The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-01-09
REFORM IN ENGLAND.

There has been another great reform demon
stration in England.. The Trades Unions (th,
conservative element Of the lower strata Of En-
glish society have given their adherence t,
the movement; and q general coalition is il
prospect of the bone and sinew of tho thre,
kingdoms. The question has long since out
grown its original proportions, and the p7im'
| movers may well stand in dread of the fate o
SEMELE, who,. though well warned of the terri
!! BILE power of Jove, persisted in desiring a bodi
| ~ manifestation Of his presence, was graft
! fed-and crushed. 1t is perhaps wen for Mr.
GLADSTONE that his measure was defeated il
the late Parliament, and that he and his col,
| leagues were compelled to resign. .,.
When Mr.. GLADSTONE in May, 1884, launched
that .sthunderbolt," as it was called in the
English papers, in which he declared the right
Of all men to vote, he placed himself at once at
! the head Of the liberal party in England. he
said: stLess than one-fftieth Of the working
classes are in the enjoyment of the franchise, =
and continued:
"What are the qualities that At raen Tor political
privileges? Are they not self-command, self-con-
ar IN tie
like to know, In the history Of this or eny other
country, were those qualities more prominently
exhibited than by the working people of Lanca-
shire under the pressure Of the cotton amine2"
To this he added the proposition, which was
the gist Of his speech:
II contend that when yor would persist in ex-
Guiding forty nine ftieths Of the working classe-
fron the franchise, it lies with you to show the In
capacity, the unftness, the misconduct Of those
CLASSES az uniting them for its enjoyment"
This was perhaps, not prudent speech for
a Chn 81 tha E~nh.o,,.. -
by his friends that If he had been per-
mitted to carry his Reform Bill through, the
popular demand might have been met for the
time being, and Mr.. BR1cHr and his friends
rendered harmless. We admit however. that
We cannot see exactly how the remedy pro
posed by Mr.. GLADsroNE could have succeeded
IN producing more than mere temporary lull
in the storm. He proposed to concede more
than the Conservatives were willing to yield,
and at the same time fell far short of the de-
mands Of the Radicals. If the progress Of
events should reinstate him in the Cabinet. a
very probable contingency, he would fnd no.
little difficulty, IA the sight Of either party OBJ
posed TO him, to consistently pursue the line Of
policy he had marked out for himself last wear.
1t is not easy for us to obtain accurate In
formation Of the progress Of this reform apita-.
ton In England. The numbers present at the
recent demonstrations are variously stated
10000 o1oo, 900: The papers in the interest
Of reform predicted there would be 8 quarter
Of million of people in the PROFESSIONS. The.
7Enes says the number did no. --~evu q, 900. s
4. The car-~-4--4luents Of the Northern Radical
journals, all Of course in strong sympathy with
JoHs BRIaHr, complain in almost every latter
Of the apathy Of the great mass Of the middle
classes in Ensslsnd. Their reverence for. roy
atty, and the other hereditary institutions Of
the land, is such that they refuse to see their.
own degradation, and still look With distrust.
upon Mr.. BaowN and his eoadjutors This, we
may be takenas involuntary evidence
entitled TO crsdenee and from it it, is fair to in
fer that after all inst has been said md writ
Ten about the great demonstrations Of the
'perativesof the city, factory, hands ana Trade,
Unions, social fabric IN England is still
SAFE and that the time Of Mr. BRIGHT and his
friends has not yet come. s%:s :2a $ssa3 ssasS