The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-07-21

Thomas Hughes, better known as atom
Brown" says in secret letter to an Ameri-
can paper that the "ballot bill, which has al
ready passed to its secondreadng IN the
House of Commons, is sure to become law.
In that way reform which George Grote,
the historian, began to agitate forty years ago,
and which has been considered in almost ev-
cry Parliment since, will be accomplished.
At the last Parliamentary election the undue
influence of the great families and capitalists
over their employees and dependents was as
seriously felt as ever. The knowledge of how
each man votes gives the aristOcracy an i'm
mense power under the present system OF which
they do not hesitate to make the most use
possible. Considerable advantage, therefore,
in the way of increased independence of elect
ors and purity of elections is to be anticipat-
ed as result of the long-sought vote by bal
lot-one of the reforms demanded by the
chartist agitators as long ago as 1S4S.
Another reform of considerable Importance
is the abolition of the purchase system in the
army-a system by means of which prefer
ment is obtained in that branch of the public
service only by the use of money, and merit
gives way before brainless tops and the
younger sons of peers. 1t has been expected
that the members of the House of Lords, as
representatives of the aristocraey, would re-
sist the measure to the last But there have
been some notable defeciions on this question
even from the Tory side of the upper House,
and it has Just been announced that young
Earl Derby, successor of the late Tory Pre-
mier, has declared in favor of reform in the
army. 1t is significant, too, that the Prince
Of Wales, who no doubt has his opinions
formed for hi Z by very high authority, lately
made speech in the presence of the Duke of
Cambridge, nominal commander in-chief of
the British army, in which he uttered vast
deal OF royal common place the purport of
which seemed to be that the reform proposed
by the Gladstone ministry is judicious one
as means of avoiding the disastrous conse-
quences of the "battle. of Dorking." If that
clever phamphlet has frightened ideas of pro-
gress into the heads of the English aristocra-
cy the value OF the work it has done is i'm
mense.
1t is predicted that the present Parliament
will be dissolved next summer, in which case
the provisions Of the ballot bill will 90 into
effect at the ensuing election.
At the present rate it will not take many
decades more for the institutions of Great
Britain to become so far liberalized as to con-
stitute government that is substantially re-
publican. The bill granting household suf-
frage, passed under the Disraeli ministry the
disestablishment of the Irish church and the
Irish land reform, effected by the Gladstone
ministry, followed by the ballot and the army
bills, are immense strides for period of five
years. But English reformers allege that the
end is not here. The English church system
Is only less Ubiquitous than the Irish, and dis
establishment is more than limited at. The
English land system and the labor question
also furnish material for the immediate con-
alteration of the reformers. What next?-
The abolition of the House of Lords,-that
wicked enormity, that absurd anachronism /?
So far the thing is suggested only in the Rad
cal clubs, but as the movement of reform in
England is in an accelerating ratio the stage
of serious discussion may soon be reached
And if ever the stage of revolution is reached
IF ever the reform movement in England
meets unyielding opposition, involving civil
commotion and danger Of civil war-of
course it will be then.