New-York tribune., 1867-03-27
THE REFORM QUESTION.
,,sroRy OF PARLIAMENTARY LEGiSLAIloN 0N
REFORM IN ENGLAND. -

codence Of and throwing into the Shauo' al ~
sub;ects of public interest, not eACep'iHB 00I VIZ
Fsnian disturbances in Ireland Inc pooPi0 H''o
,isan in their might under able and trusted le"uo'
chin to demand their rights and large eNIciiSion
~ the elective franchise at an early day may no" 0
looked for with certainty as preparatory steP 10
,ord the ultimate concession of manhood suffrage
that being the complexion to which matters IL Is
EVIDENT must come at last. We propose to give the
,tIines of the measure of Reform just submitted 10
Parliament by the Government now III power as wen
90 of that introduced by the Russell-Gladstohe
Ministry last year. and upon winch they were u'-
featad To take rapid survey OF the history ol NO
form, s;noe the passing Of the great act OF 1907 anu
A. .rn, nm briefly the concessions which successive
csovorpments have, from time to time propoSeu W
n,sle 10 popular demands during the Hast ~ years.
The circumstances under which LORD Derry su0o10U
ovey in the middle of last year rendered 1t aDSo-
futov necessary for his government at the earnest
oasibe TO introduce bill into Parahen' ioi
svtondnO the elective franchise The national voice
demanded reform IN imperative tones, ana no Oaol
oct conId expect 70 stand for a single week that was
athar unwilling or unable to attempt pIactcaI so
Intion of the question upon which the huSsen "i"N
stone ministry was thrown out OF oiiice III Sno
mer of 1896 Accordingly, lmmedlatly alter tne open
INC of tho presont session OF ParIlameh' MI Dl'"o'
. C,,sncellor of the Exchequer brought forward in
House
lions affirming the desirabiity of extending
The elective franchise, in order to secure to
lhe laloring classes more direct represent
,tion in Parliament; and in doing So he lntlmated
that tine Government, in framing a measure OF he
form. would be guided, in great measure by the
srdiot 1rbicb the House might pass on the resolu-
tions This course was most unusual One-h lac''
all but upprecedented; and as the House ODecIeu u
,oh mode of dealing with the subject, the Govern
4 I, Il fhO raan "a
u, give notice of the bill which is under discus
sfon in the Commons This measure it appears, pro-
poses TO give the right of suffrage 10 rate-paylng
householders after two years residences that IS to
people occupying houses upon which rates are
assessed 1t further provides for the enfranchsement
Ofmen paying yearly taxes to the amount OF ShlgS
(serlng OF having ESQ in savings bank OF tJOmthe
Funds and also of all members of the learned
professions and graduates of the Universities OF the
United Kingdom. ItprovideS, likewise, for reduced
franchise of els in the counties Its principal fea
tnres then so far rs our information goes, are the
following: Qualified household suffrage moderate
taxpaying franchise a franchise DaSea on ts pIGp
for county voters. Under the first OF these, the
lOdgers-a large class in England,,a.NwoQd De aH9-
Cether excluded. The second qualification would
doubtless add q considerable number OF voters 70
the registry; but il is open TO the objection that
might lead to great deal of corruption, unleS very
stringently guarded The tmTd provision
the validity of the principle OF property Hthchlse
tiona qualification such; rests, 1t VIII De seen,
the narrOwest possible OASIS. IL :H nSo
the demands of the RefOTmeTs, although, as coming
from Tory Government, 1t must be Regarded a. NtIA
liberal The RefOrmers of the League are ealing Ior
restoration of that household franchise, Whcn was
declared 900 wears ago by committee of the House
Commons, to be the right OF the people lhoS ato
asking where is the pOtnalling franchise, by winch
every man who boiled pot was entitled TO a vote
They want manhood suffrage pure ana simple anu
nothing less than this will satisfy them Inc eduea-
tOna franchise is not less objectionable 70 theIn LOT
confined il is to those who have won degrees IN the
universities takes cognizance OF the work kngnan
however GteTate and intelligent he may be. 1he
Savings Bank franchise might admit some OF the
working classes but as TO the ESQ franchise the
number OF workIngmen having money IN @ tne Iuhos'
might, 50 to speak, he counted on ones fingers. -
The Reform measure upon which the Russell
Gladstone Ministry was wrecked last July was pre-
sented to the House of Commons on the l2th MaIcn
1866 by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Mr.. Glad-
stone who in along speech explained its details That
$50 to Gl4 occupancy fixed the borough franchise
at Il rental. and proposed to confer the right OF
voting on dodgers paying f1O for apartments; Its
principal features were, then contemplated large
addition to the number of county voters by means OF
result i'm the bOroughs through the agency of mod
crate rental franchise and the admission OF dodgers
paying not less than flO year for their apartments
measure would have added nearly half million TO
the present number of voters in England and Wales
Separate bills of similar character only differ
ing slightly in their details were introduced for Scot
land aud Ireland. 1t will thus be seen that; as
tage over Dsraelis in two highly important particu-
lars In the first place. the former adopted the rental
qualification while the latter proceeds on the rating
principle. According to GladsOnes BILL the exercise
Of the franchise to depend not upon the assessed
value of the property for purposes of rating which,
in numerous instances wOnld be more than the rental,
but upon the amount of rent actually paid by the
tenant. The rating qualification being as
rule, much higher than that of rental,
il would have been concession of very
questionable liberaty say the least of it, 10 make
that the basis of extension Of the franchise And
1t was on this point that the faction known as tho
Adulamtes combining with the Tories, succeeded
in defeating the measure and compelling the re,ig-
nation of the Ministry. Under the pTetext of pre-
feTing the principle Of rating to that of rental they
pressed the Ministry to abandon the latter for the
former. Gladstone, after persisting for time,
yielded to their wishes but the concession failed To
cOncat0 their support, which they never intended
O give and as his weakness had offended and alien
ated of his waTmest friends and supporters the
government was overthrOwn. Another important diff
ference between the two bills Is, that while that
Of Last year provided for the admission of dodgers to
the franchise the present measure ignores this
ton OF the community altogether. 1t gives the right
Of voting to hOusehOdeTs only but the exercise of
the right is elogged with qualifications which would
operate as bar against the class it processes TO
snfTanchse. Only rate-paying hOuSehOdeTs, it
seems, are TO be admitted, and they can only vote
after two years residence When the migTatOns of
the class affected by this provision are taken into
sccOunt-their frequent removals from house to
house. from causes beyond their contrOl-the real
value of the concession may be easily estimated. Gad
stones bill. then, i IS apparent, was vastly more
liberal than that which has just been introduced by
the Tory government.
The present agitation in England for Parliament
ary reform naturally leads to the inquiry, How is
it that within short period as has elapsed since
the passing of the Reform bill of lS32-a measure
that has been characterized the second Magma
Charta of English lberty-there should arise so gen
eral aud urgent demand for an extension of the
franchise The fact is that the bill in question:
however excellent IN intention and effect, was by
no means a settlement of the conflicting claims be-
tween prescriptiye privilege and constitutional
right 1t was in the nature of an emOllieDt, and,