The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-05-17

trast with the narrow and illiberal policy of
Congress in taxing the productions OF the
South at time when they most need assist
ance How different is this speech of Gerrit
Smith to those threatening and mere partisan
speeches of Wilson, Kelley, and some other
Northern orators in the South We think
GerTit Smith would do a great deal of good
were he to follow those other speakers
throughout the South, and we recommend
him to do so. 'ti oc.l .L
The Present Condition of the English
Reform Question:
From the Tribune H
On the 9th of May the House of Commons
had again an important debate on the Reform
question. The cable vaguely states that it was
an amendment proposed by Disraeli which ON
this occasion called forth an excited discussion.
We are not informed of the character of the
amendment; but from the circumstance that
1t drew out elaborate speeches from Gladstone,
Bright, and Disraeli, we infer that it concerned
an important feature of the bill. The two
parties again measured their strength, and the
result was another decisive defeat of the libe-
rails, the Government obtaining majority of
%. We did not need the assurance of a sub
ssequent cable despatch for knowing that the
preservation of the Tory Cabinet may now be
regarded as secured. The friends OF a real,
progressive Reform bill can no longer expect
to reconstruct in the present Parliament a
trustworthy majority which could be relied
upon when points of vital Importance are at
stake The boilers from the liberal ranks
have clearly shown that they are more sincere
land thorough in their hatred of democracy,
and of every measure looking like an advance
towards democracy, than in their desire to
appear more liberal than the Tories. They
may again be willing to cooperate with the
liberal party on some particular occasion, and
l. ahNyk kIa nf
the Tories; but they will never be again re-
garded as an integral portion of the party
which proclaims its belief in a steady progress
towards universal manhood suffrage
The friends of reform have reason to feel dis
appointed at their defeats in the House of
Commons, but their noble efforts during the
past year are very far from being lost. Two
great results have been obtained. In the first
place, the masses of the people have been
thoroughly stirred up, and their influence has
begun to be felt. The reform agitation of the
past winter has, in point of magnitude and
efficiency, by far eclipsed the movements of
former years. The people have spoken out
their opinion, and their words have been
needed. The Tories have been intimidated
by the reform demonstrations, and have
deemed 1t necessary to court the favor of the
people by apparently making concessions If
this organization of the disfranchised classes
can be kept up and improved, the cause of
reform will soon make headway. The Tories
are well aware that nearly every one of them
represents only small community, and that
even the votes of their few constituents are
chiefly obtained by fear. The large constitu-
encles are even now, all ON the side of reform,
If with them the disfranohised masses demand
the extension Of suffrage, even the Tories can
not fail to see the danger of their position.
Already this dread of the power of the
people, who begin to demand their right, has
produced serious decentralization in the ranks
of the Tories. That portion of the party
which looks more for the purity of principles
quarrels with the portion that looks more foI
the preservation of power. The last number
of the great organ of the Tory party, the Quar-.
terLy Revieo, declares that the present position
of the party is most humiliating; that the in,
PRODUCTION of the Tory Reform bill of 1859 was
mistake, and was the doing Of Mr.. Dsraeli,
in opposition to the wishes of his party. The
same opinion was held by those colleagues O
Disraeli who recently left the Cabinet rather
than subscribe to the concessions which the
majority of the Calinet had concluded Il
make.
Disraeli is the determined leader of those
Tories who consider the preservation of power
as more essential than the preservation O
principles and as his recent abandonment o
the rating franchise for the lodger franchise
again indicated, would be disposed to yielC
even more If thereby he could keep the Libe
rals out OF power. But with every step ht
advances in this direction, the number O
those who are unwilling to follow him will in
Srease: Thus several prominent members O
nus Cabinet, and among them Lord Stanley
are strongly committed against household suf
tIa,ge, tr,g pure and simple, and would hesitate /,
follow Disraeli should he make on tbis nnas
uon another important concession. AN0T
While we therefore expect nothing from Al,
present Parliament, we think there is ~, vi vi
reason for anticipating a steady progress . J
the good cause of Reform from the mSrs re- a.
tenmined attitude Of the English people. Tb
English people deserve better fate than to h
forever the slaves of their aristocracy. and "
hope that If their rights should be Withheld
from them much longer, they VIII know hor
to conquer them. mon