Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-08-08
HOUSEHOLD SUFFRAGE In ENG.
LAND.
The Ministerial Reform Bill Passed i'm
the House Of COnnmons-Interesfin
Debate-vOices from the Tory, Con
sentative and Liberal Sides.

the Ministry, institutiug reform 10 the suf
frage laws. 1t will be remembered tina
the measure upon the same subject, pre-
scented by Mr.. Gladstone year ago, wal
defeated by decided vote. The latter was ;
much less expensive addition to the voting
elementthan the present. e. qualification
being the requisite proposed, whereas every
householder, under certain municipal regu-
lations, is now admitted-thus adding more
than half a million to the number of voters
It is a suffrage revolution in fact, rather
than a reform and its effects upon the
British constitution will be important. We
give below some extracts from the debate
in the Commons, which will serve to show
that English politics are as muddled as our
own:
Lord Cranbourne High Tory.
If it be a Conservative triumph to have
adopted the principles Of your most deter
mined adversary if it be a Conservative
triumph to have introduced bill guarded
with precautions and securities, and to have
abandoned every one of those precautions
and securities at the bidding of your oppo-
nents, then in the whole course of your an
nails | venture to say, that the Conservative
party has won no triumph SO signal.
He then pointed out the manner in
which the bill has been managed, and said
that the debates had been carried on in the
lobbies and not in the House. He said:
The Conservatives somewhat resemble
the men who are bold when no danger is
present, but who, at the first threat of battle,
throw their standard into the mud and
seek safety in fight. No one seems to be
agreed as to the results of the tremendous
revolution we are making We are making
it absolutely in the dark. You take no
trouble to ascertain who these classes are
to whom you are giving this power. If
you like the way in which they do their
work in Trades Unions, you may look with
sanguine feeling upon the future of this
country. There is nothing more remarka-
bic in history than the instinct with which
the lower classes have always selected, for
the purposes which they desire to carry
out members of the classes against whom
they are acting. Depend upon it, if any
storm arises, if there is any question
of labor against capital, any question of
occupation against property, it will be no
protection to you that you may have men
who belong to the class of proprietors or of
capitalists in this House. What believe
is, that the members Of Parliament who
will be returned under this bill will be
wealthy men with Conservative instincts,
and stepped to the lips in Radical pledges.
We know from the example of this session
how much Conservative instincts will avail
with men who are acting under the fear
that they will lose their seats.
Lord Cranbourne then contended that
about eight hundred thousand new voters
would be created by this bill, and that, in
round numbers, the constituency of Eng
land would be one million of the working
classes against FIVE hundred thousand of
the other classes.
Upon all questions of foreign policy
and of general policy he continued, l
see no reason to believe that the working
classes will come to any other conclusions
bat what all other sober and reasonable
Englishmen come TO. But if ever you
come to a question between class and
class, where the interests of one class are,
or seem to be, pittied against those of an
other, you will find all those securities of
rank, wealth and influence in which you
trust are mere feathers in the balance
against the solid interests and genuine
passions Of mankind. You must as | have
said, trust for the future in the working
classes. If they fulfill your expectations
will join, and more than join, in all the
ot,lnrr,o, Ior-a ,.o,1oI fhora -
cause they will do what no class has hith-
erto done in the history of the world. They
will stand alone among the classes which
history records as having had the power of
lettering their own interests by legislation,
and who, yet refrained from doing so.
Robert Lowe representing the untitled wealthy
class.
Mr.. Lowe began by predicting an era of
change and revolution 81 want
to point out to the House." he said, chat
the authorship of this bill, for which rival
candidates make their appearance in the
lists, is disgrace 10 be avoided and not an
honor TO be sought" He commended that
the bill was founded upon the true Demo-
cratic principle-'the principle of a right
existing in the individual az opposed TO
general expediency; the principle of num-
beTs as against wealth and intellect" After
calculating this view and exposing some of
the inconsistencies of the bill, he proceeded
to argue that, as in America, the Demo-
cratic system must be adopted in full, that
the relations between State and Church
must be abolished; that an elected Senate
must replace the House of Peers; that the
intervals between Parliamentary elections
must be shortened; that the Prime Min
ster must be chosen by popular vote, like
he American President, and be allowed to
appoint his own Cabinet.
This would arise" be said, "not from
my mad love of innovation, but because
your conduct has made it necessary. You
have forced on us institutions which can
not he Carried on in any other way. The
example of America will no longer be
warning and terror, for it will become of
Judges, not those who adhere to the letter
Of the law, but those who join in the pop
llar sentiment. Then, with regard 10 fhe
army, the system of purchase will be abol-
shed and system of appointment by jobs
will be substituted. In accordance with the
Democratic principle, the army would de-
mand to elect their own officers"
Mr.. Lowe commenced the second part
Of his grafton by defending himself from
he charge of assisting to pass the reform
bill, by opposing Gladstones measure last
rear. He showed that his predictions had
,ome true, and charged that both Glad
stone and Bright had got more than they
wanted.
What he asked, does the honora-
Die member from Birmingham say on this
subject? He had been agitating the coun-
~ for household suffrage, but not meaning
o get it. Laughter, In two senses he
las got it. Laughter. The leader of
he movement has been already outstripped,
md he shrinks back, like Don Giovanni,
which l am told is the Italian for John.
Great laughter Don Giovanni asked
he statue of the Commentators to supper
because he had no idea that his invitation
would be accepted; but the statue did
'ome. That is exactly the position of the
member from Birmingham, and
suppose that he will now get up and tell
Is that nothing is so ridiculous as to
hink that we cannot limit these things.
That whole question" he said, has
low completely changed. All the opinions
held on the subject have been scattered
o the winds by this measure Of the gov
.rnment. | shrunk from the notion of
orcing education upon the people; bat
low believe it will be absolutely neces-
airy that you should prevail on our future
masters TO learn their letters"