New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-23
THE RURALLIFE OF ENGLAND
BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID.
TTrr REPRESENTATION IN PARLIAMENT.
XVII.

~ 4
Abat of Englands having representative form of
government. The assertion lmay surprise the
American reader. and be discredted by him,
though perhaps not so much when he has heard
what have TO say in support of it. spoke of the
county constituencies being almost exclusively
under control of small oligarchy of arstocrats
who from the time Farlaments were first IN
Stituted even from the ,citte-gemOte. have repre-
eented them. and come 10 look upon 1t as solt
of ancestral right. They are nearly all OF 'he
titled nobility, magnates of the first magnitude anu
enter Parliament undisputedly or II there DO u's-
mite # Is among themselves as TO which of their
seetions-Whig OF Tory-shal have the seat' b"'
the people at large have little or no say III IT, since
these rural constituencies are chiefly composed Oh
.enantfarmers who for reasons already given, are
not free an the casting Of their votes
II may be urged that they have the protection OF
+he ballot which should hold them soathless
against landlord dsfavOr. 1t has not been found
So however; landlords having little difficulty IN
discovering how the cat has jumped But even al
lowing these tenant-farmers full liberty of vote.
with no sinister consequences to accrue what OF IL
They are only fractional part of the rural popu-
iation. the bulk and body of 1t having no vote AT
ALL and therefore no more to do with making 'no
laws that govern them than had the lelotS OIL
Snarta in shaping the statutes of Lacedemon'
Their only connection with law-maKlnS OF Ia"
administration is the paying what IL cos'si nv"
this do they, tune that entails on them n'oro
than half the toll and struggle of their lives. were
these non-voters less intelligent or less poihcaS
enlightened than those endowed with the irahch'Se
there might be some excuse for its being wlthheiu
from them But such is not the case ins'eau
rather the opposite most of them beihg qui.' aS
canab,e of rational and beneficial exercise OF IL ~
those " no do exercise It, and mauy OF them more
Among English workingmen--as mechanics anu
The higher grade OF laborers-there ~" many
thousands having a far clearer and wider conipre-
bepsion of political truths than those who employ
them More honesty of political aim. TOO; pelhg
nncorrupted and untTammelled by the petty alhoi-
lions and aspirings TO social rank Which MAKE
many of the middle class subservlent 10 lhe ais
tocracy.
There has long been talk Of admitting these non
ritjzcns TO citizenship such bastard sort Of 1t as
English people possess in the meagre privilege OF
vot,nc for n Member OF Parliament. But even tins
Is mi of from day to day ard to year, while Tie
wonder is that il could be denied them for single
hour Possibly they may get 1t III time; ont IL
they do it VIII be as bone thrown TO dog to
silence his growing and they will lind Il bare
raatless one unless there be a total rearrangement
Of county constituencies. As these are now, 1t were
sheer ludicrons irony call them far representa-
ton of the rural people.
Not a whit fairer or better is it with those who
dwell in towns; indeed in many cases worse. ire
reader will be aware that the basis OF the bolongh
franchise is different from that of the counties and
I need not enter into It's details Enough to say
that il also excludes the buik of the population
from this very limited exercise of civic rights
Take London elf as example. city containing
over three millions of inhabitants; not one out OF
every ten being entitled to vote. In like manner IS
it with AL the large provincial towns, as LIVERPOOL
Manchester, birmingham. Glasgow and Edinburgh.
In what sense then, this be regarded as
representation Of the people
But / have not yet touched bottom There are
81 many shams and receptions IN this socalled
representative system. such network OF tricks
and oontrivances to make 1t utterly worthless that
time with many words is needed TO reveal them
What will Americans think OF legislative
assembly in which the vote Of one man can neutral
i7e and make nought of those of a hundred! Yet
inst this Is done in the Parliament OF EnGland--l
mean Northumberland not exceptionally out rather
az the rule There IS many borough whose voting
constituency counts less than 500; and of course its
elective majority will be a still smaller number
often not half this Yet the member VINO sits Tor
one OF these has as much say in shaping the laws Oh
England as he who represents constituency OF
10000 II is exactly If in the American National
Iegsla.ure the town of Newport. Rhode Island,
was represeuted by the same number of Congress
men as the great city Of New-lOrk Indeed the
analogy does not 10 justice TO my argument; Tor
the people of Newport presumably rs oniiEh'-
ened and as capable OF exercising the franchise as
those Of New-YoIk, while il England 1t is alto
aether Inherent the voting constituencies OF these
miniature boroughs being often ignorant, might
almost saw in proportion TO their bulk. az in
stance 1 have friend who sits for one OF Them a
very worthy gentleman, sent to Parliament over
md over again by the votes of 40 mon They are
nil unlettered fshermeu-for the privileged place
hv the seaside-knowing little beyond tho mdnip-
ulation of their boats and nets Yet within the
walls of Parliament NV friends yea or nay-in
other words the dictum of 40 ignorant fishermen
s as potential as though pronounced by the largest
and most enlightened constituency in the Kingdom
II is indeed wonder how little English people
are alive 20 the importance OF an equally proper
TONED franchise; the great body of them being
absolutely unaware of the fact that IN equal
electoral districts" lie the gist and germ of all
representative government. Even the Chartists IN
making this one of the 8" SIX points of Their
Charter, gave it a secondary place. as the despSeu
stone of the builders. while in reality 1t Is Tie true
cornerstone OF Liberty's fabric
Nor have 1 yet shown tho seamiest side of this
disDroportionate representation OF Englands
people There is another and more eXecrable phase
of il TO be exposed-the way in which these small
borough constituencies are controlled. AS with
those Of the counties, many OF them are uhder
anstocratic influence, at the beck and nod OF some
,erritorlsL grandee who owns them or at least
owns the houses they inhabit. 1t is record that
one such boas.ed that he could put his spaniel into
Parliament: and one actually male his groom or
other underling a member OF the House of Com
mons lust for the joke OF the thing. or the winning
a wager These are matters OF a past time but the
mower still exists and might be exercised to day OF