New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-09-16
THE ENGLISH CANVASS.

scaut announcement from his address to the electors
of BiYniurhain II has been said that ne thought
Parliamentary reform went too far last session lie
declares it dil not 60 far enough He is tor abolish
ing the small boroughs and for representation more
nearly in proportion to numbers-property ana not
persons being now represented lie IS squaIely LOT
the ballot and that is the first indispensable step to
breaking mp The land-owning monopoly of political
power in England On the Irish question Mr. Bright
did not need 10 declare his opinions, but he hassw'
away in a single sentence the bulwarl OF lanallca'
superstition behind which the Tories would sheUei
the Establishment In dealing" says Nr' bright
with the Irish Establishment we are not proHotlnB
the spread of the Roman Catholic or Damaging TIE
influence of the Protestant religion. we 90
not Touch RELIGION at all. We deal only
with the political institution Our OPP
ponents speak of thcir zeal for Professionalism ana
their LOYALTY to tine Constitution. l prefer FRO
testantsm which is ia alliance with Christian kind
ness and with justice, and my loyalty to the con-
stitntion leads me to wish for the hearty union OF
the three kingdoms in allegiance TO the Crown"
Against the minority representation forced upon
Birmingham oy tho last Parliament, he reneWs ms
protest. 81 is scheme to cut down her vote rom
three to one, hy electng one member against INC
will of tho majority. Whatever may be said IN favor
Of the theory of minority representation inc me's
IRE of last session was purely an electloneelhE ulch
Of the Tories They avenged themselves on inc
great towns which are almost always Liberal oy
reducing them TO the level of small boroughs whlch
rotnr,, ol,. one member of Parliament. Birmingham
was the most conspicuous victim of all, and 1t was
tboucht good Joke TO compel that great Liberal
co,stItucucy to send Tory representative. 1t was
still better finn to saddle Tory colleague on Mr.
Hright and urutralize his vote on every important
question. Good as the joke was 1t IS not
quite certain 10 bo carried out. The Liberal majority
in Birmingham is so large that 1t Is believed they
can return all three candidates spite OF the minority
law Under that law, while three members are TO De
chosen no ClectOr vote for more than tWo IL the
Liberals all vote for Mr.. Bright and Mr. Dixon the
tbird member must of course be Tory. If they
should all vote for Mr. Bright and divide their re-
manning vote between Nh Dixon and Mr.. MuDtz, the
other Liberal candidate they would be in danger of
losing two out of tue three But most elaborate
and careful has shown that II is possible so
to distribute the two votes between three Liberals as
nroboblv 10 secure the third seat without endanger
ing the other two. in constituency OF 5000, tins
is delicate thing To attempt but the Liberal mana
gers believe they have organized system Hnder
which IL can be done Mr. BIights friends must
forego the luxury OF pumping for him-hat Is of
giving to him alone the vote which might be given
TO two. The practice prevails in England with a
view to returning particular candidate at the head
of the poll.
MI Vernon HarcouTt. better known in America as
"Historicus7 spoke on Monday night at Oxford He
seeks to represent that ctythe citynot the Unyer-
sitv-as a colleague of Mr.. Cardwell The latter is
reported at length in the papers, while Mr.
fIarcOurt is unaccOuntaby dismissed with par
agraph and even a single line, in the journal which
has been his principal organ. ] am not surobut this
may be a LITTLE luniiliating to America. That coun-
try has so long been used to its affairs settled ont
of hand by IIistorcus' that il viii be shocked to
find his opinions On English affairs 50 little regarded
in English papers.
For the University of Oxford there is some talk Of
putting Mr. Gladstone again in nomination. The IdH
Mall, which generally knows what it is talking
about reports a remark that the Liberal party has
been greatly strengthened since Mr. Gladstone was
beafen hv Ngr Hardy SOFT is thought that the for
nj SHIT turn tho toblos his old opponent.
But as Mr. Gladstone is to stand for Lancashire, and
is beside 10 be returned from Greenwich without ex-
penso or eXetiou his part tits scarcely pToba
BILE that third seat should be reserved for him.
Whatever Oxford might DO if no chose to contest it
in the usual way it is too digned body to put It.
self third in a list Of constituencies soliciting the
honor of beng repre- ented by MI Gladstone. II Is
settled that the energies Of the Liberal leader will
he given to the Lancashire contest Nor is 1t to be
desired that Nj Gladstone should again represent
Oxford His cmancipation-as Nh DiSTae would
say, his educaton-dates from the day when be was
beaten at Oxford. and went down into the purer air
Of Lancashire TO make the famous "unmuzlled"
speech.
How much the ballot is wanted TO secure freedom Of
voting single instance will show. A Mrs Burton,
owning considerable estates IN Warcham, has adj
dressed the following circular letter to her tenants
"sir.-T request YOU viii vote for my father. J. " 8
Drax ESQ., receipt or this. am sir yours truly,
H. L. DUEToy.-Mr. -, tenant, Brere Regis"
MI Erlc-Drax is a Tory candidate, but the same
thing is done as readily by Liberals as by Tories.
Neither in coercion nor in bribery have the Tories
amOnopoly Sir Edmund LacoD, who represented in
the last Parliament the borough of Yarmouth, now
DISTINGUISHED for bribery aud corruption is a Tory
candidate for North Norfolk, with the ministry and
the Carlton Climb at his back. Mr. John Fender who
represented Tones, another Of the dsiranchised hOr
oughs, is q Liberal candidate for Linlithgowshire,
He appears 10 have been sent down TO contest that
seat by the Liberal managers in London. At all
events they tolerate if they do not actively support
him. Are we 10 suppose they DO not know his his
toryi He is gibbeted in the Bribery Blue book, the
Commissioners Of Inquiry reporting that both in
1865 and in 1862 Mr. John Fender privy and as
sentng the corrupt practices that prevailed in the
TOtnes elections The truth is that public opinion,
strong enough to make bribery dsQaceful, has yet
TO be created.
or the English electOneeTing system ] shall have
more TO say hereafter but Mr. Hughes bit it a hard
blow at Lambeth last night. 1t is refreshing in the
midst Of all the Aunkeysm of q canvass. 10 find a
man who will tell his constituents that they may
take him or leave him, Just rs they please, "As TO
tOuting himself" said Mr.. Hughes, upon every
wall in the borough, in every color. AS if he were an
Ethiopian serenadcr he could only regard it as de-
grading both TO the candidate and the constituency
The contest IN Lambeth goes on as Mr. Hughes some