The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-04-23

which may be q morit In philosophy. Ia r,d,.-
ulous In history.
III Prof IonGe's comments on the Reforr,
bill OF 1882. which. in the opinion Of all com
pctcnt judges. was tho most boncnr.n nj ,non.
urc carried since Magma Chara moan nnv.
thing. they signify that had he been n lo..isa.
tor at the time he would have voted asanstth.
extension Of tho franchise. Liko nll enlogis,s
of the old system he begins by dwelling on thu
uses OF the rotten boroughs from which
through tho favor Of some pntron PROMISING
or distinguished men could I've returned IN
Parliament after thoir rejection b. n ma
constituency. As regards this vell-worn pleo
We have simply to remark: First that the ten.
dcncy Of the system WAS to make bright men
knaves. and secondly. that in the long run tho
owners Of borough would prefer docile fool
10 II tricky sycophnnt.
Mr.. Yonsc says That in one point 6f grcht I'm,
portancc the irnmcrs If the Reform bin q lSg,
proved 10 DO mistaken. They justified liza
comprehensive or sweeping rungp which thew
had given 1t by their wish 10 mako IL n lnaI
settlement OF the question, and Ivy the cxrres.
sion Of their conviction that the completeness
with which 1t had satisfied all reasonable et.
pectations had efrertuuly prevented amy nccos.
sity for ever reopcning the question" Tn.
doubleday Earl Grey and his Will; colleagues
thought. or pretended to think. their bin A
tnHlity; but luckiv for the progress nj free in
stitutions in Great Britain, their bnlo' turned
ont II mistake. How Mr.. Yongc would hayo
acted may readily BE- Inferred from the follow.
ing comment: " II may easily be soon that the
principles on which one portion of tho bill viz.
that which enfrnnchisod new classes of voters
framed were such rs in shrewG hand,
might easily be adduced ~ arguments In favor
IA.
ton from time to time" or course the ladi.
Gals accepted the Reform bill Of 1882 mrrclyas
an instaincnt Of what was rcquircd-if the
people of England were to have any voice in
acknowledgement NJ an instrument lOr securing
moro complete Improvement. Such aims
clearly are not countenancpd by our exponent
of shoddy Toryism. SO long" he continues
as the right Of voting was confined TO
owners Of property or mcmhcrs of CORPORATE
bodies Isuch was the principle followed before
1922. the limo thus laid down was ono not Liable
to be crossed But the moment that tenancy
was added to ownership and line wae drawn
distinguishing electors from non-ccctnrs not
by the nature Of their qualifications. but by tho
amount of their rent. detail was substituted
for principle. and the professor or maintaner
of the rulc that the qualification should be o
yearly rental Of f10 sterling might be called on
tn explain why GS might not he still more
reasonable limit" THIS would truly he q ptia-
bio quandary but what. then. would Mr. Yonge
say to the uncompromising advocates Of man.
hood sutfragr2 1t is with kind Of whine he
chronicles that the measure Of 1882 instead
OF forever slencing tho demand for reform
hy the completeness az its concessions. did in
fact, lay the foundation for future agitation
which has been further encouraged and fed by
further submission TO it, and which its leaders
who have so far triu ulphed. show no purpose to
discontinue" HeIc he suggests q narrowing
doubt whether such extensions Of the franchise
as have already been adopted. and those further
stops in the same direction which are generally
understood to DO impending. will eventually
be found compatible with the preservation OF
our ancient monarhical institutions After
noting that. while the Reform bill Of 1852 trans
fcrred tho chief political power from the
aristocracy 10 the middle classes and while
the further lowering Of the qualification
in 1867 transferred it from the middle
to tho poorer classes. he concludes that those
VINO view such transfer with alarm. and depre-
cate it as fraught with peril TO all our ancient
institutions, main their opinions by argu-
nents as old rs the days Of the Roman ropub-
lie but which have not lost strength by lupse Of
time. II. indeed. they have not been fortified by
events in the history of more than one modern
nation" Touching this comment on the most
important event discussed in this volume We
have simply this remark to make that a writer
who applies to tho free communities ri modern
times preccdents drawn from tho social struc-
ture Of the Greek and Roman psue.lu-rcuublics
which wero reared upon u basis II human
slavery. demonstrates his complete uniitness
for tho function Of the historian.