New-York tribune., 1867-03-27

answer 10 that question as emDOdled ID 6lG CH @ tL
was directly and emphatlcaly III ~ ~
oeSSafive The movement took its name IRON Ile Ile
programme laid down by the new helorlTTetS oi %S
which embraced six cardinal polhIs' VIZ, o%nSi
suffrage vote by ballot annual FaIulnoa, I ,rty,
olncfoTai districts the abolition OF Ile Plu?oi3
qualifications of representatives,, anu pay yIIad ILL
of members for their services lhis W. ,oa,ye-
the Peoples Charter. The failure oi ihe nlon nlohe
rt - matter of history Unfortunately f0r Tue
cause some of the ardent OF the lel4IehS d de
into excesses which gave the OOyellleO s,ip
nTessed by the strong arm Of the law. Inc NOV %
ment was not extngshed however Tor Gter ihe,
more prudent and cautious than the G carried
shortly afterward commenced an aglalon, 1ai' Cor
ON principally by means of the newspaper Pless' H.
the recognition Of the right of worknghen ~ . ;r0
suffrage. One of the fruits OF ii tniS ~ $40
was The formation at Birmingham! III Go7n, IoaS,
of a Society known as the Natlond1 Naond among
plete Suffrage Umon whSom f,roons oDSker Joseph
Surge and Edward Urial the able edltor oi &c nc
Non-confoImiN newspaper ADout fIltS tso ' 'hnnoIts
Corn law agitation began TO aCT9pp f an ncriod PaTa
ynenfary Reform fell into the background IoI NV
ever TO be entirely lost sight of Tor the n To
suffragsts the dscpleSGl nv meston Hm of popular
rights alive The great battle tOught' Ilo Pctopio
apparently rested their arms but ariiniontfmS fS
Reform was not allowed TO t sefP orenment ppT would
SGan be compelled to take into its ' t
01estiOn of an extension OF the iIanchse, alu ~ ~
address itself TO the completion Oh INC GoN t IJnyr
was be01n in 1852, when the illSI ,p pploN
T@s woS giyen 70 the privileged classes. There
were in Parliament few sturdy heioL hei t ~ mmo
did not allow single session to pass Wltil1us ~
inc the subject in one shape or anOlher peioio t @
House of Commons. Foremost among ri ,nieeo ond
John Bright the late Joseph hT, Im0 H leave TO
bring i'm bill TO amend the national representation
by extending the franchise. The measure pIoylueuii
other things r19g d0T YGg py of reDTesentaon
with population. Its introduction led to an interest,",
ing debate, but the motion was' OF course r'Jeoe"
1T fell to the lot of Lord John Russell, now Earl
Russell who took a leading part III carrying tne ne.
form bill of 1852 to propose to Parament 'TG a tsS 5e
did in 1852 when he introduced into the House Oh
Commons a measure of which the following were INC
principal provisions reduction OF the tlQ qualf.Ga .
ton for household voting to 70: reduction Oh tne
leasehod and cOpyhold qualification from tlO 70
f5 the giving of persons residing ont OF borough
and paying 40 shillings per annum assessed taxes,
tbe right of voting in the borough the repeal of the
property qualification of members OF Parlameht;
redistribution OF seats, and the alteration m 4a no
oath required of members of Parliament on taxing
their seats by the omission of the words on tne
true faith of Christian" He obtained leave 10
bring in the bill but such was the dlsiaVor II met
with that il was abandoned before the end OF the
session; although subsequently the property guam
cation of members was abolished. ana the iHn9-
mentary oath altered as had been proposed Ill tins
In 1884. Lord John Russell being then memberof
Lord Aberdeen's Government. for the second time IN,
trOduced measure of REFORM Inc new Diil piOpoeeu
the Acknowledgement of certain bOrOughs; reduc-
iOD i'm others of the number of representatives; re-
distribution of seats adding TO counties and towns
those taken from bOrOughs; the giving of two mem
bers TO the Inns Of Court and one TO the LONDON
University and the creation OF certain new YOilhg
qualifications such the receipt OF yearly salary
of flOO G1O a year from money invested IN the
Funds ESQ in a savings bank for period not less
than three years. and the payment OF 40 shngs an
nual taxes. But the period was unpr0ptlous iOrIe
form. The war with Russia came, TO divert the at
tenton of tn nation from the subject which was ac
COTdingly postponed TO " a more convenient season
I'm the wear 1859 Lord Derby, being then as hc is now
Prime Minister, Mr. DsTael, the Chancellor OF the tx
chequer, introduced into the House OF Commons
bill for improving the representation. BY that meas
ure il was proposed to entranchlse persons having
property TO the amount of fl0 year IN the funds or
in bank stock or in the East India Company; de
posts of $50 in the Savings Bank pensioners OF go
year. naval military, and civil; dwellers IN por-
tiOn of house, whose aggregate rent was 10 year.
graduates of Universities ministers of religion;
members of the legal profession and of the medical
body. and certain schoolmasters. In addition, the
bill proposed to recognize and identity suffrage
between the counties and towns. The bill was
nothing more, as Goyernment project, than Dld
for popular support, the Ministry being at the time
when its introduction was resolved on IN tottenng
condition. AThe move did not save them, however,
for on All adverse amendment proposed by Lord John
| Russell they were defeated, and dissolution fol-
/ lowed The general election, however brought them
no accession OF strength Tor in the new House they
were again beaten on test question and were com
| pelled To resign office Lord Derby was succeeded
! by Palmerston and i'll March, 1860, Lord John Rus
sell, being member of the new Ministry, brought
in a Reform bill. This measure proposed fG rental
franchise Win q reduction OF seats III IIe
and a corresponding increase IN the counties, ana
contained other provisions of liberal character but
it was received with such cOldnes5 by House that
was totally Indifferent to Reform that after lew
nights of debate, the subject was by general consent,
sheved till the next session. the Government being
! quietly a party 10 the postpORement. In the
! Session of 1861 the question was again renewed 70
be again postponed, aud this time for good and suf
cient reasOnsfor the effects of the civil war in this
country in cutting off the supplies of cotton had
begun TO make themselves painfully felt in the
manufacturing districts. serious calamity seemed
10 be impending over England, and III the presence
of this threatening danger the strife OF party politics
was hushed for a season. The Cotton famine
proved less disastrous than had been apprehended
but there were still two serious obstacles in
the way of Reform. The Lord PalmeTstOn
who, with bOastng professions of Hberalty
his lips, was nOtOriOusly Tory at heart. and was
never sincere IN his advocacy Of Reform. dealing
with the question: whether IN office or ont of 1T,
simply as political weapon. The other was the
American war, from which the reactionsts drew
arguments which they urged with the utmost vehe-
mence against any further concessions TO democracy
IL was not time, they said, to think of giving moro
power to the masses when republican government,
under the most favorable circumstances that could
be conceived for giving 1t fair trial, had proved an
utter and lamentable failure. These arguments had
weight even with men OF liberal sentiments in whose
breasts fear aternated with hope as to the issue Of the
terrible conflict going on in the United States At
length victory crowned the Federal arms; the Repub
Tic cemeTged from the four years bloody conflict more
glorious than ever and Rcpubcanisn stood vind-
Gated before the world. Then the RefOrmers Of
England took heart once more and the agitation for
tation of the people in their Parliament-was re-
newed and pushed forward in good earnest by the
men of progress The immediate result was the in
PRODUCTION of GladstOnes bill of last year. the defeat
of which was followed by the organized popular
movement that has shaken the old conservative
kingdom from center to circumference, and whose
ultimate and complete success is only question
of time.
We have already characterized the Reform bill of
1892 which. while il did good work in correcting
the most glaring anomalies then existing in the
working of the British Constitution left unsettled
the great question of the right of the mass of the
people to an adequate representation in Parliament.
This question the successive Reform measures since
introduced have never fairly grappled with. Tho