims
that the majority for the bill is so small
that the vote on it really amounts to
defeat, and actually took it for granted
that the ministers would resign. But
Gladstone, the leader in the movement,
is made OF sterner stuff and is determin-
ed to brave the dangers of the hour and
resoldtely persevere to the end,
But the best and most gratifying fea-
ture, to US at least in this English move
ment, is the compliment which our re-
cent struggle has forced from the Eng
fish aristocracy. Gladstone, in his final
and brilliont speech on the bill, cited the
United States as proof that a govern
ment may be free and extremely liberal
in its institutions, and be all the strong
er and more endurable. Heretofore the
tory or conservative statesmen of Eng
gland have held us up as an illustration
of the weakness of free and liberal in
situations. But our trials in four years
of civil war, and the condition in which
the loyal States were left, after SO long,
so bloody and so eXhausting q conflict,
have astonished English statesmen, and
filled their minds with wonder and ad-
miration- The advocates of progress in
English civil liberty now point to US
with exulting pride, creating in US a be-
lief that hencefOrth our government and
flag are to be more than ever respected
throughout the w0rld-that the Amcri-
can citizens will now tread European
earth with firmer and prouder step
than at any previous period of our his
tory.
Mr.. Gladstone belongs neither 10 the
Tory or Whig-the conservative or pro-
gressive party in England, and acts in
dependently of both. But he is a man
of extraordinary character and ability
and his influence will be great in bring
ing forward the suffrage reform he has
undertaken. In his final speech on the
bill he said:
We stand or fall with the bill as has
been declared by my noble friend
(Cheers,} We stand with it now we
may fall with it short time hence and
We do we shall rise with it hereafter.
(dreat cheering.) | shall not attempt to
measure with precision the forces that
are to be arrayed in the coming strug-
gle, Perhaps the great division Of to-
night is not the last that must take place
in the contest. You may possibly sue
coed at some point of the struggle. You
10y AA4FS US lIOlIi Oul SCdLs. Ou may
0ury the BILL that we have introduced,
put for its epitaph we will write upon
Its gravestone this line, with certain
confidence in its fulflllment--
'Exoriarc aliquis nostris ex ossibus ultor.
(Cheers.) You cannot fight against
the future. Time is on our side
(Cheers.) The great social forces which
move on in their might and majesty, and
which the tumult Of our debates does
not for a moment impede or disturb
those great social forces are against
you; they are marshaled on our side
and the banner which we now carry
though perhaps at some moment it NAV
droop over our sinking heads, vet it soon
again will float in the eye of heaven, and
it will be borne by the firm hands Of the
united people of the three kingdoms,
perhaps not to an easy, but to certain
and to q not distant victory.
a PREDIoAMENT.-The habeas corpus
act which President johnson has ap-