The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-04
Tnn disnnssion Of the REFORM ques-

THz discussion of the reform ques-
ton at the opening of Parliament stirs
to their depths the correspondents Of
the London Times, who are neverthe-
less compelled to be brief by reason of
the claim made on the room of that
iournal by the debates. One of these
gentlemen, who has taken alarm at the
idea of lowering the franchise, sends
some extracts from debate in the AS
sembly of New South Wales, a BODY
which is elected by ballot and manhood
suffrage. The extracts are taken from
the Sydney Morning Herald of the 24th
of November, 1856. The subject of de-
bate Sas picnic given to its support
ers by the government, for which it was
alleged that free railway tickets were
Illegally issued, and at which much
drunkenness Was said to have prevail
ed: ials.7-r 7ag DO zEa -Ie1E l
"Mr. Cowper, leader of the Opposi-
tion.-Was it because members were
implicated in a dishonest transaction
that the public were TO be robbed in
this way? rrr 4il-ss t1.a
"Mr. DeSalis.-If any one charged
him with drunkenness (which nobody
had(, he would say il was a lie.
Mr.. Dignam describes the picnic. Il
travel up the river twelve miles in a
boat. God knows my shirt was wiring
ing wet. l go in for feed, and then 1
| slip of. We had saddles of mutton
and what dye call it, and everything
that's nice. There was no mistake
about it. It was f1ummocker Cwhat-
ever that is, DC.
"Mr. Macpherson charged Mr.. Mar
tin, encouragement and premier, with
10 Nil 4
"Mr. Martin.-It is false. T. re-
"Mr. Macpherson.-He has uttered
the greatest lie that he has uttered since
he swore a lie. lll- g...- 80
"Mr. Martin, Premier.-If the honor
able member accused him OF resorting
he MIR. Martin) held any other position
than he now held, such language
would be followed by personal violence.
| Mr. Buckhannn.-The Botany Bay
aristocrats were the most unmannered
dogs he had ever seen. t1f the Ian
guage had been used TO me would
have gone and wrung the honorable
members head off, &C."
"Imagine," says this correspondent,
who signs himself QUA Timet,-
''Imagine the feelings with which men
" ofproperty and cultivation must read
" these debates of their House OF Com
mons, and consider, not whether it is
"wise to establish such things here,
"but to make any considerable ad-
vance towards them" Its certainly
unpleasant to hear one honorable gem
tleman SO far forgetting the rules of
courtesy as to manifest an open desire
to punch another honorable geutIe-
mans head, but when the standard of
manners in the colonies becomes some
what more elevated, probably these
outbreaks will nearly disappear. Even
in our own Congress there are still &C.
casional displays of boorishness,-in-
deed one was reported only yesterday,
but they are always CONDEMNED with
out stint by public opinion through the
press, and the offending members usu-
ally come to feel heartily ashamed of
their offence. We are glad to believe
that such occasions are growing more
and more rare every year, and that too
without any curtailment of the sufF-
rage. As for England, the progress of
reform there is not likely to be sufiici-
emily rapid to make any conspicuous
change in the character of Parliament.